cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Review: Place, Race, and Story: Essays on the Past and Future of Historic Preservation by Ned Kaufman; Our Unprotected Heritage: Whitewashing the Destruction of Our Cultural and Natural Environment by Thomas F. King

Ned Kaufman Place, Race, and Story: Essays on the Past and Future of Historic Preservation . New York: Routledge, 2009, xi + 421 pp., 50 b/w illus. $39.95, ISBN 9780415965408 Thomas F. King Our Unprotected Heritage: Whitewashing the Destruction of Our Cultural and Natural Environment . Walnut Creek, Calif.: Left Coast Press, 2009, 200 pp., no illus. $24.95 (paper), ISBN 1598743813 Place, Race, and Story presents essays on historic preservation's past and future that are intellectually provocative, culturally incisive, and politically astute. At its core this book challenges the twentieth-century alliance, or confusion, between the practices of architectural history and historic preservation. That alliance often tended to define historic preservation as a curatorial pursuit, committed to preserving a three-dimensional encyclopedia of the objects of historians’ desire, aesthetically and stylistically considered. This framing of historic preservation drastically narrowed its social and cultural possibilities. Ned Kaufman points the way toward a more relevant, expansive, and vital historic preservation movement; a movement committed to social equity, steeped in ethnography and politics and guided less by the imperatives of architectural history practice and more by sensitivity to the human values manifested in everyday attachments to place. Some historic preservation practitioners have used the criteria and models of architectural history to insulate their work from social claims of various stakeholders and communities. Kaufman argues, “It is hard to understand how separating heritage from society's most pressing concerns can enhance the cause of conservation.” He challenges the tendency of many not-for-profit preservation organizations that allocate “resources to protect a historic site admired by architectural historians” (9) while making no effort to discover and help protect sites that are meaningful to a much broader array of neighborhood and community groups. Kaufman does not stand alone. Retiring in 2010 as president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Richard Moe reflected on the field; he wrote, “Historic preservation has evolved into something much more than just saving historic buildings. Today it is about people and the places that they care about—where they live, work, shop, worship, and celebrate. We need historic places to help ground us in our past, but also in our future, as …
A structurally simple self-immolative reagent that provides three distinct, simultaneous responses per detection event

A general design is presented for a stimulus-responsive small molecule that is capable of responding to a specific applied chemical or physical signal by releasing two different types of pendant small molecules and a colorimetric indicator simultaneously. A key aspect of this design is the ease with which these reagents are prepared: typically, only four synthetic steps are required. Moreover, the modular construction strategy provides access to stimuli-responsive reagents that are capable of (i) responding to a variety of applied signals and (ii) releasing a number of different small molecules that contain primary alcohols, secondary alcohols, or phenols. These stimuli-responsive reagents are stable under physiological conditions (neither hydrolysis nor thermal degradation of the reagent occurs in significant quantity), and when they are exposed to the appropriate applied signal, they release both pendant small molecules and the colorimetric indicator completely within hours. Finally, unlike other functi...
Characterization of Manufacturing Defects Common to Composite Wind Turbine Blades: Flaw Characterization

The preliminary results from a survey of wind turbine blade manufactures, repair companies, wind farm operators and third party investigators has directed the focus of this investigation on types of flaws commonly found in wind turbine blades; waviness, and porosity/voids. A variety of flaw geometries as defined by in-field collection of production scale blade data has been investigated and complied. Basic statistical analysis has shown that the data generally follows standard distributions. The preliminary results from this effort and coupon level testing have established a protocol by which a defect in a blade can be characterized quantifiably. With this data and other parameters it is possible to develop criticality models that can be used in the field to evaluate the risk of leaving an as manufactured flawed structure in service. The basic metrics for this model have been developed and are described herein.
Sex Pheromones of Noctuid Moths. 1. A Quantitative Bioassay for the Sex Pheromone of Trichoplusia ni (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

The sex pheromone of Trichoplusia ni (Hubner), the cabbage looper, was bioassayed by noting the number of males that started to vibrate their wings or fly after exposure to ether extracts of female abdomen tips. The procedure can be used to detect a concentration as low as that equivalent to 1×10-4 female. The sensitivity of this type of bioassay depends upon the effort taken to exclude males from extraneous contact with the pheromone.
Daniel Fuchs’ The Williamsburg Trilogy: The Fantasy of Meaning

We have trespassed, we have been faithless, we have robbed, we have spoken basely, we have committed iniquity, we have wrought unrighteousness, we have been presumptuous, we have done violence, we have forged lies, we have counselled evil, we have spoken falsely, we have scoffed, we have revolted, we have blasphemed, we have been rebellious, we have acted perversely, we have transgressed, we have persecuted, we have been stiff-necked, we have done wickedly, we have corrupted ourselves, we have committed abomination, we have gone astray, and we have led astray.
Identification and Toxicological Evaluation of Unsubstituted PAHs and Novel PAH Derivatives in Pavement Sealcoat Products.

