cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Trace elemental analysis of airborne particulate matter using dynamic reaction cell inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry: application to monitoring episodic industrial emission events.

Abstract The elemental composition of airborne particles is being increasingly monitored since several metals have been implicated in adverse human health outcomes and environmental deterioration while simultaneously providing clues to the identity and strength of their emission sources. However, quantification of several elements and transition metals in ambient aerosols, which are typically present only at trace levels, is fraught with interferences using quadrupole inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry (q-ICP-MS). We report improved measurements of key aerosol elements including Al, V, Cr, Fe, Ni, Cu, and Zn in airborne coarse particulate matter (PM 10 ) by exploiting ion-molecule reactions in a dynamic reaction cell (DRC) with NH 3 as the cell gas. Numerous other elements (Na, Mg, Si, K, Ca, Sc, Ti, Mn, Co, Ga, As, Se, Rb, Sr, Zr, Mo, Cd, Sn, Sb, Cs, Ba, Pb, Th, and U) and lanthanoids (Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, and Lu), which are important trace components used for source apportionment studies, were also measured. Inter-laboratory comparison using sector field ICP-MS demonstrated the accuracy and precision of DRC-q-ICP-MS. This technique was used to determine the elemental composition of over 150 PM 10 samples collected from an industrialized region in Houston, TX. Samples were first digested using a combination of HF, HNO 3 , and H 3 BO 3 in two stages in a microwave oven each with set points of 200 °C, 1.55 MPa (225 psig), and 20 min dwell time. Trace metals were used to identify an episodic release of particles from a local source and subsequently track the atmospheric transport of the released particles. This establishes the inherent value of such measurements to developing air quality management strategies since emission events can significantly worsen air quality over a large area. Based on our findings, we recommend continuous independent monitoring of emissions to augment existing industry self-reporting regulatory requirements. Such environmental measurements will assist in establishing industrial regulatory compliance while simultaneously providing data necessary to develop scientifically defensible air quality management strategies.
I know you: familiarity with an audience influences male-male interactions in Siamese fighting fish, Betta splendens

The presence of an audience alters male–male interactions in a number of social species. Additionally, whether individuals have interacted previously may influence the current encounter. Although it is clear that previous exposure influences communication and that the presence of an audience affects behavior in a number of contexts, how these phenomena might interact to impact interactions is underexplored. This study examined the effects of audience familiarity on male–male interactions in Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens). Treatments that varied based on familiarity with and sex of the audience as well as length of time after initial audience exposure were used to investigate whether male aggressive interactions were affected by these factors. Males first encountered an individual that would later become an audience. Pairs of males then interacted with each other in either the presence of this familiar individual or a new, unfamiliar audience conspecific or with no audience at all. Opponent-directed gill flaring and tail beats were influenced by familiarity with the audience individual, although they were affected differently by the sex of the audience present. Gill flaring was affected predominantly by the presence of a male audience, whereas tail beat rate was influenced by the presence of a female audience. Gill flaring rate did not differ regardless of whether 4 or 24 h had passed between the initial exposure to the audience and the testing phase. In contrast, the familiarity effect disappeared after 4 h for tail beats. These results stress the importance of considering the familiarity of individuals within a network when examining communication networks.
Tracking Oil Slicks and Predicting their Trajectories Using Remote Sensors and Models: Case Studies of the Sea Princess and Deepwater Horizon Oil Spills

Abstract Oil spills can harm marine life in the oceans, estuaries, and wetlands. To limit the damage by a spill and facilitate cleanup efforts, emergency managers need information on spill location, size and extent, direction and speed of oil movement, and wind, current, and wave information for predicting oil drift and dispersion. The main operational data requirements are fast turn-around time and frequent imaging to monitor the dynamics of the spill. Remote sensors on satellites and aircraft meet most of these requirements by tracking the spilled oil at various resolutions, over wide areas, and at frequent intervals. They also provide key inputs to drift prediction models and facilitate targeting of skimming and booming efforts. Satellite data are frequently supplemented by information provided by aircraft, ships, and remotely-controlled underwater robots. The Sea Princess tanker grounding off the coast of Wales and the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon rig in the Gulf of Mexico provide good examples ...
Nitride Metallic Bipolar Plates for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

Thermal nitridation of Ni- and Fe-base Cr-bearing alloys is under investigation as a means to enable use of metallic bipolar plates in proton exchange membrane fuel cells. Proof of principle for this approach was recently established by a successful single-cell fuel cell test using 50 cm2 active area anode and cathode plates made from a model nitrided Ni-50Cr alloy. Protection of the metal was accomplished by the formation of an electrically-conductive and corrosion-resistant CrN/Cr2 N surface layer. This paper presents an overview of efforts to form similar Cr-nitride surfaces on Ni-Cr and Fe-Cr base alloys in commercially available composition ranges.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
Themes and Variations: Taking Stock of the Advocacy Coalition Framework

