cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Decreasing procedure times with a standardized approach to ELVO cases

Background Embolectomy is the standard of care for emergent large vessel occlusion (ELVO), and needs to be done as quickly as possible for the best possible outcomes. Optimization of workflow and process is certainly paramount. One aspect of this is process improvement to standardize as much as possible the procedure in order to decrease variability among operators, which breeds familiarity for the entire team. Objective To evaluate the impact of a standardized approach to ELVO cases in decreasing times from groin puncture to first deployment of a stent-retriever and final recanalization. Methods A retrospective review of 83 consecutive patients consisting of a pre-standardization phase (group 1) and those after standardization (group 2). The standardization process involved all three neurointerventional radiologists agreeing on a standard approach to the cases and to the equipment to be used. Times from groin puncture to first deployment of the stent-retriever and from puncture to final reperfusion were evaluated. Angiographic outcomes were scored using the Modified Thrombolysis in Cerebral Ischemia (mTICI) score. Complications from intracranial catheter manipulation (such as wire perforation) were also recorded. Clinical outcomes were assessed based on admission and discharge National Institute of Health Stroke Scale score. Results There were 22 patients in group 1 and 61 patients in group 2. Mean times from groin puncture to first deployment were 39.8 min in group 1 and 20 min in group 2, a difference which was statistically significant (p Conclusions A standardized approach to the equipment used and process for ELVO cases at a single institution can dramatically reduce procedure times.
Becoming a world Christian: Hospitality as a framework for engaging Otherness:

Hospitality is the Christian imperative of welcoming the stranger to our table, which serves as a living metaphor for the salvation God extends to all of us, welcoming us as sinners to his table of...
Pyrolysis Characteristics of Basic Components

For the nine combustible solid waste (CSW) basic components proposed in Chap. 2, pyrolytic experiments in thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA), Macro-TGA, and horizontal fixed bed reactor (HFBR) were performed. Kinetics were fundamental characteristics of pyrolytic reactions. The slow pyrolytic kinetics of intrinsic chemical reactions were studied in TGA, and the fast and slow pyrolytic kinetics with heat and mass transfer effect were studied in Macro-TGA, which was more similar to industrial fixed bed reactor. Finally, the kinetics from different conditions were compared. In addition, the product (gas, liquid, and solid) distribution was studied in horizontal fixed bed reactor. The gas products from TGA pyrolysis were analyzed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and the gas products from horizontal fixed bed reactor were analyzed by gas chromatography (GC). Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are important pollutants during thermochemical conversions of CSW. Therefore, the PAHs formation characteristics were quantitatively studied in the horizontal fixed bed reactor. Based on the above results, the pyrolytic mechanisms and the PAHs formation mechanisms were further explored.
Delays to Care in Pediatric Lupus Patients: Data From the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance Legacy Registry.

Objectives. Prompt treatment for lupus is important to prevent morbidity. A potential barrier to early treatment of pediatric lupus is delayed presentation to a pediatric rheumatologist. To better understand factors contributing to delayed presentation among pediatric lupus patients, we examined differences in demographic and clinical characteristics of lupus patients within the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA) Legacy Registry with regards to time between symptom onset and presentation to a pediatric rheumatologist. Methods. We analyzed data from 598 CARRA Legacy Registry participants for differences between those who presented early (within <1 month of symptom onset), between 1-3 months (typical presentation), with moderate delays (3-12 months), and with severe delays (≥1 year). Factors associated with early presentation, moderate delay, and severe delay, were determined by multinomial logistic regression. Results. Forty-four percent of patients presented early, while 23% had moderate delays and 9% had severe delays. Family history of lupus, absence of discoid rash and location in a state with a higher density of pediatric rheumatologists was associated with earlier presentation. Younger age, low household income (<$25,000 per year), and a family history of lupus were associated with severe delay. Conclusions. Delays to care ≥ 1 year exist in a notable minority of pediatric lupus patients from the CARRA Legacy Registry. In this large and diverse sample of patients, access to care and family resources played an important role in predicting time to presentation to a pediatric rheumatologist. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Mitochondrial quality control in alveolar epithelial cells damaged by S. aureus pneumonia in mice

Mitochondrial damage is often overlooked in acute lung injury (ALI), yet most of the lung’s physiological processes, such as airway tone, mucociliary clearance, ventilation-perfusion (Va/Q) matchin...
Position paper: Data exchange issues for standardization

Abstract The lack of a generally accepted definition of what constitutes an OODBMS is cited as a reason why full OODB standards are not yet practical. Research into areas that will be needed to support such a standard is encouraged. The major focus is on formats and methods for data exchange between OODBMS. Two major approaches are discussed. One is a passive format for simple data exchange, the other is based in the client/server architecture and allows for the enforcement of semantic constraints in the exchange.
Critique of Providential Enlightenment