Pavement sealcoat products contain high concentrations of unsubstituted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), but the assessment of the potential toxicological impact is limited without the inclusion of PAH derivatives. This study determined the concentrations of 23 unsubstituted PAHs, 11 high molecular weight PAHs (MW302-PAHs), and 56 PAH derivatives, including 10 methyl-PAHs (MPAHs), 10 heterocyclic PAHs (Hetero-PAHs), 26 nitrated PAHs (NPAHs), and 10 oxygenated PAHs (OPAHs) in coal tar- and asphalt-based sealcoat products and time point scrapes. Inclusion of MW302-PAHs resulted in an increase of 4.1%–38.7% in calculated benzo[a]pyrene carcinogenic equivalent (B[a]Peq) concentrations for the coal tar-based products. Increases in some NPAH and OPAH concentrations were measured after application, suggesting the possibility of photochemical transformation of unsubstituted PAHs. The Ames assay indicated that the asphalt-based product was not mutagenic, but the coal tar-based sealcoat products were. The z...
Postmodernism and the Technological Imagination

Joseph Tabbi's Postmodern Sublime is an intelligent, well-written and learned exposition of the impact of modern advances in technology on the works of a number of important American postmodernist writers. In particular, Tabbi draws upon the category of the sublime (especially as delineated by Thomas Weiskel) to provide a framework within which to discuss the ways writers like Norman Mailer, Thomas Pynchon, Joseph McElroy and Don Delillo attempt to "reflect imaginatively" on a modern technological world that has become too complex for direct representation. But Tabbi usefully insists that in these writers this impossibility of adequate representation does not result in a reflexive inward turn toward textual play, but in an intense engagement with contemporary reality. Indeed, Tabbi himself characterizes his book in the preface as "a critical investigation of (and occasional polemic on behalf of) a contemporary literary realism, one whose psychology expresses itself in the material constructions of an emerging technological reality" (x). Because of the complexity of this "realism," however, the representation of technological reality in these writers must go far beyond the mere use of technological jargon or description of technological devices. It must convey the sense of an entire worldview fundamentally informed by the constant presence of technology in our lives.
Nursery rhymes. A developmental perspective.

(1986). Nursery Rhymes. The Psychoanalytic Study of the Child: Vol. 41, No. 1, pp. 601-626.
A1 adenosine receptor of human and mouse adipose tissues: Cloning, expression, and characterization

The aberrant functioning of the A1 adenosine receptor of adipose tissue has been implicated as a factor in obesity. To begin to address questions concerning this relationship, the possibility of a unique A1 adenosine receptor in adipose tissue must be investigated. Therefore, cDNAs encoding the A1 adenosine receptors of adipose tissues of a mouse and an obese human were isolated, sequenced, and expressed in eukaryotic cells. We found their sequences to be 90% identical and each identical to published sequences of the receptors in brain preparations of the two species. The two cDNAs were transiently expressed in 293T cells, a human kidney cell line. Despite the 90% identity in their sequences, the ligand binding properties of the human and mouse cDNAs expressed in the 293T cell line differed markedly. With respect to amino acid differences in the extracellular loops, four occur in the second extracellular loop, which has been implicated in binding by other studies. The ligand binding characteristics of the recombinant receptors matched those of native receptors from human and mouse adipose tissue. The human A1 receptor cDNA was also expressed in ob17 preadipocyte cells to investigate reported influences of cellular environment on binding characteristics. We compared ligand binding of the expressed receptor in the two cell lines (ob17 and 293T). We also compared ligand binding of native receptors from mouse brain and adipose tissue preparations. In both studies, cellular environment had no affect on binding characteristics. This conclusive evidence resolves earlier conflicting reports in the literature.
Soils and Climate Change

Increasing soil carbon storage has been advocated as a means to both reduce net C emissions and increase the resiliency of soils for climate change (Lal 2004a, b; Lal et al. 2007). In fact, emissions of CO2 from soils since 1850 total approximately 78 ± 12 giga tons (1 Gt = 1 billion tons) of CO2. In comparison emissions related to fossil fuel use over the same time frame total 270 ± 30 Gt of CO2. Considering only cropland, total soil organic carbon sequestration potential in the US is 45–98 Mt (1 Mt = 1 million tons) (Lal et al. 2007). Soil carbon storage is complicated by the fact that increased soil carbon is not simply a case of adding carbon to soils and having that carbon remain in place for decades. Organic matter in soils is part of the annual cycle of growth and decay. At the same time that a portion of the existing carbon in soils is mineralized by soil microbes, more carbon is being added via plant growth and decay. Increasing carbon will result in net increases in primary productivity (plant growth). This increase in productivity will result in increased carbon inputs into soil. A portion of this increased productivity will remain in the soil as detritus from above and below ground plant biomass. While a fraction of this added carbon decomposes and returns to the atmosphere as CO2, a portion becomes incorporated into soil organic matter (Fig. 1).
Decoding the Long Noncoding RNA During Cardiac Maturation A Roadmap for Functional Discovery

