cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Investigate on “Emission Standard of Pollutants for Ceramics Industry and Revision Sheets”for Ceramic Enterprise

Based on the supervision monitoring data of SO2,NOxand particulate matter in the flue gases of ceramic industry in Fushan recent years,the fulfillment situation of " Emission Standard of Pollutants for Ceramics Industry( GB 25464—2010) and the Revision Sheets" in different combustion equipments has been analyzed. Some commendations were made for further revising of the standard in setting a reasonable NOxemission limit and other pollution factors.
Peripheral Blood Flow Regulation in Human Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome.

Both obesity and metabolic syndrome are important cardiovascular disease risk factors. In this review, we will explore the hypothesis that young obese adults and adults with metabolic syndrome exhibit alterations in blood flow regulation that occur prior to the onset of overt cardiovascular dysfunction.
Enhanced two-frequency phase-shifting method

One of the major challenges of employing a two-frequency (or two-wavelength) phase-shifting algorithm for absolute three-dimensional shape measurement is its sensitivity to noise. Therefore, three- or more-frequency phase-shifting algorithms are often used in lieu of a two-frequency phase-shifting algorithm for applications where the noise is severe. This paper proposes a method to use geometric constraints of digital fringe projection system to substantially reduce the noise impact by allowing the use of more than one period of equivalent phase map for temporal phase unwrapping. Experiments successfully verified the enhanced performance of the proposed method without increasing the number of patterns.
Informed consent in implantable BCI research: Identification of research risks and recommendations for development of best practices

Objective Implantable brain-computer interface (BCI) research promises improvements in human health and enhancements in quality of life. Informed consent of subjects is a central tenet of this research. Rapid advances in neuroscience, and the intimate connection between functioning of the brain and conceptions of the self, make informed consent particularly challenging in BCI research. Identification of safety and research-related risks associated with BCI devices is an important step in ensuring meaningful informed consent. Approach This paper highlights a number of BCI research risks, including safety concerns, cognitive and communicative impairments, inappropriate subject expectations, group vulnerabilities, privacy and security, and disruptions of identity. Main results Based on identified BCI research risks, best practices are needed for understanding and incorporating BCI-related risks into informed consent protocols. Significance Development of best practices should be guided by processes that are: multidisciplinary, systematic and transparent, iterative, relational and exploratory.
Effect of truncal vagotomy on gastrin release and Heidenhain pouch acid secretion in response to feeding in dogs.

In 4 dogs with gastric fistulae and Heidenhain pouches, serum gastrin responses and Heidenhain pouch acid outputs were measured in response to feeding beef liver, 15 g per kg. Truncal vagotomy was performed and the studies were repeated. Completeness of vagotomy was confirmed by the failure to elicit acid responses from the gastric fistulae after giving 0.5 U of insulin per kg intravenously. Truncal vagotomy altered in opposite directions meal-induced rises in serum gastrin and Heidenhain pouch acid secretion; the rise in serum gastrin decreased by about 50% but Heidenhain pouch acid secretion increased by about 50%. After vagotomy, maximum acid secretion from the Heidenhain pouch in response to pentagastrin increased 2-fold while the response to histamine remained unchanged. The dose of pentagastrin required to elicit a half-maximal response did not change significantly. These studies indicate that the increased Heidenhain pouch acid response to a meal after truncal vagotomy is not due to increased antral gastrin release. Instead, it appears that the pouch is more sensitive to gastrin and perhaps to other stimulants possibly because of the removal of a vagally mediated noncompetitive inhibitor of gastrin.
CKD and Muscle Mitochondrial Energetics.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) leads to the retention of uremic solutes that disrupt skeletal muscle function1 leading to reduced physical performance and mobility limitation2. Disruption of muscle mitochondrial energetics in CKD may precede the onset of detectable functional limitations. In particular, reduced coupling of ATP production to oxygen consumption (P/O ratio) within mitochondria of skeletal muscle indicates oxidative stress, impaired metabolism, and reduced exercise efficiency3–6. Comprehensive analysis of skeletal muscle mitochondrial energetics in CKD patients has been limited by lack of precise, real-time, non-invasive techniques.
Is the type of gonadotropin-releasing hormone suppression protocol for ovarian hyperstimulation associated with ectopic pregnancy in fresh autologous cycles for in vitro fertilization?

