cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Hybrid Color and Frequency Features Method for Face Recognition

This correspondence presents a novel hybrid Color and Frequency Features (CFF) method for face recognition. The CFF method, which applies an Enhanced Fisher Model (EFM), extracts the complementary frequency features in a new hybrid color space for improving face recognition performance. The new color space, the RIQ color space, which combines the R component image of the RGB color space and the chromatic components I and Q of the YIQ color space, displays prominent capability for improving face recognition performance due to the complementary characteristics of its component images. The EFM then extracts the complementary features from the real part, the imaginary part, and the magnitude of the R image in the frequency domain. The complementary features are then fused by means of concatenation at the feature level to derive similarity scores for classification. The complementary feature extraction and feature level fusion procedure applies to the I and Q component images as well. Experiments on the Face Recognition Grand Challenge (FRGC) version 2 Experiment 4 show that i) the hybrid color space improves face recognition performance significantly, and ii) the complementary color and frequency features further improve face recognition performance.
Lattice Matching (LM)-Prevention of Inadvertent Duplicate Publications of Crystal Structures.

Lattice-matching techniques have proved to be extremely effective for the identification of unknown crystalline materials. A commonly employed lattice-matching strategy is based on matching the reduced cell of an unknown against a database of known materials represented by their respective standard reduced cells. The success of the method relies on the fact that the lattice or the lattice plus chemical information (e.g., element types) is highly characteristic of a material-like a fingerprint. Because of its intrinsic power, the procedure has many and diverse applications-in materials characterization, in nano-technology, in epitaxial growth, in materials design, etc. An especially fruitful role for the method is in the journal publication process as the quality of the scientific literature can be enhanced. The focus herein is on the major role that lattice matching can play in the prevention of inadvertent duplicate publications of the same structure and in the determination of key cross-references.
The glass transition of compatible blends

In a thermodynamic model of the glass transition, general but circular relations for the compositional variation of the glass-transition temperature, Tg, can be derived from the entropy, the volume, and the enthalpy. The circumstances necessary for each of these to reduce to predictive relations are stated. Of these relations, that derived from the entropy should be the most general because of the expected rather wide applicability of the random mixing assumption, with which it is associated. The entropic theory is used to account for several aspects of the compositional variation of Tg, including problems not of solutions per se.
Assessing filtering of mountaintop CO 2 mole fractions for application to inverse models of biosphere-atmosphere carbon exchange

Abstract. There is a widely recognized need to improve our understanding of biosphere-atmosphere carbon exchanges in areas of complex terrain including the United States Mountain West. CO 2 fluxes over mountainous terrain are often difficult to measure due to unusual and complicated influences associated with atmospheric transport. Consequently, deriving regional fluxes in mountain regions with carbon cycle inversion of atmospheric CO 2 mole fraction is sensitive to filtering of observations to those that can be represented at the transport model resolution. Using five years of CO 2 mole fraction observations from the Regional Atmospheric Continuous CO 2 Network in the Rocky Mountains (Rocky RACCOON), five statistical filters are used to investigate a range of approaches for identifying regionally representative CO 2 mole fractions. Test results from three filters indicate that subsets based on short-term variance and local CO 2 gradients across tower inlet heights retain nine-tenths of the total observations and are able to define representative diel variability and seasonal cycles even for difficult-to-model sites where the influence of local fluxes is much larger than regional mole fraction variations. Test results from two other filters that consider measurements from previous and following days using spline fitting or sliding windows are overly selective. Case study examples showed that these windowing-filters rejected measurements representing synoptic changes in CO 2 , which suggests that they are not well suited to filtering continental CO 2 measurements. We present a novel CO 2 lapse rate filter that uses CO 2 differences between levels in the model atmosphere to select subsets of site measurements that are representative on model scales. Our new filtering techniques provide guidance for novel approaches to assimilating mountain-top CO 2 mole fractions in carbon cycle inverse models.
Synthesis and Electro-Optical Properties of Potassium Titanyl Phosphate thin Films by Sol-Gel Method

Potassium titanyl phosphate, KTiOPO4 (KTP), thin films were prepared by sol-gel process. The structural evolution of KTP thin films was investigated by means of DTA/TGA, XRD, and FT-IR. The electro-optical results show that KTP thin films have a refractive index of 1.8 and large quadratic electro-optical coefficient of R=2.50643*10−16 and have potential applications for electro-optical devices.
Molecular events in the cell types of the olfactory epithelium during adult neurogenesis

Background Adult neurogenesis, fundamental for cellular homeostasis in the mammalian olfactory epithelium, requires major shifts in gene expression to produce mature olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs) from multipotent progenitor cells. To understand these dynamic events requires identifying not only the genes involved but also the cell types that express each gene. Only then can the interrelationships of the encoded proteins reveal the sequences of molecular events that control the plasticity of the adult olfactory epithelium.
Disaster assessment: The emergency health evaluation of a population affected by a disaster

