cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
HIV/AIDS and Public Health Care in the Greater Mekong River Region

More than 240 million people live in the Greater Mekong River Region, an area defined by the Mekong River, which flows 4,800 kilometers from the Tibetan plateau through China’s Yunnan province, Myanmar, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. After decades of wars and political conflicts, relative peace in recent years has fostered economic liberalization, intergovernmental cooperation, and increasing flow of labor and goods across regional borders (U.S. Bureau of Affairs, 1987). The long periods of war and political instability, and the emerging economic growth, have created a variety of challenges to the public health systems in these countries. In the face of the increase in population mobility, illicit drug use and prostitution, many areas of the Mekong River region have become flashpoints in the HIV/AIDS pandemic
Adult learners and their use of social networking sites

The goal of this study was to explore the benefits associated with incorporating social networking functionalities within an adult's learning experience. Which social networking sites do they use most frequently? What are the intended purposes of their use? What kind of experience do adult learners have when utilizing social networking services? Why or why not are adult learners using the services provided by the social networking sites? This paper reports a survey conducted among adult learners to identify the answers for the above questions. We believe that the findings from this survey will contribute to understanding future learning design expectations and arrangements.
EpiDEA: Extracting Structured Epilepsy and Seizure Information from Patient Discharge Summaries for Cohort Identification

Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) is a poorly understood phenomenon. Patient cohorts to power statistical studies in SUDEP need to be drawn from multiple centers due to the low rate of reported SUDEP incidences. But the current practice of manual chart review of Epilepsy Monitoring Units (EMU) patient discharge summaries is time-consuming, tedious, and not scalable for large studies. To address this challenge in the multi-center NIH-funded Prevention and Risk Identification of SUDEP Mortality (PRISM) Project, we have developed the Epilepsy Data Extraction and Annotation (EpiDEA) system for effective processing of discharge summaries. EpiDEA uses a novel Epilepsy and Seizure Ontology (EpSO), which has been developed based on the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE) classification system, as the core knowledge resource. By extending the cTAKES natural language processing tool developed at the Mayo Clinic, EpiDEA implements specialized functions to address the unique challenges of processing epilepsy and seizure-related clinical free text in discharge summaries. The EpiDEA system was evaluated on a corpus of 104 discharge summaries from the University Hospitals Case Medical Center EMU and achieved an overall precision of 93.59% and recall of 84.01% with an F-measure of 88.53%. The results were compared against a gold standard created by two epileptologists. We demonstrate the use of EpiDEA for cohort identification through use of an intuitive visual query interface that can be directly used by clinical researchers.
Prevention of Myocarditis Using Regenerative Medicine Therapy

Myocarditis is an important cause of acute and chronic heart failure. We wanted to determine whether purified exosome product (PEP) can improve and/or prevent myocarditis using a preclinical mouse model of myocarditis. Because estrogen protects women from myocarditis and heart failure we also tested premenopausal PEP (pmPEP). To determine the appropriate dose of PEP/pmPEP, we administered PEP and pmPEP vs. PBS controls ip to male BALB/c mice at day -1, 0 and +1 after viral infection to induce myocarditis and harvested mice at day 10 post infection (pi) during the peak of acute myocarditis. We found that the dose and exposure route was successful. We found that pmPEP, but not PEP, significantly decreased acute myocarditis based on histology (ANOVA p=0.0009). and decreased total immune cells (CD45 p=0.008), macrophages, neutrophils and mast cells (CD11b p=0.04), macrophages (F4/80 p=0.009), and T cells (CD3 p=0.02, CD4 p=0.01) but no other immune cell populations in the heart. Markers for both M1 and M2 macrophages were also significantly decreased with pmPEP treatment, indicating a “global” decrease in inflammation. Importantly, CR1, the central inhibitor of the complement cascade, was significantly increased by pmPEP but not PEP (p=0.004). Next we treated male BALB/c mice with PEP, pmPEP or PBS ip on day 8, 9 and 10 pi (a clinically relevant timepoint) and harvested on day 11 pi during acute myocarditis. Here we found that both PEP and pmPEP significantly reduced acute myocarditis compared to controls (ANOVA PEP p=0.006, pmPEP p= 0.005). These findings suggest that PEP/pmPEP could be given to patients who come in with acute onset myocarditis to decrease the severity of disease and potentially prevent sudden death.
The LACE Score as a Tool to Identify Radical Cystectomy Patients at Increased Risk of 90-Day Readmission and Mortality.