Objective To evaluate the association between different ovarian hyperstimulation protocols and ectopic pregnancy (EP) in in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles in fresh autologous embryo transfer cycles in the United States between 2008 and 2011 as reported to the Society of Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART). Design Historical cohort study. Setting Not applicable. Patient(s) None. Intervention(s) None. Main Outcome Measure(s) All autologous cycles that resulted in a clinical pregnancy after a fresh, intrauterine embryo transfer and described characteristics of cycles according to protocol were included: luteal GnRH agonist, GnRH agonist flare, or GnRH antagonist. Multivariate logistic regression was conducted to investigate the association between type of protocol and EP. Result(s) Among 136,605 clinical pregnancies, 2,645 (1.94%) were EP. Ectopic pregnancy was more frequent with GnRH antagonist (2.4%) cycles than with GnRH agonist flare (2.1%) or luteal GnRH agonist (1.6%) cycles. After adjusting for maternal and treatment characteristics, the GnRH antagonist and the GnRH agonist flare protocols were associated with increased odds of EP (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.52; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.39–1.65; and aOR 1.25; 95% CI, 1.09–1.44, respectively) compared with luteal GnRH agonist. Analysis of differences in the factors related to EP in luteal GnRH agonist versus GnRH antagonist protocols indicated that diminished ovarian reserve was associated with an increased risk of EP in luteal GnRH agonist but not in GnRH antagonist cycles. Conclusion(s) The type of protocol used during ovarian hyperstimulation in fresh autologous cycles was associated with EP. This finding suggests a role for extrapituitary GnRH on the tubal and uterine environment during ovarian hyperstimulation treatment for IVF.
Resolution Agile Remote Sensing for Detection of Hazardous Material Spills

Traffic carrying flammable, corrosive, poisonous, and radioactive materials continues to increase in proportion with the growth in their production and consumption. The sustained risk of accidental releases of such hazardous materials poses serious threats to public safety. Early detection of spills will potentially save lives, protect the environment, and thwart the need for expensive cleanup campaigns. Ground patrols and terrestrial sensing equipment cannot scale cost-effectively to cover the entire transportation network. Remote sensing with existing airborne and spaceborne platforms has the capacity to monitor vast areas regularly but often lacks the spatial resolution necessary for high accuracy detections. The emergence of unmanned aircraft systems with lightweight hyperspectral image sensors enables a resolution agile approach that can adapt both spatial and spectral resolutions in real time. Equipment operators can exploit such a capability to enhance the resolution of potential target materials d...
Vibration reduction ability of polymers, particularly polymethylmethacrylate and polytetrafluoroethylene

The vibration reduction ability of thermoplastics (PMMA, PTFE, PA-66 and acetal) and of a thermoset (epoxy) was compared by dynamic flexural testing at ≤ 1.0 Hz. Among these polymers, PMMA exhibite...
Evaluating the Performance of Automated Fault Detection and Diagnosis Tools

Automated fault detection and diagnosis (AFDD) has the potential to provide early warning of performance degradation faults before they might otherwise be apparent, and before they cause failure of the system. AFDD approaches have been developed in many industries, such as aerospace, process control, and air-conditioning. In air-conditioning applications the cost-sensitivity of the market requires that there is minimal cost premium for AFDD, so methods typically must be deployed with very few sensors to provide input and minimal engineering cost. In addition, because life safety is not a concern, less accurate methods can be tolerated. In this landscape, there are many methods that don’t perform well, but until recently there has been no standardized method or metrics to test or describe performance of AFDD. This chapter describes a new methodology, and a specific method to test and characterize the performance of AFDD tools that are applied to air-conditioning systems, and illustrates the methods with a case study. The widely used AFDD approach tested in the case study shows poor performance, which underscores the importance of evaluating AFDD performance.
Genetic Screening in Patients with Craniofacial Malformations

Craniofacial malformations include a variety of anomalies, including cleft lip with or without cleft palate, craniosynostosis, microtia, and hemifacial microsomia. All of these anomalies can be either isolated or part of a defined genetic syndrome. A clinical geneticist or genetic counselor should be a member of the craniofacial team to help determine which patients have isolated anomalies and which are likely to have a syndrome. They would then arrange for the appropriate genetic testing to confirm the diagnosis of the specific syndrome. The identification of the specific syndrome is important for the overall care of the patient (as it identifies risk for other medical problems such as congenital heart defect) that will have to be taken into account in the care of the craniofacial malformation. In addition, knowing the specific syndrome will allow the family to understand how this happened to their child and the recurrence risk for future pregnancies. With the advent of new technologies, there are now many types of genetic testing available (including, karyotype, fluorescence in situ hybridization, chromosomal microarrays, and next generation sequencing) and the medical geneticist and genetic counselor can determine which specific testing is needed for a given patient.
Conducting rigorous research with subgroups of at-risk youth: lessons learned from a teen pregnancy prevention project in Alaska