In the past decade, interest in the operational and epidemiologic aspects of disaster medicine has grown dramatically. State, local, and federal organizations have created vast emergency response networks capable of responding to disasters, while hospitals have developed extensive disaster plans to address mass casualty situations. Increasingly, the US armed forces have used both their ability to mobilize quickly and their medical expertise to provide humanitarian assistance rapidly during natural and man-made disasters. However, the critical component of any disaster response is the early conduct of a proper assessment to identify urgent needs and to determine relief priorities for an affected population. Unfortunately, because this component of disaster management has not kept pace with other developments in emergency response and technology, relief efforts often are inappropriate, delayed, or ineffective, thus contributing to increased morbidity and mortality. Therefore, improvements in disaster assessment remain the most pressing need in the field of disaster medicine.
Linear stability of stratified channel flow

Abstract Linear stability of horizontal gas-liquid stratified flow was solved using a tau spectral method that is valid for all wavenumbers. Pressures of 0.1–10 atm and liquid viscosities of 1–600 cP were examined. Comparison of these results with Kelvin-Helmholtz, integral momentum and rigorous long wave expansion approaches indicates that the approximate models do not correctly predict the point of neutral stability. The discrepancies in the models are due to more than differences in the calculation of interfacial perturbation stress components and differences in the base states. Stability predictions that include gas phase turbulence, as modeled with either a polynomial velocity profile or with imposed boundary conditions obtained from measured pressure and shear stress variations, are similar to laminar results if the interfacial stress and liquid depth are the same. The long wave stability boundary is found to correlate well for different channel height, density ratio and viscosity ratio, using a gas superficial Froude number corrected with a square root of density ratio and a liquid superficial Froude number. For gas-liquid channel flow waves that grow fastest typically have dimensionless wavenumbers of order unity. Their growth rate scales as a corrected gas Reynolds number to the first power. If the gas-liquid depth ratio is less than approximately one, long waves can be unstable before moderate wavelength waves. Under conditions where unstable moderate wavelength waves appear within a couple of meters, it can take 20–50 times this length for slowly growing long wavelength waves, which can destroy regime stability, to appear.
CCAAT/Enhancer Binding Protein-delta (C/EBP-delta) regulates cell growth, migration and differentiation.

Background CCAAT/enhancer binding protein-delta (C/EBP-delta) is a member of the highly conserved C/EBP family of basic region leucine zipper transcription factors. C/EBP family members regulate cell growth and differentiation and "loss of function" alterations in C/EBPs have been reported in a variety of human cancers. C/EBP-delta gene expression is upregulated by G0 growth arrest, IL-6 family cytokines and endotoxin treatments. C/EBP-delta exhibits properties of a tumor suppressor gene, including reduced expression and promoter methylation-induced silencing in transformed cell lines and primary tumors. In addition, C/EBP-delta gene expression is repressed by c-Myc, an oncogene that is over-expressed in a wide range of human cancers. "ChIP-chip" studies demonstrated that C/EBP-delta functions as a transcriptional activator of target genes that function in intracellular signal transduction, transcription, DNA binding/repair, cell cycle control, cell adhesion, and apoptosis. Despite progress in determining the biochemical functions of C/EBP-delta, the specific cellular defects that are induced by C/EBP-delta "loss of function" alterations are poorly understood. This study investigated the impact of C/EBP-delta "loss of function" alterations on growth arrest, migration/invasion and differentiation in nontransformed mouse mammary epithelial cells (MECs) and primary mouse embryo fibroblasts (MEFs).
Platform and Environmental Effects on Above-And In-Water Determinations of Water-Leaving Radiances

A comparison of above- and in-water spectral measurements in Case-1 conditions showed the uncertainty in above-water determinations of water-leaving radiances depended on the pointing angle of the above-water instruments with respect to the side of the ship. Two above-water methods were used to create a diagnostic variable to quantify the presence of superstructure reflections which degraded the above-water intracomparisons of water-leaving radiances by 10.9-33.4% (for far-to-near viewing distances, respectively). The primary conclusions of the above- and in-water intercomparison of water-leaving radiances were as follows: a) the SeaWiFS 5% radiometric objective was achieved with the above-water approach, but reliably with only one method and only for about half the data; b) a decrease in water-leaving radiance values was seen in the presence of swell, although, wave crests were radiometrically brighter than the troughs; and c) standard band ratios used in ocean color algorithms remained severely affected, because of the relatively low signal and, thus, proportionally significant contamination at the 555nm wavelength.
High Temperature Thermomechanical Behavior of Carbon-Phenolic and Carbon-Carbon Composites, I. Analysis

Tests were conducted to validate the model and the CHAR computer code previously developed for calculating the thermomechanical behavior of carbon-phenolic and carbon-carbon composites exposed to high temperatures. Temperature distributions in and damage of rapidly heated carbon-phenolic composites were measured. The data com pared well to the results calculated by the code. Parametric studies were also performed, the results of which yield physical insights into the ply-lift phenomenon observed in solid rocket motor exit cone linings, and provide a guide in the design of parts made of carbon- phenolic and carbon-carbon composites.
Osteogenesis imperfecta, rehabilitation medicine, fundamental research and mesenchymal stem cells.