Introduction: Radical cystectomy for bladder cancer is associated with high rates of readmission. We investigated the LACE score, a validated prediction tool for readmission and mortality, in the radical cystectomy population. Materials & Methods: Patients who underwent radical cystectomy for bladder cancer were identified by ICD-9 codes from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient Database for California years 2007-2010. The LACE score was calculated as previously described, with components of L: length of stay, A: acuity of admission, C: comorbidity, and E: number of emergency department visits within 6 months preceding surgery. Results: Of 3,470 radical cystectomy patients, 638 (18.4%) experienced 90-day readmission, and 160 (4.6%) 90-day mortality. At a previously validated “high-risk” LACE score ≥ 10, patients experienced an increased risk of 90-day readmission (22.8 vs. 17.7%, p = 0.002) and mortality (9.1 vs. 3.5%, p < 0.001). On adjusted multivariable analysis, “high risk” patients by LACE score had increased 90-day odds of readmission (adjusted OR = 1.24, 95% CI: 0.99-1.54, p = 0.050) and mortality (adjusted OR = 2.09, 95% CI: 1.47-2.99, p < 0.001). Conclusion: The LACE score reasonably identifies patients at risk for 90-day mortality following radical cystectomy, but only poorly predicts readmission. Providers may use the LACE score to target high-risk patients for closer follow-up or intervention.
Review of “Contesting Cyberspace in China: Online Expression and Authoritarian Resilience” by Rongbin Han

Contesting Cyberspace in China: Online Expression and Authoritarian Resilience by Rongbin Han. New York: Columbia University Press, 2018. 336pp., $30.00 (p/b), ISBN 978-0231184755
Template Switching Mediates Contractions of a Repetitive Coding Region inS. cerevisiae

The C-terminal domain (CTD) is an essential domain of the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II, Rpb1p, and is composed of 26 tandem repeats of a seven-amino acid sequence, YSPTSPS. Despite being an essential domain within an essential gene, we have previously demonstrated that the CTD coding region is genetically unstable. Furthermore, yeast with a truncated or mutated CTD sequence are capable of promoting spontaneous genetic expansion or contraction of this coding region to improve fitness. We investigated the mechanism by which the CTD contracts using a tet-off reporter system for RPB1 to monitor genetic instability within the CTD coding region. We report that contractions require the post-replication repair factor Rad5p but, unlike expansions, not the homologous recombination factors Rad51p and Rad52p. Sequence analysis of contraction events reveals that deleted regions are flanked by microhomologies. We also find that G-quadruplex forming sequences predicted by the QGRS Mapper are enriched on the noncoding strand of the CTD compared to the body of RPB1. Formation of G-quadruplexes in the CTD coding region could block the replication fork, necessitating post-replication repair by template switching. We propose that contractions of the CTD result when microhomologies misalign during Rad5p-dependent template switching via fork reversal.
Container Type and Fill Level Classification Using a Bottle-Attachable IMU Sensor

Attachable inertial measurement unit sensors are a promising non-wearable approach for tracking fluid consumption across multiple drinking vessels. This paper demonstrates the ability of these devices to classify the type of container to which they are attached., along with the initial fill level from which a drink is consumed. Classification is performed using support vector machine models with hand-engineered features describing the container's estimated inclination during drinking. Three common container types (refillable bottle, glass, and mug) and two fills levels are considered herein for preliminary proof-of-concept. Variability in performance versus training strategy (i.e.: subject-specific versus out-of-subject training) and model type is investigated. Subject-specific models are demonstrated to classify container type with 98.7% and 88.0% accuracy at the two fill levels considered. Initial fill level is classified with 100% accuracy for each container type using subject-specific models. For an equivalent number of training samples, subject-specific models improve container classification accuracy by over 10% versus models trained out-of-subject for the various scenarios considered.
Endoscopic Transforaminal Drainage of a Ventrally Located Thoracic Epidural Abscess.

Background No formalized surgical treatment strategy exists for a thoracic epidural abscess. Although endoscopic approaches have been described for the treatment of spinal infections, this is the first report of an endoscopic transforaminal approach for the drainage of a thoracic/lumbar epidural abscess with placement of indwelling abscess drain. We present a novel use of a known endoscopic approach and describe a minimally invasive surgical option for ventrally located thoracic epidural abscesses. Case Description A patient with ventrally located T5-L5 epidural abscess with cord compression was taken for endoscopic transforaminal drainage at the right T9-10 level. A drain was left in the abscess cavity and tunneled subcutaneously for continued postoperative drainage. Immediate postoperative radiographic results showed significant reduction in the abscess size. The patient tolerated the procedure well with return to neurologic baseline. Conclusions Endoscopic transforaminal drainage of ventrally located thoracic epidural abscess is a safe procedure that may be an option for patients with a purulent-filled abscess. This procedure should be considered an option to avoid more invasive procedures that would require decompression and possibly instrumented fusion.
Calculating and Characterizing the Charge Distributions in Solids.