Background —Cardiac maturation during perinatal transition of heart is critical for functional adaptation to hemodynamic load and nutrient environment. Perturbation in this process has major implications in congenital heart defects (CHDs). Transcriptome programming during perinatal stages is important information but incomplete in current literature, particularly, the expression profiles of the long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are not fully elucidated. Methods and Results —From comprehensive analysis of transcriptomes derived from neonatal mouse heart left and right ventricles, a total of 45,167 unique transcripts were identified, including 21,916 known and 2,033 novel lncRNAs. Among these lncRNAs, 196 exhibited significant dynamic regulation along maturation process. By implementing parallel weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) of mRNA and lncRNA datasets, several lncRNA modules coordinately expressed in a developmental manner similar to protein coding genes, while few lncRNAs revealed chamber specific patterns. Out of 2,262 lncRNAs located within 50 KBs of protein coding genes, 5% significantly correlate with the expression of their neighboring genes. The impact of Ppp1r1b-lncRNA on the corresponding partner gene Tcap was validated in cultured myoblasts. This concordant regulation was also conserved in human infantile hearts. Furthermore, the Ppp1r1b-lncRNA/Tcap expression ratio was identified as a molecular signature that differentiated CHD phenotypes. Conclusions —The study provides the first high-resolution landscape on neonatal cardiac lncRNAs and reveals their potential interaction with mRNA transcriptome during cardiac maturation. Ppp1r1b-lncRNA was identified as a regulator of Tcap expression with dynamic interaction in postnatal cardiac development and CHDs.
MODIFYING THE SUN AND WIND TO CREATE FAVORABLE MICROCLIMATES

ABSTRACT This paper describes a method for evaluating microclimates formed in the exterior spaces adjacent to buildings in terms of human comfort. An analysis of a freestanding cube in three U.S. climate zones is presented and applications to larger scale projects are discussed.
Chemical and physical controls on the transformation of amorphous calcium carbonate into crystalline CaCO3 polymorphs

Abstract Calcite and other crystalline polymorphs of CaCO 3 can form by pathways involving amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC). Apparent inconsistencies in the literature indicate the relationships between ACC composition, local conditions, and the subsequent crystalline polymorphs are not yet established. This experimental study quantifies the control of solution composition on the transformation of ACC into crystalline polymorphs in the presence of magnesium. Using a mixed flow reactor to control solution chemistry, ACC was synthesized with variable Mg contents by tuning input pH, Mg/Ca, and total carbonate concentration. ACC products were allowed to transform within the output suspension under stirred or quiescent conditions while characterizing the evolving solutions and solids. As the ACC transforms into a crystalline phase, the solutions record a polymorph-specific evolution of pH and Mg/Ca. The data provide a quantitative framework for predicting the initial polymorph that forms from ACC based upon the solution a Mg 2+ / a Ca 2+ and a CO 3 2− / a Ca 2+ and stirring versus quiescent conditions. This model reconciles discrepancies among previous studies that report on the nature of the polymorphs produced from ACC and supports the previous claim that monohydrocalcite may be an important, but overlooked, transient phase on the way to forming some aragonite and calcite deposits. By this construct, organic additives and extreme pH are not required to tune the composition and nature of the polymorph that forms. Our measurements show that the Mg content of ACC is recorded in the resulting calcite with a ≈1:1 dependence. By correlating composition of these calcite products with the Mg tot /Ca tot of the initial solutions, we find a ≈3:1 dependence that is approximately linear and general to whether calcite is formed via an ACC pathway or by the classical step-propagation process. Comparisons to calcite grown in synthetic seawater show a ≈1:1 dependence. The relationships suggest that the local Mg 2+ /Ca 2+ at the time of precipitation determines the calcite composition, independent of whether growth occurs via an amorphous intermediate or classical pathway for a range of supersaturations and pH conditions. The findings reiterate the need to revisit the traditional picture of chemical and physical controls on CaCO 3 polymorph selection. Mineralization by pathways involving ACC can lead to the formation of crystalline phases whose polymorphs and compositions are out of equilibrium with local growth media. As such, classical thermodynamic equilibria may not provide a reliable predictor of observed compositions.
PREDICTION OF WEAR IN MOBILE AND FIXED BEARING, CROSS-LINKED AND NON-CROSS-LINKED, UNICOMPARTMENTAL AND TRICOMPARTMENTAL KNEE ARTHROPLASTY