This chapter postulates a historical critique of the unenlightened marriage between Christian providentialist thought and modern scientific and technological progress in the enlightenment. By focusing on the historical and political reversals of enlightenment in the United States—from the Founding Fathers to the champions of Manifest Destiny and from Theodore Roosevelt’s “Rough Riders” to George W. Bush’s “Crusader Nation,” and then comparing these reversals to the downright failures of enlightenment in Spain and Latin America—this chapter calls into question the triumphalist vision according to which the United States is the epitome of enlightenment. The pursuit of a providentially ordained and technologically engineered enlightenment has led Americans to cultivate the economic freedoms of capitalism at the expense of the political freedoms of democracy. The seminal logic of Francis Bacon’s empire of reason, systematized by British thinkers like John Locke, was incorporated into America’s anti-imperial imperialism, which ultimately hollowed out republican idealism into a corrupted form of the White Man’s Burden in the election of 1900, after which universal surveillance was confounded with universal knowledge and imperialism with liberty.
MPTCP path selection using CapProbe

Current mobile devices may reach the Internet via their multiple interfaces, i.e., WiFi and LTE. MPTCP is an ideal candidate to leverage these interfaces and make the network connectivity more robust. However, priority is given to battery conservation and turning off an energy consuming interface such as LTE while WiFi coverage is available is often the case. Even though MPTCP handles well under such conditions, it is vulnerable to handovers onto poorly performing new paths. In those scenarios, an MPTCP would be better off if the handover would not have occurred. In this paper we propose a proactive measurement of newly discovered paths as MPTCP hands over. Our algorithms leverage CapProbe to estimate the capacity in the new path and qualify its performance. We identify two metrics based on CapProbe partial measurements that declare the viability of a path to continue with the handover or revert back to the backup interface. We study our metrics and algorithm under a small test bed and real situations and show cases of MPTCP connections recovering from failed handovers.
Genetic manipulation of cyclic AMP levels in Drosophila,melanogaster

Abstract Cyclic AMP levels in Drosophila , melanogaster adults can be altered genetically by changing the number of doses of chromomere 3D4 contained in the genome, a chromomere previously shown to control the activity of cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase in a dose-dependent manner. Flies completely deficient for chromomere 3D4 have 2–7 times the cyclic AMP level of flies with one or two doses of chromomere 3D4. Cyclic AMP levels are significantly depressed in flies carrying three doses of 3D4. Cyclic GMP levels are not influenced in a dose-dependent manner by chromomere 3D4. The effect on cyclic AMP levels may provide a useful system for investigating physiological and developmental consequences of aberrant cyclic AMP levels in the intact organism.
Time-Domain Measurements for Silicon Integrated Circuit Testing Using Photoconductors

Picosecond time-domain measurements of silicon-integrated circuit interconnects were successfully performed using both bulk silicon photoconductors and polycrystalline (poly-Si) silicon photoconductors integrated on-chip. Standard integrated circuit fabrication techniques, followed by shadow-masked, ion-beam irradiation were used to create the photoconductor/interconnect structures on silicon wafers of 6-ohm-cm to 70-ohm-cm resistivities. A subpicosecond pulsed laser system excited the photoconductors to produce and sample electrical pulses on the Si substrate.
Cough Effectiveness and Pulmonary Hygiene Practices in Patients with Pompe Disease.

While factors leading to hypoventilation have been well studied in Pompe disease, cough effectiveness and airway clearance practices are less understood. We aimed to identify significant factors that influence peak cough flow (PCF) in Pompe, and to detect whether pulmonary hygiene practices were reflective of reduced PCF. This is a prospective observational study of 20 subjects with Pompe disease (infantile-onset: 7, juvenile-onset: 6, adult-onset: 14). Subjects performed spirometry, maximal respiratory pressures, and cough (voluntary: n = 24, spontaneous: n = 3). Subjects or their parents reported airway clearance and secretion management practices. Relationships between disease variables, pulmonary function, and cough parameters as well as group differences in cough parameters were evaluated. Subjects with infantile-onset disease had significantly lower PCF (p < 0.05) and tended to require more external ventilatory support (p = 0.07). In juvenile- and adult-onset disease, PCF differed according to external ventilatory requirement [daytime: 83.6 L/min (95% CI 41.2–126.0); nighttime: 224.6 L/min (95% CI 139.1–310.2); none: 340.2 L/min (95% CI 193.3–487.6), p < 0.005]. Cough inspiratory volume also differed significantly by ventilatory requirement [daytime: 5.5 mL/kg (95% CI 3.0–8.0); nighttime: 16.0 mL/kg (95% CI 11.8–20.2); none: 26.8 mL/kg (95% CI 11.9–41.7), p < 0.001]. However, routine airway clearance or secretion management practices were only consistently reported among patients with infantile-onset disease (infantile: 86%, juvenile: 0%, adult: 14%, p < 0.005). Cough weakness was detected in the majority of patients with Pompe disease and was influenced by both inspiratory and expiratory muscle function. Patients at risk for problems or with ineffective PCF should be urged to complete routine pulmonary hygiene.
7.01 – Mantle Dynamics Past, Present, and Future: An Introduction and Overview