A policy process framework that has been developed to simplify the complexity of public policy is the advocacy coalition framework (ACF). This essay reports on an analysis of 80 applications of the ACF spanning nearly 20 years. The review shows that the ACF is applicable to various substantive topics, across various geographical areas, and with other policy process theories and frameworks, including the stages heuristic. The most commonly tested hypotheses involve policy change, learning, and coalition stability. Although the hypotheses tend to be confirmed, questions remain about the membership, stability, and defection of coalition members; about the causal mechanisms linking external events and policy change; and about the conditions that facilitate cross-coalition learning. Emerging areas of research include policy subsystem interdependencies and coordination within, and between, coalitions.
Intracellular Characterization of Song-Specific Neurons in the Zebra Finch Auditory Forebrain

Auditory neurons in the forebrain nucleus HVc (hyperstriatum ventrale pars caudale) are highly sensitive to the temporal structure of the bird’s own song. These “song-specific” neurons respond strongly to forward song, weakly to the song with the order of the syllables reversed, and little or not at all to reversed song. To investigate the cellular mechanisms underlying these responses, in vivo intracellular recordings were made from adult HVc neurons. Song-specific cells could be divided into those that responded strongly throughout autogenous song (tonic cells) and those that responded with bursts of action potentials at specific points during the song (phasic cells). Phasic cells were hyperpolarized during autogenous song, even though this stimulus also elicited the strongest response. Less hyperpolarization was seen to the same song with the syllables in reverse order, and none was seen to reversed song. The responses of both types of song-specific cells contained high-frequency bursts of action potentials. The bursts of the phasic cells showed attenuation of the action potential height and lack of full repolarization after each spike. This type of bursting was significantly correlated with the amount of hyperpolarization before each burst in phasic cells and nonauditory cells that generated such bursts spontaneously. These data suggest that song-specific neurons use longlasting hyperpolarization as a mechanism to integrate auditory context, an important component of temporal order selectivity. Hyperpolarization also may increase the precision of spike timing, which could be important for the neural code subserving song learning and production.
Validation of Rain-Rate Estimation in Hurricanes from the Stepped Frequency Microwave Radiometer: Algorithm Correction and Error Analysis

Simultaneous observations by the lower fuselage (LF) radar, the tail (TA) radar, and the Stepped Frequency Microwave Radiometer (SFMR) on board the NOAA WP-3D aircraft are used to validate the rainfall rate estimates from microwave emission measurements of SFMR in tropical cyclones. Data collected in Hurricane Bonnie (1998) and Hurricane Humberto (2001) with a total of 820 paired samples are used in the comparisons. The SFMR 10-s path-integrated rain rates are found to have an overestimate in light rain and an underestimate in heavy rain relative to radar rainfall estimates. Examination of the existing SFMR algorithm shows that the coefficient should be changed in the attenuation—rain-rate relationship used in the inversion algorithm. After this correction, a linear regression result with a correlation coefficient of 0.8 and a slope close to 1 is obtained. But an overall high bias of 5 mm h 1 of the SFMR rainfall estimate relative to radar is also found. The error analysis shows that the bias is nearly independent of rain type, a result confirming Jorgensen and Willis’s conclusion that the drop size distributions between convective and stratiform rain in hurricanes are similar. It is also shown that the bias is a weak function of wind speed, as well as a weak inverse function of radial distance to the hurricane center. Temperature dependence has been ruled out as the main explanation. After doing sensitivity tests, the authors conclude that the bias results from a combination of two factors: an underestimate of the freezing-level height, and a downward increase of radar reflectivity in the high wind regions. If the true downward increase is 1–2 dBZ km 1 ,a 0.5-km underestimate of the freezing-level height could account for up to a 3–5 mm h 1 bias.
Switching control of sampled data systems

An overview is presented of recent results on the use of generalized sampled data hold functions (GSHFs) for the control of linear time-invariant systems. In GSHF control, the output of the plant is periodically sampled and the feedback control is generated by means of periodically switching hold functions applied to the sample sequence. Specific results are presented on the following problems: simultaneous pole-zero assignment, simultaneous linear-quadratic-Gaussian performance, adaptive control, and feedback stabilization. >
A scalable complexity specification for video applications

We propose a new complexity modeling framework for multimedia tasks. We characterize the traffic with five parameters that together we designate as a task's complexity specification (CSPEC). We extend this model to a scalable CSPEC, which can be used to characterize the many complexity- and quality-scalable operating points available to multimedia tasks. The proposed scalable CSPEC can be used by multimedia applications to match their resource requirements to available system resources.
Photoconduction measurements of the charge trapping and transport in bond-and-etch-back buried oxides

