cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Development of a Time-Resolved Catadioptric Stereo Digital Image Correlation Technique for the Study of Blast Loading of Composite Material Structures

Impingement of blast or shock waves on structures is characterized by a substantial transient aerodynamic load that develops over the short time associated with the shock reflection time scale. This mutual interaction between the shock wave and the structure can cause significant deformation of the structure and high strain rates within the material resulting in damage. While accelerometers, strain gages and other single point measurement probes and their corresponding techniques can provide valuable information of the local displacement and strain during blast loading, better understanding of the complex phenomena involved in these interactions require time dependent information acquired simultaneously from multi points on the structure. Digital Image Correlation is a full-field noncontact optical technique which can provide time dependent information of the displacement of the structure and the resultant high strain rates generated during the loading. The present setup consists of a single high-frame-rate camera which can accommodate two simultaneous stereo images of the deforming structure on its CMOS chip. Four different planar mirrors, appropriately positioned, provide the stereo views of the specimen captured on the chip. The present layout offers several advantages over traditional systems with two different cameras. First, it provides identical system parameters for the two views which minimizes their differences and thus facilitating robust stereo matching. Second, it reduces calibration time since only one camera is used and third its cost is substantially lower than the cost of a system with two cameras. The technique is being developed and tested in a large scale shock tube facility during loading by shock/blast wave of various impulses. The specimens used are flat plates made of high-alloy steel, aluminum or composite materials. In the present paper the development of the technique will be described and preliminary results of qualification tests will be presented and discussed.© 2011 ASME
Composition of human airway mucins and effects after inhalation of acid aerosol

Characterization of normal airway mucus is required to elucidate mechanisms protecting the airways and to understand changes associated with disease and environmental insult. Toward this goal, we collected bronchial washes (10 ml saline) from healthy human subjects to 1) evaluate the yield of high-density material (delta > or = 1.35 g/ml), and 2) characterize glycoconjugates associated with collected secretions. Samples were lipid extracted followed by CsCl density gradient centrifugation. The yield of high-density material from individual subjects was variable but sufficient to demonstrate that mucin glycoproteins are a major constituent of mucus from healthy airways and that proteoglycans are absent. Next, we investigated whether inhalation of H2SO4 aerosol (1,000 microgram/m3), an environmental insult associated with alterations in mucociliary clearance, changes the composition of high-density glycoproteins in airway secretions. In a paired, double-blinded study, high-density fractions of bronchial secretions from 12 subjects were collected 18 h after exposures of 2 h to aerosolized NaCl and H2SO4. In all cases the high-density material displayed characteristics of mucin glycoproteins. In addition, a unique 150-kDa glycoprotein was detected in most but not all samples and may represent a small mucin glycoprotein differentially expressed in humans. No differences were noted between the two exposure conditions in the profiles of the glycoproteins or proteins after sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Statistically, large changes with acid exposure in the composition of carbohydrates and amino acids were absent. Thus no substantial systematic changes in airway mucin glycoproteins or closely associated proteins and glycoproteins were correlated with H2SO4 exposure. Alternatively, statistical analysis of the differences between exposures in glycoprotein constituents among subjects denoted greater variability in carbohydrates compared with amino acids with repeated sampling, suggesting normal daily variations in the mucin composition of individual airway mucus.
Solidification and Acceleration of Large Cryogenic Pellets Relevant for Plasma Disruption Mitigation

The technology for producing, accelerating, and shattering large pellets (before injection into plasmas) for disruption mitigation has been under development at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory for several years, including a system on DIII-D that has been used to provide some significant experimental results. The original proof-of-principle testing was carried out using a pipe gun injector cooled by a cryogenic refrigerator (temperatures $\sim 8$ –20 K) and equipped with a stainless steel tube to produce 16.5-mm pellets composed of either pure D2, pure Ne, or a dual layer with a thin outer shell of D2 and core of Ne. Recently, significant progress has been made in the laboratory using that same pipe gun and a new injector that is an ITER test apparatus cooled with liquid helium. The new injector operates at $\sim 5$ –8 K, which is similar to temperatures expected with cooling provided by the flow of supercritical helium on ITER. An alternative technique for producing/solidifying large pellets directly from a premixed gas has now been successfully tested in the laboratory. Also, two additional pellet sizes have been tested recently (nominal 24.4 and 34.0 mm diameters). With larger pellets, the number of injectors required for ITER disruption mitigation can be reduced, resulting in less cost and a smaller footprint for the hardware. An attractive option is longer pellets, and 24.4-mm pellets with a length/diameter ratio of $\sim 3$ have been successfully tested. Since pellet speed is the key parameter in determining the response time of a shattered pellet system to a plasma disruption event, recent tests have concentrated on documenting the speeds with different hardware configurations and operating parameters; speeds of $\sim 100$ –800 m/s have been recorded. The data and results from laboratory testing are presented and discussed, and a simple model for the pellet solidification process is described.
Specification of retinal cell types