Accurate estimation of the partial atomic charges on metal centers is useful for understanding electronic and catalytic properties of materials. However, different methods of calculating these char...
Deposition and Characterization of Highly Oriented Mg3(VO4)2 Thin Film Catalysts. 2. Controlled Variation of Oxygen Content

Thin films of magnesium vanadates oriented to expose a single crystalline face, could potentially serve as ideal models for high surface area magnesium vanadate catalysts for oxidative dehydrogenation. The growth of oriented films of one particular magnesium vanadate phase, the orthovanadate (Mg3(VO4)2), has been achieved by rf sputter deposition of the orthovanadate onto Au(111) surfaces. X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy have been used to investigate the structure and composition of the films. The orthorhombic orthovanadate grows epitaxially with the (021) plane oriented parallel to the surface. By varying oxygen flow rates during deposition the stoichiometry of the films can be varied from fully oxidized to highly oxygen deficient. At very low oxygen flow rates or in the complete absence of oxygen, a reduced Mg3V2O6 phase is formed. This reduced phase has a cubic structure and grows with the (100) plane parallel to the surface.
Modeling Muscle Synergies as a Gaussian Process: Estimating Unmeasured Muscle Excitations using a Measured Subset

Continuous observation of muscle activity could provide a comprehensive picture of the loads experienced by muscles and joints during daily life. However, a major limitation to the practical application of this approach is the need to have surface electromyography (sEMG) sensors on all involved muscles. In this work, we model the synergistic relationship between muscles as a Gaussian process enabling the inference of unmeasured muscle excitations using a subset of measured data. Specifically, we developed a model for a single subject which uses sEMG data from four leg muscles to estimate the muscle excitation time-series of six other leg muscles during level walking at a self-selected speed. The proposed technique was able to accurately estimate the held-out muscle excitation time-series of the six muscles with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.74 to 0.87 and with mean absolute error less than 3%.
Lysosomal Biogenesis and Implications for Hydroxychloroquine Disposition.

Lysosomes act as a cellular drug sink for weakly basic, lipophilic (lysosomotropic) xenobiotics, with many instances of lysosomal trapping associated with multiple drug resistance. Lysosomotropic agents have also been shown to activate master lysosomal biogenesis transcription factor EB (TFEB) and ultimately lysosomal biogenesis. We investigated the role of lysosomal biogenesis in the disposition of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), a hallmark lysosomotropic agent, and observed that modulating the lysosomal volume of human breast cancer cell lines can account for differences in disposition of HCQ. Through use of an in vitro pharmacokinetic (PK) model, we characterized total cellular uptake of HCQ within the duration of static equilibrium (1 hour), as well as extended exposure to HCQ that is subject to dynamic equilibrium (>1 hour), wherein HCQ increases the size of the lysosomal compartment through swelling and TFEB-induced lysosomal biogenesis. In addition, we observe that pretreatment of cell lines with TFEB-activating agent Torin1 contributed to an increase of whole-cell HCQ concentrations by 1.4- to 1.6-fold, which were also characterized by the in vitro PK model. This investigation into the role of lysosomal volume dynamics in lysosomotropic drug disposition, including the ability of HCQ to modify its own disposition, advances our understanding of how chemically similar agents may distribute on the cellular level and examines a key area of lysosomal-mediated multiple drug resistance and drug-drug interaction. Significance Statement Hydroxychloroquine is able to modulate its own cellular pharmacokinetic uptake by increasing the cellular lysosomal volume fraction through activation of lysosomal biogenesis master transcription factor EB and through lysosomal swelling. This concept can be applied to many other lysosomotropic drugs that activate transcription factor EB, such as doxorubicin and other tyrosine kinase inhibitor drugs, as these drugs may actively increase their own sequestration within the lysosome to further exacerbate multiple drug resistance and lead to potential acquired resistance.
Third-Party Source-Switching Decision: Objective Valuation or Fair Value Opinion Shopping?

The literature suggests that fair value (FV) estimates from external third-party sources are more reliable than those from managerial inputs. However, using a sample of private insurance companies, we provide evidence that even verifiable FV estimates derived from external third-party sources are not immune to managerial opportunism due to the discretion insurers have in switching sources. We posit that such source switches could either be driven by managerial incentive to faithfully report FV (objective valuation) or to inflate FV estimates to avoid other-than-temporary impairment (OTTI) (FV opinion shopping). Our results indicate FV opinion shopping is the more dominant motive and that source-switches yield less accurate and more upwardly biased FV estimates. Upward switches also reduce both the likelihood and magnitude of OTTI especially for high-impairment-risk securities. Overall, our evidence suggests that opportunism with respect to source-switching potentially compromises the disciplining role of independent third parties in the valuation of fair-valued assets.
Toward a methodology for evaluating DNA variants in nuclear families

The genetic underpinnings of most pediatric-cancer cases are unknown. Population-based studies use large sample sizes but have accounted for only a small proportion of the estimated heritability of pediatric cancers. Pedigree-based studies are infeasible for most human populations. One alternative is to collect genetic data from a single nuclear family and use inheritance patterns within the family to filter candidate variants. This approach can be applied to common and rare variants, including those that are private to a given family or to an affected individual. We evaluated this approach using genetic data from three nuclear families with 5, 4, and 7 children, respectively. Only one child in each nuclear family had been diagnosed with cancer, and neither parent had been affected. Diagnoses for the affected children were benign low-grade astrocytoma, Wilms tumor (stage 2), and Burkitt's lymphoma, respectively. We used whole-genome sequencing to profile normal cells from each family member and a linked-read technology for genomic phasing. For initial variant filtering, we used global minor allele frequencies, deleteriousness scores, and functional-impact annotations. Next, we used genetic variation in the unaffected siblings as a guide to filter the remaining variants. As a way to evaluate our ability to detect variant(s) that may be relevant to disease status, the corresponding author blinded the primary author to affected status; the primary author then assigned a risk score to each child. Based on this evidence, the primary author predicted which child had been affected in each family. The primary author's prediction was correct for the child who had been diagnosed with a Wilms tumor; the child with Burkitt's lymphoma had the second-highest risk score among the seven children in that family. This study demonstrates a methodology for filtering and evaluating candidate genomic variants and genes within nuclear families that may merit further exploration.
Postmortem Values of Thyroxine and Thyroid Stimulating Hormone

