cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Identification and characterization of a periplasmic trilactone esterase, Cee, revealed unique features of ferric enterobactin acquisition in Campylobacter.

Summary Ferric enterobactin (FeEnt) acquisition is a highly efficient and conserved iron scavenging system in Gram-negative bacteria. Recently, we have characterized two FeEnt receptors (CfrA and CfrB) in Campylobacter jejuni and C. coli, the enteric human pathogens that do not produce any siderophores. In this study, whole-genome sequencing and comparative genomic analysis identified a unique Ent trilactone esterase Cee (Cj1376) in C. jejuni. Genomic analysis and biochemical assay strongly suggested that Cee is the sole trilactone esterase in C. jejuni. Thin-layer chromatography and HPLC analyses showed high efficiency of the purified Cee to hydrolyse Ent. Three Cee homologues previously characterized from other bacteria (IroE, IroD and Fes) were also purified and analysed together with Cee, indicating that Cee, Fes and IroD displayed similar hydrolysis dynamics for both apo and ferric forms of Ent while IroE catalysed Ent inefficiently. Unlike cytoplasmic Fes and IroD, Cee is localized in the periplasm as demonstrated by immunoblotting using Cee-specific antibodies. Genetic manipulation of diverse Campylobacter strains demonstrated that Cee is not only essential for CfrB-dependent FeEnt acquisition but also involved in CfrA-dependent pathway. Together, this study identified and characterized a novel periplasmic trilactone esterase and suggested a new model of FeEnt acquisition in Campylobacter.
Transvenous Single Lead Atrial Defibrillation: Efficacy and Risk of Ventricular Fibrillation in an Ischemic Canine Model

Transvenous atrial defibrillation with multiple atrial lead systems has been shown to be effective in models without the potential for ventricular arrhythmias. The specific aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of transvenous single lead atrial defibrillation in a canine model of ischemic cardiomyopathy. Ten dogs had ischemic cardiomyopathy induced by repeated intracoronary microsphere injections. The mean LV ejection fraction decreased from 71% +/- 9% to 38% +/- 14% (P = 0.003). Spontaneous atrial fibrillation (AF) developed in four dogs, and in six AF was induced electrically. Atrial defibrillation thresholds (ADFTs) were determined with synchronous low energy shocks using a transvenous tripolar lead with two defibrillation coils (right ventricle, superior vena cava) and an integrated sensing lead (RV coil vs electrode tip). The ADFTs derived by logistic regression were compared at 50% and 90% probability of success (ED50, ED90): ED50 was 2.4 +/- 1.7 J and 2.9 +/- 2.1 J, respectively, for 5- and 10-ms monophasic shocks, and 1.8 +/- 0.9 J, respectively, for 5- and 10-ms biphasic shocks. Immediately after 3 of 2,179 (0.1%) synchronized shocks, ventricular fibrillation (VF) developed. VF was induced in 3 of 1,062 (0.3%) shocks with integrated sensing (RV coil vs electrode tip) compared to 0 of 1,117 shocks when a separate bipolar RV sensing electrode was used for synchronization. In our canine model of ischemic cardiomyopathy, low energy atrial defibrillation via a transvenous single lead system was highly effective. However, there was a small but definite risk of VF induction, which seemed to be greater when an integrated as opposed to a true bipolar RV sensing was used.
High blood pressure in school children: prevalence and risk factors

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of high blood pressure (HBP) and associated risk factors in school children 8 to 13 years of age. Elementary school children (n = 1,066) were examined. Associations between HBP, body mass index (BMI), gender, ethnicity, and acanthosis nigricans (AN) were investigated using a school based cross-sectional study. Blood pressure was measured and the 95th percentile was used to determine HBP. Comparisons between children with and without HBP were utilized. The crude and multiple logistic regression adjusted odds ratios were used as measures of association. Females, Hispanics, overweight children, and children with AN had an increased likelihood of HBP. Overweight children (BMI ≥ 85th percentile) and those with AN were at least twice as likely to present with HBP after controlling for confounding factors. Twenty one percent of school children had HBP, especially the prevalence was higher among the overweight and Hispanic group. The association identified here can be used as independent markers for increased likelihood of HBP in children.
Reconstruction-optimized lapped orthogonal transforms for robust image transmission