The charge trapping and transport characteristics of bond-and-etchback buried oxides (BESOI) were investigated using a photoconduction current technique and total dose capacitance-voltage shift measurements. Results are compared with results previously obtained on standard SIMOX (separation by implantation of oxygen) materials. The photocurrent experiment was also performed on thermally grown oxides with an oxide layer similar in thickness to the BESOI and SIMOX material used in this study. Measurements were performed on the thermal oxides as a method of calibration for both the experimental and analytical methods that are applied to the photoconduction current technique. Large normalized photoconduction currents and large postirradiation midgap voltage shifts in the BESOI material were measured. Taken together, these results indicate that most of the electrons and the holes move through the BESOI oxide and significant fractions of the holes are trapped at the interfaces. These radiation response characteristics are also typical of non-radiation-hardened thermal oxides, and this leads to the further conclusion that techniques used to successfully harden thermal oxides may also be successful when applied to BESOI material. >
Protein kinase C inhibitors enhance the 5‐HT2A receptor‐mediated excitatory effects of serotonin on interneurons in rat piriform cortex

Previously it has been shown that excitatory effects of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) upon interneurons in the rat piriform cortex are mediated by 5-HT2A receptors. This receptor is linked to phosphoinositide turnover, and one consequence of stimulating this receptor is the activation of protein kinase C (PKC). In the present study, the effect of PKC inhibitors on the 5-HT excitation of piriform cortical interneurons was examined by extracellular recording in a rat brain slice preparation. Bath application of the selective PKC inhibitors, bisindolylmalemide and chelerythrine, and the nonselective protein kinase inhibitor, H-7, all enhanced the excitatory effects of 5-HT. Two other nonselective protein kinase inhibitors, H-8 and HA 1004, which are 2.5-fold and 6.7- fold less potent than H-7 at inhibiting PKC, produced a slight or no enhancement, respectively, of the excitatory effect of 5-HT. Bisindolylmalemide, chelerythrine, and H-7 did not enhance the excitatory effects of norepinephrine or carbachol on the same interneurons. The PKC activator phorboll2,13-diacetate (PDA) decreased the excitatory effect of 5-HT this decrease was rapidly reversed by H-7. As inhibitors of PKC selectively enhanced rather than blocked the excitation by 5-HT mediated by 5-HT2A receptors, we conclude that activation of PKC does not mediate the excitation by 5-HT of piriform cortical interneurons. Instead, we propose that PKC may have a negative feedback role in modulating the excitation by 5-HT of piriform cortical interneurons. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Two-Photon Differential Aberration Imaging Using a Modulating Retroreflector Mirror

Differential Aberration Imaging (DAI) uses a deformable mirror to improve two-photon fluorescence microscopy by enhancing rejection of out-of-focus background from scattering. We report a new implementation of DAI using a Modulating Retroreflector Mirror.
A network fault diagnostic approach based on a statistical traffic normality prediction algorithm

Early detection of network failures and performance degradations is a key to rapid fault recovery and robust networking, and has been receiving increasing attention lately. In this paper we present a fault diagnostic methodology, based on the characterization of the dynamic statistical properties of traffic normality in order to detect network anomalies. Anomaly detection is based on the concept that perturbations of normal behavior suggest the presence of faults. In order to design a system that provides an accurate identification of the normal network traffic behavior, we first develop an anomaly-tolerant non-stationary traffic prediction technique, which is capable of removing both single pulse and continuous anomalies. Furthermore we design and introduce dynamic thresholds, and based on them we define adaptive anomaly violation as a combined function of both magnitude and duration of the traffic deviations. Finally numerical results are presented that demonstrate the operational effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed approach.
The hedgehog pathway in breast cancer

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers around the world with approximately 1.6 million new cases and 425 thousand deaths from the disease in 2010 (1). While early detection methods and treatment have continuously evolved and improved over the years, there is still a strong need to further understand the pathways and mechanisms that lead to and drive this malignancy with the ultimate goal being more personalized, less toxic treatment with improved survival and higher cure rates.
On the Coastal Generation of Internal Tides

Differential equations, boundary, and discontinuity conditions are obtained which relate the internal tide to the surface tide in a two-layer system. Solutions of these equations give internal tides which may be large compared to the surface tide. In the coastal region these internal tides are standing waves and further offshore they attain the characteristics of progressive waves traveling seaward. DOI: 10.1111/j.2153-3490.1960.tb01283.x
Target-Centered Models and Information-Theoretic Segmentation for Automatic Target Recognition