A speculative suggestion for a curative approach to osteogenesis imperfecta is based on the experimental observation that a pluripotent stem cell for mesenchymatous tissues can be isolated from marrow or periosteum. This cell, referred to as a Mesenchymal Stem Cell (MSC) could provide a vehicle for gene therapy based on that fact that many mesenchymal tissues have reasonably high cellular turnover rates. If auto logous MSCs with the “proper” gene construct can be transplanted into affected patients, it may be that the progeny of the gene-corrected MSC can replace the defective mature phenotypes and bring about curative events associated with normal cell turnover.
A unique chromatin signature uncovers early developmental enhancers in humans

Cell-fate transitions involve the integration of genomic information encoded by regulatory elements, such as enhancers, with the cellular environment. However, identification of genomic sequences that control human embryonic development represents a formidable challenge. Here we show that in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), unique chromatin signatures identify two distinct classes of genomic elements, both of which are marked by the presence of chromatin regulators p300 and BRG1, monomethylation of histone H3 at lysine 4 (H3K4me1), and low nucleosomal density. In addition, elements of the first class are distinguished by the acetylation of histone H3 at lysine 27 (H3K27ac), overlap with previously characterized hESC enhancers, and are located proximally to genes expressed in hESCs and the epiblast. In contrast, elements of the second class, which we term 'poised enhancers', are distinguished by the absence of H3K27ac, enrichment of histone H3 lysine 27 trimethylation (H3K27me3), and are linked to genes inactive in hESCs and instead are involved in orchestrating early steps in embryogenesis, such as gastrulation, mesoderm formation and neurulation. Consistent with the poised identity, during differentiation of hESCs to neuroepithelium, a neuroectoderm-specific subset of poised enhancers acquires a chromatin signature associated with active enhancers. When assayed in zebrafish embryos, poised enhancers are able to direct cell-type and stage-specific expression characteristic of their proximal developmental gene, even in the absence of sequence conservation in the fish genome. Our data demonstrate that early developmental enhancers are epigenetically pre-marked in hESCs and indicate an unappreciated role of H3K27me3 at distal regulatory elements. Moreover, the wealth of new regulatory sequences identified here provides an invaluable resource for studies and isolation of transient, rare cell populations representing early stages of human embryogenesis.
Agrarian Change In Sri Lanka

Agrarian Change In Sri Lanka. JAMES BROW and JOE WEERAMUNDA, eds. New Delhi: Sage Publications, 1992. 445 pp., maps, tables, notes, references, glossary, contributors, index.
The Impact of Distance Education on Libraries

Technological advances and the Internet have radically changed the way people learn, live, and grow. In higher education, libraries have been challenged to look at how to serve people not only locally but at a distance. At Asbury Theological Seminary these changes have revolved around three issues: providing the same resources online, information literacy, and the importance of collaboration.
Erratum to: Development and refinement of a clinician intervention to facilitate primary care patient use of the PTSD Coach app.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is common and undertreated among Veterans Affairs (VA) primary care patients. A brief primary care intervention combining clinician support with a self-management mobile app (Clinician-Supported PTSD Coach, CS-PTSD Coach) may improve patient outcomes. This study developed and refined an intervention to provide clinician support to facilitate use of the PTSD Coach app and gathered VA provider and patient qualitative and quantitative feedback on CS-PTSD Coach to investigate preliminary acceptability and implementation barriers/facilitators. VA primary care providers and mental health leadership (N = 9) completed a survey and interview regarding implementation barriers and facilitators structured according to the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). Clinicians who delivered CS-PTSD Coach (N = 3) and patients (N = 9) who received it provided feedback on the intervention and implementation process. CS-PTSD Coach has high provider and patient acceptability. Important implementation factors included that CS-PTSD Coach be compatible with the clinics' current practices, have low complexity to implement, be perceived to address patient needs, and have strong support from leadership. Diverse factors related to CS-PTSD Coach delivery facilitate implementation, provide an opportunity to problem-solve barriers, and improve integration of the intervention into primary care.
The Eyes Infected by Evil: Basil of Caesarea's Homily, On Envy*

Basil wrote the homily On Envy around 364, after he was ordained a presbyter by Eusebius of Caesarea. He probably intended it as a Lenten sermon for his congregation in Caesarea, which was largely composed of catechumens. The homily has received very little attention from scholars, although, along with nine other homilies, it has been classified as one of the moral treatises, rather than as an exegetic or panegyric work. Most recent scholarship has deemed it an authentic homily of Basil's. One can readily see why On Envy has been overlooked by historical theologians: the treatise is didactically straightforward, theologically and philosophically unsophisticated, and in no way combats Arian opponents. There are, how-ever, other reasons to find On Envy of interest. The treatise documents Basil's attempt to confront a mode of behavior that implicitly questions the church's authority. Simply stated, On Envy is Basil's direct effort to wrest control over the evil eye for the church. What is significant about the homily is that it demonstrates how Basil continued to work within the indigenous code of Mediterranean social behavior that was dominated by honor, shame, revenge, and envy. Thus what Basil offered his congregation as a solution to the grave problem of envy is really a recasting of the pursuit of virtue, so common to Christian Neoplatonists, into the Mediterranean social code. Virtue is rewarded by the most valued possession: honor.
Images in clinical medicine. Abdominal ectopic pregnancy.