Wireless transmission of compressed visual information presents new challenges in image coding and reconstruction techniques. Wireless channels do not offer guaranteed transmission, and data loss over such channels can result in catastrophic errors in the decoded visual information. Visual data, however, can be reconstructed using lossy signal processing techniques. To date, reconstruction algorithms have been developed for fixed coding techniques. This paper presents and solves the dual problem-a block-based coding technique, namely a family of lapped orthogonal transforms (LOTs) is designed to maximize the reconstruction performance of a specified reconstruction algorithm. Mean-reconstruction, in which a missing coefficient block is replaced with the average of its available neighbors, is selected for its simplicity and ease of implementation. A reconstruction criterion is defined as the equal distribution of reconstruction errors across all transform coefficients, and a family of LOTs is then designed to meet the reconstruction criterion as well as consider the transform coding gain. Reconstruction capability and coding gain are traded off, and the LOT family consists of transforms that provide increasing reconstruction capability with lower coding gain. The reconstruction-optimized LOT family provides excellent reconstruction capability, and a transform can be selected based on the loss characteristics of the channel, the desired reconstruction performance, and the desired compression.
A parallel resonant converter with postregulators

A parallel resonant power converter (PRC) with postregulator(s) power synchronized to the primary switching frequency is investigated for discontinuous-conduction mode operation. It is analyzed with a magnetic amplifier, which blocks the rising edge of the secondary voltage, and with a synchronized buck regulator, which blocks part of the trailing edge of the secondary voltage waveform under the steady-state conditions. As a result, it has been shown that magnetic amplifiers are not suitable for resonant mode power converters, since the step change of the load from low to high during the same switching period as the primary makes the operating conditions worse. However, postregulators that block the trailing edge of the secondary voltage waveform do not adversely affect the operating conditions of PRC and work satisfactorily. As an alternative, a PRC with a magnetic postregulator is presented. An offline 150 W 250 kHz PRC is designed with a magnetic postregulator for a personal computer application, and experimental waveforms are included. >
Los viajes y trabajos de Manuel Iradier en África: género e hibridismo textual en el relato de viajes en el siglo XIX

The present article analyzes and locates the book of trips of century XIX like a crossroad of the most varied genre. For reaching this purpose, the travel book titled Africa. Viajes y trabajos de la Asociacion Euskara La Exploradora , written and published in two volumes by Manuel Iradier in 1887, has been chosen. Through this collection of texts the reader discovers —almost encyclopedically— an amazing world which is shown through the mixed use of different textual genres.
Total concurrency and uncertainty in linguistic geometry

Considers an example of application of linguistic geometry to the search multiagent problem with an extremely high branching factor, this problem is computationally hard for conventional approaches. The high computational complexity is explained by the allowance of concurrent motions of all the agents. This results in a significant growth of the branching factor (up to 300) because all the combinations of simultaneous motions are legal. Another difficulty is that when making a move, each side is uncertain about the concurrent motions of the other side. The linguistic geometry tools generated a solution of the problem demonstrating a dramatic search reduction for this totally concurrent system.
A cross-national comparative perspective on racial inequities in health: the USA versus Canada