Background Wear and fatigue damage to polyethylene components remain major factors leading to complications after total knee and unicompartmental arthroplasty. A number of wear simulations have been reported using mechanical test equipment as well as computer models. Computational models of knee wear have generally not replicated experimental wear under diverse conditions. This is partly because of the complexity of quantifying the effect of cross-shear at the articular interface and partly because the results of pin-on-disk experiments cannot be extrapolated to total knee arthroplasty wear. Our premise is that diverse experimental knee wear simulation studies are needed to generate validated computational models. We combined five experimental wear simulation studies to develop and validate a finite-element model that accurately predicted polyethylene wear in high and low crosslinked polyethylene, mobile and fixed bearing, and unicompartmental (UKA) and tricompartmental knee arthroplasty (TKA). Methods Low crosslinked polyethylene (PE). A finite element analysis (FEA) of two different experimental wear simulations involving TKA components of low crosslinked polyethylene inserts, with two different loading patterns and knee kinematics conducted in an AMTI knee wear simulator: a low intensity and a high intensity. Wear coefficients incorporating contact pressure, sliding distance, and cross-shear were generated by inverse FEA using the experimentally measured volume of wear loss as the target outcome measure. The FE models and wear coefficients were validated by predicting wear in a mobile bearing UKA design. Highly crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE). Two FEA models were constructed involving TKA and UKA XLPE inserts with different loading patterns and knee kinematics conducted in an AMTI knee wear simulator. Wear coefficients were generated by inverse FEA. Results Predicted wear rates were within 5% of experimental wear rates during validation tests. Unicompartmental mobile bearing back-side wear accounted for 46% of the total wear in the mobile bearing. Wear during the swing phase was 38% to 44% of total wear. Discussion & Conclusions Crosslinking polyethylene primarily decreased (by nearly 10-fold) the wear generated by cross-shear. This result can be explained by the reduced propensity of crosslinked polyethylene molecules to orient in the dominant direction of sliding. A highly crosslinked fixed-bearing polyethylene insert can provide high wear performance without the increased risk for mobile bearing dislocation. Finite element analysis can be a robust and efficient method for predicting experimental wear. The value of this model is in rapidly conducting screening studies for design development, assessing the effect of varying patient activity, and assessing newer biomaterials. This FEA model was experimentally validated but requires clinical validation.
Registration of 3-D multimodality brain images by curve matching

The 3D multimodality brain image registration algorithm proposed here is based on the matching of feature curves which are defined by the intersections of the interhemispherical fissure plane (IFP) and the skull surface. The IFP as detected by a principal axes technique while the skull boundary in each scan is extracted by tracing the outermost closed contour. The feature curves care rotated to lie on 3D planes which are parallel to each other so that the problem is reduced to a 2D curve matching task. An MRI-PET image registration result is presented. >
3D space-to-microwave frequency mapping antenna

A 3D space-to-frequency mapping array comprised of a composite right/left-hand (CRLH) feed network and CRLH leaky-wave antennas (LWAs) is presented for microwave frequencies. Highly directive pencil beams can be scanned by varying frequency in a small footprint network with only passive CRLH structures. Simulation results are provided as demonstration.
Stable isotope analysis of CO2 in breath indicates metabolic fuel shifts in torpid arctic ground squirrels.

Abstract Stable carbon isotope ratios (δ 13 C) in breath show promise as an indicator of immediate metabolic fuel utilization in animals because tissue lipids have a lower δ 13 C value than carbohydrates and proteins. Metabolic fuel consumption is often estimated using the respiratory exchange ratio (RER), which has lipid and carbohydrate boundaries, but does not differentiate between protein and mixed fuel catabolism at intermediate values. Because lipids have relatively low δ 13 C values, measurements of stable carbon isotopes in breath may help distinguish between catabolism of protein and mixed fuel that includes lipid. We measured breath δ 13 C and RER concurrently in arctic ground squirrels ( Urocitellus parryii ) during steady-state torpor at ambient temperatures from − 2 to − 26 °C. As predicted, we found a correlation between RER and breath δ 13 C values; however, the range of RER in this study did not reach intermediate levels to allow further resolution of metabolic substrate use with the addition of breath δ 13 C measurements. These data suggest that breath δ 13 C values are 1.1‰ lower than lipid tissue during pure lipid metabolism. From RER, we determined that arctic ground squirrels rely on nonlipid fuel sources for a significant portion of energy during torpor (up to 37%). The shift toward nonlipid fuel sources may be influenced by adiposity of the animals in addition to thermal challenge.
Oral product input to the GI tract: GIS an oral product performance technology

The patient receives a pharmaceutical product, not a drug. The pharmaceutical products are formulated with a drug, an active ingredient to produce the maximum therapeutic effect after oral absorption. Therefore, it is the product we must optimize for the patients. In order to assure the safety and efficacy of pharmaceutical products, we need an in vivo predictive tool for oral product performance in patients. Currently, we are a surprisingly long way from accomplishing that objective. If the 20th century was the ‘age of the drug’, i.e., the ‘magic bullet’, the 21st century must become the ‘age of the guided missile’, i.e., the delivery system, including the form of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) (‘drug’). The physical form of the drug and the delivery system must be optimized to maximize the therapeutic benefits of pharmaceutical products for humans. Oral immediate release (IR) dosage forms cannot be optimal for all drugs or likely even any drugs (APIs). Still, the formulation of pharmaceutical products has to be optimized for patients. But how do we optimize oral delivery of drugs? It is usually through ‘trial and error’, in humans! We need a better way to optimize the oral dosage forms. We have suggested to select different dissolution methodologies for this optimization based on BCS Subclasses. In this article, we present the predicted in vivo drug dissolution profile of ketoconazole as a model drug from our laboratory utilizing a gastrointestinal simulator (GIS), which is an adaptation of the ASD system. GIS consists of three chambers representing stomach, duodenum, and jejunum, to create the human gastrointestinal tract-like environment and enable the control the gastric emptying rate. This dissolution system allows the monitoring of the drug dissolution phenomena and the observation of the supersaturation and the precipitation of pharmaceutical products, which is useful information to predict in vivo dissolution of pharmaceutical products. This system can provide the actual input needed to accurately predict the input into the systemic circulation required by many of the absorption prediction packages available today.
The use of cardiac MRI in a rare case of primary mural endocarditis.