while morphological changes may be correlated with physiological abnormalities, such associations are usually apparent only when the anatomic pathology is severe. Marked biochemical abnormalities may exist with little or no apparent tissue change. Conversely striking anatomic lesions may have no significant laboratory findings. It is for this reason that any pathologist is interested in postmortem chemical studies hoping he may be able to determine physiological abnormalities that existed while the patient was alive. This is particularly true of the forensic pathologist who usually has no antemortem hospital studies to assist him.
The surgical management of pediatric fractures of the upper extremity.

The majority of pediatric fractures of the lower extremity can and should be treated with closed reduction, immobilization, and close follow-up. However, there is an ongoing debate in the orthopaedic community regarding the exact role of surgical management in the treatment of pediatric fractures. In the past 2 decades, surgical management of certain fractures provided markedly better results than closed management. In certain cases, such as those requiring anatomic realignment of the physis or articular surface, there are clear indications for surgical management. Increasingly, however, surgical management is being used to maintain optimal alignment, to allow early motion, or to facilitate mobilization of children with a lower extremity fracture. For many types of fractures, both nonsurgical and surgical methods have yielded good results and have vocal advocates. Certain technical advances, such as the use of flexible intramedullary fixation and bioreabsorbable implants, have further increased enthusiasm for surgical management of pediatric fractures of the lower extremity.
Citizenship Social Work With Older People, by Malcolm Payne

Elders do not lose citizenship just because they get old, and a just society structures itself and its services in ways that keep elders engaged as full citizens. This is the central idea that Malc...
Synthesis and Scheduling of Optimal Batch Water-recycle Networks

Abstract This work develops an optimization-based methodology for the design and scheduling of batch water recycle networks. This task requires the identification of network configuration, fresh-water usage, recycle assignments from sources to sinks, wastewater discharge, and a scheduling scheme. A new source-tank-sink representation is developed to allow for storage and dispatch tanks. The problem is solved in stages by first eliminating scheduling constraints and determining minimum usage of fresh water and wastewater discharge. An iterative procedure is formulated to minimize the total annual cost of the system by trading off capital versus operating costs. The work overcomes limitations in previous literature work including restricted recycle within the same cycle, lumped balances that may not lead to feasible solutions, and unrealistic objective functions. A case study is solved to illustrate the usefulness of the devised procedure.
Integrating cross-layer LTE resources and energy management for increased powering of base stations from renewable energy

This paper studies a cross-layer technique to increase the powering of an LTE macro base station from renewable energy. The cross-layer technique integrates the management of the transmit antennas and LTE frames with, at the application layer, video compression factor and data traffic delay. Importantly, the management of these cellular network components is integrated with the base station energy system by adapting the transmission of the cellular network based on the projected renewable energy availability. The overall system presents a tradeoff between increased use of renewable energy and an increase in video distortion and data delay up to predefined limits. Simulation results show that the studied technique effectively increases the percentage of time that an LTE base station is able to operate powered only from renewable energy (up to 98.5%) while at the same time increasing within small, acceptable levels, video distortion and data delay a third of the time.
Ley natural y naturaleza humana

THIS ARTICLE STUDIES A SERIES OF CRITICISMS THAT HAVE BEEN DIRECTED AGAINST THE THEORY OF NATURAL LAW, ORIGINALLY PROPOSED BY GERMAN GRISEZ, WHICH IN TURN WAS FURTHER ELABORATED BY OTHER LEGAL PHILOSOPHERS SUCH AS JOHN FINNIS, JOSEPH BOYLE, WILLIAM MAY AND PATRICK LEE. THE AIMS OF THE AUTHOR ARE TO SHOW, IN THE FIRST PLACE, THAT CONTRARY TO THE OPINIONS OF ITS CRITICS, THE THEORY OF NATURAL LAW PROPOSED BY GRIZES DOES NOT EXCLUDE THE ASSUMPTION THAT THE BASIC HUMAN GOOD ON MORAL NORMS ARE BASED ON HUMAN NATURE OR HAVE A CONNECTION WITH IT; AND SECONDLY, THAT GRIZES AND HIS FOLLOWERS ARE RIGHT WHEN THEY ASSERT THAT OUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE BASIC HUMAN GOOD AND OF MORAL NORMS DOES NOT NEED, NOR CAN IT BE LOGICALLY DEDUCED, INFERRED OR DERIVED, FROM
Atomic Spectrometry in Clinical Chemistry

Atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) and atomic emission spectrometry (AES) are two closely related instrumental techniques that have many applications in many different fields. In clinical chemistry, these techniques are well established for the quantitative measurement of essential and nonessential elements found in body tissues and fluids. For most practical purposes, the elements that are routinely measured with modern commercial instrumentation include almost all of the metallic elements of the s, d and p blocks of the periodic table. The exceptions in the p block include the halogens, the noble gases and the elements C, H, N, O and S. Above atomic number 83 (Bi), only U is measured in absorption. With the emergence of commercial instrumentation for atomic mass spectrometry, e.g. inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS) clinical chemists have another powerful tool with which to measure multielement composition of biological specimens at ultratrace concentrations, i.e. <10 µg L−1. With ICPMS, the halogens become detectable, along with B, C, N and Th. The coupling of ICPMS with separation technologies has opened new possibilities in clinical laboratory medicine in the field of speciation. In some areas of clinical chemistry, older atomic spectroscopy techniques are still considered the reference method for selected clinical applications, e.g. the determination of serum K and serum Na by flame atomic emission spectrometry (FAES). In other areas, flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) remains the method of choice for serum Mg and serum Cu because of its sensitivity, rapid throughput and the relatively low cost of instrumentation. Electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry (ETAAS), while more complex than flame atomization methods, is the method of choice for applications such as blood Pb, serum Al and serum Se, where physiological concentrations are too low to be measured in the flame without laborious preconcentration efforts. Robust procedures for quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) are now well established within the clinical laboratory and cover the entire spectrum of clinical laboratory activities. These include preanalytical issues, personnel training and education, and also the appropriate use of certified reference materials (CRMs) for method validation purposes. Participation in proficiency testing (PT) programs and external quality assessment schemes (EQAS) for trace elements in biological fluids have also contributed to improved clinical laboratory performance. Despite the advent of ever more sensitive techniques and robust procedures, the quality of results is still only as good as the specimen collected. Contamination can occur at the preanalytical stage of the analysis and also during the analysis. Selection of the appropriate specimen is critical to obtaining meaningful clinical information about nutritional trace element status or exposure to toxic elements.
The Social Responsibility of Managers: Reassessing and Integrating Diverse Perspectives

The social responsibility of business has been a prominent issue in the academic and practitioner literatures, as well as in the curricula of business schools, for many years. While Friedman's iconic defense of profit maximization as the responsibility of management has been widely and extensively assailed, emerging positions on the role of business in society offer little clear and practical guidance to current managers, as well as Masters of Business Administration students. I argue in this article that the focus of the debate should shift to considering how the rules of the game surrounding business' behavior should be formulated and what the role of socially responsible managers should be in helping to establish those rules. My contention is that the goal of society should be to strengthen the linkage between the achievement of social objectives and profit maximization by business through “bright line” regulations and laws. Socially responsible managers will participate in setting the rules of the game by advising policymakers on how specific regulations and laws can be structured so that they most effectively condition the linkage between social objectives and profit maximization. If there is a unique social responsibility of managers beyond profit maximization, it is to participate in the policymaking process “honestly,” that is, without attempting to game the system through guile and opportunism.
Determination of the Catalytic Mechanism for Mitochondrial Malate Dehydrogenase

The kinetics of malate dehydrogenase (MDH) catalyzed oxidation/reduction of L-malate/oxaloacetate is pH-dependent due to the proton generated/taken up during the reaction. Previous kinetic studies on the mitochondrial MDH did not yield a consensus kinetic model that explains both substrate and pH dependency of the initial velocity. In this study, we propose, to our knowledge, a new kinetic mechanism to explain kinetic data acquired over a range of pH and substrate concentrations. Progress curves in the forward and reverse reaction directions were obtained under a variety of reactant concentrations to identify associated kinetic parameters. Experiments were conducted at physiologically relevant ionic strength of 0.17 M, pH ranging between 6.5 and 9.0, and at 25°C. The developed model was built on the prior observation of proton uptake upon binding of NADH to MDH, and that the MDH-catalyzed oxidation of NADH may follow an ordered bi-bi mechanism with NADH/NAD binding to the enzyme first, followed by the binding of oxaloacetate/L-malate. This basic mechanism was expanded to account for additional ionic states to explain the pH dependency of the kinetic behavior, resulting in what we believe to be the first kinetic model explaining both substrate and pH dependency of the reaction velocity.
Reynolds-number scaling of the flat-plate turbulent boundary layer

Despite extensive study, there remain significant questions about the Reynolds-number scaling of the zero-pressure-gradient flat-plate turbulent boundary layer. While the mean flow is generally accepted to follow the law of the wall, there is little consensus about the scaling of the Reynolds normal stresses, except that there are Reynolds-number effects even very close to the wall. Using a low-speed, high-Reynolds-number facility and a high-resolution laser-Doppler anemometer, we have measured Reynolds stresses for a flat-plate turbulent boundary layer from Reθ = 1430 to 31 000. Profiles of u′2, v′2, and u′v′ show reasonably good collapse with Reynolds number: u′2 in a new scaling, and v′2 and u′v′ in classic inner scaling. The log law provides a reasonably accurate universal profile for the mean velocity in the inner region.
Coarse-Grained Molecular Dynamics Simulation of DNA Translocation in Chemically-Modified Nanopores