In 2010, Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) received federal funding to test an evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention program. The grant required a major modification to an existing program and a randomized control trial (RCT) to test its effectiveness. As the major modifications, Alaska used peer educators instead of adults to deliver the program to youth aged 14–19 instead of the original curriculum intended age range of 12–14. Cultural and approach adaptations were included as well. After 4 years of implementation and data collection, the sample was too small to provide statistically significant results. The lack of findings gave no information about the modification, nor any explanation of how the curriculum was received, or reasons for the small sample. This paper reports on a case study follow-up to the RCT to better understand outcome and implementation results. For this study, researchers reviewed project documents and interviewed peer educators, state and local staff, and evaluators. Three themes emerged from the data: (a) the professional growth of peer educators and development of peer education, (b) difficulties resulting from curriculum content, especially for subpopulations of sexually active youth, youth identified as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and/or asexual, pregnant, and parenting youth and (c) the appropriateness of an RCT with subpopulations of at-risk youth. Three recommendations emerged from the case study. First, including as many stakeholders as possible in the program and evaluation design phases is essential, and must be supported by appropriate funding streams and training. Second, there must be recognition of the multiple small subpopulations found in Alaska when adapting programs designed for a larger and more homogeneous population. Third, RCTs may not be appropriate for all population subgroups. Keywords: at-risk youth; randomized control trials; Alaska youth; peer education; evidence based interventions; sexual health education curriculum (Published: 9 December 2016) Citation: Int J Circumpolar Health 2016, 75: 31776 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/ijch.v75.31776
Review: Designing Modern Women 1890–1990

Designing Modern Women 1890–1990 Museum of Modern Art, New York 5 October 2013–21 September 2014 It is hard to describe Designing Modern Women succinctly. The exhibition provided an overview of one hundred years of design by women. It also attempted to present the role of women as “clients, consumers, performers, and educators” in promoting modern design. Further, in the introductory wall text, the curators invited viewers to “consider the varied messages about femininity that are encoded through design, the importance of role models in visual practices where women remain underrepresented, and the need to recognize and encourage varied forms of creativity.” The rationale behind the exhibition is clearer if read in parallel with curator Juliet Kinchin’s essay in Modern Women published by MoMA in 2010.1In it, Kinchin criticized the museum for its historic erasure of midcentury women designers. She argued that women were excluded because of how the museum defined the canon of modernism. Under the leadership of Philip Johnson, sleek lines, abstract forms, industrial production, and utility were valued over the aesthetics of craft production historically associated with women, such as ceramics and weaving. Even when work by women was included, it was done so selectively to reinforce the dominant aesthetic. The emphasis on individual designers ignored collaborators and the role of patrons and consumers. Kinchin also argued that female curators were …
Kitcher, Mathematics, and Apriority

Philip Kitcher has argued against the apriority of mathematical knowledge in a number of places. His arguments rely on a conception of mathematical knowledge as embedded in a historical tradition and the claim that this sort of embedding compromises apriority. In this paper, I argue that tradition dependence of mathematical knowledge does not compromise its apriority. I further identify the factors which appear to lead Kitcher to argue as he does.
VEGF-mediated angiogenesis and vascularization of a fumarate-crosslinked polycaprolactone (PCLF) scaffold

Purpose: Revascularization of natural and synthetic scaffolds is a critical part of the scaffold’s incorporation and tissue ingrowth. Our goals were to create a biocompatible polymer scaffold with ...
Neurotransmitters, Neuroregulators and Neurotoxins in Plants

The transmission of signals between living cells is essential for the life of an organism as it provides the mechanism by which cells respond to external stimuli. Plants produce a wide range of phytochemicals that mediate cell function and translate environmental cues for survival and many of these are human neuroregulatory molecules. For example, the human neurotransmitter melatonin (N-acetyl-5-methoxytryptamine) is a ubiquitous, highly conserved molecule associated with timing of circadian rhythms in many organisms, including higher plants. Other compounds such as hyperforin, now isolated from several plant species, may function as serotonin transport or nonspecific cation channel activators in human brains and potentially in higher plants. A different group of neuroregulatory molecules produced by plants overstimulate human neurons, resulting in neuronal cell damage and death. Excitotoxins such as β-methylamino-L-alanine not only affect human health but are also regulatory molecules redirecting plant growth. Many fascinating questions in future research will be defining the role of neurotransmitters, neuroregulators and neurotoxins in the growth and development of plants. As newer technologies emerge, it will become possible to understand more about the role of neurological compounds in the inner workings of plant metabolism, plant environment interactions and the impact of plant neurosystems on human neurology.
The Acquisition and Usage of the SODAS Problem Solving Method Among Adults At-Risk for Homelessness

Purpose:Individuals experiencing extended homelessness face multifaceted risks related to health, substance use, and continuing unemployment and may benefit from learning a problem-solving and deci...
Economic Modeling of the Global Adoption of Carbon Capture and Sequestration Technologies

Publisher Summary Heightened concerns about global climate change have aroused interest in carbon capture and sequestration technologies as a means of decreasing the growth rate of atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations. Projects are already underway to research and implement such technologies in countries like the United States, Japan, Norway, and the United Kingdom. In the United States, the Department of Energy (DOE) is investigating the economic, technological, and social issues of carbon capture and sequestration technologies. This chapter summarizes the analysis of two electricity generation technologies with carbon capture and sequestration as well as a generation technology without carbon capture and sequestration. The MIT Emissions Prediction and Policy Analysis (EPPA) model, a computable general equilibrium model of the world economy, has been used to model carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technologies based on a natural gas combined cycle (NGCC) plant and an integrated coal gasification combined cycle (IGCC) plant. These technologies have been fully specified within the EPPA model for all regions of the world by production functions. The results illustrate how changing input prices and general equilibrium effects influence the global adoption of carbon sequestration technologies and other technologies for electricity production. Rising carbon prices lead first to the adoption of NGCC plants without carbon capture and sequestration, followed by IGCC plants with capture and sequestration as natural gas prices rise.
Convection with Phase Changes