A 30-year-old woman presented with an uncomplicated pregnancy until ultrasonography at 19 weeks revealed severe oligohydramnios and a fetus that appeared to be extrauterine. Imaging confirmed an abdominal ectopic pregnancy, with no uterine wall visible surrounding the fetus.
Archaeological Survey of a Portion of the Proposed Castroville Regional Park Improvement and Expansion, City of Castroville, Medina County, Texas

During January 2004, the Center for Archaeological Research of The University of Texas at San Antonio conducted an archaeological survey of a selected portion (300 feet by 7 feet) of the proposed expansion and improvement of Castroville Regional Park in the City of Castroville, Medina County, Texas. The Phase I survey consisted of the excavation of six shovel tests. A single previously unrecorded prehistoric archaeological site (41ME134) was encountered atop a ridge landform. Abundant amounts of burned rock and lithic debitage, along with several tested cobbles, a few cores, and one non-diagnostic uniface were encountered at ground surface and within the upper 10 cm of shallow soils mantling the landform. Due to the primarily surficial nature of this site and the lack of cultural features, the Center for Archaeological Research recommends that site 41ME134 is ineligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places or for designation as a State Archeological Landmark. It is therefore recommended that the proposed improvements proceed without further cultural resources investigations. This work was conducted under Texas Antiquities Permit No. 3328 with Steve A. Tomka serving as Principal Investigator. Burned rock collected from the site was discarded pursuant to Chapter 26.27(g)(2) of the Texas Administrative Code. All other artifacts collected during the survey are permanently housed at the Center for Archaeological Research curatorial facility.
The Dormant Commerce Clause Wynnes Won Wins One: Five Takes on Wynne and Direct Marketing Association

October Term 2014 featured what is to date the most important state and local tax case since 1992’s Quill Corp. v. North Dakota. In Comptroller v. Wynne, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed a state court decision holding unconstitutional Maryland’s refusal to grant a credit for taxes paid by a resident taxpayer to other states on income earned by the taxpayer in those states. This essay offers summary of the case, as well as five takes on Wynne and another state and local tax case from the 2014-2015 term, Direct Marketing Association v. Brohl. First, it is notable that the Court affirmed the lower court’s decision below, making it the first time in years that the Court weighed a state tax scheme against the dormant Commerce Clause doctrine and found it wanting. Second, in so doing the Court relied in part on the “internal consistency” doctrine, an aspect of fair apportionment whose continued viability was questioned just a few years ago. Third, the Court’s invocation of internal consistency and the linkage of it with the DCCD’s anti-discrimination principle raises the possibility that the Court’s DCCD jurisprudence in tax cases might be undergoing a transformation. Fourth, additional evidence that doctrinal change is afoot is furnished by Justice Kennedy’s concurring opinion in Direct Marketing Association, in which Kennedy signaled a willingness to reconsider Quill’s holding that the Commerce Clause requires the taxpayer’s physical presence in a state to trigger an obligation to collect and remit sales and use taxes. Fifth, and finally, a recent decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to grant certiorari to, vacate, and remand the decision of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court in First Marblehead Corporation v. Commissioner of Revenue, offers some hints at the potential scope of Wynne.
Intracranial monitoring. Its role and application in neonatal intensive care.

The author presents the results of recent research toward developing and applying techniques to detect intracranial abnormalities, to noninvasively determine intracranial pressure, and to determine changes in cerebral blood flow or cerebrovascular hemodynamics.
Access and Express: Professional Perspectives on Public Library Makerspaces and Intellectual Freedom

ABSTRACTThis study examines the roles of makerspaces and librarians in public libraries, as defined by nine librarians instituting makerspace services. It explores their understanding of creative spaces and library policy, specifically the foundational principles of intellectual freedom and access. Using constructivist discourse analysis tools, this study analyzes interview data to illuminate a concept of access grounded in expression, incorporating hands-on activities, tools, and social connections. This study has implications for practitioners and policymakers in reconsidering access as a positive liberty enabled by social contexts, and librarians’ enzymatic roles in facilitating those contexts.
Simulation study for designing a compact brain PET scanner