Abstract Light is translated into neural signals by neuroepithelial cells in the retina. Development of neural and glial cell classes within the retina occurs in an overlapping, highly organized fashion. Retinal ganglion cells form first, followed by cone photoreceptors, amacrine, horizontal interneurons, rod photoreceptors, and finally bipolar interneurons and Muller glia. Clonal analyses revealed that these cell classes differentiate from a common pool of multipotent progenitor cells, whose developmental potential shifts across embryonic and early postnatal life. Retinal progenitor cell competence is regulated by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Intrinsic factors, which include those with homeobox and basic helix-loop-helix protein motifs, regulate early eye growth patterning and retinal cell type specification. Moreover, miRNAs and epigenetic regulators constitute an additional layer of transcriptional regulation of retinal development. Extrinsic factors are also important for optic cup growth and regulate the proportions of each retinal cell class present in the mature retina. Finally, mutations in intrinsic or extrinsic factors are important causes of human congenital or degenerative retinal diseases. The actions of these molecules are the focus of intense research to develop retinal gene and stem cell therapies.
JOURNAL CLUB: Value of Quantitative FDG PET/CT Volumetric Biomarkers in Recurrent Colorectal Cancer Patient Survival

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of quantitative PET parameters in the overall survival of patients with recurrent colorectal cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS. A total of 105 patients with a biopsy-proven recurrence of colorectal cancer who underwent PET/CT were included in the study. A gradient segmentation method was used to calculate maximum and peak standardized uptake values (SUVmax, SUVpeak), total lesion glycolysis (TLGtotal), and metabolic tumor volume (MTVtotal). These parameters were measured for each recurrent lesion at the primary, locoregional, and distant sites. The median follow-up time was 31.3 months. Overall survival (OS) was the primary outcome and was calculated using Kaplan-Meier survival plots and Cox regression analyses. RESULTS. The mean ± SD for SUVmax, SUVpeak, TLGtotal, and MTVtotal of the included patients was 7.3 ± 5.3, 5.3 ± 3.3, 280.8 ± 1181 g, and 79.8 ± 294 mL, respectively. The median OS for patients who were alive was 50 months in comparison w...
Pulmonary Effects of Obesity and Assessment for Bariatric Surgery

Obesity can profoundly alter lung function and exert adverse effects on respiratory muscle function, mechanics, lung volumes, exercise capacity, and gas exchange. Most morbidly obese patients show some degree of exertional dyspnea and many may have significant impairment of measurable pulmonary function, while showing few symptoms. Fortunately, the detrimental effects of morbid obesity can be improved or reversed with weight loss.
Time-dependent polarization behaviour of pipeline grade steel in low ionic strength environments

A bench-top experimental approach is described for estimation of the polarization behaviour of pipeline steel as a function of the time-dependent formation of scale and calcareous deposits in simulated soil leachates. A three-time constant process model provided a common set of parameters for a given soil environment and level of aeration. The parameters estimated could be applied to a broad range of current values and were independent of time, potential and applied current. The experimental approach, model and regression procedure are general and could be used to determine the physical parameters associated with the seasonal variations (wet–dry cycles) in the soils surrounding pipelines or with other factors that influence general corrosion. The polarization model could provide a boundary condition for mathematical models for cathodic protection of pipelines or other buried structures. The separation of current contributions implicit in the model can be used to assess the reduction of corrosion current associated with specific CP criteria.
Prostate cancer knowledge and screening attitudes of inner-city men

A81 Introduction: We report the results of a questionnaire administered to inner-city men to determine their knowledge of prostate health and their attitudes on prostate cancer screening prior to and after a brief prostate health educational intervention. Materials and Methods: A 30-item questionnaire designed to assess prostate knowledge and screening attitudes was administered to 100 eligible men presenting to a Urology clinic at an inner-city tertiary care hospital prior to and after a brief educational intervention. Results: Mean initial knowledge score was 47% compared to 80% after the educational intervention (p
Patchable Indistinguishability Obfuscation: \(i\mathcal {O}\) for Evolving Software

In this work, we introduce patchable indistinguishability obfuscation: our notion adapts the notion of indistinguishability obfuscation (\({i\mathcal {O}}\)) to a very general setting where obfuscated software evolves over time. We model this broadly by considering software patches P as arbitrary Turing Machines that take as input the description of a Turing Machine M, and output a new Turing Machine description \(M' = P(M)\). Thus, a short patch P can cause changes everywhere in the description of M and can even cause the description length of the machine to increase by an arbitrary polynomial amount. We further considermulti-program patchable indistinguishability obfuscation where a patch is applied not just to a single machine M, but to an unbounded set of machines \(M_1,\dots , M_n\) to yield \(P(M_1), \dots , P(M_n)\).
Current Concepts in Urinary Biomarkers for Overactive Bladder: What Is the Evidence?