We present an approach to automatic target recognition (ATR) from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imagery which combines advantages of both model-based and template-based approaches. Prior observations are used to estimate the statistical properties of reflectance over regions in the training scene. These target-centered statistical models can then be used to estimate the statistical properties of sensor output for arbitrary pose. Two-sided hypothesis tests which are maximally powerful at the most likely alternative are developed in a information-theoretic framework to address target model segmentation and confuser rejection. Segmentation of target from clutter is performed in the target-centered coordinate system using all prior observations to produce a consistent segmentation over all poses. We present performance and computation complexity results as a function of segmentation threshold, confuser-rejection threshold, and operating conditions for publicly available SAR data.
Phenological Variation in the Composition of a Temperate Forest Leaf Tie Community

Arthropod communities in an array of temperate ecosystems follow similar phenological patterns of distinct compositional turnovers during the course of a season. The arthropod community inhabiting leaf ties is no exception. Many caterpillars build leaf ties, shelters between overlapping leaves attached together with silk, which are colonized secondarily by a variety of arthropods. We created experimental leaf ties by clipping overlapping leaves together with metal clips. We censused the arthropod community within experimental ties on two host plants, American beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrhart), and white oak (Quercus alba L.), weekly for 10 wk during the summer of 2009. Diversity measures for leaf-tying caterpillars and the entire arthropod community within ties varied little between tree species and sampling periods, but caterpillar and arthropod density per tie was significantly higher on white oak than beech and abundance increased on both tree species as the season progressed. The composition (i.e., species presence and abundance) of the leaf-tying caterpillar community and the arthropod community as a whole differed between host-tree species and sampling periods. Although the arthropod communities on American beech and white oak differed, they showed similar patterns of compositional turnover, with distinct communities in early and late summer and a transitional community midsummer.
Static and cyclic fatigue of alumina at high temperatures

Fatigue behavior of alumina at 1200°C was investigated. Uniaxial tensile tests were conducted in both static and cyclic loading. A variety of loading wave forms were applied during the cyclic tests. Cyclic lifetime is found to be cycle shape dependent and controlled by the duration of the hold time at the maximum tensile stress in a cycle. Cyclic loading with a higher strain rate and a short duration of maximum stress during each cycle provides a beneficial effect on lifetime in comparison to static loading at the same maximum stress. The time to failure for cyclic loading with a longer hold time at maximum stress is very close to the static loading lifetime. Viscous boundary phase may be the primary contributor to the improved cyclic fatigue resistance for cyclic loading with a short duration of maximum stress.
Children and the Right to Life in the Canon Law and the Magisterium of the Catholic Church: 1878 to the Present

This article considers the various emergence of an explicitly recognized right to life in papal teaching and the canon law of the last century and a quarter. The Church's opposition to abortion is deeply embedded within the tradition and law of the Church. It was, however, only in recent times, since the middle twentieth century, really, that the Church began to speak explicitly of a right to life. This paper explores the consequences for papal thought of this explicit recognition of rights. By speaking of a right to life, the Church has moved beyond the abortion debate to embrace a variety of other concerns. This is not to say that abortion does not remain important. Direct participation in abortion is a crime at canon law that results in automatic excommunication. But the language of rights has allowed the Church to address such matters as the protection of refugees; the moral requirement of adequate health care; the odious use of child-soldiers; and the use of economic embargoes that have the effect of destroying the civilian infrastructure (and public health systems) of entire societies.
The USDA Global Change Research Program

Global Change research within the Department of Agriculture is coordinated in the office of the Assistant Secretary for Science and Education. Five agencies are primarily responsible for this work, but several others are represented on the USDA Global Task Force. These agencies each have their separate budgets for Global Change activities and conform to the budgetary policies of the agency and USDA.
Verification and large deformation analysis using the reproducing kernel particle method

The reproducing kernel particle method (RKPM) is a meshless method used to solve general boundary value problems using the principle of virtual work. RKPM corrects the kernel approximation by introducing reproducing conditions which force the method to be complete to arbritrary order polynomials selected by the user. Effort in recent years has led to the implementation of RKPM within the Sierra/SM physics software framework. The purpose of this report is to investigate convergence of RKPM for verification and validation purposes as well as to demonstrate the large deformation capability of RKPM in problems where the finite element method is known to experience difficulty. Results from analyses using RKPM are compared against finite element analysis. A host of issues associated with RKPM are identified and a number of potential improvements are discussed for future work.
The Distinction Between the Antismoking and Nonsmokers' Rights Movements

In a recent article Markle and Troyer analyze the cigarette controversy as a status battle between pro and antismoking vested interests. They argue that the purpose of the antismoking movement is to lower the status of smokers, symbolically to label smoking as undesirable, unacceptable, and socially deviant behavior, and, hence, to stigmatize and denigrate smokers as social misfits. In this paper it is argued that it is important to extend the analysis by drawing a distinction between the general antismoking movement and the nonsmokers' rights movement. It is shown that the nonsmokers' right movement in its pure form is devoted solely to the protection of the rights of nonsmokers and does not endorse, and may even oppose, other elements of the general antismoking movement. The essential motivation is not the denigration of smokers but rather is the refusal of nonsmokers to be victimized by the oppressive conditions of the social support system of smoking that gives smokers the implicit right to smoke in shared areas and puts bothered nonsmokers on the defensive.
Counterion distribution surrounding spherical nucleic acid-Au nanoparticle conjugates probed by small-angle x-ray scattering.