A 47-year-old-man with a history of intravenous drug use and recent diagnosis of T-cell lymphoma returned to the emergency department 1 week after initiation of chemotherapy with complaint of left olecranon swelling. Admission vital signs included body temperature of 36.6°C, blood pressure 108/65, heart rate 76 and respiratory rate 18. Physical examination of the left olecranon revealed that it was warm and indurated. An X-ray of the left olecranon and aspiration of the swelling confirmed bursitis. Both the aspiration culture and blood cultures demonstrated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus . A transthoracic echocardiogram was subsequently performed revealing a large echodensity in the left ventricular apex (figure 1; see online supplementary video 1 and supplementary video 2). The patient refused …
Weaving a larger web: Cuban American writing in the Latin@ narrative

This essay explores the underrepresentation of Cuban American literature in Latin@ literary studies, probing into possible explanations for its marginalization in the field. I call attention to scholarship that has tended to portray Cuban American writing as fundamentally different from other Latin@ literatures with respect to politics, ideology, and historical trajectory. I then challenge such critical approaches by foregrounding the expansion and diversity of the Cuban American corpus, which can no longer be viewed as primarily exile-oriented, politically conservative, or racially homogeneous. I highlight the importance of scholarly work across latinidades that includes Cuban American writing in conversations about transnational and diasporic identity, the rewriting of American literary history, and intersections of race, gender, and sexuality. I propose that the study of postmemory and narrative inheritance in Cuban American and other Latin@ literatures offers compelling evidence of the significant interconnections that link these diverse works.
Human Centered NLP with User-Factor Adaptation

We pose the general task of user-factor adaptation – adapting supervised learning models to real-valued user factors inferred from a background of their language, reflecting the idea that a piece of text should be understood within the context of the user that wrote it. We introduce a continuous adaptation technique, suited for real-valued user factors that are common in social science and bringing us closer to personalized NLP, adapting to each user uniquely. We apply this technique with known user factors including age, gender, and personality traits, as well as latent factors, evaluating over five tasks: POS tagging, PP-attachment, sentiment analysis, sarcasm detection, and stance detection. Adaptation provides statistically significant benefits for 3 of the 5 tasks: up to +1.2 points for PP-attachment, +3.4 points for sarcasm, and +3.0 points for stance.
The Thioredoxin Reductase Inhibitor Auranofin Induces Heme Oxygenase-1 in Lung Epithelial Cells Via Nrf2-dependent Mechanisms

Thioredoxin reductase-1 (TrxR1) inhibition activates nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2) and attenuates lung injury in a murine bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) model. Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is regulated by Nrf2, although not exclusively. We have observed disproportionate increases in HO-1 levels in vivo and in vitro following TrxR1 inhibition; however, the role of Nrf2 in HO-1 induction by TrxR1 inhibitors is unclear. To test the hypothesis that TrxR1 inhibition induces HO-1 via Nrf2-dependent mechanisms, Nrf2 knockout (KO) murine transformed club cells (mtCCs) were generated using CRISPR/Cas9 and Nrf2 deletion confirmed by qRT-PCR and western blot. Cells were treated with 0.5 µM of the TrxR1 inhibitor, auranofin (AFN), or control (DMSO) for 3h and lysates were collected. TrxR1 activity was determined by insulin disulfide reductase assay. HO-1 mRNA and protein expression were determined by qRT-PCR and western blot, respectively. Data (n=5-6) were analyzed by 2-way ANOVA with Tukey’s post hoc (p In KO mtCCs, baseline TrxR1 activity was 50% lower than that in wild type (WT) cells. AFN treatment decreased TrxR1 activity by 50% compared to respective control-treated WT and KO cells. In AFN-treated WT mtCCs, Hmox1 levels were 30-fold greater than in control cells. This corresponded with a 75-fold increase in HO-1 protein expression. In AFN-treated KO cells, we detected only a 2-fold increase in Hmox1; however, no increase in HO-1 protein was detected. To confirm that the KO mtCCs are able to generate Hmox1 and HO-1, WT and KO mtCCs were treated with hemin (5 µM), a Nrf2-independent HO-1 inducer, or DMSO control for 8h. In hemin-treated mtCCs, Hmox1 levels were increased 5-fold in both WT and KO mtCCs when compared to their respective controls. Compared to their respective controls, HO-1 protein levels were increased 15-fold in WT and 5-fold in KO cells. Our data suggest that Nrf2 is the primary mechanism by which AFN increases HO-1 in mtCCs. HO-1 has been identified as a potential therapeutic target to prevent BPD. Future studies will investigate the role of Nrf2 in HO-1 induction in the lung in vivo and the contribution of HO-1 to the protective effects of TrxR1 inhibitors in our BPD model.
Assessing and reducing fine and ultrafine particles inside Los Angeles taxis