Thus far, in studying convection, we have considered homogeneous fluids whose characteristics remain the same throughout the process under consideration. In this chapter, we are concerned with fluids that change as a result of heat transfer. Upon receiving heat, a liquid may boil, that is, change in phase from liquid to vapor. Since liquid and vapor have substantially different densities, we expect gravity to be a pertinent parameter. In addition, since boiling involves formation of bubbles, we expect surface tension to be a significant parameter.
KenCall - Can Nik Nesbitt's Venture Succeed in Kenya?

Nik Nesbitt is preparing a presentation of his Kenyan contact center startup to a group of angel investors visiting for the first time. The task has given him cause for some soul searching: has it been worth it to battle the impoverished infrastructure and inappropriate government regulations to launch this venture?
Routing and wavelength assignment in optical networks using summarized information

In wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) optical networks, a fundamental problem is routing and wavelength assignment (RWA) for lightpath requests from client. Depending on whether lightpath requests randomly arrive/depart or are given in advance, this problem is classified as dynamic or static RWA. In the former case, each node periodically broadcasts the wavelengths status of its incident links to the network, so that each individual node can perform RWA in a distributed mode. However, due to the potential large number of wavelengths and fiber links, frequent broadcasting of wavelength status results in large overhead and poor scalability. One solution for this problem is to summarize the wavelength status information and then broadcast the summarized information, which significantly decreases the amount of broadcast information. Nevertheless, existing dynamic RWA algorithms require full wavelength status information. To addresses RWA using summarized information, this paper proposes an effective algorithm, which can achieve a performance close to the one using full wavelength status information, while dramatically reducing the overhead of wavelength status broadcasting and processing.
Update on Keratinocyte Carcinomas

Keratinocyte Carcinomas Squamous-cell and basal-cell carcinomas of the skin are increasing in frequency. Basal-cell carcinomas are responsive to inhibition of the hedgehog pathway; squamous-cell ca...
High-Fidelity Interaction for Virtual and Augmented Reality

Expressive interaction with wearable head-mounted displays for virtual (VR) and augmented reality (AR) systems is essential for practical adoption. These systems pose new challenges and have higher performance standards compared to other computing paradigms. In this position paper, I argue that interactive devices for VR and AR systems can leverage high-precision tracking and haptics to achieve a robust set of interaction techniques and a rich sense of presence. I describe my past and proposed future research in designing interactive devices that innovate in the domains of eye tracking, wearable finger input, and handheld controllers.
Professionals’ Perceptions of Food Insecurity Among Their Low-Income Clients

AbstractThis research examines the awareness of social service professionals of the food security of low-income families in a community-based savings program. Based on survey data of 65 community a...
Youth Engaging Almustafa: Cross-Generational Interactions in “Science, Technology, and Society” Education

Both nature and the human species are constantly evolving. Neither could survive without the creative force of evolution to overcome disasters and replace worn-out parts — Freeman Dyson.
Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA)

Multidetector CTA (MDCTA) of the peripheral arteries has high accuracy for detection of steno-occlusive diseases when compared with DSA. Its advantages over DSA include minimal invasiveness, reduced volume of contrast material, shorter scan times, and fast data acquisition. Other advantages include three-dimensional (3D) volumetric data analysis and display, unlike DSA which only provides a luminogram, visualization of the vessel walls, and extravascular tissues. Furthermore CTA is more reliable than MRA when assessing patency of arteries with stents and has higher spatial resolution. This chapter reviews the role of CTA for the evaluation and posttreatment follow-up of patients with PAD involving the upper and lower extremities.
UV Inactivation of Rotavirus and Tulane Virus Targets Different Components of the Virions.