Purpose of Review Over the last decades, much research has been done to discover biomarkers that can be used to better elucidate the pathophysiology of lower urinary tract disorders. Particular attention has been paid to the inflammatory response and the development of lower urinary tract disorders. The purpose of this review article is to summarize the current understanding of inflammatory urinary biomarkers’ role in the pathophysiology of overactive bladder. Their utility in clinical evaluation and treatment response as well as methodologic limitations in the research of these biomarkers are also discussed.
Behavior and the Physical World of an Animal

Much of the behavior of animals constitutes a set of adaptive responses to the physical world in which animals live. The relevant physical parameters are, far more numerous than biologists commonly recognize. And the particular parameters relevant in a given situation depend strongly on the size of the organism in question; here our biases as unusually large creatures seriously compromise our facility for any intuitive recognition of just what factors might be important. Parameters such as pressure, temperature, humidity, and fluid motion take on quite different significance, both quantitatively and qualitatively, to organisms of more “ordinary” size than ourselves. But recognition of what might be important to a particular animal requires not an elaborate training in physics, but rather some self- education in how one thinks about the world encountered by the organisms one studies.
Designing imminent threat messages for an unfamiliar hazard

Course: This assignment is a unit activity designed for use in a skills-focused undergraduate public relations, organizational communication, or crisis communication course.Objective: The goal of this activity is to increase students’ understanding and ability to apply message design concepts in an unfamiliar context. Students will work collaboratively to craft messages that include key message features in response to an unfamiliar threat.
Transcatheter Closure of Patent Foramen Ovale versus Medical Therapy after Cryptogenic Stroke: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Background Patent foramen ovale (PFO) with atrial septal aneurysm is suggested as an important potential source for cryptogenic strokes. Percutaneous PFO closure to reduce the recurrence of stroke compared to medical therapy has been intensely debated. The aim of this study is to assess whether PFO closure in patients with cryptogenic stroke is safe and effective compared with medical therapy. Method A search of PubMed, Medline, and Cochrane Central Register from January 2000 through September 2017 for randomized controlled trails (RCT), which compared PFO closure to medical therapy in patients with cryptogenic stroke was conducted. We used the items "PFO or patent foramen ovale", "paradoxical embolism", "PFO closure" and "stroke". Data were pooled for the primary outcome measure using the random-effects model as pooled rate ratio (RR). The primary outcome was reduction in recurrent strokes. Result Among 282 studies, 5 were selected. Our analysis included 3,440 patients (mean age 45 years, 55% men, mean follow-up 2.9 years), 1,829 in the PFO closure group and 1,611 in the medical therapy group. The I2 heterogeneity test was found to be 48%. A random effects model combining the results of the included studies demonstrated a statistically significant risk reduction in risk of recurrent stroke in the PFO closure group when compared with medical therapy (RR 0.42; 95% CI 0.20-0.91, p = 0.03). Conclusion Pooled data from 5 large RCTs showed that PFO closure in patients with cryptogenic stroke is safe and effective intervention for prevention of stroke recurrence compared with medical therapy.
Network Coding and Data Compression

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the problem of communicating statistically dependent sources over networks, focusing in particular on the case of lossless reconstruction over acyclic networks of noise-free links. In contrast to a purely network coding setup with independent sources, optimal code design for this setup involves both network coding as well as data compression aspects. Calculating the set of achievable rates for this problem is a difficult task in general, though some continuity properties of the rate region are known, and a general outer bound can be obtained from cut-set arguments. Even though the cut-set bounds are not achievable for all networks, they are achievable for multicast networks, i.e., networks where all sources are demanded at all sinks. The cut-set bounds are also achievable for an extension of the multicast network, where, in addition to the desired sources, the network may have side information present at some of the sinks. For both these cases, cut-set bounds are achievable via linear network codes. Finally, some practical approaches to combining network coding and compression are discussed.
Introduction to Longitudinal Control

The term “longitudinal controller” is typically used in referring to any control system that controls the longitudinal motion of the vehicle, for example, its longitudinal velocity, acceleration or its longitudinal distance from another preceding vehicle in the same lane on the highway. The throttle and brakes are the actuators used to implement longitudinal control.
Estimation of Acoustic Attenuation in Diffuse Liver Disease: Can it be Done with the Zero-Crossing Technique?