Mantle dynamics is the study of how the Earth and solid planets and moons cool, evolve, and flow under the action of thermal convection. This chapter provides an overview of key historical figures in the development of the science of thermal convection and mantle dynamics, a summary of issues that are well studied and for which our knowledge is reasonably complete, the leading issues which remain unsolved, and some new and future directions for the next generation of mantle dynamics models. This volume as a whole is essentially composed of two parts. First, it treats the physics of mantle convection and covers the various laboratory, theoretical, and computational approaches to studying mantle dynamics. Second, it provides thorough reviews of the first-order issues of convection pertinent specifically to the mantle, which include the energy budget and cooling history of the mantle; the dynamics of mid-ocean ridges, lithosphere, and upper mantle; subduction zones and descending slabs; hot spots and mantle plumes; and mantle heterogeneity, mixing, and geochemical constraints on mantle dynamics.
Structure-Mechanical Property Relations of Skin-Core Regions of Poly(p-phenylene Terephthalamide) Single Fiber

This study aims to elucidate the relationship between the mechanical properties and microstructures of poly(p-phenylene terephthalamide) (PPTA) single fibers at the micro/nano scale. The skin-core structure of Kevlar® 29 fiber was revealed through a focused electron beam experiment inside a scanning electron microscope (SEM) chamber. Cross sectional SEM images of the broken fiber showed that the thickness of the skin ranged from 300 to 800 nm and that the core region consisted of highly packed layers of fibrils. The skin and the core regions showed different mechanical behaviour and structural changes during nanoindentation and micro-tensile tests, indicating that the core region possessed higher stiffness, whereas the skin region could undergo more plastic deformation. Furthermore, micro-tensile testing results showed that the ultimate tensile strength, the elongation at failure, and the tensile toughness of single fibers could be significantly enhanced by cyclic loading. Such findings are important to understand the contribution of different microstructures of Kevlar® fibers to their mechanical performance, which in turn can be utilized to design high-performance fibers that are not limited by the trade-off between toughness and stiffness.
Neural network-based multiomics data integration in Alzheimer's disease

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is a growing pandemic affecting over 50 million individuals worldwide. While individual molecular traits have been found to be associated with AD at the DNA, RNA, protein, and epigenetic level, the underlying genetic etiology of AD remains unknown. Integrating multiple omics datatypes simultaneously has the potential to reveal interactions within and between these molecular features. In order to identify disease driving mechanism, a standardized framework for integrating multiomics data is needed. Due to high variability in size, structure, and availability of high-throughput omics data, there is currently no gold standard for combining different data types together in a biologically meaningful way. Thus, we propose a pathway-centric, neural network-based framework to integrate multiomics AD data. In this knowledge-driven approach, we evaluate different gene ontologies to map data to the pathway level. Preliminary results show integrating multiple datatypes under this framework produces more robust AD pathway models compared to models from single data types alone.
Recruit Until It Fails: Exploring Performance Limits for Identification Systems

Distinguishing identities is useful for several applications such as automated grocery or personalized recommendations. Unfortunately, several recent proposals for identification systems are evaluated using poor recruitment practices. We discovered that 23 out of 30 surveyed systems used datasets with 20 participants or less. Those studies achieved an average classification accuracy of 93%. We show that the classifier performance is misleading when the participant count is small. This is because the finite precision of measurements creates upper limits on the number of users that can be distinguished. To demonstrate why classifier performance is misleading, we used publicly available datasets. The data was collected from human subjects. We created five systems with at least 20 participants each. In three cases we achieved accuracies greater than 90% by merely applying readily available machine learning software packages, often with default parameters. For datasets where we had sufficient participants, we evaluated how the performance degrades as the number of participants increases. One of the systems built suffered a drop in accuracy that was over 35% as the participant count increased from 20 to 250. We argue that data from small participant count datasets do not adequately explore variations. Systems trained on such limited data are likely to incorrectly identify users when the user base increases beyond what was tested. We conclude by explaining generalizable reasons for this issue and provide insights on how to conduct more robust system analysis and design.
Perceived Comparative Harm of Cigarettes and Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems.