The desire to understand normal and disordered human brain of upright, moving persons in natural environments motivates the development of an ambulatory micro-dose brain PET imager (AMPET) [1]. An ideal system would be light weight and have high sensitivity and spatial resolution. These requirements are often in conflict with each other. Therefore, we performed simulation studies to search for the optimal system configuration and to evaluate the improvement in performance over existing scanners. An intuitive design to achieve high sensitivity is to use a tight geometry that covers the brain. However, a tight geometry also increases parallax error in peripheral lines of response, which may increase the variance in ROI quantification.
Reading deeply for disciplinary awareness and political judgment

What happens when students become better readers? Cultivating deep reading habits in students to help them navigate disciplinary cultures respects student autonomy. Scholarly literature predicts that three linked practices improve student reading: practice with feedback, explicit in-class work on reading strategies, and disciplinary norm discussions. To see what happens when students engage in these practices, I studied two years of students in an American Political Thought (APT) course, comparing essays written at the start and end of the courses. In this article, I analyze evidence of student learning by reading their work closely, and in the context of political theory as a humanistic sub-discipline, speaking both to “what is?” student reading and exploring its implications for citizenship through political theorist Hannah Arendt’s reflective political judgment. As students deepen their reading practices, they are cultivating habits of citizenship, even if they still struggle with disciplinary awareness.
Heart rate and the risk of adverse outcomes in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

BackgroundAlthough high resting heart rates are associated with adverse outcomes in heart failure with reduced ejection, the reports for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) are conflicting.DesignA secondary analysis was conducted in order to examine the relationship between resting heart rate and adverse outcomes in 2705 patients (mean age = 68 ± 10 years; 47% men; 88% white) with HFpEF who were in sinus rhythm from the Treatment of Preserved Cardiac Function Heart Failure with an Aldosterone Antagonist Trial (TOPCAT).MethodsBaseline heart rate was obtained from baseline electrocardiogram data. Outcomes were adjudicated by a clinical end-point committee and included the following factors: hospitalisation, hospitalisation for heart failure, death and cardiovascular death.ResultsOver a median follow-up of 3.4 years (25th–75th percentiles = 2.0–4.9 years), a total of 1157 hospitalisations, 311 hospitalizations for heart failure, 369 deaths and 233 cardiovascular deaths occurred. An increas...
Nonequilibrium abundances for the building blocks of life

The difficulty of obtaining appreciable quantities of biologically important molecules in thermodynamic equilibrium has long been identified as an obstacle to life's emergence, and determining the specific nonequilibrium conditions that might have given rise to life is challenging. To address these issues, we investigate how the concentrations of life's building blocks change as a function of the distance from equilibrium on average, in two example settings: (i) the synthesis of heavy amino acids and (ii) their polymerization into peptides. We find that relative concentrations of the heaviest amino acids can be boosted by four orders of magnitude, and concentrations of the longest peptide chains can be increased by hundreds of orders of magnitude. The average nonequilibrium distribution does not depend on the details of how the system was driven from equilibrium, indicating that environments might not have to be fine-tuned to support life.
Measuring Acoustic Resonator Properties Using Volume Modification Devices and Numerical Optimization

Abstract In this paper, a method for measuring resonator chamber volume and acoustic neck length by modifying chamber volume is presented. This method measures frequency changes caused by volume changes to determine core system volume and resonator neck length. Experimental measurements and data are presented along with measurement statistics. This method reduces the need for accurate resonator geometry knowledge by instead using external volume modification devices, where geometry is much easier to control. This method serves to enhance existing volume measurement methods such that sources of inaccuracy are minimized. Results indicate that resonator volume and acoustic neck diameter can be measured with reasonable accuracy (less than the 1% error associated with liquid-volume measurement techniques) when neck diameter and change in volume are known in advance.
On the Relationship between Regional Ocean Heat Content and Sea Surface Height

AbstractAn accurate diagnosis of ocean heat content (OHC) is essential for interpreting climate variability and change, as evidenced for example by the broad range of hypotheses that exists for explaining the recent hiatus in global mean surface warming. Potential insights are explored here by examining relationships between OHC and sea surface height (SSH) in observations and two recently available large ensembles of climate model simulations from the mid-twentieth century to 2100. It is found that in decadal-length observations and a model control simulation with constant forcing, strong ties between OHC and SSH exist, with little temporal or spatial complexity. Agreement is particularly strong on monthly to interannual time scales. In contrast, in forced transient warming simulations, important dependencies in the relationship exist as a function of region and time scale. Near Antarctica, low-frequency SSH variability is driven mainly by changes in the circumpolar current associated with intensified su...
Soft-matter electronics and multifunctional materials with polydisperse liquid metal suspensions: Material architecture, principles, and applications to programmable matter