Background: Cross-national comparisons allow the examination of the malleability of associations between race and health. Racial inequities in chronic conditions, indicators of health status and behavioural risk factors between two similar advanced capitalist countries were compared. It was hypothesised that racial inequities will be mitigated in Canada compared with the USA. Methods: Population-based, cross-sectional data from the 2002–3 Joint Canada–USA Survey of Health (JCUSH) with 4953 adult respondents from the USA and 3455 from Canada. Models adjusted for age, sex, foreign birth, marital status, health insurance, education, income and home ownership. Results: Compared with the USA, racial inequities in health were attenuated in Canada. In the USA, racial inequities in chronic diseases and fair or poor self-rated health were largely driven by inequities found among the native born. Strikingly, in Canada, however, there were few significant racial inequities and those occurred exclusively among the foreign born. Within strata of race and foreign birth, Canadians fared better, with both white people and non-white people reporting better health than their American counterparts. Foreign-born Canadians and Americans were more similar to each other in terms of health than native-born Canadians and Americans. Only among the native born did American white people and American non-white people have higher adjusted odds of hypertension, diabetes and obesity than Canadian white people and Canadian non-white people respectively. Self-rated health was worse for non-white Americans than non-white Canadians regardless of foreign birth. Conclusion: The influence of race on health is context dependent. There is no necessary link between race and a variety of health indicators.
Why Old McDonald had a farm but no allergies: genes, environments, and the hygiene hypothesis

Asthma, atopic dermatitis, and atopic rhinoconjunctivitis are three distinct conditions, which are characterized by the production of specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) against common, ubiquitous allergens such as house dust mites, pollen, or animal dander. Once sensitized, re-exposure to allergen induces an inflammatory reaction of the affected organ: the bronchial system, the nasal and ocular mucosa, or the skin, respectively. At present, atopic diseases are the most common chronic illnesses in children living in the industrialized world. In general, asthma and atopy rates are higher in affluent, Western countries with a high degree of industrialization than in developing countries with a large, rural population. In a worldwide study in approximately 500,000 school-aged children from 56 countries, the highest prevalence of asthma was found in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Australia, and most developing countries had comparatively low prevalence rates. Within European countries, a West–East gradient in the prevalence of childhood asthma is present, which became apparent in studies shortly after the fall of the communist East. In the Baltic area of Northern Europe, Swedish children had a higher prevalence of atopic sensitization and asthma than did those from Poland and Estonia [1, 2]. Likewise, the prevalence of asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic sensitization was significantly higher in West Germany than in the East [3], a genetically homogeneous study population that had lived under very different economic and environmental circumstances for 40 years. In the years since unification, however, atopic sensitization as well as atopic rhinitis have increased significantly in East German children, almost to levels found in Western Germany, and levels of asthma were still low [4]. As most children in the communist system grew up in day-care centers from an early age, an intriguing explanation for these findings was that the early exposures to infections and microbial matter in day-care centers may have influenced the susceptibility to atopic diseases.
Robust adaptive control for systems with reduced-order model

A robust adaptive controller is presented for the plant described by a controlled auto-regressive integrated moving average model with bounded disturbances and unmodeled dynamics due to plant-model order mismatch. The robust stability of the closed-loop system is achieved, and the open-loop unstable or/and nonminimum phase plants can be handled by the controller suggested. >
Editorial: MS/OR on Thin Ice

I recently attended a meeting of the Management Science Roundtable on the impact of new technologies on the MS/OR professions. The details and action plan of that meeting will be the subject of a further article or editorial; I would like to speculate on what I learned from conversations during coffee breaks and cocktails. The MS/OR environment is changing rapidly. MS/OR users are everywhere, calling what they are doing everything but MS/OR. Perhaps these two suggestions---certification and selling the profession at high levels---may help prevent a major decline in the credibility and the value of what MS/OR offers management practice.
Identification of cancer-specific motifs in mimotope profiles of serum antibody repertoire

For fighting cancer earlier detection is crucial. The whole proteome can be represented by a random peptide phage display library (RPPDL). This allows to develop an early cancer detection test comparing cancer patients' and healthy donors' global peptide profiles of antibody specificities. To decrease the complexity of profiles we developed a method for transforming a list of peptides constituting the mimotope profiles to the list motifs formed by similar peptide sequences. As a result, multiple cancer-specific motifs have been identified.
Comparative Evaluation of Handheld Robot-Aided Intraocular Laser Surgery