Abstract Taxi drivers and passengers are exposed to high levels of traffic-related air pollutants, but their exposures to fine (PM2.5) and ultrafine particles (UFPs) and related mitigation strategies are rarely explored. In this study, UFP and PM2.5 concentrations were monitored concurrently inside and outside of 22 taxis under different ventilation and mitigation conditions. Under realistic working conditions (no mitigation; NM), the average UFP and PM2.5 levels inside taxis were 1.46 × 104 particles/cm3 and 26 μg/m3, respectively. When the taxi ventilation was set to outside air mode and the windows kept closed, in-cabin UFP and PM2.5 concentrations are significantly associated with on-road concentrations, driving speed, and cabin air filter usage. The average in-cabin to on-roadway (I/O) ratios for UFP and PM2.5 were reduced from 0.60 to 0.75 under NM, to 0.47 and 0.52 under the most stringent mitigation strategy of keeping the windows closed and operating a high efficiency cabin air filter (WC + HECA). Among all tested taxi models, Toyota Prius exhibited the lowest UFP and PM2.5 I/O ratios under WC + HECA. Switching cabin air filters from the originally equipped manufacturer filter (OEM) to a HECA filter reduced the UFP and PM2.5 I/O ratios most effectively in Toyota Prius taxis as well.
Race/ethnicity and insurance status disparities in access to direct acting antivirals for hepatitis C virus treatment

Despite availability of highly effective direct acting antivirals (DAA), barriers in access to these therapies limit our ability to achieve HCV eradication. We aim to evaluate overall rates and predictors of HCV treatment across four community-based health-care systems focusing on race/ethnicity and insurance-specific disparities. We retrospectively evaluated all adults with chronic HCV at four health care systems from 1 January 2011 to 28 February 2017, which included a large proportion of ethnic minorities, two safety-net systems, and a broad payer mix across four states. Overall and stratified HCV treatment rates were calculated using Kaplan–Meier methods. Multivariate logistic regression models evaluated for predictors of receiving treatment. Among 29,544 chronic HCV patients (60.5% male, 38.4% black, 8.8% Hispanic, 18.7% Medicaid, 25.9% Medicare, 22.5% private/commercial), overall annual treatment rates were stable from 2011 (0.5%) to 2013 (2.0%), but increased from 2014 (4.8%) to 2017 (16.9%) after availability of DAAs. While similar treatment rates were observed by sex, significantly lower odds of treatment were observed in Hispanics (OR 0.48, 95% CI 0.39–0.60, p < 0.001) compared to non-Hispanic whites and among those with Medicaid (OR 0.21, 95% CI 0.20–0.24, p < 0.001) compared to commercially insured patients. Among our cohort of 29,544 chronic HCV patients, we observed significant improvements in HCV treatment rates after the availability of DAAs in 2014, but overall treatment rates remained <20% in 2017. The lowest rates of treatment were seen among Hispanics and those with Medicaid or indigent care insurance, which is concerning given these are particularly vulnerable populations.
Buckling of a Complete Spherical Shell Under Uniform External Pressure

Abstract : Non-linear axisymmetric bucking of a complete spherical elastic shell under uniform external pressure is treated numerically. Particular attention is given to the lower critical load, which is the theoretical least failure load. Among the new results are the evaluation of this load for thinner shells than those treated in the existing literature; in particular, the values 6.73% and 4.9% of the classical linear buckling loads are obtained for the radius-to-thickness ratios 100 and 200, respectively. The shapes of the buckled shells are computed for the first time in an unexpected hint that there is an asymptotic (ratios-to-thickness ration-independent) buckled shape. Numerical solution is by means of spectral (Galerkin) expansions of up to 60 modes in associated Legendre functions of order one applied to the quadratically non-linear version of E. Reissner's equations. (Author)
Elevated resting blood pressure augments autonomic imbalance in posttraumatic stress disorder.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is characterized by increased sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity, blunted parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) activity, and impaired baroreflex sensitiv...
Including off-diagonal anisotropies in anisotropic hydrodynamics

In this paper we present a method for efficiently including the effects of off-diagonal local rest frame momentum anisotropies in leading-order anisotropic hydrodynamics. The method relies on diagonalization of the spacelike block of the anisotropy tensor and allows one to reduce the necessary moments of the distribution function in the off-diagonal case to a linear combination of diagonal-anisotropy integrals. Once reduced to diagonal-anisotropy integrals, the results can be computed efficiently using techniques described previously in the literature. We present a general framework for how to accomplish this and provide examples for off-diagonal anisotropy moments entering into the energy-momentum tensor and viscous update equations which emerge when performing anisotropic pressure matching.
Sleep myths: an expert-led study to identify false beliefs about sleep that impinge upon population sleep health practices.