Scientific evidence on the health risks associated with using electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) is rapidly evolving. Perceived harm of ENDS is also changing rapidly. The percentage of US adults, including current smokers, who perceive using ENDS as equally or more harmful than smoking cigarettes increased between 2012 and 2015, with rates stable through 2017.1 Comparative harm perceptions are important factors associated with smokers’ decisions to use ENDS2,3 and have implications for population health. This study uses data from late 2018 to assess changes in US adults’ comparative harm perceptions of ENDS and cigarettes after a year characterized by intense public debate and regulatory efforts to restrict youth access to ENDS.
Exosomal miR-103a-3p ameliorates lipopolysaccharide-induced immune response in BEAS-2B cells via NF-κB pathway by targeting transducin β-like 1X related protein 1

Abnormal immune response contributes to pathophysiology of pneumonia and is recognized as a main factor for high incidence rate in children. The association between exosomes and inflammation has been reported in diverse cell types and diseases. The current study focuses on exploring the effects of exosomal miR-103a-3p on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation, and investigates the underlying mechanisms. We proved that miR-103a-3p was lowly expressed in blood samples of pneumonia patients and LPS-induced lung cells, and overexpression of miR-103a-3p weaken the LPS-induced inflammation. Using luciferase reporter assay and immunoprecipitation assay, we demonstrated that miR-103a-3p directly binds to a specific region of transducin β-like 1X related protein 1 (TBL1XR1), mediating the NF-κB signalling pathway, thus regulating immune response. Taken together, our data revealed that miR-103a-3p functions as an anti-inflammatory gene in childhood pneumonia and can be applied as therapeutic targets for the treatment of childhood pneumonia in the future.
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Iteration Visualizations

Virginia Tech's Introduction to Computational Thinking course is designed for non-majors to learn key concepts in computer science. In an effort to support student reports of struggling with iteration, interactive visualizations have been developed and initial research into their effectiveness is currently under review. While the preliminary data was promising, we are currently conducting interviews with students under IRB to better understand the shorter term gains in student learning. We will be recording these interviews and formally analyzing responses. This poster will present our findings from this analysis and better define the common pitfalls students are experiencing when learning iteration.
Exploring supervised machine learning approaches to predicting Veterans Health Administration chiropractic service utilization

Chronic spinal pain conditions affect millions of US adults and carry a high healthcare cost burden, both direct and indirect. Conservative interventions for spinal pain conditions, including chiropractic care, have been associated with lower healthcare costs and improvements in pain status in different clinical populations, including veterans. Little is currently known about predicting healthcare service utilization in the domain of conservative interventions for spinal pain conditions, including the frequency of use of chiropractic services. The purpose of this retrospective cohort study was to explore the use of supervised machine learning approaches to predicting one-year chiropractic service utilization by veterans receiving VA chiropractic care. We included 19,946 veterans who entered the Musculoskeletal Diagnosis Cohort between October 1, 2003 and September 30, 2013 and utilized VA chiropractic services within one year of cohort entry. The primary outcome was one-year chiropractic service utilization following index chiropractic visit, split into quartiles represented by the following classes: 1 visit, 2 to 3 visits, 4 to 6 visits, and 7 or greater visits. We compared the performance of four multiclass classification algorithms (gradient boosted classifier, stochastic gradient descent classifier, support vector classifier, and artificial neural network) in predicting visit quartile using 158 sociodemographic and clinical features. The selected algorithms demonstrated poor prediction capabilities. Subset accuracy was 42.1% for the gradient boosted classifier, 38.6% for the stochastic gradient descent classifier, 41.4% for the support vector classifier, and 40.3% for the artificial neural network. The micro-averaged area under the precision-recall curve for each one-versus-rest classifier was 0.43 for the gradient boosted classifier, 0.38 for the stochastic gradient descent classifier, 0.43 for the support vector classifier, and 0.42 for the artificial neural network. Performance of each model yielded only a small positive shift in prediction probability (approximately 15%) compared to naive classification. Using supervised machine learning to predict chiropractic service utilization remains challenging, with only a small shift in predictive probability over naive classification and limited clinical utility. Future work should examine mechanisms to improve model performance.
Beyond race: Impacts of non-racial perceived discrimination on health access and outcomes in New York City.

Background I investigate the association of perceived discrimination based both on race and other attributes such as age, gender, and insurance status on self-reported health access and health outcomes in a diverse and densely populated metropolitan area. Methods Restricted data from the 2016 round of the New York City Community Health Survey was used to create prevalence estimates for both racial and non-racial discrimination. Logistic regression models were used to estimate the association of these discrimination measures with health access and health outcome variables. Results Among residents who perceived discrimination receiving health care during the previous year, 15% reported the reason behind such discrimination to race, while the rest chose other reasons. Among the non-race based categories, 34% reported the reason behind such discrimination to be insurance status, followed by other reasons (26.83%) and income (11.76%). Non-racial discrimination was significantly associated with the adjusted odds of not receiving care when needed (AOR = 6.96; CI: [5.00 9.70]), and seeking informal care (AOR = 2.24; CI: [1.13 4.48] respectively, after adjusting for insurance status, age, gender, marital status, race/ethnicity, nativity, and poverty. It was also associated with higher adjusted odds of reporting poor health (AOR = 2.49; CI: [1.65 3.75]) and being diagnosed with hypertension (AOR = 1.75; CI: [1.21 2.52]), and diabetes (AOR = 1.84; CI: [1.22 2.77]) respectively. Conclusions Perceived discrimination in health care exists in multiple forms. Non-racial discrimination was strongly associated with worse health access and outcomes, and such experiences may contribute to health disparities between different socioeconomic groups.
OPTIMISING PAEDIATRIC RESEARCH IN EUROPE: INCORPORATING PHARMACOGENOMICS INTO PAEDIATRIC CLINICAL TRIALS