Soft elastomers embedded with a polydisperse suspension of liquid metal (LM) droplets exhibit a unique and extraordinary combination of electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties. Eutectic gallium-indium (EGaIn) LM alloy is used for the dispersion phase on account of its low viscosity, negligible toxicity, and ability to form an emulsion with liquid polymer. Because the alloy is liquid at room temperature, it can alter the electrical and thermal properties of the composite — giving it metal-like bulk features — while preserving the mechanics of the elastomer matrix. These soft multifunctional materials can function as stretchable circuit wiring, high-k dielectric insulators, or heat dissipating films in a broad range of emerging “soft-matter” technologies. In particular, we look at applications to physically-reconfigurable system capable of reversible shape change.
Salmonella enterica Serovar Typhimurium Alters the Extracellular Proteome of Macrophages and Leads to the Production of Proinflammatory Exosomes

Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium is a Gram-negative bacterium, which can invade and survive within macrophages. Pathogenic salmonellae induce the secretion of specific cytokines from these phagocytic cells and interfere with the host secretory pathways. In this study, we describe the extracellular proteome of human macrophages infected with S Typhimurium, followed by analysis of canonical pathways of proteins isolated from the extracellular milieu. We demonstrate that some of the proteins secreted by macrophages upon S Typhimurium infection are released via exosomes. Moreover, we show that infected macrophages produce CD63+ and CD9+ subpopulations of exosomes at 2 h postinfection. Exosomes derived from infected macrophages trigger the Toll-like receptor 4-dependent release of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) from naive macrophages and dendritic cells, but they also stimulate secretion of such cytokines as RANTES, IL-1ra, MIP-2, CXCL1, MCP-1, sICAM-1, GM-CSF, and G-CSF. Proinflammatory effects of exosomes are partially attributed to lipopolysaccharide, which is encapsulated within exosomes. In summary, we show for the first time that proinflammatory exosomes are formed in the early phase of macrophage infection with S Typhimurium and that they can be used to transfer cargo to naive cells, thereby leading to their stimulation.
Residential proximity to major roadways and traffic in relation to outcomes of in vitro fertilization.

Abstract Background Emerging data from animal and human studies suggest that traffic-related air pollution adversely affects early pregnancy outcomes; however evidence is limited. Objective We examined whether residential proximity to major roadways and traffic, as proxies for traffic-related air pollution, are associated with in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes. Methods This analysis included 423 women enrolled in the Environment and Reproductive Health (EARTH) Study, a prospective cohort study, who underwent 726 IVF cycles (2004–2017). Using geocoded residential addresses collected at study entry, we calculated the distance to nearest major roadway and the traffic density within a 100 m radius. IVF outcomes were abstracted from electronic medical records. We used multivariable generalized linear mixed models to evaluate the associations between residential proximity to major roadways and traffic density and IVF outcomes adjusting for maternal age, body mass index, race, education level, smoking status, and census tract median income. Results Closer residential proximity to major roadways was statistically significantly associated with lower probability of implantation and live birth following IVF. The adjusted percentage of IVF cycles resulting in live birth for women living ≥400 m from a major roadway was 46% (95% CI 36, 56%) compared to 33% (95% CI 26, 40%) for women living Conclusion Closer residential proximity to major roadways was related to reduced likelihood of live birth following IVF.
Cultural History: Where It Has Been and Where It Is Going

The very meaning of “culture” has gone through so many transformations over the last sixty years that it is necessary to take stock of developments in this field of cultural history before suggesting—with an eye to the promises and perils of earlier practices—what new possibilities might exist for the future of the field. The post-1945 period witnessed a powerful impulse to understand culture as something more pervasive than just literature and the arts—and as something more socially and politically reverberant than the shibboleth of “art for art's sake.” In 1957, at the very beginning of the modern practice of cultural history, Richard Hoggart's The Uses of Literacy found the high and low hierarchies embedded in it. It focused on working-class culture (e.g., glossy magazines, films, “penny dreadfuls”), and on how reading was changing under the impact of mass media. By 1976, Raymond Williams needed to draw attention to the complexity of the word culture, so extended had its purview become over the previous two decades. Linda Nochlin asked why they were no great women artists, and T. J. Clark, using a Marxist framework, sought to understand aesthetic modernism by interrogating the historic circumstances that had led to the breakdown of the academic system. The New Cultural History, edited by Lynn Hunt, came out in 1989. Its “models” for cultural history were the work of Michel Foucault, Clifford Geertz, Natalie Zemon Davis, E. P. Thompson, Hayden White, and Dominick LaCapra, and its “new approaches” came from Mary Ryan, Roger Chartier, Thomas Laqueur, and Randolph Starn. These scholars were legislators of discourse and narrative, of popular and working-class culture, of gender, epistemes, and thick description. With many other tendencies, often defined by their focus on theoretical explication and elaboration, these approaches had the effect of deterring scholars from reengaging with the traditional interests—even the raison d'etre—of cultural history, namely, art, architecture, theater, dance, music, and literature. This turning-away also affected the very composition of humanities and interpretive social science departments, which added many new subjects of study but, inevitably perhaps, let others wither away.
Improvement in semen quality and sperm fertilizing ability after filtration through the L4 membrane: comparison of results with swim up technique.