Enteric viruses are shed in fecal material by humans and other animals and are common contaminants in wastewater and surface water. Wastewater treatment plants often disinfect this effluent with low-pressure and medium-pressure UV lamps, which emit 254 nm and 220-280 nm irradiation, respectively. It is not known whether this treatment is efficacious against enteric viruses, or how such treatments may inactivate these enteric viruses. This study examined UV disinfection for two enteric viruses: rotavirus (RV strain OSU with double-stranded RNA and three-layer capsid) and Tulane virus (TV, a cultivable surrogate for human norovirus with single-stranded RNA and single-layer capsid). Viruses were treated with UV-irradiation at 220 and 254 nm in conditions relevant to wastewater stabilization ponds, whose water is often used for irrigation. TV was susceptible to 220 or 254 nm UV to similar levels. It appears that UV-irradiation inactivated TV by mutagenizing both its genome and capsid binding proteins. RV was more susceptible to UV 220 nm as compared to UV 254 nm. UV-irradiation of RV at either 220 or 254 nm resulted in a virus that retained its ability to bind to its host cell receptor. After 220 nm treatment, the VP7 segment of the RV genome could not be PCR amplified, suggesting that this treatment mutagenized the viral genome. However, this correlation was not observed when using UV 254. Thus, RV and TV with different genome and capsid contents are targeted by UV irradiation in different ways. IMPORTANCE UV irradiation is becoming more common for disinfection in water treatment plants, but little is known concerning the effectiveness of this treatment for enteric RNA viruses. Here, we observed that UV 220 nm irradiation was efficacious against rotavirus (RV) and Tulane virus (TV). UV 254 irradiation inactivated TV to a greater extent than RV. Additional assays showed that UV irradiation compromised different portions of the RV and TV life cycles. UV irradiation decreased TV binding to its host receptor and mutagenized TV genome. UV irradiation at 220 nm appeared to allow RV-host receptor interaction but halted RV genome replication. These findings provide knowledge on the disinfection of waterborne viruses, information that is important for safe reuse or release of treated wastewater.
Crack Growth Retardation in Two Low-Strength Materials Under Displacement Controlled Cyclic Loading

Several experiments have been performed to determine the tolerance to defects of two low-strength materials used on cannon tube components subjected to displacement-controlled fatigue loading. The study was initiated to determine acceptable flaw sizes for hoops used to stabilize large cannons during recoil. A simple specimen was devised to approximate the axisymmetric, displacement-controlled actual loading of hoops. The results show that under this loading, a fatigue failure is not possible in either material because of the combination of the reduced stiffness of the structure containing fatigue cracks and general cross-sectional yielding.
Emergent quantum materials

The term quantum materials refers to materials whose properties are principally defined by quantum mechanical effects at macroscopic length scales and that exhibit phenomena and functionalities not expected from classical physics. Some key characteristics include reduced dimensionality, strong many-body interactions, nontrivial topology, and noncharge state variables of charge carriers. The field of quantum materials has been a topical area of modern materials science for decades, and is at the center stage of a wide range of modern technologies, ranging from electronics, photonics, energy, defense, to environmental and biomedical sensing. Over the past decade, much research effort has been devoted to the development of quantum materials with phenomena and functionalities that manifest at high temperature and feature unprecedented tunability with atomic-scale precision. This thriving research field has witnessed a number of seminal breakthroughs and is now poised to rise to the challenges in a new age of quantum information science and technology. This issue summarizes and reviews recent progress in selected topics, and also provides perspective for the future directions of emergent quantum materials in the years to come.
Optimization of electromagnetic hot spots in surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrates for an ultrasensitive drug assay of emergency department patients' plasma.

Herein we report the programmable preparation of ultrasensitive surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS)-based nanoplasmonic superlattice substrates to assay fentanyl and cocaine (detection and quantification) from 10 μL aliquots of emergency department patient plasma without the need for purification steps. Highly homogeneous three-dimensional (3D) nanoplasmonic superlattices are generated through the droplet evaporation-based self-assembly process of chemically-synthesized, polyethylene glycol thiolate-coated gold triangular nanoprisms (Au TNPs). Close-packed, solid-state 3D superlattice substrates produce electromagnetic hot spots due to near-field plasmonic coupling of Au TNPs, which display unique localized surface plasmonic resonance properties. These uniquely prepared superlattice substrates enable strong SERS enhancement to achieve a parts-per-quadrillion limit of detection using the label-free SERS-based technique. Our reported limit of detection is at least 100-fold better than any known SERS substrates for the drug assay. Importantly, our density functional theory calculations show that a specific electronic interaction between the drug molecule and novel nanoplasmonic superlattice substrates plays a critical role that may trigger achieving this unprecedentedly high sensitivity. Additionally, we show high selectivity of the superlattice substrate in the SERS-based detection of analytes from different patient samples, which do and do not contain target analytes (i.e., fentanyl and/or cocaine). The demonstrated sensitivity and selectivity of 3D superlattice substrates for SERS-based drug analysis in real toxicological samples are expected to advance the field of measurement science, and forensic and clinical toxicology by obviating the need for complicated sample processing steps, long assay times, and the low sensitivity of existing “gold standard” analytical techniques including gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Taken together, we believe that this entirely new and reproducible superlattice substrate for the SERS analysis will aid scientific, forensic, and healthcare communities to battle the drug overdose epidemic in the United States.
A role for neuroimmune signaling in a rat model of Gulf War Illness-related pain.

