cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cross-borehole compressional wave imaging of unconsolidated sediments

Cross-borehole elastic wave tomography offers great potential for nondestructive imaging of near-surface sediments, fluids, and soils. This method was used to create a high-resolution tomographic image of velocity structure from simulated sedimentary layers obtained using compressional wave travel times. The image shows three distinct layers and a water-filled container located in the center of the middle layer. An image obtained from computer-simulated travel times shows good agreement with the image from laboratory data. The high-quality data and the resulting image were due in part to a novel transmitter and receiver design. These were composed of cylindrical piezoelectric transducers individually sealed in oil-filled Teflon containers and stacked to form stringers. The transmitters were extremely efficient at coupling energy into the medium. The transmitter frequency was 135 kHz, velocities ranged from 1.4 to 1.8 km/s, and thus wavelengths were 1.0-1.4 cm. The distance between boreholes was 30 cm, with about 60 cm of vertical coverage. >
Effects of dieting‐related messages on psychological and weight control variables

Objective: The current study sought to empirically examine the immediate and short-term effects of dieting-related psychoeducational messages on established risk factors for eating pathology and weight control variables. Method: One-hundred thirty nine participants were randomly assigned to a prodieting, antidieting, or control message condition. Variables were assessed at baseline, post-test, and 2-week follow-up. Results: The prodieting condition produced significantly greater dieting intentions, perceived pressure to lose weight, and internalization intentions, whereas the antidieting message yielded significantly lower bulimic intentions. Healthy eating significantly increased from baseline to follow-up in the prodieting condition. No other behavioral changes were found. Perceived pressure to lose weight mediated the relationship between diet message and post-test weight control intentions, state negative-affect, and body dissatisfaction. Conclusion: The findings provide initial support for the short-term efficacy of the prodieting message to increase healthy eating behaviors; however, immediate increases in established risk factors for eating pathology also emerged. Implications are discussed. © 2007 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 2008
Little evidence for respiratory acclimation by microbial communities to short-term shifts in temperature in red pine (Pinus resinosa) litter

Forest litter is a large reservoir of organic compounds that adds CO 2 to the atmospheric carbon pool when it decomposes. Predicting CO 2 efflux from litter decomposition is difficult because litter can undergo significant diurnal and day-to-day shifts in temperature. Moreover, the relationship between temperature and respiration may change if the decomposer microorganisms acclimate to short-term temperature changes. Therefore, we studied the relationship between temperature and respiration by litter decomposer microorganisms in a Pinus resinosa (Ait.) system and tested the hypothesis that their respiration acclimates to temperature. We found only limited evidence for acclimation following 6 °C shifts for 7 days. This suggests that increase in respiratory CO 2 loss associated with increased temperature would not be greatly ameliorated by physiological acclimation for periods of up to a week.
Development of prostate cancer treatment: the good news.

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in American men representing one-third of all new cancer cases each year. This translates into one out of every six American men being diagnosed with prostate cancer over the course of their lifetimes. Over 31,000 of these men die each year from prostate cancer. Before the 1980's, 50% of men were diagnosed with widespread metastatic disease and there were few therapeutic choices for patients. The good news for patients is that, over the last 30 years there have been significant advances in detection and prognostication as well as major improvements in the surgical, radiation, and medical oncological management of prostate cancer. This review describes the evolution of these therapeutic modalities for prostate cancer. This evolution has been driven by the explosion of knowledge concerning cancer in general and in the specific biology of prostate cancer in particular over the last 30 years. This knowledge has been obtained by concentrating human and financial resources in organ specific studies of the prostate. The end result of this effort is that, today, 85% of new prostate cancer cases are diagnosed at local and regional stages and the 5-year relative prostate cancer survival rate has increased by 20% since 1985. In addition, the therapeutic approach to prostate cancer can now be individualized based on the characteristics of the patient's disease. Finally, recent data suggest that the death rate from prostate cancer is decreasing by ∼4% per year since 1994. Further good news for patients is that new discoveries about the biology of prostate cancer are rapidly being translated into new therapies, a large number of which are currently being tested in clinical trials. Continued allocation of appropriate human and material resources should yield new, more effective therapies for prostate cancer that will further impact patient quality of life and survival in the 21st century. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The N-Terminal Region of the Medium Subunit (PduD) Packages Adenosylcobalamin-Dependent Diol Dehydratase (PduCDE) into the Pdu Microcompartment