The radial distribution of monovalent cations surrounding spherical nucleic acid–Au nanoparticle conjugates (SNA-AuNPs) is determined by in situ small-angle x-ray scattering (SAXS) and classical density functional theory (DFT) calculations. Small differences in SAXS intensity profiles from SNA-AuNPs dispersed in a series of solutions containing different monovalent ions (Na+, K+, Rb+, or Cs+) are measured. Using the “heavy ion replacement” SAXS (HIRSAXS) approach, we extract the cation-distribution-dependent contribution to the SAXS intensity and show that it agrees with DFT predictions. The experiment–theory comparisons reveal the radial distribution of cations as well as the conformation of the DNA in the SNA shell. The analysis shows an enhancement to the average cation concentration in the SNA shell that can be up to 15-fold, depending on the bulk solution ionic concentration. The study demonstrates the feasibility of HIRSAXS in probing the distribution of monovalent cations surrounding nanoparticles ...
Suboptimal choice by pigeons may result from the diminishing effect of nonreinforcement.

Pigeons prefer an alternative that provides them with a stimulus 20% of the time that predicts 10 pellets of food and a different stimulus 80% of the time that predicts 0 pellets, over an alternative that provides them with a stimulus that always predicts 3 pellets of food, even though the preferred alternative provides them with considerably less food. It appears that the stimulus that predicts 10 pellets acts as a strong conditioned reinforcer, in spite of the fact that the stimulus that predicts 0 pellets occurs four times as often. In the present research we tested the hypothesis that early in training conditioned inhibition develops to the 0-pellet stimulus but later in training it dissipates. We trained pigeons with a hue as the 10-pellet stimulus and a vertical line as the 0-pellet stimulus. To assess the inhibitory value of the vertical line, we compared responding to the 10-pellet hue to responding to the compound of the 10-pellet hue and the vertical line early in training and once again late in training, using both a within subject design (Experiment 1) and a between groups design (Experiment 2) and found that there was a significant reduction in inhibition between the Early test (when pigeons chose optimally) and Late test (when choice was suboptimal). Thus, the increase in suboptimal choice may result from the decline in inhibition to the 0-pellet stimulus. Implications for human gambling behavior are considered.
Influence of Trap Spacing and Grandlure Concentration on Detection of Interfield Boll Weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Movement

The response of boll weevils, Anthonomus grandis grandis Boheman (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), to trap density (number per ha) and grandlure concentration (wicks per trap) was determined in a noncotton area. Trap density in this area was not a factor in weevil capture. Traps with four wicks were significantly more effective than traps containing one or two wicks per trap. Results in a cotton field may differ, depending on competition between male weevils and traps and the maturity of the colton plants.
Single-nostril transsphenoidal endoscopic surgery for pituitary adenoma

Objective To discuss the techniques and effect of single-nostril transsphenoidal endoscopic surgery for pituitary adenomas.Methods From August 2006 to May 2009,202 cases of pituitary adenomas were treated by endonasal transsphenoidal endoscopic surgery.Results Total removal was achieved in 171(84.65%) cases,subtotal removal in 22(10.89%)cases,and partial removal in 9(4.46%)cases.Post-operative improvement of clinical symptoms was achieved in 196(97.02%)cases.The post-operative blood endocrine hormone levels were improved in 173(85.64%)cases.Post-operative complications including diabetes insipidus,nasal bleeding and cerebrospinal fluid leaks occurred in 28(13.86%)patients.Conclusion Single-nostril transsphenoidal endoscopic surgery is a minimal invasive and effective method for the treatment of pituitary adenomas with less complications.
Control-aware random access communication

In modern control applications multiple wireless sensors need to efficiently share the available wireless medium to communicate with their respective actuators. Random access policies, where each sensor independently decides whether to access the shared wireless medium, are attractive as they do not require central coordination. However interference between simultaneous transmissions causes transmitted packets to collide, leading to control performance degradation or potentially instability. Given plant and controller dynamics, we derive a sufficient condition for the access policy employed by each sensor so that wireless interference does not violate stability of any involved control loop. Based on this decoupling condition we design random access communication policies that are control-aware by adapting to the physical plant states measured by the sensors online. The control performance of our design is illustrated in numerical simulations.
Answering the call to address chronic pain in military service members and veterans: Progress in improving pain care and restoring health