Abstract More than a quarter of veterans of the 1990–1991 Persian Gulf War suffer from Gulf War Illness (GWI), a chronic, multi-symptom illness that commonly includes musculoskeletal pain. Exposure to a range of toxic chemicals, including sarin nerve agent, are a suspected root cause of GWI. Moreover, such chemical exposures induce a neuroinflammatory response in rodents, which has been linked to several GWI symptoms in rodents and veterans with GWI. To date, a neuroinflammatory basis for pain associated with GWI has not been investigated. Here, we evaluated development of nociceptive hypersensitivity in a model of GWI. Male Sprague Dawley rats were treated with corticosterone in the drinking water for 7 days, to mimic high physiological stress, followed by a single injection of the sarin nerve agent surrogate, diisopropyl fluorophosphate. These exposures alone were insufficient to induce allodynia. However, an additional sub-threshold challenge (a single intramuscular injection of pH 4 saline) induced long-lasting, bilateral allodynia. Such allodynia was associated with elevation of markers for activated microglia/macrophages (CD11b) and astrocytes/satellite glia (GFAP) in the lumbar dorsal spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia (DRG). Additionally, Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) mRNA was elevated in the lumbar dorsal spinal cord, while IL-1β and IL-6 were elevated in the lumbar dorsal spinal cord, DRG, and gastrocnemius muscle. Demonstrating a casual role for such neuroinflammatory signaling, allodynia was reversed by treatment with either minocycline, the TLR4 inhibitor (+)-naltrexone, or IL-10 plasmid DNA. Together, these results point to a role for neuroinflammation in male rats in the model of musculoskeletal pain related to GWI. Therapies that alleviate persistent immune dysregulation may be a strategy to treat pain and other symptoms of GWI.
Molecular Interactions of Major Mineral Constituents with Kerogen in Green River Oil Shale

Oil shales are sedimentary rocks containing kerogen, a precursor to crude oil trapped in the inorganic mineral matrix. Green River formation in Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado is the largest deposit of oil shale in the world. The current extraction of shale oil involves the pyrolytic extraction of kerogen from the mineral matrix, which is expensive and detrimental to the environment. A better understanding of kerogen-mineral interactions could lead to more efficient extraction techniques. Our experiments indicate that the size of kerogen “pockets” is of the order of 10s of nanometers in the mineral matrix and also, the in situ kerogen is strongly influenced by molecular interactions with the surrounding minerals. A three-dimensional molecular kerogen model of Type I has been developed to determine the molecular interactions with predominant minerals (Na-montmorillonite clay, quartz, and calcite) of Green River oil shale. These molecular interactions are analyzed based on the seven fragments and associated independent ammonium ions that constitute kerogen. The results indicate that the interactions of kerogen molecules vary with the mineral in proximity, and also the underlying mechanisms are different. Techniques for the efficient extraction of kerogen can be developed by understanding the binding interactions between the kerogen and minerals.
The Effects Network Externalities on Platform Value and Management: Evidence from Internet Poker Users

This study tests network theory using data from internet poker users, a platform-based business. The study demonstrates the existence of network effects but also limits to scale. The composition of user types on the network is found to significantly affect value, and that value varies by user type. Users with value-appropriating capabilities are shown to extract higher returns from the network. The findings suggest that platform-based businesses need to manage both the size of their network and the relative composition of users. They must also consider the external effects, both positive and negative, users from different groups impose on the value others receive from networks. These findings contribute to a limited body of empirical evidence evaluating theory associated with business strategies in platform-based businesses.
Accurate AGN Black Hole Masses and the Scatter in the M BH -L bulge Relationship

A new empirical formulae is given for estimating the masses of black holes in AGNs from the Hβ velocity dispersion and the continuum luminosity at 5100 A. It is calibrated to reverberation-mapping and stellar-dynamical estimates of black hole masses. The resulting mass estimates are as accurate as reverberation-mapping and stellar-dynamical estimates. The new mass estimates show that there is very little scatter in the M BH – L bulge relationship for high-luminosity galaxies, and that the scatter increases substantially in lower-mass galaxies.
Ferroelectric Thickness Dependent Domain Interactions in FEFETs for Memory and Logic: A Phase-field Model based Analysis

We present a phase-field simulation framework for ferroelectric (FE)-FET which captures multi-domain effects by self-consistently solving 2D time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau (TDGL), Poisson's, and semiconductor charge/transport equations. Using our phase-field model and experiments, we analyze electrostatics-driven multi-domain formation and voltage-induced polarization (P) switching for different FE thickness (T FE ). We show that for T FE = 5nm - 10 nm, FEFETs exhibit multi-level memory functionality; while for T FE = 1.5nm - 3 nm, FEFETs can serve as non-hysteretic switches with enhanced gate control. Our results signify that as T FE is reduced from 10nm to 5nm, denser domain patterns emerge in FE, and the dominant P-switching mechanism changes from nucleation to domain-wall motion based leading to a decreased memory window with T FE scaling. Moreover, as T FE is scaled further from 3nm to 1.5nm, effective permittivity of the gate stack increases due to multi-domain electrostatic interactions.
Magnetic probe-based microrheology reveals local softening and stiffening of 3D collagen matrices by fibroblasts.