AbstractThe L4 filtration membrane* was used at our laboratory on 30 semen specimens (19 from suspected subfertile patients and 11 from fertile donors) to assess changes in semen quality after routine sperm washing and swim up versus filtration through the L4 membrane. Of these 30 samples 17 (11 suspected subfertile patients and 6 fertile donors) were chosen to evaluate differences in sperm fertilizing ability between the 2 sperm preparation methods. Liquified specimens were analyzed on a Cell Soft semen analyzer.† Semen specimens were divided equally, and 1 aliquot was processed by sperm washing and the swim up technique and the other by filtration. In all subjects the results of semen analysis and the hamster-egg penetration test showed significant improvement in sperm quality and fertilizing ability after filtration through the L4 membrane. Sperm motility was 58% after the swim up technique compared to 79% after filtration (p <0.0001) and velocity was 47 μ. per second after the swim up method compared ...
Prenatal Genetic Diagnosis and the Law

The “right” to be born of sound mind and body has recently been given impetus by at least two recent court decisions.1,2 Technological advances, especially during the past two decades, have enabled the development of procedures that allow for the identification in early pregnancy of specific genetic disorders of the fetus. These advances have recently been reviewed elsewhere3 and only the briefest summation is provided here.
BRCA1 Interacting Protein COBRA1 Facilitates Adaptation to Castrate-Resistant Growth Conditions.

COBRA1 (co-factor of BRCA1) is one of the four subunits of the negative elongation factor originally identified as a BRCA1-interacting protein. Here, we provide first-time evidence for the oncogenic role of COBRA1 in prostate pathogenesis. COBRA1 is aberrantly expressed in prostate tumors. It positively influences androgen receptor (AR) target gene expression and promoter activity. Depletion of COBRA1 leads to decreased cell viability, proliferation, and anchorage-independent growth in prostate cancer cell lines. Conversely, overexpression of COBRA1 significantly increases cell viability, proliferation, and anchorage-independent growth over the higher basal levels. Remarkably, AR-positive androgen dependent (LNCaP) cells overexpressing COBRA1 survive under androgen-deprivation conditions. Remarkably, treatment of prostate cancer cells with well-studied antitumorigenic agent, 2-methoxyestradiol (2-ME2), caused significant DNA methylation changes in 3255 genes including COBRA1. Furthermore, treatment of prostate cancer cells with 2-ME2 downregulates COBRA1 and inhibition of prostate tumors in TRAMP (transgenic adenocarcinomas of mouse prostate) animals with 2-ME2 was also associated with decreased COBRA1 levels. These observations implicate a novel role for COBRA1 in progression to CRPC and suggest that COBRA1 downregulation has therapeutic potential.
AN UNUSUAL CAUSE OF PALPITATIONS DURING PREGNANCY

The majority of arrhythmias in pregnancy are benign, but recognizing high-risk features is critical to appropriate management. A 35-year-old gravida 1, para 0, woman at 22 weeks gestation presented for follow-up of 1st degree atrioventricular block. Two years prior, her electrocardiogram (ECG) was
Motherhood in the Workplace: A Sociological Exploration into the Negative Performance Standards and Evaluations of Full-Time Working Mothers

This research, entitled “Motherhood in the Workplace: A Sociological Exploration into the Negative Performance Standards and Evaluations of Full-Time Working Mothers,” examines the conscious and unconscious presumptions that are made regarding pregnancy, and, by extension, women and motherhood in the workplace. These presumptions, colloquially coined as “motherhood penalties” lead to biases about a woman’s commitment to her occupation and the workplace as a whole. The penalties—whether they be immediate financial repercussions or distant career stagnation—are placed onto a woman’s presumed responsibilities beyond her present occupation. They perpetuate negative judgments as well as different, and often unfair, standards that a woman must achieve for professional success. For women, it is historically perceived that being “inside the home” is prioritized primarily and being “outside the home” is prioritized secondarily, producing the uncredited and unpaid “double burden” of responsibilities for today’s full-time working mothers. Utilizing a theoretical framework of the status characteristics theory, the cultural tension between an “ideal worker” versus a “good mother,” as well as the second shift theory, this research seeks to sociologically examine the implicit and explicit devaluation of motherhood in the workplace. The extensive, lifelong, and generational repercussions contribute to the larger interlocking structures of sexism, burdening working women, and by extension, penalizing contemporary womanhood. These conclusions can meaningfully add to a broader understanding of the gendered social barriers imposed on working women, and thus inform the meaningful cultural changes needed for a more equal and equitable labor workforce.
Electro-Optics with Gigahertz Phonons in Silicon Photonics

We demonstrate effective piezoelectricity in silicon nanophotonic structures by breaking silicon's inversion symmetry with an electrical bias field. The devices show promise as low-energy microwave-to-optical interfaces for use in classical and quantum communications.
LEACHABLE COMPONENTS AND BIOCOMPATABILITY OF PVC MEDICAL DEVICES