Salmonella enterica produces a proteinaceous microcompartment for B12-dependent 1,2-propanediol utilization (Pdu MCP). The Pdu MCP consists of catabolic enzymes encased within a protein shell, and its function is to sequester propionaldehyde, a toxic intermediate of 1,2-propanediol degradation. We report here that a short N-terminal region of the medium subunit (PduD) is required for packaging the coenzyme B12-dependent diol dehydratase (PduCDE) into the lumen of the Pdu MCP. Analysis of soluble cell extracts and purified MCPs by Western blotting showed that the PduD subunit mediated packaging of itself and other subunits of diol dehydratase (PduC and PduE) into the Pdu MCP. Deletion of 35 amino acids from the N terminus of PduD significantly impaired the packaging of PduCDE with minimal effects on its enzyme activity. Western blotting showed that fusing the 18 N-terminal amino acids of PduD to green fluorescent protein or glutathione S-transferase resulted in the association of these fusion proteins with the MCP. Immunoprecipitation tests indicated that the fusion proteins were encapsulated inside the MCP shell.
On operators which attain their norm

The following problem is considered. LetX andY be Banach spaces. Are those operators fromX toY which attain their norm on the unit cell ofX, norm dense in the space of all operators fromX toY? It is proved that this is always the case ifX is reflexive. In general the answer is negative and it depends on some convexity and smoothness properties of the unit cells inX andY. As an application a refinement of the Krein-Milman theorem and Mazur’s theorem concerning the density of smooth points, in the case of weakly compact sets in a separable space, is obtained.
Toward a Sociology of Rent: Are Rental Housing Markets Competitive?

We critically examine conventional economic models which assume that urban rental markets are competitive and that rent levels are determined solely by the supply and demand for housing. A review of previous research on local housing markets indicates that social factors—such as the high degree of organization among professional landlords—restrict competition and affect the price of rental housing. We present a regression analysis of 1980 median rents in 140 urban markets which reveals that demand variables and the professionalization of the rental housing industry are more important determinants of rent levels than are supply variables. We conclude that a sociological approach is necessary to understand such problems as a lack of affordable housing in urban areas and structured inequality in the tenant-landlord relationship.
Improved hierarchical planner performance using local path equivalence

We propose a motion planning algorithm that reasons about tradeoffs between the discrete decision problems and continuous optimization problems faced by a mobile robot navigating through a cluttered environment. Discrete decisions typically involve transient options as the robot selects corridors to traverse. By contrast, optimization occurs within open spaces among homotopic paths. We utilize properties of local path sets to detect decisions of immediate importance and select routes that maximize the chance of future success.
Informed consent in the genetic age.

As our knowledge of the genetic constitution of human beings expands, testing to determine an individual's disposition toward a given disease will also increase. Since genes are a family affair, to know that an individual is genetically disposed toward a specific disease is an indicator that members of this individual's family may also be so disposed.
Improving audio source localization by learning the precedence effect

Audio source localization in reverberant environments is difficult for automated microphone array systems. Certain features observable in the audio signal, such as sudden increases in audio energy, provide cues to indicate time-frequency regions that are particularly useful for audio localization, but previous approaches have not systematically exploited these cues. We learn a mapping from reverberated signal spectrograms to localization precision using ridge regression. The resulting mappings exhibit behavior consistent with the well-known precedence effect from psychoacoustic studies. Using the learned mappings, we demonstrate improved localization performance.
Corsi Block-Tapping Task Performance as a Function of Path Configuration

The Corsi Block-Tapping (CB) task has been used as a measure of spatial memory since its development in 1971. However, a standard set of items has been developed for this task, and inconsistencies in performances within levels have been demonstrated in association with different path configuration. This study investigated item consistency by analyzing the performances of 94 young adult participants on a block-tapping task that involved five quasi-randomly determined sequences at each of nice levels of difficulty. In general, performance declined with increasing path length. Cochran Q-test comparisons were conducted on the items within each level, and differential performance were identified at levels 7 and 8 only. Pairwise comparisons determined the specific items for which performance was discrepant, and further analysis indicated that performance decrement were related to more complicated block-tapping paths. The findings suggest that this version of the CB task is relatively consistent overall, and the observed effect of path configuration indirectly corroborated the spatial nature of this task. Performance heterogeneity at higher levels reflected more complicated path configuration and, presumably, greater span capacity load. Differential intra-level item consistency should be considered in clinical applications of spatial (configural) memory tasks in order to avoid erroneous interpretations concerning sustained attention ability based on failures within levels.
A Highly Porous and Robust (3,3,4)‐Connected Metal–Organic Framework Assembled with a 90° Bridging‐Angle Embedded Octacarboxylate Ligand