In-vivo attenuation measurements of the liver have been obtained in 41 patients with diffuse liver disease, 8 normal controls and a liver phantom. Using a spectral shift approach, a parameter S (in MHz/cm), the slope of zero-crossings of A-line data vs. depth was measured to estimate the slope of the attenuation coefficient with frequency, denoted by β (in dB/cm-MHz). 1 MByte of digitized data per ultrasound procedure and per liver was used to estimate the slope S. Three different acoustic transducers were used. The patients were classified by histopathological structure following blind readings of liver needle biopsies.
Taphonomy of Animal Organic Skeletons Through Time

Investigations of organically preserved invertebrate fossils have focused on abundant taxa such as graptolites and arthropods. Analyses have shown that their composition cannot be explained either as a result of decay resistance, or the introduction of macromolecular material from surrounding sediment. The fossilization of organic materials is a result of the diagenetic transformation of lipids in the organism itself by a process of in situ polymerization which generates a composition with a significant aliphatic component. While this process causes the fossilized remains of different taxa, even plants and animals, to converge in composition they may still retain differences following diagenesis. Such chemosystematic signatures have the potential to be used in the identification of organic materials that lack diagnostic morphology. The diagenetic transformation of organic materials in macrofossils is similar to the formation of kerogen – the final composition depends on original chemistry, decay and diagenesis. A better understanding of rates and controls on this process will require more experimental investigation of decay and maturation, as well as analyses of fossils of different ages and from different environmental settings.
Studies of Nonradiative Recombination in Insulators and Semiconductors via the Principle of Detailed Balance

Experimental confirmation of detailed balance to an accuracy of 3$ is described for the R lines of ruby. The method avoids the problems introduced by the presence of vibronic transitions or nonradiative transitions. Separate measurements demonstrate the actual presence of a small amount of nonradiative de-excitation in ruby whose dependence on temperature suggests a multiphonon process. An apparent failure of detailed balance in bound exciton emission in donor-doped GaP or Si at low temperature can be well explained by an Auger process occurring in a complex consisting of an exciton bound to a neutral donor.
Vitamin B 12

Vitamin B12 is active in metabolism as the methyl- or 5-deoxyadenosyl derivatives. Adenosylcobalamin is required by methylmalonyl-CoA mutase, which is involved in the degradation of propionate from odd-chain fatty acids. Methylcobalamin is required by methionine synthetase, which catalyzes the methylation of homocysteine to regenerate methionine. Low vitamin B12 status impairs the metabolic utilization of folate and contributes to homocysteinemia. The vitamin is synthesized by bacteria, and is seldom found in plant foods. Animals and humans that consume strict vegetarian diets are likely to have suboptimal intakes of vitamin B12 that, if uncorrected, will lead to anemia and to peripheral neuropathy. Liver can store the vitamin in amounts sufficient to meet needs for long periods (years). Low vitamin B12 status occurs in individuals with deficiencies in proteins involved in vitamin B12 absorption, transport, and/or metabolism, including individuals with compromised gastric parietal cell function.
Cancer-Associated Fusion Proteins Reveal Inhibitory Role of Protein Kinase C’s Processing Phosphorylations

Since the discovery that the Philadelphia translocation event produces the oncogenic Bcr-Abl fusion gene that sustains chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), gain-of-function fusion proteins have emer...
Natural selection contributes to geographic patterns of thermal plasticity in Plantago lanceolata.

2018-2019 UNCG University Libraries Open Access Publishing Fund Grant Winner. A long-standing debate in evolutionary biology concerns the relative importance of different evolutionary forces in explaining phenotypic diversification at large geographic scales. For example, natural selection is typically assumed to underlie divergence along environmental gradients. However, neutral evolutionary processes can produce similar patterns. We collected molecular genetic data from 14 European populations of Plantago lanceolata to test the contributions of natural selection versus neutral evolution to population divergence in temperature-sensitive phenotypic plasticity of floral reflectance. In P. lanceolata, reflectance plasticity is positively correlated with latitude/altitude. We used population pairwise comparisons between neutral genetic differentiation (FST and Jost's D) and phenotypic differentiation (PST) to assess the contributions of geographic distance and environmental parameters of the reproductive season in driving population divergence. Data are consistent with selection having shaped large-scale geographic patterns in thermal plasticity. The aggregate pattern of PST versus FST was consistent with divergent selection. FST explained thermal plasticity differences only when geographic distance was not included in the model. Differences in the extent of cool reproductive season temperatures, and not overall temperature variation, explained plasticity differences independent of distance. Results are consistent with the hypothesis that thermal plasticity is adaptive where growing seasons are shorter and cooler, that is, at high latitude/altitude.
Development of a Matlab Code for Plane Wave Lens and its Validation by Autodyn-2D

Plane wave generator is normally composed of two explosives having dissimilar detonation velocity. It is used for directing the spherically outgoing shock wave front to a planar form. Plane wave generators are utilized to find material behavior under dynamic loading. This paper presents the shock arrival time for two plane wave generators by developed Matlab code and its comparison with Ansys Autodyn. The diameter of both plane wave generators is kept the same. One plane wave generator is composed of Octogen and Barium Nitrate and the other is composed of Octogen and Tri Nitro Toluene. Obtained results were surprisingly in agreement. Maximum and minimum obtained flatness for the plane wave were ±0.56 and ±0.08ms respectively within the whole diameter of the plane wave generator. The developed code can be utilized to find the profile of a plane wave generator, minimizing the time and cost many times.
Bioarchaeological Evidence for Social Maturation in the Mortuary Ritual of Ipiutak and Tigara Hunter-Gatherers: Lifespan Perspectives on the Emergence of Personhood at Point Hope, Alaska