Publisher Summary The use of polymeric materials as components of medical and dental prostheses and devices has increased exponentially over the past decade. The need for suitable materials for use in artificial organs, blood collection, storage and administration assemblies, extracorporeal circulation devices of the type used during cardiopulmonary bypass and renal hemodialysis procedures, and for other medically oriented applications has stimulated research on the acceptability of existing materials for these applications and on the synthesis of novel candidate materials. Polyvinyl chloride, (PVC), a polymer that has been known and used for many years, is one of the most widely used plastics in medical devices. Pure PVC is a hard, brittle material. However, when plasticizers, such as esters of phthalic, citric, maleic, sebacic, adipic, or other acids are added, it becomes soft and flexible. Compounded PVC contains numerous other additives. Heat stabilizers are usually organometallic compounds and generally consist of organic esters containing tin, cadmium, barium, calcium, or zinc, or combinations of these cations. PVC tubing for blood transfusion and catheter applications requires nontoxic stabilizers based on zinc or calcium. Other PVC additives include antioxidants, fillers, pigments, lubricants, and other compounds added for specific reasons.
A Syllabus Review Check-List to Promote Problem-Centered Instruction

A first-class syllabus can help promote effective, efficient and engaging learning, but traditional syllabi too often fail to attain this purpose. This paper describes and illustrates a syllabus review check-list that was designed to assist faculty at a major university to adopt a problem-centered approach to their courses. The check-list enables the user to identify a typical syllabus; a more effective, efficient and engaging instructional syllabus; and an even more effective, efficient and engaging problem-centered syllabus. The review of the syllabi of 52 faculty members from a major university is reported.
The Ethical Imperative for Neuro-Entrepreneurs.

As argued by Ana Maiques in her piece, “To be or not to be involved in Neuroethics: an entrepreneurial perspective,” the ethical dimensions of neurotechnology should be a significant concern for en...
Immunogenomics: steps toward personalized medicines

Abstract Immnunogenomics describes molecular features and changes in immune cells associated with disease using functional genomics technologies. Oncology is seeing an explosion in immunogenomics due to the recent clinical successes of immunotherapy, and this chapter is focused on cancer immunogenomics. This emerging field brings together experts in genomics, immunology, computational biology, and clinical research to tackle the complexity of tumor progression and treatment outcomes. That said, it must be recognized that immunogenomics can be applied to infectious and autoimmune disorders, transplant rejection, drug adverse events, and other conditions. This field takes advantage of transcriptome analysis, whole-genome sequencing, and targeted sequencing of both host T cells and immune cells as well as epigenetics studies. Advancements in next-generation sequencing are helping us understand the clonal heterogeneity intrinsic to tumor progression. Discoveries on T cell–dependent mechanisms of cancer rejection and promotion are providing mechanistic understanding of tumor immunology and helping steer the development cancer immunotherapy. The approval by the US FDA of immunotherapeutic monoclonal antibodies against cytotoxic T lymphocyte–associated molecule-4, programmed death-1, and programmed death ligand-1 further enhance the need for immunogenomics. Not all patients respond to these highly costly and often toxic agents, and the genomic landscape of tumors and tumor-infiltrating immune cells contributes to determine responsiveness. Using genomic tools to predict responsiveness would enormously enhance the clinical usefulness of immunotherapeutics. Combinations of immunotherapeutics with each other or with other targeted therapies are the next stage of development. Immunogenomics will play a vital role in the design and execution of clinical trials of such combinations.
Direct, physically motivated derivation of triggering probabilities for spreading processes on generalized random networks

Computational Genetics Laboratory, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755(Dated: August 30, 2011)We derive a general expression for the probability of global spreading starting from asingle infectedseed for contagion processes acting on generalized, correlated random networks. We employ a simpleprobabilistic argument that encodes the spreading mechanism in an intuitive, physical fashion.We use our approach to directly and systematically obtain triggering probabilities for contagionprocesses acting on a series of interrelated random network families.
4.40 – Plasticity of Intrinsic Excitability as a Mechanism for Memory Storage

Although modern theories of memory storage have focused on enduring experience-dependent modifications of synaptic efficacy, learning paradigms as well as patterns of electrical stimulation of neurons and neural pathways also produce persistent changes in intrinsic neuronal excitability. These changes in intrinsic excitability are due to modifications of membrane conductances, which can be neuron-wide or expressed locally in restricted membrane compartments such as the dendrites. These intrinsic changes may function as part of the engram itself. They may also serve as adaptive mechanisms to shape the stimulus specificity of the learned response, or as mechanisms through which a neural circuit is set to a permissive state to facilitate the occurrence of synaptic modifications necessary for memory formation and retrieval.
Professional medical writing assistance in oncology clinical trials.

e14088Background: Academic publishing remains the cornerstone of biomedical research and scientific communication. Researchers often assign professional medical writers (PMWs) to craft publications...