Objective Well-known differences exist in the disposition of and response to medicines between children and adults and between infants and children of different ages. Yet, as well-designed clinical studies in children are scarce, dosing schemes are usually derived in an empirical manner from clinical trials in healthy volunteers and/or restricted adult patient groups. Instead of an empiric dosing regimen based on body weight alone, paediatric dosing regimens should be based on an understanding of the developmental aspects of pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and pharmacogenomics of the studied medicine in children. In addition the impact of disease, environmental influences and drug interactions need to be investigated. Methods Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic parameters of some pain medications are simultaneously estimated in young infants. Following the characterisation of the variability in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics all other sources of intra and interindividual variability are investigated. For example, the role of pharmacogenomics on pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of morphine will be demonstrated. Results Variability in genes encoding the enzyme metabolising morphine (eg, the UGT2B7 gene), opioid receptors and blood–brain barrier transport of morphine by multidrug resistance transporters influence the clinical efficacy of morphine, showing that genetic variability in non-opioid systems may also directly influence the clinical efficacy of opioids. Conclusions Genotype-specific dosing regimens have the potential to be more precise and more prudent. However, not all variations in drug responses are related to pharmacogenomic variations. Drug response can be modulated by a number of non-genetic factors, especially co-medications, the presence of concurrent disease or the developmental stage of the exposed individual.
S-Equol mitigates motivational deficits and dysregulation associated with HIV-1

Motivational deficits (e.g., apathy) and dysregulation (e.g., addiction) in HIV-1 seropositive individuals, despite treatment with combination antiretroviral therapy, necessitates the development of innovative adjunctive therapeutics. S-Equol (SE), a selective estrogen receptor β agonist, has been implicated as a neuroprotective and/or neurorestorative therapeutic for HIV-1 associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND); its therapeutic utility for motivational alterations, however, has yet to be systematically evaluated. Thus, HIV-1 transgenic (Tg) and control animals were treated with either a daily oral dose of SE (0.2 mg) or vehicle and assessed in a series of tasks to evaluate goal-directed and drug-seeking behavior. First, at the genotypic level, motivational deficits in HIV-1 Tg rats treated with vehicle were characterized by a diminished reinforcing efficacy of, and sensitivity to, sucrose. Motivational dysregulation was evidenced by enhanced drug-seeking for cocaine relative to control animals treated with vehicle. Second, treatment with SE ameliorated both motivational deficits and dysregulation in HIV-1 Tg rats. Following a history of cocaine self-administration, HIV-1 Tg animals treated with vehicle exhibited lower levels of dendritic branching and a shift towards longer dendritic spines with decreased head diameter. Treatment with SE, however, led to long-term enhancements in dendritic spine morphology in HIV-1 Tg animals supporting a potential underlying basis by which SE exerts its therapeutic effects. Taken together, SE restored motivated behavior in the HIV-1 Tg rat, expanding the potential clinical utility of SE to include both neurocognitive and affective alterations.
Bio-inspired patterned adhesive single-lap joints for CFRP and titanium

Abstract In this study, a bio-inspired patterned adhesive is proposed for a single-lap joint between carbon fiber reinforced polymer and titanium. Finite element analysis is performed with cohesive zone modeling to observe the damage propagation and adhesive strength of gecko-inspired hexagonal and lamellae patterns that are designed with high toughness and low toughness adhesives. Results show that adhesive fracture path and damage initiation location can be controlled by means of adhesive patterns, thereby enhancing composite adhesive joint strength. Large transitional stress peaks can be created by the hybrid adhesive patterns, resulting in increased energy absorption during failure. This work aims to employ bio-inspired concepts to path novel designs for patterned adhesive architectures to increase composite joint strength performances.
Some Recent Statistical Results for Infinitely Divisible Distributions

Some recent statistical results for infinitely divisible distributions are presented. The class of infinitely divisible distributions is shown to provide useful formulations for problems involving heavy-tailed distributions and for problems involving convolutions. Secondly, a generalized, parametric theory of multivariate statistical analysis based on infinitely divisible distributions is outlined. Because the infinitely divisible class includes the normal family, this theory is more general than that based on multivariate normal distributions. The corresponding methods are tractable because they are based on parameters, analogous to covariances, which are easy to estimate and interpret. Thirdly, a method of inference for infinitely divisible time series is outlined.
Trade Space Exploration: Assessing the Benefits of Putting Designers ''Back-in-the-Loop'' during Engineering Optimization