Identity is a concept that shifts over the lifespan in association with relational interactions. This study documents and interprets the cultural systems influencing shifts in identity during maturation in hunter-gatherers from Point Hope, Alaska through archaeological mortuary practices. Grave goods, body position, body orientation, and burial depth (underground versus surface) were recorded for Ipiutak (1500–1100 BP) and Tigara (800–400 BP) cultures. Age was estimated using tooth formation. No age differences in burial depth were found, likely reflecting environmental constraints. Changes in body orientation, body position, and grave-good allocation were found between three and four years with another increase in grave-good allocation after age six. A larger age range of individuals without grave goods was found at Tigara. Changes in bodily orientation and position likely reflect beliefs surrounding the soul. The initial presence of animal implements may represent gifting of amulets, while increases in these items at later ages indicate continued maturation. Differences in the age ranges of individuals without animal implements between the two sites may reflect stronger delineations of social prestige at Ipiutak. These findings hint at the complex relational pathways associated with the formation of identity in prehistoric hunter-gatherer communities.
Improved learning from data competitions through strategic design of training and test data sets

AbstractLeveraging the depth and breadth of solutions generated through crowdsourcing can be a powerful accelerator to method development for high consequence problems. While data competitions have...
Abstract Sufficient Conditions for Large and Moderate Deviations in the Small Noise Limit

In this chapter we use the representations derived in Chap. 8 to study large and moderate deviations for stochastic systems driven by Brownian and/or Poisson noise, and consider a “small noise” limit, as in Sects. 3.2 and 3.3. We will prove general abstract large deviation principles, and in later chapters apply these to models in which the noise enters the system in an additive and independent manner (In our terminology, this includes systems with multiplicative noise, namely settings in which the noise term is multiplied by a state-dependent coefficient). For these systems, one can view the mapping that takes the noise into the state of the system as “nearly” continuous, and it is this property that allows a unified and relatively straightforward treatment.
Relationship of Children's Emotional and Behavioral Disorders With Health Care Utilization and Missed School

Abstract Objective To assess the association between emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD), missed school days and health care visits while controlling for sociodemographic factors, and comorbid medical conditions in a nationally representative sample. Methods Data from the 2016 National Health Interview Survey were used to assess the associations between EBD, in children aged 4 to 11 and 12 to 17 years, on missed days of school, health care office visits, and emergency department visits. EBD was assessed utilizing a validated screener. Multiple logistic regression was used to control for comorbid medical conditions and sociodemographic factors. Results Adolescents who screened positive for anxiety, depression, peer problems, and severe impairment had 4 to 8 times the odds of missing more school than their peers that screened negative. Young children with anxiety had 4 times increased odds of missing more school whereas positive emotional and behavioral health was protective against missing school. Young children and adolescents who screened positive for anxiety, depression, and severe impairment had 3 to 6 and 2 to 4 times the odds of more office visits respectively. Emergency department utilization was significantly increased in adolescents with anxiety and younger children with severe impairment. Conclusions This study shows that children with EBD are more likely to have increased office visits and missed days of school, even after adjusting for sociodemographic factors and comorbid medical conditions. Recognition of early associations of EBD can create an opportunity for early identification of children with EBD in the pediatric practice.
Modeling, Design and Implementation of Hybrid Fixed-Wing Tri-copter

This research work focuses on various aspects of hybrid fixed-wing Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), from conceptual design to hardware implementation. In this paper, we present different design parameters of the hybrid UAV, and also discuss the flight modes that the hybrid UAV is capable of attaining. Mathematical model is briefly discussed which comprises of general equations regarding force, moment and orientation. Control system was designed using the standard state space representation. The paper also shares information concerning the hardware implementation of the hybrid UAV. Different controllers were designed for implementing the control loop of pitch, yaw, roll and height. Software and hardware tuning results of these control loops are also given separately. Moreover, we also explain the establishment of a ground control system, which was used for providing complete telemetry and video feedback.
Efficient Energy Power Allocation for Forecasted Channel Based on Transfer Entropy.