In general, MOF structures may be viewed as having two main components: the organic linker and the inorganic metal cluster (also known as secondary building unit, SBU). It is well-established that the combination of both components governs the final framework topology, which in turn determines the performance as a storage or separation medium. The dinuclear paddle-wheel cluster, a square building unit, is one of the commonly used SBUs in the isoreticular synthesis of MOFs owing to its ability to form innumerous structures with a large range of organic ligands. We are particularly interested in the dicopper(II) paddle-wheel cluster because of its enhanced moisture resistance over the Zn4O cluster [3] and genesis of exposed metal sites after the removal of axially coordinated solvent molecules. The presence of open metal sites in the framework facilitates H2 storage owing to the strong metal–H2 interaction. [4]
Is ultrasound imaging inferior to computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging in evaluating renal mass size

Objective To evaluate whether ultrasonography was inferior in detecting the size of a renal mass preoperatively because of the increased attention on the harmful effects of ionizing radiation in medical imaging. Methods A prospectively maintained database was reviewed of all patients who underwent renal ultrasonography before definitive therapy for the renal mass. Every patient who underwent ultrasound imaging also underwent computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), or both, before treatment. The size of the largest tumor identified per imaging modality was compared among the modalities using correlation and analysis of variance. Results A total of 116 patients underwent ultrasound imaging before therapy. Of these patients, 80 also underwent MRI, 66 underwent CT, and 38 underwent all 3 modalities before treatment. The average pathologic tumor size for the entire cohort was 4.45 cm (range 1-13). The size differences between CT and MRI compared with ultrasound were small ( Conclusion Ultrasound imaging does not appear to be inferior to CT and MRI in the imaging of renal masses. This is useful in reducing the costs and levels of radiation exposure for the long-term follow-up of patients receiving active surveillance.
Bank–Firm Relationships: Do Perceptions Vary by Gender?:

This study examines how small–business owners'/managers’ perceptions about their banking relationships are influenced by the gender of both the small–business owner/manager and the bank manager. Th...
Multiple perspectives on the meaning of revenue

The full range of the meaning of revenue emerges from seriously considering how people understand revenues from various perspectives. Explicit discussion of revenue meanings may contribute to improving our understanding of revenue-related phenomena. Insights can be gained from considering revenues from various perspectives. Revenue conceptualizations examined here range from the most immediate one, the notion of resources, to policy devices, mediation of relationships, measurements of political situations, and values. These discussions show that a variety of meanings are associate with revenues and that revenues are at least as fundamental to public budgeting as expenditures.
Coordinating diverse set of capstone design experiments

The ORU (USA) engineering program graduates students in the areas of electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, computer engineering, bioengineering and engineering physics. However, one faculty member coordinates capstone designs for all these areas. This paper discusses some of the challenges faced by the coordinator while trying to manage such a diverse activity. It also throws some light onto the advantages of having the present setup that has produced some exceptional designs with a few patents for their undergraduate students. To avoid a one-sided view of the whole process, the author also discusses some disadvantages of this setup.
Break ins and break outs: viral interactions with the cytoskeleton of Mammalian cells.

▪ Abstract The host cytoskeleton plays important roles in the entry, replication, and egress of viruses. An assortment of viruses hijack cellular motor proteins to move on microtubules toward the cell interior during the entry process; others reverse this transport during egress to move assembling virus particles toward the plasma membrane. Polymerization of actin filaments is sometimes used to propel viruses from cell to cell, while many viruses induce the destruction of select cytoskeletal filaments apparently to effect efficient egress. Indeed, the tactics used by any given virus to achieve its infectious life cycle are certain to involve multiple cytoskeletal interactions. Understanding these interactions, and their orchestration during viral infections, is providing unexpected insights into basic virology, viral pathogenesis, and the biology of the cytoskeleton.
Epidemiological Potential of Excretion and Regurgitation by Musca domestica (Diptera: Muscidae) in the Dissemination of Escherichia coli O157: H7 to Food

We previously reported that enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157: H7 (EHEC) proliferates in the mouthparts of the house fly Musca domestica vicina Macquart and are excreted for at least 3 d after ingestion. However, the role of the crop and excretory behavior of the house fly in contamination of human food with EHEC is not known. In the current experiments, EHEC persisted in the crop of house flies for at least 4 d. The number of EHEC in an excreted droplet was ≈104 1 h after bacterial feeding, >1.8 × 105 3 h after feeding, and then drastically decreased after 24 h. Excretion is one of the major mechanisms for decreasing number of EHEC in the crop and gut of the house fly. The frequency of excretion by females with developing eggs in their ovary was clearly higher (6.5 min per drop) than for males or females with mature eggs. Minute eosin-sign around a container filled with eosin-supplemented trypticase soy broth might be derived from frequent contact by house fly contaminated mouthparts. These results show that frequent excretion potentially enhances the dissemination of EHEC to foods, particularly during the first 24 h after ingestion of the bacteria.
Toward a neurobiology of auditory object perception: What can we learn from the songbird forebrain?