Chronic noncancer pain (CNCP) in military and veteran populations mirrors the experience of chronic pain in America; however, these two populations have unique characteristics and comorbid conditions such as traumatic brain injuries, postconcussive syndrome, posttraumatic stress disorder, and behavioral health disorders that complicate the diagnosis and treatment of chronic pain. Military members and veterans may also be stigmatized about their conditions and experience problems with integration back into healthy lifestyles and society as a whole following deployments and after military service. The military and veteran health care systems have made chronic pain a priority and have made substantial strides in addressing this condition through advances in practice, education, research, and health policy. Despite this progress, significant challenges remain in responding to the wide-spread problem of chronic pain. The purpose of this article is to: (a) examine the state of CNCP in military and veteran populations; (b) discuss progress made in pain practice, education, research, and health policy; and (c) examine research, evidence-based practice guidelines, and expert consensus reports that are foundational to advancing pain care and improving health for military service members and veterans with CNCP. In addition, recommendations are proposed to address this widespread health problem through the expanded use of advanced practice registered nurses, the implementation of models of care, and use of national resources to educate health care providers, support practice, and promote effective pain care.
Reveries on Aesthetics

This essay puts forward questions concerning the critical and poetic encounter with art. Facets of this intent are expressed most commonly by questions such as: What is art? Why do we make art? How is art an indicator of historical and sociological trends? What is thus about the aesthetic experience?
Use of a Barbed Knotless Suture for Laparoscopic Ablation of the Nephrosplenic Space in 8 Horses.

Objective To evaluate use of a knotless suture for laparoscopic closure of the equine nephrosplenic space. Study Design Experimental in vivo study. Animals Normal horses without previous history of abdominal surgery (n=8). Methods The nephrosplenic space was closed under laparoscopic visualization using a unidirectional, barbed 0 metric absorbable suture (copolymer of glycolic acid and trimethylene carbonate). Intracorporeal suturing of the nephrosplenic space was performed in a cranial-to-caudal direction in a simple continuous fashion. Repeat evaluation was performed laparoscopically in 2 horses and by necropsy in 6 horses. The length of closure was measured and nature of the healed tissue was evaluate grossly. Results Total surgery time was 65–167 minutes (mean ± SD, 89.6 ± 22.6). Suturing time was 30–65 minutes (40.4 ± 16.3). Second laparoscopy in 2 horses was performed at days 198 and 227. Necropsy was performed at day 69–229 postoperatively (132.7 ± 63.0) in 6 horses. The closure measured 12–14 cm in length (13 ± 1) and consisted of mature fibrous tissue bridging the splenic capsule and the nephrosplenic ligament. No residual suture material was identified grossly in any horses. The procedure was easily performed; extracorporeal suture management to hold it taut was unnecessary since the barbs had excellent purchase in the apposed tissues, and intracorporeal knot tying was not required. Conclusion The barbed knotless suture appears to be a valid alternative to facilitate laparoscopic closure of the nephrosplenic space in normal horses; however, further work is necessary to investigate its suitability in clinically affected horses.
Two-Dimensional Constitutive Equations.

Constitutive equations appropriate to the two-dimensional deformation of isotropic materials with memory are developed from first principles. These are, of course, considerably simpler than the corresponding three-dimensional equations, from which they could also be derived.
αSMA-Expressing Perivascular Cells Represent Dental Pulp Progenitors In Vivo

The goal of this study was to examine the contribution of perivascular cells to odontoblasts during the development, growth, and repair of dentin using mouse molars as a model. We used an inducible, Cre-loxP in vivo fate-mapping approach to examine the contributions of the descendants of cells expressing the αSMA-CreERT2 transgene to the odontoblast lineage. In vivo lineage-tracing experiments in molars showed the contribution of αSMA-tdTomato+ cells to a small number of newly formed odontoblasts during primary dentinogenesis. Using an experimental pulp exposure model in molars to induce reparative dentinogenesis, we demonstrate the contribution of αSMA-tdTomato+ cells to cells secreting reparative dentin. Our results demonstrate that αSMA-tdTomato+ cells differentiated into Col2.3-GFP+ cells composed of both Dspp+ odontoblasts and Bsp+ osteoblasts. Our findings identify a population of mesenchymal progenitor cells capable of giving rise to a second generation of odontoblasts during reparative dentinogenesis. This population also makes a small contribution to odontoblasts during primary dentinogenesis.
Cosmopolitan critique and the “Atlantic” Arlt