In recent years, mobile network data has an explosive growth. To adapt this demand and accelerate the development of new applications, the fifth generation of mobile communication networks emerged. At present, the vision and needs of 5G have been gradually clarified. How to integrate existing technologies and various potential new technologies to realize 5G network becomes the next research and development focus. In econometrics field, Granger causality test is a normal analysis tool for time series data based on autoregression, but it is not limited. It is also widely used based on the information theory conditional common information stage generalized Transfer Entropy (TE). In this paper, first Granger causality test is proposed on testing the correlation between two 5G channels, then transfer entropy algorithms is applied to forecast 5G channel coefficient. Then based on the forecasted channel, the energy allocation of the channel is performed by the Inverse Water Filling (IWF) algorithm. Finally, we demonstrate the high energy efficiency of the IWF on channel power allocation. The simulation further validates our theoretical results.
“Asperger’s syndrome does not exist”: the limits of brain-based identity discourses around Asperger’s syndrome and autism in Italy

Brain-based identities, especially around autism, have received much attention in recent literature on biopolitics through concepts such as brainhood, cerebral selfhood, and neurochemical selves. This article complicates conversations about self and brain by presenting ethnographic data about Italian autistic youth. It demonstrates the complexities of the ways in which youth draw on brain discourses and autism identity discourses. While youth and their parents did sometimes talk about autism as related to selfhood, and autism as related to brains, and even brainhood as related to selfhood, they rarely spoke of all three concepts together. Youth’s use of autism identity discourses proved sporadic, and instrumental. Italian youth did not mobilize biopolitical modes of engagement the same way as scholars have described in other settings, suggesting important cross-cultural variation in how people relate to notions of self and brain linked to broader differences in Western biomedicines. This study provides a rich description of identity discourses employed by autistic Italian youth, demonstrating how they can use autism as a tentative basis for seeking collective identity and social interaction while negotiating skepticism about its meaning for individual identity. Throughout, the brain plays a minimal role, resisting neuro-essentialist or neuro-hegemonic conceptualizations of autism.
A Return to El Mundo Zurdo: Anzaldúan Approaches to Queer of Color Worldmaking and the Violence of Intersectional Heteronormativity

Utilizing the path of conocimiento as a theoretical lens, the author provides a discourse analysis of El Mundo Zurdo to offer understandings gained from the communicative processes of grieving and ...
Solar system exposure to supernova γ radiation

Planetary habitability may be affected by exposure to γ radiation from supernovae (SNe). Records of Earth history during the late Quaternary Period (40 000 years to present) allow testing for specific SN γ radiation effects. SNe include Type Ia white dwarf explosions, Type Ib, c and II core collapses, and many γ burst objects. Surveys of galactic SNe remnants offer a nearly complete accounting for this time and including SN distances and ages. Terrestrial changes in records of the cosmogenic isotope 14C are here compared to SN-predicted changes. SN γ emission occurs mainly within 3 years; average per-event total emissions of 4 × 1049 erg are used for comparison of close events There are 18 SNe ≤ 1.5 kpc, and brief 14C anomalies are reported for eight of the closest. Four are notable (BP is year before 1950 CE): the older Vela SNR and an abrupt 30‰ del 14C rise at 12 740 BP; S165 and a 20‰ rise at 7431 BP; Vela Jr. and a 14‰ rise at 2765 BP; and HB9 and a 9‰ rise at 5372 BP. Rapid-increase anomalies in 14C production have been attributed to cosmic rays from exceptionally large solar flares. However, the proximity and ages of these SNe, the probable size and duration of their γ emissions, the predicted effects on 14C, and the agreement with 14C records together support SNe causation. Also, the supposed solar-caused 14C anomalies at CE 774 and 993 may instead have been caused by the SNe associated with the G190.9-2.2 and G347.3-00.5 remnants. Both are of appropriate age and distance.
First Come First Disserved

This study investigates whether stock market reactions to earnings information of firms that release their earnings close to quarter-end (Early) are systematically different from their industry peers which report later during the quarter (Late). Unexpectedly, we find that immediate market reactions to early reporters are weaker than those to late or middle reporters. We also find that stock market returns subsequent to the earnings announcements are stronger for positive earnings surprises of early reporters than late reporters, indicating that the market systematically under reacts to the positive surprises of early reporters. These results have implications for investors who can use this systematic under reaction in their trading strategies and academics who can understand better how market participants gather and process earnings information.
The utility of self-rated health in population surveys: the role of bodyweight

Self-rated health (SRH) is one of the most commonly used summary measures of overall health and well-being available to population scientists due to its ease of administration in large-scale surveys and to its efficacy in predicting mortality. This paper assesses the extent to which SRH is affected by its placement before or after questions about bodyweight on a survey, and whether differences in placement on the questionnaire affects SRH’s predictive validity. I assessed the validity of SRH in predicting the risk of mortality by comparing outcomes of sample members who were asked to rate their health before reporting on their bodyweight (the control group) and sample members who were asked to rate their health after reporting on their bodyweight (the treatment group). Both the control and treatment group were randomly assigned via an experiment administered as a module in a nationally representative sample of adults in the USA in 2019 (N = 2523). The odds of reporting a more favorable appraisal of health are 30% lower for sample members who were in the treatment group when compared with the control group. Additionally, the SRH of treatment group members is significantly associated with their risk of mortality, while the SRH of control group members is not. The findings from this study suggest that for researchers to maximize the utility of SRH, closer attention needs to be paid to the context of the survey within which it asked. SRH is highly sensitive to the questions that precede it, and this sensitivity may in turn mischaracterize the true health of the population that the survey is intending to measure.
Exosomal Surface Protein Detection with Quantum Dots and Immunomagnetic Capture for Cancer Detection