Solid-state nanopores provide a direct means to detect and analyze DNA and proteins. In a typical setup, the DNA molecules travel through a nanopore under electrophoretic voltage bias. The nanopore is sandwiched between two chambers that are filled with ionic solution. A major challenge in using solid-state nanopores for DNA sequencing and gene detection is to improve their selectivity and detection sensitivity. To achieve these goals, one solution is to functionalize the nanopores by chemically modifying the pore walls with silanes or nucleic acids. However, little is known about molecular interactions in functionalized nanopores. This paper presents DNA translocation dynamics and the mechanism of DNA sequencing in a functionalized nanopore through a coarse-grained molecular dynamics model. The DNA nucleotide is coarse-grained into two interaction sites: one site corresponds to the base group and the other encompasses the phosphate and sugar groups. The water molecules are included in the model implicitl...
The role of fractures in the structural interpretation of Sheep Mountain Anticline, Wyoming

The development of fractures in the sedimentary layers of Sheep Mountain Anticline, a Laramide asymmetric fault-cored fold of the Bighorn Basin, is documented and interpreted to constrain the kinematic evolution of the fold. The fracture pattern is interpreted to identify five main fracture sets. A fracture set striking 110° (Set I), oblique to the future fold trend, is interpreted as a regional fracture set that predates Laramide compression. A joint set (Set II), striking 045° and present in the hinge and backlimb, is related to the NE-oriented Laramide compression just prior to and during initial anticline growth. Joints striking 135° (Set III), parallel to the fold trend, are found within the hinge and are interpreted to have developed in response to the bending of layers. The two youngest fracture sets are attributed to a late stage of fold growth: a joint set (Set IV) in the backlimb striking parallel to the Set I fractures, but vertical; and a fracture set in the forelimb consisting of Set I fractures reactivated as reverse faults. The relative chronology, mode of formation (opening vs. shearing), and structural locations of these fractures suggest the following kinematics of folding at Sheep Mountain Anticline: little or no lateral fold propagation; no hinge migration; and limb rotation with only minor limb flexure and stretching.
Cell migration and axon growth cone guidance in Caenorhabditis elegans

In the past year, several new components involved in cell migration and axon guidance have been identified by genetic analysis in Caenorhabditis elegans, taking us a step closer to being able to trace the pathways which mediate these processes. The completion of the C. elegans genome sequencing project has provided us with the knowledge of the full spectrum of genes that might be involved in cell migration and axon guidance, and can facilitate the analysis of components that have been shown to be important for these processes in other systems.
Poly(ethylene glycol)-induced fusion of plant protoplasts. A spin-label study

Abstract Carrot protoplasts were used to study the mechanism of poly(ethylene glycol)-induced fusion in vivo. In contrast to human erythrocytes, plant protoplasts can be induced to undergo massive fusions by adding recrystallized PEG 6000 . ESR spectra of 5-doxylstearic acid (5DS)-labeled protoplasts indicate that PEG 6000 ( > 20% w/v ) causes a decrease in membrane fluidity and the appearance of a fluid signal indicating isotropic motion of the fatty acid spin label. The same ESR spectra are obtained if spin-labeled protoplasts are pretreated with glutaraldehyde. The 3-carboxyl-2,2,5,5-tetramethylpyrroline-1-oxyl derivative of poly(ethylene glycol) does not appear to intercalate into the hydrophobic region of the lipid bilayer, however, the apparent extraction of the 5DS-label from the protoplast membrane indicates that poly(ethylene glycol) can interact with membrane lipids.
Enfold: downclocking OFDM in WiFi

Dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS) has long been used as a technique to save power in a variety of computing domains but typically not in communications devices. A fundamental limit that prevents decreasing the clock frequency is the Nyquist(-Shannon) sampling theorem, which states that the sampling rate must be twice the signal bandwidth. Recently, researchers have leveraged compressive sensing to demonstrate the possibility of decoding a sparse signal below Nyquist rate. In this work, we dramatically extend the state of the art by showing how to decode non-sparse signals, in particular, OFDM systems at sub-Nyquist rates. We exploit the aliasing that results from under-sampling and observe that there exists well-defined structure in terms of how OFDM signals are "folded up" under aliasing. Based on our observations, we present Enfold, which allows existing WiFi chipsets to decode standards-compliant WiFi frames while operating at 50% and 25% of their rated clock rate. Our design is able to attain greater than 96% and 83% raw packet reception rates for moderate SNR while reducing the clock rate by 2x and 4x, respectively. Moreover, our approach can be easily applied to other communication systems based on OFDM modulation. When evaluated on popular smartphone app traces, Enfold reduces energy consumption by up to 34%.
Documentation in the long-term care setting.