In the acoustic world, no sounds occur entirely in isolation; they always reach the ears in combination with other sounds. How any given sound is discriminated and perceived as an independent auditory object is a challenging question in neu- roscience. Although our knowledge of neural processing in the auditory pathway has expanded over the years, no good theory ex- ists to explain how perception of auditory objects is achieved. A growing body of evidence suggests that the selectivity of neurons in the auditory forebrain is under dynamic modulation, and this plasticity may contribute to auditory object perception. We pro- pose that stimulus-specific adaptation in the auditory forebrain of the songbird (and perhaps in other systems) may play an im- portant role in modulating sensitivity in a way that aids discrimination, and thus can potentially contribute to auditory object per- ception (Current Zoology 57 (6): 671-683, 2011).
Bayesian Partition Models for Identifying Expression Quantitative Trait Loci

Expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) are genomic locations associated with changes of expression levels of certain genes. By assaying gene expressions and genetic variations simultaneously on a genome-wide scale, scientists wish to discover genomic loci responsible for expression variations of a set of genes. The task can be viewed as a multivariate regression problem with variable selection on both responses (gene expression) and covariates (genetic variations), including also multi-way interactions among covariates. Instead of learning a predictive model of quantitative trait given combinations of genetic markers, we adopt an inverse modeling perspective to model the distribution of genetic markers conditional on gene expression traits. A particular strength of our method is its ability to detect interactive effects of genetic variations with high power even when their marginal effects are weak, addressing a key weakness of many existing eQTL mapping methods. Furthermore, we introduce a hierarchic...
Patterned Optical Trapping with Two-Dimensional Photonic Crystals

We demonstrate an approach to achieve patterned optical trapping with two-dimensional photonic crystals (2D PC). A Gaussian beam infrared laser is guided and loosely focused by a simple optical system onto the surface of the 2D PC, which generates an enhanced diffraction field for optical trapping of microbeads with high efficiency. The diffraction patterns are determined by the structures of the 2D PC, and the experimental results match well with the modeling results using the finite-difference time-domain method. Polarization control is demonstrated as one way to achieve reconfigurability. Using this approach, we demonstrate high design flexibility for patterned optical trapping as determined by the 2D PC structure with low laser intensity.
Spectroelectrochemical Photoluminescence of Trap States of Nanocrystalline TiO2 in Aqueous Media

Trap state photoluminescence of nanocrystalline TiO2 electrodes is investigated as a function of applied bias and pH in aqueous electrolyte. Films composed of the anatase polymorph reveal an increase in a broad red emission at increasingly negative potentials, with an onset about 200 mV positive of the pH-dependent literature value of the conduction band potential, followed by conversion to the green emission characteristic of hole traps at more negative bias. Green photoluminescence is the only emission seen from mixed-phase (P25, anatase/rutile) films at any applied potential, while red-emitting electron traps in P25 appear to be quenched by electron transfer to rutile hole traps. The influence of surface treatment by TiCl4 is investigated for both anatase and P25 in order to shed light on the mechanism by which this treatment improves the performance of TiO2-based solar cells. Our results reveal the difference between trap state distributions of P25 and anatase nanoparticles and address the molecular b...
Isolation of La Crosse, Cache Valley, and Potosi viruses from Aedes mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) collected at used-tire sites in Illinois during 1994-1995.

Prospective studies were conducted at used-tire sites in Illinois during 1994–1995 in an effort to isolate arboviruses from mosquitoes, particularly Aedes alhopictus (Skuse) and Aedes triseriatus (Say). Three isolates of Potosi virus were obtained from Ae. albopictus collected at a waste tire site in Jasper County during 1994 and 1995. Also, a single isolate of Cache Valley virus was obtained from Ae. albopictus collected at the Jasper County site during 1995. These are the first records of arbovirus isolations from Ae. albopictus in Illinois and the first isolate of Cache Valley virus from this mosquito species. During 1994, two isolates of La Crosse virus were made from Ae. triseriatus collected at a used-tire site in Peoria County in proximity to the residence of a human La Crosse encephalitis case. This is the first evidence in Illinois that indicates increased risk to humans living near used-tire sites, which may serve as foci for production of Ae. triseriatiis , the vector of La Crosse virus. Tire removal and improved environmental sanitation at such sites may greatly reduce the abundance of vector mosquitoes, and, therefore, the risk of arbovirus transmission.
Effect of inorganic phosphorus on bone growth and repair.