ABSTRACTThis essay examines Roberto Arlt’s journalistic account of visits to peripheral Spanish geographies on the Atlantic, Morocco and Galicia, by focusing not only on travel’s engagement with mobility and storytelling, but also with the cultural capital the traveler hopes to gain at home, and on the national stage. By referencing both the Atlantic and also Arlt’s North African travels along the Mediterranean, the essay aims at opening up lines of interconnectivity, interdependency, and inter-relational flows to and from the Atlantic on a more global scale. It contributes to the repositioning of Atlantic discourses (and their respective geopolitics) and in doing so examines the role of the uneven modernity that informed Arlt’s travel gaze. Coining the term “travel as technique” as a critical notion, it refers to the praxis of writing travel alongside history, a praxis through which Arlt documented Spanish political turbulence and the rivalry between global colonial powers in 1935. Departing from a criti...
Arachnoid Cysts and Risk of Sport-Related Brain Injury

Abstract Sport-related concussion has emerged as a major public health problem. Furthermore, incidental arachnoid cysts (ACs) are commonly discovered due to increased use of neuroimaging. Neurologists, neurosurgeons, and sports medicine physicians are faced with the difficult task of counseling athletes with ACs about the risks of brain injury in sport, including functional concussive injuries and structural injuries, such as subdural hemorrhage, intracystic hemorrhage, or subdural hygroma. Given the uncertainties regarding the risk of functional and structural brain injuries in athletes with an ACs, we sought to answer the following three questions: (1) Do athletes with an AC have a higher rate of concussion or structural brain injury? (2) Is it safe for athletes with an AC to participate in athletics? (3) If a structural brain injury does occur in an athlete with an AC, what is the clinical course? A review of the literature revealed Level IV and V evidence that athletes with an AC may be at a slightly heightened risk of structural brain injury. Combining the literature with our anecdotal experience, we believe it is safe for athletes with an AC to participate in athletics. Despite significant risk of publication bias and the evidence based on only case reports and case series, it appears athletes with an AC who suffer a structural brain injury have a good clinical course following neurosurgical treatment.
Use of contraception among US women reporting postpartum depressive symptoms, pregnancy risk assessment monitoring system 2009-2011.

Abstract Objective We sought to determine the prevalence of postpartum contraceptive use among women with postpartum depressive symptoms (PDS) and examine the association between PDS and contraceptive method. Study design We evaluated data from 16,357 postpartum women participating in the 2009–2011 Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System. PDS was defined as an additive score of ≥10 for three questions on depression, hopelessness, and feeling physically slowed. Contraceptive use was categorized as permanent, long-acting reversible contraception (LARC), user-dependent hormonal, and user-dependent non-hormonal. Logistic regression models compared postpartum contraceptive use and method by PDS status. Results In total, 12.3% of women with a recent live birth reported PDS. Large percentages of women with (69.4%) and without (76.1%) PDS, used user-dependent or no contraceptive method. There were no associations between PDS and use of any postpartum contraception (adjusted Prevalence Ratio (aPR) = 1.00, 95% CI 0.98–1.03) or permanent contraception (aPR=1.05, 95% CI 0.88–1.27). LARC use was elevated, but not significantly, among women with PDS compared to those without (aPR=1.16, 95% CI: 1.00–1.34). Conclusions Large percentages of women with and without PDS used user-dependent or no contraception. Since depression may be associated with misuse of user-dependent methods, counseling women about how to use methods more effectively, as well as the effectiveness of non-user dependent methods, may be beneficial. Implications A large percentage of women with PDS are either not using contraception or using less effective user-dependent methods. Since depression may be associated with misuse of user-dependent contraceptive methods, counseling women about how to use methods more effectively, as well as non-user dependent options, such as LARC, may be beneficial.
Signal classification with a point process distance on the space of persistence diagrams

In this paper, we consider the problem of signal classification. First, the signal is translated into a persistence diagram through the use of delay-embedding and persistent homology. Endowing the data space of persistence diagrams with a metric from point processes, we show that it admits statistical structure in the form of Frechet means and variances and a classification scheme is established. In contrast with the Wasserstein distance, this metric accounts for changes in small persistence and changes in cardinality. The classification results using this distance are benchmarked on both synthetic data and real acoustic signals and it is demonstrated that this classifier outperforms current signal classification techniques.
All science should inform policy and regulation

In the context of a recent proposal to exclude research from consideration at the Environmental Protection Agency, John Ioannidis points out that "perceived perfection is not a characteristic of science, but of dogma" and envisions how governments can promote a standard of openness in science.
Deuteron Magnetic Relaxation and Molecular Dynamics in ThermTropic Liquid Crystals