The challenge of delivering care in the long-term care setting has been sharpened in recent years by the increasing diversity of the U.S. population, the increase of the oldest elderly, and the percentage of Medicare patients with disabilities and dementia. The result is a heightened need for more gerontologic nurses. However, as nurses enter the long-term care arena to meet the demand, they experience confusion and frustration with the newly mandated Prospective Payment System (PPS) contained in the Balanced Budget Act of 1997. Under the PPS, accurate assessment and documentation is linked directly to the amount of reimbursement. Reimbursement, in turn, influences the quality of care for geriatric patients and the salaries for nurses. The author discusses the long-term care setting and the history and importance of the PPS documentation and offers a guide for PPS implementation in the long-term care setting.
Perchlorate, nitrate, thiocyanate, and iodide levels in chicken feed, water, and eggs from three farms.

Perchlorate is an inhibitor of iodide uptake that is found widely in the environment. Given the potential for perchlorate accumulation during egg formation and the widespread consumption of eggs, i...
Removal of oil droplets from contaminated water using magnetic carbon nanotubes

Abstract Water contaminated by oil and gas production poses challenges to the management of America's water resources. Here we report the design, fabrication, and laboratory evaluation of multi-walled carbon nanotubes decorated with superparamagnetic iron-oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) for oil-water separation. As revealed by confocal laser-scanning fluorescence microscopy, the magnetic carbon nanotubes (MCNTs) remove oil droplets through a two-step mechanism, in which MCNTs are first dispersed at the oil-water interface and then drag the droplets with them out of water by a magnet. Measurements of removal efficiency with different initial oil concentration, MCNT dose, and mixing time show that kinetics and equilibrium of the separation process can be described by the Langmuir model. Separation capacity qt is a function of MCNT dose m, mixing time t, and residual oil concentration Ce at equilibrium: 1 q t = 1 q max 2 k w m ( 1 K C e + 1 ) 2 1 t + 1 q max ( 1 K C e + 1 ) where qmax, kw, and K are maximum separation capacity, wrapping rate constant, and equilibrium constant, respectively. Least-square regressions using experimental data estimate qmax = 6.6(±0.6) g-diesel g-MCNT−1, kw = 3.36(±0.03) L g-diesel−1 min−1, and K = 2.4(±0.2) L g-diesel−1. For used MCNTs, we further show that over 80% of the separation capacity can be restored by a 10 min wash with 1 mL ethanol for every 6 mg MCNTs. The separation by reusable MCNTs provides a promising alternative strategy for water treatment design complementary to existing ones such as coagulation, adsorption, filtration, and membrane processes.
Increased Multilayer Fabrication and RF Characterization of a High-Density Stacked MIM Capacitor Based on Selective Etching

This paper presents the fabrication and characterization of a high-density multilayer stacked metal–insulator–metal (MIM) capacitor based on a novel process of depositing the MIM multilayer on pillars followed by polishing and selective etching steps to form a stacked capacitor with merely three photolithography steps. In this paper, the pillars were made of glass to prevent substrate loss, whereas an oxide–nitride–oxide dielectric was employed for lower leakage, better voltage/frequency linearity, and better stress compensation. MIM capacitors with six dielectric layers were successfully fabricated, yielding capacitance density of 3.8 fF/ \(\mu \) m \(^{2}\) , maximum capacitance of 2.47 nF, and linear and quadratic voltage coefficients of capacitance below 21.2 ppm/V and 2.31 ppm/V \(^{2}\) . The impedance was measured from 40 Hz to 3 GHz, and characterized by an analytically derived equivalent circuit model to verify the radio frequency applicability. The multilayer stacking-induced plate resistance mismatch and its effect on the equivalent series resistance (ESR) and effective capacitance was also investigated, which can be counteracted by a corrected metal thickness design. A low ESR of 800 m \(\Omega \) was achieved, whereas the self-resonance frequency was \(>760\) MHz, successfully demonstrating the feasibility of this method to scale up capacitance densities for high-quality-factor, high-frequency, and large-value MIM capacitors.
T = 32 levels in 21Na

Abstract T = 3 2 levels in 21Na have been seen at excitation energies of 8.99 ± 0.05 and 9.221 ± 0.015 MeV in the reaction 19F(3He,n)21Na. Angular distributions lead to a spin assignment of 1 + 2 for the 9.221 level.
Attention: feedback focuses a wandering mind.

Neurofeedback that tracks attentional focus in real time using fMRI and alerts subjects to impending lapses by modulating the difficulty of the task itself has been demonstrated to improve behavioral performance.
Enhancement of three‐dimensional appearance of freeze‐fracture images by reversal processing of electron microscopy sheet film

SUMMARY A method for reversal processing of electron microscopy sheet film is described. The procedure permits printing of freeze-fracture pictures with black shadows without the necessity of preparing an internegative.
Quantitative analyses of the genetic structure of closely related conifers with disparate distributions and demographics: the Cupressus arizonica (Cupressaceae) complex