Conclusions1. In the experimental animals, the feeding of inorganic phosphorus in doses large enough to cause transverse metaphyseal lines, has no demonstrable effect on the roentgenographic or microscopic appearance or the healing of fractures. 2. Transverse bands of increased density which may be produced at the juxta-epiphyseal region of growing children or animals by the feeding of phosphorus are probably “growth arrest lines” similar in their etiology to those produced by acute diseases such as scarlet fever
Assessment of E. coli partitioning behavior via both culture-based and qPCR methods

Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) offers a rapid, highly sensitive analytical alternative to the traditional culture-based techniques of microbial enumeration typically used in water quality monitoring. Before qPCR can be widely applied within surface water monitoring programs and stormwater assessment research, the relationships between microbial concentrations measured by qPCR and culture-based methods must be assessed across a range of water types. Previous studies investigating fecal indicator bacteria quantification using molecular and culture-based techniques have compared measures of total concentration, but have not examined particle-associated microorganisms, which may be more important from a transport perspective, particularly during the calibration of predictive water quality models for watershed management purposes. This study compared total, free-phase, and particle-associated Escherichia coli concentrations as determined by the Colilert defined substrate method and qPCR targeting the uidA gene in stream grab samples partitioned via a calibrated centrifugation technique. Free-phase concentrations detected through qPCR were significantly higher than those detected using Colilert although total concentrations were statistically equivalent, suggesting a source of analytical bias. Although a specimen processing complex was used to identify and correct for inhibition of the qPCR reaction, high particle concentrations may have resulted in underestimation of total cell counts, particularly at low concentrations. Regardless, qPCR-based techniques will likely have an important future role in stormwater assessment and management.
Biological screening of selected Pacific Northwest forest plants using the brine shrimp (Artemia salina) toxicity bioassay.

The brine shrimp (Artemia salina) bioassay was used to screen 211 methanol extracts from 128 species of Pacific Northwest plants in search of general cytotoxic activity. Strong toxicity (LC50 1000 µg/ml). Our subsequent studies of conifer heartwoods with strong activity confirm the assay’s value for identifying new investigational leads for materials with insecticidal and fungicidal activity.
SU-C-BRC-04: Efficient Dose Calculation Algorithm for FFF IMRT with a Simplified Bivariate Gaussian Source Model

Purpose: To develop an efficient and accurate independent dose calculation algorithm with a simplified analytical source model for the quality assurance and safe delivery of Flattening Filter Free (FFF)-IMRT on an Elekta Versa HD. Methods: The source model consisted of a point source and a 2D bivariate Gaussian source, respectively modeling the primary photons and the combined effect of head scatter, monitor chamber backscatter and collimator exchange effect. The in-air fluence was firstly calculated by back-projecting the edges of beam defining devices onto the source plane and integrating the visible source distribution. The effect of the rounded MLC leaf end, tongue-and-groove and interleaf transmission was taken into account in the back-projection. The in-air fluence was then modified with a fourth degree polynomial modeling the cone-shaped dose distribution of FFF beams. Planar dose distribution was obtained by convolving the in-air fluence with a dose deposition kernel (DDK) consisting of the sum of three 2D Gaussian functions. The parameters of the source model and the DDK were commissioned using measured in-air output factors (Sc) and cross beam profiles, respectively. A novel method was used to eliminate the volume averaging effect of ion chambers in determining the DDK. Planar dose distributions of five head-and-neck FFF-IMRT plans were calculated and compared against measurements performed with a 2D diode array (MapCHECK™) to validate the accuracy of the algorithm. Results: The proposed source model predicted Sc for both 6MV and 10MV with an accuracy better than 0.1%. With a stringent gamma criterion (2%/2mm/local difference), the passing rate of the FFF-IMRT dose calculation was 97.2±2.6%. Conclusion: The removal of the flattening filter represents a simplification of the head structure which allows the use of a simpler source model for very accurate dose calculation. The proposed algorithm offers an effective way to ensure the safe delivery of FFF-IMRT.
A synthetic lateral phase (SLP) displacement estimator using complex FIR filters

Lateral displacement estimation based on curve fitting has systematic bias and high variance at boundary regions of ultrasonic images. To solve this problem, we have demonstrated a synthetic lateral phase algorithm using multi-dimensional FFT processing with complex computation. In this paper, we propose a complex finite impulse response (FIR) filter method to enable potential real-time implementation of the synthetic lateral phase algorithm. It shows 46% reduction of estimation variance in an in-vitro experiment with good computational efficiency.
Nursery Production Method Affects Root Growth

Abstract This study compared growth and biomass distribution on two commonly grown trees produced in plastic containers with those in fabric containers and in the field. Shoot: root ratio on field-...
The Power of Analogies in Introductory CS Education (Abstract Only)