It has long been recognized that nuclear spin relaxation provides a convenient and powerful means for studying dynamic processes in ordered fluids. In this paper we discuss some recently developed NMR techniques which can provide novel, more detailed information about molecular motion in liquid crystals via the determination of individual spectral densities of motion. The potential of the techniques will be illustrated by deuterium relaxation data obtained in our laboratory and for reasons of brevity our discussion will be restricted to thermotropic nematic phases. Early work in this field (cf. reviews by Wade (1) and Doane (2)) was devoted mainly to measuring the interpreting overall spin-lattice relaxation rates of protons, taking advantage of the fact that numerous slow processes characteristic of the ordered medium possess strong Fourier components fluctuating near the Larmor frequency. A partial list of such processes includes the familiar fluctuations of nematic director orientation (3,4), translational self-diffusion (5,6), quasi-critical fluctuations of local order near phase transitions (7), and slow relaxation of local structures (8,9). Numerous refinements of the original model calculations have appeared, especially for order-director fluctuations (ODF): detailed expressions are available for now with a high frequency cutoff included in the mode expansion (10), for ODF with the director aligned at an arbitrary angle with respect to the magnetic field (11–13), for the combined effects of fast reorientation and ODF (9,12,14) including controversial cross-terms, and for the effect of anisotropic elastic coefficients and viscosities (15).
Match Score Level Fusion of Face and Gait at a Distance

This chapter introduces a video based recognition method to recognize non-cooperating individuals at a distance in video, who expose side views to the camera. Information from two biometric sources, side face and gait, is utilized and integrated for recognition. For side face, an enhanced side face image (ESFI), a higher resolution image compared with the image directly obtained from a single video frame, is constructed, which integrates face information from multiple video frames. For gait, the gait energy image (GEI), a spatio-temporal compact representation of gait in video, is used to characterize human walking properties. The features of face and gait are obtained separately using the principal component analysis (PCA) and the multiple discriminant analysis (MDA) combined method from ESFI and GEI, respectively. They are then integrated at the match score level by using different fusion strategies. The approach is tested on a database of video sequences, corresponding to 45 people, which are collected over seven months. The different fusion methods are compared and analyzed. The experimental results show that (a) better face features are extracted from ESFI compared to those from the original side face images; (b) the synchronization of face and gait is not necessary for face template ESFI and gait template GEI. The synthetic match scores combine information from them; and (c) integrated information from side face and gait is effective for human recognition in video.
Geologic Time, History of Biodiversity in

Learning the patterns of past biodiversity change is fundamental to understanding the causes and consequences of processes that generate and deplete the diversity of life on earth. Although the fossil record is incomplete and biased, methods have been developed to correct for these problems in large measure, thus permitting the study of biodiversities of the geologic past.
Known knowns and unknown knowns: multiple memory routes to improved numerical estimation

Conceptual change represents a crucial, challenging, learning component. This study hypothesized and observed evidence for two parallel forms of learning within the Numerically-Driven Inferencing (NDI) paradigm's rather minimalist intervention of providing direct feedback regarding a numerical estimate---feedback that yields remarkably robust cognitive alterations. The present experiment probed the nature of learning apropos recall or estimation improvements observed after participants (a) provided estimates, (b) received feedback, and (c) re-estimated after waiting for one day. The results show that improved estimation/recall was predicted by two independent elements---surprise at feedback and an explicit sense of episodic recall upon testing. This suggests at least two learning processes: (1) an explicit (though perhaps approximate) recollection of a quantity's magnitude and (2) a non-episodic semantic restructuring that correlates with surprise. Thus, even for concise, factual information, we educators might consider students' "unknown knowns"--- knowledge that learners gain without any explicit understanding that they have done so.
Atlas of Protein Spectra in the Ultraviolet and Visible Regions

Atlas of Protein Spectra in the Ultraviolet and Visible Regions.- Protein Spectr.- General Index.- Sources Index.- Miscellaneous Index.
The role of organic anion‐transporting polypeptides and formulation in the clearance and distribution of a novel Nav1.7 channel blocker

PF-06456384 is an extremely potent and selective blocker of the Nav 1.7 sodium channel designed as a potential intravenous (i.v.) analgesic targeting high potency and rapid clearance to minimize the potential for residual effects following the end of infusion. In our previous experience targeting oral molecules, the requirement to obtain potent, Nav 1.7 selective molecules led to a focus on acidic, amphipilic compounds cleared primarily by organic anion-transporting polypeptide mediated hepatic uptake and subsequent biliary excretion. However, the physicochemical properties of the i.v. lead matter were substantially different, moving from acidic, amphiphilic chemical space to zwitterions as well as substantially increasing molecular weight. This report describes the continued relevance of organic anion-transporting polypeptide driven hepatic uptake in this physicochemical space and highlights an apparent impact of the formulation excipient Solutol on the clearance and distribution of PF-06456384.