Exosomes carry molecular contents reflective of parental cells and thereby hold great potential as a source of biomarkers for non-invasive cancer detection and monitoring. However, simple and rapid exosomal molecular detection remains challenging. Here, we report a facile method for exosome surface protein detection using quantum dot coupled with immunomagnetic capture and enrichment. In this method, exosomes were captured by magnetic beads based on CD81 protein expression. Surface protein markers of interest were recognized by primary antibody and then detected by secondary antibody-conjugated quantum dot with fluorescent spectroscopy. Validated by ELISA, our method can specifically detect different surface markers on exosomes from different cancer cell lines and differentiate cancer exosomes from normal exosomes. The clinical potential was demonstrated with pilot plasma samples using HER2-positive breast cancer as the disease model. The results show that exosomes from HER2-positive breast cancer patients exhibited a five times higher level of HER2 expression than healthy controls. Exosomal HER2 showed strong diagnostic power for HER2-positive patients, with the area under the curve of 0.969. This quantum dot-based exosome method is rapid (less than 5 h) and only requires microliters of diluted plasma without pre-purification, practical for routine use for basic vesicle research, and clinical applications.
Direct Np- a Cost-Effective Extraction-Free Rt-Qpcr Based Test for Sars-Cov-2

Over 1.2 million daily total tests are currently being performed for SARS-CoV-2, in the United States. The most common SARS-CoV-2 tests require RNA extraction and purification. Extraction of RNA is a time-consuming and costly step that requires a constant supply of reagents and accessories. With the current testing demand, the supply chain remains the bottleneck for RNA extraction. Here, we report Direct NP- a cost-effective extraction-free RT-qPCR based dualplex test for SARS-CoV-2 from NP swab specimens. Direct NP detects SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA from heat-denatured patient specimens using a dualplex RT-qPCR assay. Direct NP showed 92.5% positive percentage agreement (PPA) (95% Confidence Interval (CI) = 79.61% to 98.43%) and 97% negative percent agreement (NPA) (95% CI = 89.11 to 100%) with the CDC assay. Direct NP reduces the cost per test to $2, making it suitable for broad-scale testing while lowering the cost burden on the healthcare system. Funding: This work was funded by the Enterprise Strategic Funding for Pandemic Response from the Medical University of South Carolina. Declaration of Interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Ethics Approval Statement: IRB review was waived by the Institutional Review Board for Human Research (IRB), a part of the Office of Research Integrity at the Medical University of South Carolina as this study is a process development and samples were deidentified and blinded.
The numerical solution of the 3D Helmholtz equation with optimal accuracy on irregular domains and unfitted Cartesian meshes

Here, we extend the optimal local truncation error method (OLTEM) recently developed in our papers to the 3D time-independent Helmholtz equation on irregular domains. Trivial unfitted Cartesian meshes and simple 27-point discrete stencil equations are used for 3D irregular domains. The stencil coefficients for the new approach are assumed to be unknown and are calculated by the minimization of the local truncation error of the stencil equations. This provides the optimal order of accuracy of the proposed technique. At similar 27-point stencils, the accuracy of OLTEM is two orders higher for the Dirichlet boundary conditions and one order higher for the Neumann boundary conditions compared to that for linear finite elements. The numerical results for irregular domains also show that at the same number of degrees of freedom, OLTEM is even much more accurate than high-order (up to the fifth order) finite elements with much wider stencils. Compared to linear finite elements with similar 27-point stencils, at accuracy of 0.1% OLTEM decreases the number of degrees of freedom by a factor of greater than 1000. This leads to a huge reduction in computation time. The new approach can be equally applied to the Helmholtz and screened Poisson equations.
Incorporation of Dihydrothymidine and its Triphosphate During DNA Replication: An Implication for the Biological Consequence of Thymine C5-C6 Bond Saturation