Abstract Introduction False beliefs about sleep can persist despite contradicting scientific evidence, potentially impairing population health. Identifying commonly held false beliefs lacking an evidence base (“myths”) can inform efforts to promote population sleep health. Method We compiled a list of potential myths using Internet searches of popular press and scientific literature. We used a Delphi process with sleep experts (n = 10) from the fields of sleep medicine and research. Selection and refinement of myths by sleep experts proceeded in 3 phases, including focus groups (Phase 1); email-based feedback to edit, add, or remove myths (Phase 2); and closed-ended questionnaires (Phase 3) where experts rated myths on 2 dimensions, falseness and public health significance, using 5-point Likert scale from 1 (“not at all”) to 5 (“extremely false”). Results The current study identified 20 sleep myths. Mean expert ratings of falseness ranged from 5.00 (SD = 0.00) for the statement “during sleep the brain is not active” to 2.50 (SD = 1.07) for the statement “sleeping in during the weekends is a good way to ensure you get adequate sleep.” Mean responses to public health significance ranged from 4.63 (SD = 0.74) for debunking the statement that “many adults need only 5 or less hours of sleep for general health” to 1.71 (SD = 0.49) for the statement that “remembering your dreams is a sign of a good night's sleep.” Conclusion The current study identified commonly held sleep myths that have a limited or questionable evidence base. Ratings provided by experts suggest areas that may benefit from public health education to correct myths and promote healthy sleep.
Alteration of mitochondrial membrane potential (∆Ψm) and phosphatidylserine translocation as early indicators of heavy metal-induced apoptosis in the earthworm Eisenia hortensis

The effects of the heavy metals cadmium and copper (50-500 µM) on the apoptotic eventsinvolving changes in mitochondrial membrane potential (∆Ψm) and phosphatidylserine (PS)translocation were investigated in the immune cells (celomocytes) of the earthworm Eisenia hortensis. Using the fluorescent probe JC-1, loss of membrane potential due to depolarization was detected in a greater proportion of cases when induced by cadmium compared to copper (58.7 % vs. 37 %) and at a lower concentration (50 µM vs. 125µM). With the use of the general caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-fmk, PS translocation detected by annexin V-FITC was found to be caspase-dependent when induced by cadmium at 125-250 µM but not at 50 µM or 500 µM; a high proportion of earthworms (60 %) exhibited inhibitory effects. Additionally, the collapse in membrane potential and PS translocation were found to strongly correlate (r > 0.5) in 89 % of cases when induced by cadmium and copper. Thus, heavy metals appear to induce death in celomocytes of E. hortensis through apoptosis by means of caspase dependent pathways.
Facile access to organotellurium heterocycles by nitration of bis(3,5‐dimethylphenyl) ditelluride

Efficient access to bis(nitrophenyl) ditellurides was developed and their utility for the preparation of novel nitrogen-containing organotellurium heterocycles demonstrated. The nitration of diphenyl ditellurides resulted in their oxidation to benzenetellurinic acids, followed by nitration in ortho or meta positions relative to tellurium. Nitration of bis(3,5-dimethylphenyl) ditelluride furnished bis(3,5-dimethyl-2-nitrophenyl) ditelluride, which was elaborated into 2,4,6-trimethylbenzotellurazole and (Z)-2-methoxycarbonylmethylene-3,4-dihydro-3-oxo-2H-benzo-1,4-tellurazine, the first reported 3,4-dihydro-2H-benzo-1,4-tellurazine. This compound, as well as 2,4,6-trimethyltellurazolium (4-dicyanomethylene-cyclohexa-2,5-dienylidene)cyanoacetate were characterized by x-ray crystallography.
The Linear Sampling Method in Inverse Electromagnetic Scattering

The linear sampling method is the oldest and most developed of the qualitative methods in inverse scattering theory. It is based on solving a linear integral equation and then using the equation s solution as an indicator function for the determination of the support of the scattering object. This book describes the linear sampling method for a variety of electromagnetic scattering problems. It presents uniqueness theorems and the derivation of various inequalities on the material properties of the scattering object from a knowledge of the far field pattern of the scattered wave. Also covered are the approximation properties of Herglotz wave functions; the behavior of solutions to the interior transmission problem, a novel interior boundary value problem; and numerical examples of the inversion scheme. Audience: This book is intended for mathematicians and engineers performing research in inverse electromagnetic scattering theory. It is also appropriate for an advanced graduate course on inverse problems. Contents: Preface; Chapter 1: Inverse Scattering in Two Dimensions; Chapter 2: Maxwell s Equations; Chapter 3: The Inverse Problem for Obstacles; Chapter 4: The Inverse Scattering Problem for Anisotropic Media; Chapter 5: The Inverse Scattering Problem for Thin Objects; Chapter 6: The Inverse Scattering Problem for Buried Objects; Bibliography; Index.
The impact of spikes in handgun acquisitions on firearm-related harms.