Trade space exploration is a promising decision-making paradigm that provides a visual and more intuitive means for formulating, adjusting, and ultimately solving engineering design optimization problems. This is achieved by combining multi-dimensional data visualization techniques with visual steering commands to allow designers to “steer” the optimization process while searching for the best, or Pareto optimal, designs. After introducing the trade space exploration paradigm and visual steering capabilities that we developed, we compare the performance of different combinations of visual steering commands implemented by two users to a multi-objective genetic algorithm executed “blindly” on the same problem with no human intervention. The results indicate that the visual steering commands—regardless of the order and combination in which they are invoked—provide a 4–7× increase in the number of Pareto solutions obtained for a given number of function evaluations when the human is “in-the-loop” during the optimization process. As such, this study provides empirical evidence of the benefits of interactive visualization-based strategies to support engineering design optimization and decision-making. Future work is also discussed.
Finite element analysis of elastic engine bearing lubrication: theory

This paper reviews the theory of finite element mode-based elastohydrodynamic lubrication analysis (as applied in a companion paper to the bearing and structural design of a dynamically loaded automotive connecting rod).
Olivine thermometry and source constraints for mantle fragments in the Navajo Volcanic Field, Colorado Plateau, southwest United States: Implications for the mantle wedge

[1] The evolution of the mantle wedge below the Colorado Plateau during low-angle subduction has been investigated by analysis of fragments from the Navajo Volcanic Field (NVF), most from serpentinized ultramafic microbreccia (SUM) diatremes. In most SUM-hosted olivine, concentrations of Al and V are < 1 ppm, and Cr, Ca, and Na concentrations also are unusually low: most temperatures from three olivine thermometers (Al, Cr, and V-based) are in the range 530°C to 650°C. The temperatures are consistent with the presence of chlorite in some inclusions, and they support the utility of olivine thermometry for diverse mineral assemblages in cool peridotite. Most pressures calculated for discrete diopside grains in SUM correspond to depths in the range 80 to 120 km. Diopside is relatively high in Li (~3.5 ppm), and two of five diopside grains have high Sr/Nd. SUM diatreme sources are inferred to be serpentine-rich melange tectonically eroded from the forearc, transported above the Farallon slab, and incorporated into the lithosphere of the Plateau. Garnet peridotite xenoliths from minettes of the NVF record deeper depths in the range 120 to 150 km. These garnet peridotites also may be from forearc mantle emplaced during Farallon subduction. Calculated temperatures preclude the possibility that asthenosphere was in contact with that lithosphere at or near 150 km depth for tens of m.y. before NVF formation. Structures observed in seismic images of mantle to depths of 150 km below the central Colorado Plateau may be related to Farallon subduction, not inherited from Proterozoic lithosphere.
FOLIC ACID METABOLISM IN ANTIFOLIC-RESISTANT MUTANTS OF STREPTOCOCCUS FAECALIS.

Johnson, Alva H. (Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research, Rye, N.Y.), and Dorris J. Hutchison. Folic acid metabolism in antifolic-resistant mutants of Streptococcus faecalis. J. Bacteriol. 87:786-791. 1964.-Streptococcus faecalis ATCC 8043 and three of its mutants resistant to amethopterin were compared for their quantitative requirements for serine, purines, and thymine; for their quantitative requirements of folic acid (FA) for the synthesis de novo of serine, purines, and thymine; for the susceptibility to amethopterin of each pathway; and for the relative capacity of resting cells of each culture to synthesize N(5)-formyltetrahydrofolate (5-CHOFAH(4)) from FA and serine or FA and formate. The mutants were found to be both qualitatively and quantitatively different from one another and from the wild strain. The growth conditions, specifically the composition of the medium in which each mutant strain was selected, had a marked effect on the metabolic capacities of the mutants. The ability to synthesize serine, purines, and thymine, as observed from the FA requirements, directly reflected the level of resistance of each pathway to amethopterin. The resistant mutants were more efficient than the wild strain in the formation of 5-CHOFAH(4) from FA and formate and, furthermore, this formate activation paralleled their capacities in the synthesis de novo of serine. Alterations in purine and thymine biosyntheses were also observed.
Structure, distribution, and expression of an ancient murine endogenous retroviruslike DNA family.

Abstract An endogenous retroviruslike DNA, B-26, was cloned from a BALB/c mouse embryo gene library by using a generalized murine leukemia virus DNA probe. Southern blot hybridization and nucleotide sequence analyses indicated that B-26 DNA might be a novel member of the GLN DNA family (A. Itin and E. Keshet, J. Virol. 59:301-307, 1986) which contains murine leukemia virus-related pol and env sequences. Northern analysis indicated that B-26-related RNAs of 8.4 and 3.0 kilobases were transcribed in thymus, spleen, brain, and liver tissues of 6-week-old BALB/c mice.
Seimological studies at Parkfield V: Characteristic microearthquake sequences as fault-zone drilling targets