Seedling populations of seven Cupressus taxa were compared in common gardens to assess relationships among taxa and to elucidate the genetic structure of three taxa with different distributions and demographics. Discriminant analyses of 15 quantitative traits separated C. sargentii and C. forbesii from taxa within the C. arizonica complex (C. arizonica, C. glabra, C. stephensonii, C. nevadensis,and C. montana); aligned a population of C. arizonica from Sierra de Arteaga, Mexico, with families of the same taxon from southwestern United States; and described a close relationship between C. nevadensis and C. glabra, but nevertheless separated taxa within the C. arizonica complex. Analyses of wind-pollinated progenies of single trees showed the narrow endemic, C. glabra, to have a greater degree of population differentiation than the more broadly dispersed C. arizonica. In addition, genetic variances within the numerically small populations of C. arizonica were about the same as in the much larger populations of C. glabra. The results also suggested that genetic variability in C. stephensonii, a taxon occurring in a single population, may occur primarily among inbred lines. While the genetic structures of C. arizonica and C. glabra have counterparts among broadly dispersed conifers, that of C. stephensonii appears to be unique. Together, the results support the view that genetic structure primarily reflects the uncertain, chance events that are interspersed throughout evolutionary history. Allocation of genetic variability within and among populations produces a genetic structure that reflects adaptedness in contemporary environments and adaptability in evolutionary time. While being fundamental to developing sound managerial programs, genetic structure ordinarily is so poorly understood that inferences must be made from the concepts of evolutionary theory (see
PARATHYROID FUNCTION: A CALCIUM REPLACEMENT MECHANISM

as a "calcium replacement mechanism." The first to present evidence for the dynamic state of parathyroid action was Hastings and Huggins (1933) in experiments showing that when decalcified blood was returned to control and parathyroidectomized dogs, the calcium concentration of the plasma very shortly returned to its previous level; i.e., that of normal dogs re? turned to normal while that of parathyroidectomized dogs returned to its previously reduced state.
Balanced cortical microcircuitry for maintaining information in working memory

Persistent neural activity in the absence of a stimulus has been identified as a neural correlate of working memory, but how such activity is maintained by neocortical circuits remains unknown. We used a computational approach to show that the inhibitory and excitatory microcircuitry of neocortical memory-storing regions is sufficient to implement a corrective feedback mechanism that enables persistent activity to be maintained stably for prolonged durations. When recurrent excitatory and inhibitory inputs to memory neurons were balanced in strength and offset in time, drifts in activity triggered a corrective signal that counteracted memory decay. Circuits containing this mechanism temporally integrated their inputs, generated the irregular neural firing observed during persistent activity and were robust against common perturbations that severely disrupted previous models of short-term memory storage. These results reveal a mechanism for the accumulation and storage of memories in neocortical circuits based on principles of corrective negative feedback that are widely used in engineering applications.
What is mechatronics

With the explosively increasing cost/size-effectiveness of computers, mechatronic systems are becoming common in any engineering discipline dealing with the modulation of physical power. In this article, I attempt a definition of mechatronics that will allow for its differentiation as an identifiable field of engineering and then follow this direction to discuss some of the associated design philosophy. The definition draws on the centrality of computing in mechatronic systems.
Induction of incomplete autophagic response by hepatitis C virus via the unfolded protein response

Autophagy is important for cellular homeostasis and can serve as innate immunity to remove intracellular pathogens. Here we demonstrate by a battery of morphological and biochemical assays that HCV induces the accumulation of autophagosomes in cells without enhancing autophagic protein degradation. This induction of autophagosomes depended on the unfolded protein response (UPR), as the suppression of UPR signaling pathways suppressed HCV-induced lipidation of the LC3 protein, a necessary step for the formation of autophagosomes. The suppression of UPR or the suppression of expression of LC3 or Atg7, a protein that mediates LC3 lipidation, suppressed HCV replication, indicating a positive role of UPR and the incomplete autophagic response in HCV replication. Conclusion: Our studies delineate the molecular pathway by which HCV induces autophagic vacuoles and also demonstrate the perturbation of the autophagic response by HCV. These unexpected effects of HCV on the host cell likely play an important role in HCV pathogenesis.
Endovascular Repair Is Associated With Superior Clinical Outcomes in Patients Transferred for Treatment of Ruptured Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms

PURPOSE To compare in a population-based analysis the in-hospital mortality and complications following endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) vs. open repair in patients transferred for the management of ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (RAAA). METHODS Interrogation of the 2003-2007 Nationwide Inpatient Sample database identified 271 patients (205 men; mean age 71.7 years) who were transferred for RAAA treatment. Demographic, patient, and hospital characteristics were analyzed. Hierarchical multivariate logistic regression analyses were employed to identify predictors of in-hospital mortality and complications; results are presented as the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS In comparison to open repair (n=207), endovascular repair (n=64) was associated with lower in-hospital mortality (36% vs. <18%, p<0.01) and a lower complication rate (78% vs. 66%, p<0.05). Transferred RAAA patients undergoing EVAR had lower in-hospital mortality (OR 0.21, 95% CI 0.09 to 0.49, p<0.01) and fewer complications (OR 0.49, 95% CI 0.26 to 0.95, p<0.05) than transferred patients having open repair. CONCLUSION Compared to open repair, EVAR led to superior short-term clinical outcomes in transferred RAAA patients. In this clinical situation, transfer of stable RAAA patients to institutions capable of performing EVAR is recommended.