It has been shown by extensive product analysis that the saturation of the C5-C6 bond of thymine and the concomitant loss of planarity of the thymine ring are notable characteristics of the DNA lesions produced by ionizing radiation (1). Recently, we (2) and other laboratories (3–5) have found that thymine glycols present in a DNA template constitute replicative blocks to DNA synthesis in vitro. Interestingly a base, presumably adenine, is incorporated opposite thymine glycol; however, DNA synthesis is arrested at the site. In order to obtain a more complete picture of the biological consequence of thymine C5-C6 bond saturation, we have focused on dihydrothymine. Although dihydrothymine is produced by ionizing radiation preferentially under anoxic conditions (6.7), it shares common structural characteristics with thymine glycol: the thymine rings of both compounds are no longer planar due to the saturation of C5-C6 bond and assume a half chair conformation with C5 and C6 significantly out of the plane of the other four ring atoms (8). Since it is difficult to selectively introduce dihydrothymine into DNA by ionizing radiation or chemical reagents, we have used the following alternative approaches. In the first approach, DNA containing dihydrothymine was prepared by in vitro DNA synthesis catalyzed by DNA polymerase in the presence of dihydrothymidine 5’-triphosphate (DHdTTP). In the second approach, we developed an in vivo system in which exogeneously added dihydro thymidine was incorporated into DNA. Thus we could obtain information not only about the coding property of dihydrothymine and the effect of dihydrothymine on the local structure of DNA, but also about the initial interactions of the molecule with DNA polymerases.
Observational Methods in Sexuality Research

Observational methods can generate insight into human sexual behavior. First, this chapter differentiates between ethnography, participant observation, and observation, because these terms are sometimes conflated. Next, the core components of observation—perception and interpretation—are discussed in terms of research undertaken by human observers. Consideration of the researcher as part of the process of knowledge construction thus emerges as central to debates about the use of observational methods. The historical roots of the tension between insider and outsider perspectives are explored, and I argue that all researchers should practice reflexivity, or a self-conscious awareness of how who we are affects what we see and believe about the world. The later sections of the chapter are concerned with the practical decisions facing researchers using observational methods, as well as a few of the ethical issues associated with research on human subjects: overt versus covert research and a researcher’s sexual participation in the field.
Thermal and chemical denaturation of Bacillus circulans xylanase

A number of institutions have been, or are in the process of, modifying their biochemistry major to include some emphasis on the quantitative physical chemistry of biomolecules. Sometimes this is done as a replacement for part for the entire physical chemistry requirement, while at other institutions this is incorporated as a component into the traditional two-semester biochemistry series. The latter is the model used for biochemistry and molecular biology majors at the University of Richmond, whose second semester of biochemistry is a course entitled Proteins: Structure, Function, and Biophysics. What is described herein is a protein thermodynamics laboratory module, using the protein Bacillus circulans xylanase, which reinforces many lecture concepts, including: (i) the denatured (D) state ensemble of a protein can be different, depending on how it was populated; (ii) intermediate states may be detected by some spectroscopic techniques but not by others; (iii) the use and assumptions of the van't Hoff approach to calculate ΔHo, ΔSo, and ΔGoT for thermal protein unfolding transitions; and (iv) the use and assumptions of an approach that allows determination of the Gibb's free energy of a protein unfolding transition based on the linear dependence of ΔGo on the concentration of denaturant used. This module also requires students to design their own experimental protocols and spend time in the primary literature, both important parts of an upper division lab.
Electromagnetic and Polarization Effects

Under this heading we discuss electromagnetic theory of light, polarization, birefringence, harmonic generation, electro- and acousto-optics, and related topics. Light consists of time-varying electric and magnetic fields. These fields are vectors, and their directions are almost always perpendicular to the direction of propagation of the light. When the electric-field vector E of a light wave lies in one plane only, the light is said to be plane-polarized. The magnetic-field vector H is then perpendicular to both the direction of propagation and the electric-field vector, as shown in Fig. 9.1. Because the fields propagate together and maintain a constant 90° phase difference with one another, it is usually sufficient to describe the wave with either the electric vector or the magnetic vector. It is conventional to choose the electric vector, largely because the interaction of matter with the electric field is stronger than that with the magnetic field. Therefore, the wave shown in Fig. 9.1 is said to be vertically polarized because the electric-field vector lies in a vertical plane. Unfortunately, in classical optics, the plane of polarization is defined perpendicular to the electric-field vector. We shall use electric-field vector throughout.
Sound Money and Sound Financial Policy

Anna Schwartz has long promoted a policy of stable money. She also has advocated sound financial policy. The financial environment, according to her work, is strongly influenced by the degree of aggregate price stability. In this article historical evidence for the U.S. is presented that shows a strong association between aggregate price movements and measures of financial distress. Even in an environment of aggregate price stability in the face of shocks, however, a monetary authority should follow the financial policies of a lender of last resort as advocated over a century ago by Walter Bagehot—to promote adequate funds to allay the public's demand for means of payment in the face of a “real” financial crisis. Other circumstances involving asset market reversals that Schwartz calls “pseudo crises” should not be the subject of the monetary authorities' actions.
From Automated Verification to Automated Design.

In this talk I will review 50 years of research on the design-synthesis problem and show how the automata-theoretic approach can be used to solve it.