Studies at very high resolution of microearthquakes at Parkfield, California, since 1987 reveal a systematic organization in space and time, dominated by clustering of nearly identical, regularly occurring microearthquakes (characteristic events) on 10 to 20-m-wide patches within the fault zone. More than half of the 4000+ events in our 1987 to 1996 catalog exhibit this trait. In general, recurrence intervals (0.5 to 2 yr) scale with the magnitude of the repeating events for the on-scale range ( Mw 0.2 to 1.3) in this study. The similar waveforms, superimposed locations, quasi-periodic recurrence, and uniform size of these characteristic events permit relative hypocenter location accuracy of meters and predictable occurrence times within windows of a few months. Clustered characteristic events occur at depths as shallow as about 3 km, and these are feasible targets for deep scientific drilling and observation at the focus of a subsequent small earthquake within an active plate-boundary fault zone. At Parkfield, the achievable location accuracy to which a hypocenter can be specified as well as the predictability of its occurrence time appear to be uniquely favorable for in situ fault-zone measurements.
Interior and Exterior Laser-Induced Fluorescence and Plasma Measurements within a Hall Thruster (Postprint)

Abstract : We describe results of a study of emissive-probe-based plasma potential measurements and laser-induced fluorescence velocimetry of neutral and singly ionized xenon in the plume and interior portions of the acceleration channel of a Hall thruster plasma discharge operating at powers ranging from 250 to 725 W. Axial ion and neutral velocity profiles for four discharge voltage conditions (100, 160, 200, and 250V) are measured as are radial ion velocity profiles in the near-field plume. Axial ion velocity measurements both inside and outside the thruster as well as radial velocity measurements outside the thruster are performed using laser-induced fluorescence with nonresonant signal detection. Neutral axial velocity measurements are similarly performed in the interior of the Hall thruster with resonance fluorescence collection. Optical access to the interior of the Hall thruster is provided by a 1-mm-wide axial slot in the outer insulator wall. The majority of the ion velocity measurements used partially saturated fluorescence to improve the signal-to-noise ratio. Probe-based plasma potential measurements extend from 50 mm outside the thruster exit plane to the near anode region for all but the highest discharge voltage condition. For each condition, the axial electric field is calculated from the plasma potential, and the local electron temperature is determined from the difference between the floating and plasma potentials. These two sets of measurements delineate the structure of the plasma and indicate that the ionization and acceleration regions are somewhat separated. Also, these measurements indicate a region of low electric field near the thruster exit, especially at the higher discharge voltages. This region of near constant potential (low electric field) may be a result of oscillations, which enhance the local plasma conductivity.
The locus of reproduction: women's labour in the Zambian Copperbelt, 1927-1953

An important advance in the study of southern African labour history in the last decade has been the recognition that capital has historically sought to relieve itself of the costs of social reproduction. The argument suggests that South African mining capital, in order to reduce the cost of wages paid to its African employees thus increasing the level of surplus value it could extract sought to localise social reproduction in the rural areas. By encouraging a system of migrant labour, companies avoided responsibility both for the maintenance of workers' families at the mine during their period of employment and for the maintenance of the workers themselves at the end of their working lives. I This paper, primarily a study of the causes, structure, and implications of women's involvement in the Zambian (Northern Rhodesian) copper mining industry, questions both the conceptual and spatial dimensions accorded social reproduction in this paradigm. Social reproduction, it suggests, involves not only the generational reproduction of the working class as a whole, but also the daily reproduction of labour power, that is, the daily maintenance of the worker. The Northern Rhodesian mining companies saw it in their interest to localise this second aspect of women's reproductive labour not in the rural areas, as the standard paradigm would predict, but under company domain and on company property. Women's unpaid labour, performed in the mining compounds, reproduced labour power on a daily basis and increased its productivity in the long term more effectively and cheaply than could the companies directly. Thus, contrary to Wolpe's South African model, the ability of capital in Northern Rhodesia to extract greater surplus value depended on its success in relocating women's reproductive labour to the urban areas. Moreover, although this calculation was initially based on a short-term assessment of the potential reduction of wage costs, some elements of management came to suspect by the second
A statistical theory of traffic flow on highways—II. Three-car interactions and the onset of queuing

THE MODEL OF TRAFFIC FLOW ON HIGHWAYS INTRODUCTED IN A PREVIOUS PAPER IS ANALYZED IN THE FORM OF AN EXPANSION IN DENSITY FOR STEADY-STATE FLOW ON UNIFORM ROADWAYS. CORRECTIONS ARE DEVELOPED TO ACCOUNT FOR 3-CAR INTERACTIONS, WHICH INVOLVE 2-CAR QUEUES. THE INTERESTING PROBABILITIES ARE DERIVED TO THIS ORDER AND SAMPLES ARE WORKED OUT SHOWING THE INITIATION OF DECREASED AVERAGE SPEED DUE TO QUEUING. /AUTHOR/
Soil Metals Analysis Using Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS)