To convey abstract concepts to students with little to no computing background, faculty members often adopt real world analogies to make CS concepts more relatable. Existing work on the power of analogies in CS education [1-2] has looked into the effectiveness and limitations of metaphors. However, there is no existing forum or repository that educators can share successful and interesting analogies. For this Bird of Feathers session, we invite all interested computer science instructors to share their successful (or unsuccessful) analogies with details on where and how the analogies were used, the related CS concepts, and how a particular analogy might fail to convey the instructor's ideas. We propose to focus on analogies for CS1/CS2 concepts because students in those classes may benefit the most from this teaching technique, and appropriate use of analogies for non-majors might help attract students to the field of computing. This BOF's topic relates to the general trend of teaching diverse groups of students in introductory programming courses and provides an excellent opportunity for CS educators to discuss successes and failures in using metaphors in our classes. The second purpose of this BOF session is to propose a suitable online medium where existing and new analogies can be shared with the CS education community. This BOF can be the beginning of a long-term online collaborative project where faculty members continue to share their metaphors with the community.
The Nernst Equilibrium

Charged particles, namely ions, diffuse in water in the brain. There is a field of study called electro-diffusion theory concerned with the diffusion of charged particles. In this chapter, we study one electro-diffusion problem that is crucial for understanding nerve cells.
Iterative control strategies for nonlinear systems

In this paper, we focus on the control of the mean-field equilibrium of nonlinear networks of the Langevin type in the limit of small noise. Using iterative linear approximations, we derive a formula that prescribes a control strategy in order to displace the equilibrium state of a given system and remarkably find that the control function has a ``universal'' form under certain physical conditions. This result can be employed to define universal protocols useful, for example, in the optimal work extraction from a given reservoir. Generalizations and limits of application of the method are discussed.
Multiscale Imaging of HIV-1 Transmission in Humanized Mice.

HIV transmission within lymphoid tissues remains incompletely characterized at the level of individual cells and virions. Here we visually describe our approach to understanding HIV-1 dissemination at different levels of volume and resolution within lymphoid tissues from HIV-1-infected humanized mice. We combined tissue clearing techniques, immunostaining, and light sheet fluorescence microscopy to visualize large-volumes of intact tissue with single-cell resolution from HIV-1-infected humanized mice. In parallel, we imaged adjacent regions of tissue using electron microscopy and electron tomography to gain 3D ultrastructural information about the same tissue samples. This approach can provide spatial information about the density and distribution of target cells, HIV-1-infected cells, and individual budding and free-virions within lymphoid tissues. Multiscale imaging of HIV-1 infected tissues from humanized mice can provide insight into the biological mechanisms of HIV-1 transmission through the correlation of global pathology with structural details and these methods are directly translatable to other animal models and human clinical samples.
A Data Driven Solution to Synchronicity Deviations in Operational Modal Analysis

Abstract A scheme to minimize errors from time misalignments in the measured output of linear systems subjected to stationary excitations is presented. The objective is to provide estimates of synchronicity faults (if any) so the signals can be realigned and the identification carried out subsequently. The approach announces that no corrections are needed when a characteristic phase of the fundamental eigenvector is bellow a specified threshold and otherwise computes the time shifts as those required to move the fundamental mode phases to zero. Simulations that include noise, non-classical damping and input spectral densities not diagonalized by the eigenvectors suggest the approach can provide sufficient accuracy to be of practical value.
Which new agents will be incorporated into frontline therapy in acute myeloid leukemia

For 4 decades, new agents had not been permanently approved for use in treating acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The long dry spell was broken in 2017, however, with the approval of several agents: midostaurin for addition to chemotherapy in mutant FLT3 patients undergoing intensive chemotherapy, enasidenib in advanced mutant IDH2 patients, CPX-351 in secondary AML patients, and gemtuzumab ozogamicin in conjunction with standard chemotherapy in AML. This review surveys the use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors to treat patients with mutant FLT3 AML, mutant KIT AML, as well as IDH inhibitors and explores some questions regarding their integration into the treatment armamentarium for AML.
The Market as Utopia: The “Invisible Hand” Thesis

This chapter engages in a penetrating analysis of the concept of Smith’s famous “invisible hand” thesis. The chapter benefits considerably from Warren Samuel’s groundbreaking study of the “invisible hand” argument. The chapter presents an Islamic critique of Smith’s thesis, highlighting the moral contradictions and gaps in his argument.
Neuronal suppression causing depression

Suppressed dopaminergic activity in a specific brain area may play a causal role in depression.
Linking seasonal drought product information to decision makers in a data-sparse region: A case study in the Greater Horn of Africa