Research has documented sharp and short-lived increases in firearm acquisitions immediately following high-profile mass shootings and specific elections, increasing exposure to firearms at the community level. We exploit cross-city variation in the estimated number of excess handgun acquisitions in California following the 2012 presidential election and the Sandy Hook school shooting 5 weeks later to assess whether the additional handguns were associated with increases in the rate of firearm-related harms at the city level. We use a two-stage modeling approach. First, we estimate excess handguns as the difference between actual handgun acquisitions, as recorded in California’s Dealer Record of Sales, and expected acquisitions, as predicted by a seasonal autoregressive integrated moving-average (SARIMA) time series model. We use Poisson regression models to estimate the effect of city-level excess handgun purchasing on city-level changes in rates of firearm mortality and injury. We estimate there were 36,142 excess handguns acquired in California in the 11 weeks following the election (95% prediction interval: 22,780 to 49,505); the Sandy Hook shooting occurred in week 6. We find city-level purchasing spikes were associated with higher rates of firearm injury in the 52 weeks post-election: a relative rate of 1.044 firearm injuries for each excess handgun per 1,000 people (95% CI: 1.000 to 1.089). This amounts to approximately 290 (95% CI: 0 to 616) additional firearm injuries (roughly a 4% increase) in California over the year. We do not detect statistically significant associations for shorter time windows or for firearm mortality. This study provides evidence for an association between excess handgun acquisitions following high-profile events and firearm injury at the community level. This suggests that even marginal increases in handgun prevalence may be impactful.
Tvarak: Software-managed hardware offload for DAX NVM storage redundancy.

Tvarak efficiently implements system-level redundancy for direct-access (DAX) NVM storage. Production storage systems complement device-level ECC (which covers media errors) with system-checksums and cross-device parity. This system-level redundancy enables detection of and recovery from data corruption due to device firmware bugs (e.g., reading data from the wrong physical location). Direct access to NVM penalizes software-only implementations of system-level redundancy, forcing a choice between lack of data protection or significant performance penalties. Offloading the update and verification of system-level redundancy to Tvarak, a hardware controller co-located with the last-level cache, enables efficient protection of data from such bugs in memory controller and NVM DIMM firmware. Simulation-based evaluation with seven data-intensive applications shows Tvarak's performance and energy efficiency. For example, Tvarak reduces Redis set-only performance by only 3%, compared to 50% reduction for a state-of-the-art software-only approach.
Managing Stable Ischemic Heart Disease

The preferred contemporary approach to the management of stable ischemic heart disease, also referred to as chronic coronary syndrome,1 is not well defined. Two strategies are commonly used.2 The c...
Representations of Vertex Operator Algebra V L + for Rank One Lattice L

We classify the irreducible modules for the fixed point vertex operator subalgebra V L + of the vertex operator algebra V L associated to a positive definite even lattice of rank 1 under the automorphism lifted from the −1 isometry of L.
Mechanical response of the Middle Bakken rocks under triaxial compressive test and nanoindentation

Abstract The laboratory characterization of tight rocks is essential for reliable rock physics analysis. In this study, combined laboratory experiments and computational calculations were applied to specimens from the Bakken Formation to examine the mechanical properties of the unconventional petroleum resource in different scales. Multistage compressive tests were conducted on core plugs with several loading-unloading cycles under different confining pressures. Microscale mechanical test, nanoindentation, were performed to measure microscale elastic properties. Additionally, a comparative study was included using homogenization upscaling methods to model the modulus of the macro-scale sample from nanoindentation measurements and rock mineralogy, respectively. Results from the triaxial compressive tests showed nonlinear behavior for all samples and pronounced plastic deformation was observed during loading-unloading cycles when lower confining pressures were employed. Young's modulus increased with confining pressures increasing. The ultrasonic P- and S-wave velocities are sensitive to the changes of confining and differential stresses, which might be due to the open and closure of microcracks. Three mechanical phases can be found from nanoindentation results by deconvolution, and the average microscale Young's modulus obtained from nanoindentation tests showed a positive relationship with the theoretical Voigt and Reuss boundaries. The prediction of Young's modulus from mineral fractionand moduli information indicated a better agreement with laboratory data than the nanoindentation cluster dataset.
U.S. Foreign Relations Law from the Outside In

Arguments in the field of U.S. foreign relations law typically proceed from the inside out: legal actors focus on internal (domestic) sources of authority to reach conclusions with significant external (international) implications. The text and structure of the Constitution, case law, legislative intent, assessments of institutional competency, and historical practice thus dominate debates about treaty-making, war powers, diplomatic authorities, and related matters. This tendency reflects generic assumptions about the proper modalities of legal analysis and helps to ensure that the law reflects national values. Yet inside-out arguments overlook a critical fact: the practical merits of U.S. foreign relations law often depend on whether and how this law is understood abroad. In other words, the nature and extent of foreign governmental knowledge of U.S. foreign relations law significantly affect the law’s ability to advance U.S. national interests, but there is neither theoretical nor empirical scholarship on the stakes or condition of such knowledge. Nor are there official U.S. policies to ascertain or account for this form of foreign knowledge. In these circumstances, American legal actors cannot fully apprehend whether the law is well designed and applied to achieve its purposes. This Article elaborates on these issues to develop an “outside in” approach to U.S. foreign relations law. The Article begins by explaining the value of meta-knowledge—domestic knowledge of foreign knowledge of U.S. foreign relations law. The Article then uses original empirical research to generate meta-knowledge. That research includes an immersive case study on Japan, where I collected academic publications, searched newspaper archives, obtained government records under Japan’s freedom-of-information act, and interviewed dozens of scholars and government officials to triangulate Japanese understandings of U.S. foreign relations law. The Article concludes by laying out an agenda to cultivate additional meta-knowledge, reevaluate the law’s practical merits in light of epistemic conditions, and optimize foreign sophistication through legal and policy reforms.