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is an elemental analysis technique that is based on the measurement of atomic emissions generated on a sample surface by a laser-induced microplasma. Although often recognized in the literature as a well-established analytical technique, LIBS remains untested relative to the quantitative analysis of elements in chemically complex matrices, such as soils. The objective of this study was to evaluate the capabilities of LIBS relative to the elemental characterization of surface soils. Approximately 65 surface soil samples from the Pond Creek watershed in east Tennessee were collected and subjected to total dissolution and elemental analysis by inductively coupled argon plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The samples were analyzed by LIBS using a Nd:YAG laser at 532 nm, with a beam energy of 25 mJ per pulse, a pulse width of 5 ns, and a repetition rate of 10 Hz. The wavelength range for the LIBS spectra collection was 200 to 600 nm, with a resolution of 0.03 nm. Elemental spectral lines were identified through the analysis of analytical reagent-grade chemicals and the NIST and Kurucz spectral databases. The elements that dominated the LIBS spectra were Al, Ca, Fe, and Mg. In addition, emission lines for Ti, Ba, Na, Cu, and Mn were isolated. The emission lines of Cr, Ni, and Zn, which were > 100 mg kg -1 in numerous soil samples, were not detected. Further, spectral emission lines for P and K are >600 nm, eliminating them from LIBS analysis. The integrated peak areas of interference-free elemental emission lines were determined, then normalized to the area of the 288.16 nm Si(I) emission (internal standard) to reduce the variability between replicate analyses. The normalized spectral areas, coupled with linear regression (standard curves for single wavelength response) and multivariate techniques (chemometrics and multiple wavelengths), were used to predict ICP-OES elemental data. In general, the quantitative capabilities of LIBS proved disappointing. Detection and quantitation were generally restricted to those elements with concentrations > 0.5 g kg -1 The correlation between LIBS response and elemental content was poor (r < 0.98). Further, the relative errors of prediction for the LIBS-detected elements were less than acceptable for an analytical technique (<20%), ranging from ∼20 to ∼40% using linear regression analysis, and from 18 to 48% using partial least squares analysis. Based on these findings, the analytical capability of the LIBS method for soil metals analysis should be considered questionable.
Increased Lactate Concentrations in III and Injured Dogs

Summary Venous blood lactate concentrations were measured on 109 ill dogs and 20 clinically normal dogs. Ill dogs were grouped into survivor and nonsurvivor groups, and categorized based on their primary problem. Ninety-five percent of ill dogs had lactate concentrations higher than clinically normal dogs and published normal values. Seventy-six percent of ill dogs with increased lactate concentrations survived to be discharged. Lactate concentrations were significantly higher in nonsurvivors than in survivors and clinically normal dogs. Lactate concentrations in dogs with major trauma and intoxications, and with cardiopulmonary, gastrointestinal, and neurologic problems were significantly higher than in clinically normal dogs and dogs with other problems. (Vet Emerg & Crit Care, 1998; 8: 117–127)
Periplasmic binding protein-based detection of maltose using liposomes: a new class of biorecognition elements in competitive assays.

A periplasmic binding protein (PBP) was investigated as a novel binding species in a similar manner to an antibody in a competitive enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), resulting in a highly sensitive and specific assay utilizing liposome-based signal amplification. PBPs are located at high concentrations (10–4 M) between the inner and outer membranes of gram negative bacteria and are involved in the uptake of solutes and chemotaxis of bacteria toward nutrient sources. Previous sensors relying on PBPs took advantage of the change in local environment or proximity of site-specific fluorophore labels resulting from the significant conformational shift of these proteins’ two globular domains upon target binding. Here, rather than monitoring conformational shifts, we have instead utilized the maltose binding protein (MBP) in lieu of an antibody in an ELISA. To our knowledge, this is the first PBP-based sensor without the requirement for engineering site-specific modifications within the protein. MBP con...
Prostate-specific antigen screening in a high-risk population: lessons from the community and how they relate to large-scale population-based studies.

Abstract Objectives To estimate the incidence of prostate cancer among African-American men and Caribbean immigrants to the United States, to assess the applicability of large-scale prostate screening trials to a community screening program, and to recruit unscreened men. Methods African-American and Caribbean-American men were targeted with a community-based prostate cancer screening program in Jamaica, New York. Serum prostate-specific antigen determination and digital rectal examination were used to determine abnormal findings. The incidence of an abnormal screening examination was used to project the incidence of prostate cancer, which was compared with that in other reported trials. Results The projected incidence of prostate cancer among African-Americans and Caribbean-Americans older than 50 years was 8% and 7%, respectively, similar to that reported in other trials of African-American men. The projected incidence of prostate cancer in Caribbean-American men aged 40 to 49 years was 1%, the same as the high rate reported among Caribbean men. As in other trials, a family history of prostate cancer and age were strong predictors of abnormal findings. Of the recruited men older than 50 years, 58% had never been screened compared with 42% nationally. Conclusions Large population-based screening trials have identified ethnic groups at high risk of prostate cancer. This trial detected high rates of abnormal screening findings by targeting ethnicity. The incidence of an abnormal examination was high in Caribbean-American men younger than 50 years old. Finally, this trial successfully recruited underscreened men.