Abstract Drought is a major natural hazard with impacts across many sectors in a society. The main goal of this study was to link users’ and decision makers’ requirements with scientific information for effective use of remotely sensed data in a data-scarce region. The specific objectives are to: 1) present preliminary results from drought forecast tool evaluations addressing users’ requirements in the study region, and 2) present the participatory research approach followed, with gaps and challenges identified. In this research, we used a participatory system design methodology that uses dialogue between managers and scientists on how to enhance the use of models’ outputs and prediction products and improve the delivery of this information to decision makers. In this participatory research approach, it was confirmed that the major barriers for the use of drought model products were lack of skill, lack of understanding, and lack of trust of the products. These information use barriers can be addressed by targeted decision makers’ skill development training and use of the available public media for increasing the awareness level on the availability and benefits of drought forecast products. Future research may focus on data dissemination and concept implementation as well as data management and information usability (i.e., addressing users’ requirements).
On Being Autonomous: The Lessons of Natural History for Systems Theory

This paper summarizes the author’s work on the question of the autonomy of natural systems. A more precise characterization of autonomy is proposed, as well as its application to specific biological systems, its mathematical representation, and its impact on cognitive processes.
Mathematical Modeling of Wave Propagation in Anisotropic Media (Mathematical Solution)

Mathematical modeling of the interaction of ultrasonic waves with anisotropic media (21 constants) is carried out. An anisotropic plate immersed in a liquid medium is acted upon by an ultrasonic incident wave of arbitrary frequency and angle of incidence. The incident acoustic harmonic plane wave originates in the upper half-space fluid. Expressions for reflection and transmission coefficients are derived and presented graphically as a function of the angle of incidence and the product of the frequency and the thickness of the plate. Also, the phase of both coefficients versus frequency are presented. All field variables can be fully specified using this mathematical modeling. This study is very general and can be easily specified to special cases of wave propagation and geometric and material configurations. It can be applied to both Rayleigh and Lamb waves. The numerical computations were done through the use of the VAXIMA/MACSYMA software package.
Inhibition of ovary development of the fruit-fly, drosophila melanogaster by synthetic “Queen substance”

Abstract Synthetic “queen substance” inhibits maturation of ovary in females of the fruit-fly, Drosophila, melanogaster . The secretory activity of corpora allata of the fruit-flies which received synthetic “queen substance” seems to decrease.
Probabilistic floodplain mapping using HAND-based statistical approach

Abstract Detection of 100-year floodplains is one of the major tasks in flood risk management. In recent years, a variety of DEM-based methods have been developed for preliminary estimations of 100-year floodplains over large regions. The higher efficiency of these methods for large-scale problems and data-scarce regions compared to the conventional hydrodynamic methods is a big advantage. However, unlike considerable advances in the field of probabilistic mapping by hydrodynamic models, these methods are mostly deterministic and cannot provide a probabilistic presentation of the floodplains. In this study, a new method is proposed to combine both advantages of probabilistic mapping compared to deterministic ones and DEM-based methods against conventional models. This method includes a probabilistic function, which uses a morphologic feature, Height Above Nearest Drainage (HAND), as the independent variable. HAND is defined as the difference in elevation between a given point and the nearest stream based on the flow direction and can be calculated from a Digital Elevation Model (DEM). The parameters of the probabilistic function are determined by using a heuristic optimization algorithm named Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) by minimizing the error of a predicted 100-year floodplain map compared to a reference map. The results illustrate that a linear function with one parameter is an appropriate function for the study site. In addition, a comparison of the proposed method with its deterministic version demonstrates the higher effectiveness and reliability of the proposed probabilistic method for a flat watershed where the overpredictions and underpredictions generated by a deterministic threshold method are reduced.
Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections are Associated With Frailty in Older Adults

Abstract Objective To understand the relationship between frailty, age, and recurrent urinary tract infections (rUTIs). Materials and Methods The Timed Up and Go Test (TUGT), a measure of frailty, was administered to all adults aged ≥65 presenting to an academic nononcologic urology practice from December 2015 to January 2018. TUGT was categorized as fast (≤10 seconds), intermediate (11-14 seconds) or slow (≥15 seconds). The TUGT and other clinical data were abstracted from the medical record using direct queries supplemented with chart review. Logistic regression was used to determine the relationship between frailty, age, and the diagnosis of rUTIs in our clinic population. Results There were 136 americans adults with and 2824 americans adults without a diagnosis of rUTIs. Individuals with rUTIs had slower TUGT times (13.8 ± 10.4 seconds compared to 10.8 ± 4.52 seconds, P Conclusion Older adults with a diagnosis of rUTIs are significantly more frail compared to those with other nononcologic urologic diagnoses. Frailty (adjusted for age), was significantly associated with rUTIs, while age (adjusted for frailty) was not. Furthermore, frailty (rather than age) may be important to consider when caring for and treating americans adults with rUTIs.
“Containing” tuberculosis, perpetuating stigma: the materiality of N95 respirator masks

This paper analyses the role of the N95 respirator mask distributed by state-funded treatment programmes to patients who are undergoing treatment for different forms of tuberculosis (TB). Although ...
Metastasis Stemming from Circulating Tumor Cell Clusters