Changes in extracellular matrix stiffness impact a variety of biological processes including cancer progression. However, cells also actively remodel the matrices they interact with, dynamically altering the matrix mechanics they respond to. Further, cells not only react to matrix stiffness, but also have a distinct reaction to matrix viscoelasticity. The impact of cell-driven matrix remodeling on matrix stiffness and viscoelasticity at the microscale remains unclear, as existing methods to measure mechanics are largely at the bulk scale or probe only the surface of matrices, and focus on stiffness. Yet, establishing the impact of the matrix remodeling at the microscale is crucial to obtaining an understanding of mechanotransduction in biological matrices, and biological matrices are not just elastic, but are viscoelastic. Here, we advanced magnetic probe-based microrheology to overcome its previous limitations in measuring viscoelasticity at the cell-size-scale spatial resolution within 3D cell cultures that have tissue-relevant stiffness levels up to a Young’s modulus of 0.5 kPa. Our magnetic microrheometers exert controlled magnetic forces on magnetic microprobes within reconstituted extracellular matrices and detect microprobe displacement responses to measure matrix viscoelasticity and determine the frequency-dependent shear modulus (stiffness), the loss tangent, and spatial heterogeneity. We applied these tools to investigate how microscale viscoelasticity of collagen matrices is altered by fibroblast cells as they contract collagen gels, a process studied extensively at the macroscale. Interestingly, we found that fibroblasts first soften the matrix locally over the first 32 hours of culture, and then progressively stiffen the matrix thereafter. Fibroblast activity also progressively increased the matrix loss tangent. We confirmed that the softening is caused by matrix-metalloproteinase-mediated collagen degradation, whereas stiffening is associated with local alignment and densification of collagen fibers around the fibroblasts. This work paves the way for the use of measurement systems that quantify microscale viscoelasticity within 3D cell cultures for studies of cell–matrix interactions in cancer progression and other areas.
Engagement in perinatal depression treatment: a qualitative study of barriers across and within racial/ethnic groups.

Background To better understand previously observed racial/ethnic disparities in perinatal depression treatment rates we examined care engagement factors across and within race/ethnicity. Methods Obstetric patients and women's health clinician experts from a large healthcare system participated in this qualitative study. We conducted focus groups with 30 pregnant or postpartum women of Asian, Black, Latina, and White race/ethnicity with positive depression screens. Nine clinician experts in perinatal depression (obstetric, mental health, and primary care providers) were interviewed. A semi-structured format elicited treatment barriers, cultural factors, and helpful strategies. Discussion transcripts were coded using a general inductive approach with themes mapped to the Capability-Opportunity-Motivation-Behavior (COM-B) theoretical framework. Results Treatment barriers included social stigma, difficulties recognizing one's own depression, low understanding of treatment options, and lack of time for treatment. Distinct factors emerged for non-White women including culturally specific messages discouraging treatment, low social support, trauma history, and difficulty taking time off from work for treatment. Clinician factors included knowledge and skill handling perinatal depression, cultural competencies, and language barriers. Participants recommended better integration of mental health treatment with obstetric care, greater treatment convenience (e.g., telemedicine), and programmatic attention to cultural factors and social determinants of health. Conclusions Women from diverse backgrounds with perinatal depression encounter individual-level, social, and clinician-related barriers to treatment engagement, necessitating care strategies that reduce stigma, offer convenience, and attend to cultural and economic factors. Our findings suggest the importance of intervention and policy approaches effecting change at multiple levels to increase perinatal depression treatment engagement.
Cursing in America

This is the first serious and extensive examination of American cursing from a psycholinguistic-contextual point of view. Several field studies and numerous laboratory-based experiments focus on the relationship between cursing and language acquisitions, anger expresssion, gender stereotypes, semantics, and offensiveness. Censorship, language content of motion pictures, First-Amendment fighting words, sexual harassment, obscene phone calls, and cursing at public schools are analyzed and related to sociolinguistic and psycholinguistic data. Many tables of word-by-word data provide empirical evidence of frequency of occurrence, degree of offensiveness, gender of speaker and age of speaker influences on obscene language usage in America. A "must" for language reference collections.
How Moral Intensity and Impulsivity Moderate the Influence of Accountability on Access Policy Violations in Information Systems

A persistent threat to the security of information systems is that of malicious insiders. These insiders, who by definition are trusted, are a major concern for organizations because of their ability to misuse access privileges, steal intellectual property, and commit fraud. The recent high-profile cases of Private Manning and Edward Snowden have further raised organizations’ concerns of the insider threat. Consequently, it is important to identify ways to reduce insiders’ abuse of information systems. Previous research has shown the potential of perceived accountability within systems to reduce access policy violations, one common form of insider abuse (Vance et al. 2013). This research expands on this previous effort by showing how the constructs of moral intensity and impulsivity moderate the influence of accountability mechanisms on access policy violations.
Introduction to Robotics in Medicine