Circulating tumor cell (CTC) clusters have an enhanced capacity to initiate metastases, compared with single cells, but it is unclear how they gain such advantage. A recent study by Gkountela etal. (Cell 2019;176:98-112) links the physical state of clusters with increased accessibility of stem cell-related transcription factors, providing novel insights into the epigenetic regulation of 'stemness' in CTC clusters.
Spatial frequency tuning functions and contrast sensitivity at different eccentricities in the visual field

The human luminance spatial frequency contrast sensitivity function (CSF) has been well studied using psychophysical measurements by detecting spatial frequency (SF) grating patterns at threshold. Threshold CSFs at different eccentricities have proven to be quite useful in both basic and clinical vision research. However, near threshold, the CSF is measured at a linear area of the saturating contrast-response curve. In contrast, most of our everyday vision may be at suprathreshold levels, and thus may function most of the time at the nonlinear area of the contrast-response curve. In this study, in order to better characterize the CSF at normal contrast levels, we measured the SF tuning functions as well as the CR functions at different suprathreshold contrast levels and different eccentricities of the visual field using noninvasive MEG techniques. In this study, in addition to peak analysis, we have developed more reliable averaged power analysis methods where the average power can be calculated from the entire waveforms.
Endoscopic Algorithm for Management of Gastrointestinal Bleeding in Patients With Continuous Flow LVADs: A Prospective Validation Study

ABSTRACT Background Gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) is a common complication of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) therapy accounting for frequent hospitalizations and high resource utilization. Methods We previously developed an endoscopic algorithm emphasizing upfront evaluation of the small bowel and minimizing low-yield procedures in LVAD recipients with GIB. We compared the diagnostic and therapeutic yield of endoscopy, health-care costs, and re-bleeding rates between conventional GIB management and our algorithm using chi-square, Fisher's exact test, Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney, and Kaplan-Meier analysis. Results We identified 33 LVAD patients with GIB. Presentation was consistent with upper GIB in 20 (61%), lower GIB in 5 (15%), and occult GIB in 8 (24%) patients. Forty-one endoscopies localized a source in 23 (56%), resulting in 14 (34%) interventions. Algorithm implementation compared with our conventional cohort was associated with a 68% increase in endoscopic diagnostic yield (P Conclusions Our endoscopic management algorithm for GIB in LVAD patients proved effective in reducing low-yield procedures, improving the diagnostic and therapeutic yield of endoscopy, and decreasing health-care resource utilization and costs, while not increasing the risk of a re-bleeding event.
HIV Testing and Linkage to Care Among Transgender Women Who Have Sex with Men: 23 U.S. Cities.

Transgender women face unique barriers to HIV testing and linkage to care. This article describes the results of a national testing initiative conducted by 36 community-based and other organizations using a variety of recruitment and linkage-to-care strategies. A total of 2191 HIV tests were conducted with an estimated 1877 unique transgender women, and 4.6% of the transgender women had confirmed positive results. Two thirds (66.3%) were linked to care within approximately three months of follow-up, and the median time to linkage was 7 days. Transgender women tested at clinical sites were linked to care faster than those tested at non-clinical sites (median: 0 vs. 12 days; P = .003). Despite the use of a variety of linkage-to-care strategies, the proportion of transgender women successfully linked to care was below national goals. Tailored programs and interventions are needed to increase HIV testing and improve timely linkage to care in this population.
Millimeter-Wave Synthesis with Optical Frequency Comb in Photonic Crystal Ring Resonators

Optical frequency synthesis provides pathways toward efficient generation of millimeter-wave traceable to frequency standards. Recent advancements with the Kerr micro-resonator create optical frequency combs on integrated photonic platforms. In this work, we present the photonic crystal ring resonator as a technology for optical generation of millimeter waves. Operating in normal group-velocity dispersion, these device create focused spectra with heightened power on the edges of their bandwidths, making them suitable for Vernier-type locking methods. We demonstrate the capability to precisely engineer the repetition rates of these devices, and to generate millimeter waves by photodetecting the comb power. Based on these capabilities, we propose a dual-comb method to reference a 200 GHz millimeter-wave frequency to a 1.7 GHz beatnote.
Ethically Navigating the Murky Waters of “Contingency Standards of Care”

Reading Alfandre and colleagues’ (2021) compelling paper in this issue of the Journal—in which the authors outline a useful process for navigating the ethics of “contingency” standards of care—brou...
Cerebral spinal fluid positive pertussis encephalopathy in infants: Case reports.

Pertussis has re-emerged in both developed and developing countries and is an ongoing public health problem, even in countries with high rates of vaccination. Pertussis encephalopathy is a known co...