The practice of medicine, through application of art and science, has been altered significantly during the past 10 to 15 years. Today’s medical practitioner must be part clinician, part technologist and part innovator. The great and complex pharmacological and technological advances in diagnosis and treatment have changed dramatically the manner in which medicine is practiced.
SynBioSS Designer Modeling Suite

The details are presented of SynBioSS, a computational design tool for synthetic biology. In SynBioSS, the user simply inputs the molecular components of a synthetic biological system and the software outputs a reaction network that models the biomolecular interactions of this system. This software assists practitioners with little or no modeling experience in quantitatively describing synthetic biological systems. Keywords: computational synthetic biology; synthetic biology tools; automatic design of synthetic systems; modeling synthetic constructs; modeling genetic circuits
Semantically guided location recognition for outdoors scenes

The problem of image based localization has a long history both in robotics and computer vision and shares many similarities with image based retrieval problem. Existing techniques use either local features or (semi)-global image signatures in the context of topological mapping or loop closure detection. Difficulties of the location recognition problem are often affected by large appearance and viewpoint variation between the query view and reference dataset and presence of non-discriminative features due to vegetation, sky and road. In this work we show that semantic segmentation labeling of man-made structures can inform the traditional bag-of-visual words models to obtain proper feature weighting and improve the overall location recognition accuracy. We also demonstrate additional capability of identifying individual buildings and estimating their extent in images, providing the essential building block for semantic localization. Towards this end we introduce a new challenging outdoors urban dataset exhibiting large variations in appearance and viewpoint.
Radiative decays of the psi(3097) to two meson final states

The MARK III detector operating at the SPEAR storage ring has acquired a sample of 2.7 x 10/sup 6/ produced psi(3097)'s. These events are used to investigate the radiative decays of the psi to two meson final states. Such decays are of topical interest because of the unusual QCD laboratory they provide - of particular interest is the possibility of observing glueball states. The process psi ..-->.. ..gamma pi../sup +/..pi../sup -/ is studied. The f(1270) tensor meson is observed and the helicity structure of its production is measured. The data indicate that helicity 2 is suppressed, in disagreement with lowest order QCD calculations. Evidence is presented for the first observation of the theta(1700) in the ..pi../sup +/..pi../sup -/ final state. The strong, but not complete, suppression of this state in the ..pi pi.. channel, combined with the absence of a J/sup P/ = 2/sup +/ signal in a recent MARK III analysis of psi ..-->.. ..gamma.. rho rho, suggest a very mysterious nature for the theta(1700). The process psi ..-->.. ..gamma..K/sup +/K/sup -/ is also studied. The f'(1515) tensor meson is observed with a branching ratio in agreement with the SU(3) symmetry prediction for the standard two gluon radiative decaymore » diagram with no mixing corrections. The helicity structure of the f'(1515) is measured for the first time, and is found to be similar to that of the f(1270). The theta(1700) is observed with high statistics. Its spin and parity are measured, with the result that J/sup P/ = 2/sup +/ is preferred over J/sup P/ = 0/sup +/ at the 99.9% C.L. In addition, evidence is presented for a remarkable narrow state, designated the xi(2220). Its parameters are measured to be: m = 2.218 +- 0.003 +- 0.010 GeV, GAMMA less than or equal to 0.040 GeV at 95% C.L., and BR(psi ..-->.. ..gamma..xi(2220))BR(xi(2220) ..-->.. K/sup +/K/sup -/) = (5.7 +- 1.9 +- 1.4) x 10/sup -5/.« less
Euler equation computations for the flow over a hovering helicopter rotor

A numerical solution technique is developed for computing the flow field around an isolated helicopter rotor in hover. The flow is governed by the compressible Euler equations which are integrated using a finite volume approach. The Euler equations are coupled to a free wake model of the rotary wing vortical wake. This wake model is incorporated into the finite volume solver using a prescribed flow, or perturbation, technique which eliminates the numerical diffusion of vorticity due to the artificial viscosity of the scheme. The work is divided into three major parts: (1) comparisons of Euler solutions to experimental data for the flow around isolated wings show good agreement with the surface pressures, but poor agreement with the vortical wake structure; (2) the perturbation method is developed and used to compute the interaction of a streamwise vortex with a semispan wing. The rapid diffusion of the vortex when only the basic Euler solver is used is illustrated, and excellent agreement with experimental section lift coefficients is demonstrated when using the perturbation approach; and (3) the free wake solution technique is described and the coupling of the wake to the Euler solver for an isolated rotor is presented. Comparisons with experimental blade load data for several cases show good agreement, with discrepancies largely attributable to the neglect of viscous effects. The computed wake geometries agree less well with experiment, the primary difference being that too rapid a wake contraction is predicted for all the cases.