This paper presents robot-aided intraocular laser surgery using a handheld robot known as Micron. The micromanipulator enables visual servoing of a laser probe, while maintaining a constant distance of the tool tip from the retinal surface. Automated, semiautomated, and unaided manual performance in patterned laser retinal photocoagulation is compared.
DOA Estimation of Weak Signal Based on Orthogonal Projection Transform

A modified DOA estimation algorithm for weak signal in the presence of strong jamming/signal is proposed.The algorithm is based on orthogonal projection transform of the strong signal array.Through the construction of orthogonal projection matrix of strong signal array and the pre-processing of received array data vector,the influences of the strong signal to DOA estimation is suppressed.The proposed algorithm has low complexity and small computation compared with MUSIC and JJM algorithms and can effectively estimate DOAs of multiple weak signals in condition of multiple strong signals present.
Value and Implementation Way of Collaborative Innovation of Institutions of Higher Education

To promote university-industry contact and cooperation is an important link of the national science and technology innovation strategy. Combining the "2011 Plan" being implemented,the article points out that through the reform of the science and technology management system and mechanism,the institutions of higher education will promote the realization of the scientific value,talent value and economic value and lead traditional industries to make breakthroughs of the development model. Based on the above,the article analyzes paths to realize four categories of value,pointing out that the institutions of higher education should adopt the ways by clarifying the management of intellectual property,reforming the talent appraisal mode,increasing relevant service units,constructing innovative and entrepreneurial culture, etc. to remove obstacles to realizing four categories of value.
The Dynamics of Capital Structure in U.S. Start-Up Businesses

In this article, we examine how startup firms finance their operations over time. We empirically test the financial growth cycle theory developed by Berger and Udell (1998) using the Kauffman Firm Survey data, the largest longitudinal data set comprised of all U.S. startups launched in 2004. Simultaneously, we examine whether the pecking-order and trade-off theories explain the changes in capital structure of startups from inception to the later stages of development. Consistent with the predictions of financial growth cycle theory, at the startup stage, entrepreneurs rely on initial insider capital sources, such as personal savings, financing offered by friends and family, quasi-equity, and personal debt. Over time, as firms become less opaque, the proportion of business debt and trade credit financing in the total capital injection volume increases significantly. Although the proportion of owner’s equity in total capital injections decreases over time, the annual balance of owner’s equity increases, suggesting that owners use retained earnings to increase their ownership stake in the firm.
Locating the Experts: Identifying the Actors, Mapping the Terrain

In September of 1995, the Commission on the Status of Women and the United Nations Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW) organized the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. The focus of the conference was the advancement of women in several areas, including human rights, poverty, decision making, and violence against women, as well as other areas of concern (United Nations n.d.). The Beijing Conference was attended by a number of NGOs and media representatives, and 189 governments participated in the forum, which resulted in The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (United Nations n.d.). The Platform for Action signified international commitment to the advancement of women through several measures, including a unanimous agreement to “design, implement and monitor, with full participation of women, effective, efficient and mutually reinforcing gender-sensitive policies and programmes” (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs 1997). One important result of the Fourth World Conference on Women was the adoption of gender mainstreaming as a strategy to combat gender inequality and consequently increase political support and visibility of gender equality policies worldwide.
Effects of preheat and mix on the fuel adiabat of an imploding capsule

We demonstrate the effect of preheat, hydrodynamic mix and vorticity on the adiabat of the deuterium-tritium (DT) fuel in fusion capsule experiments. We show that the adiabat of the DT fuel increases resulting from hydrodynamic mixing due to the phenomenon of entropy of mixture. An upper limit of mix, Mclean/MDT ≥ 0.98, is found necessary to keep the DT fuel on a low adiabat. We demonstrate in this study that the use of a high adiabat for the DT fuel in theoretical analysis and with the aid of 1D code simulations could explain some aspects of 3D effects and mix in capsule implosion. Furthermore, we can infer from our physics model and the observed neutron images the adiabat of the DT fuel in the capsule and the amount of mix produced on the hot spot.
Judicial Institutionalization and Judicial Activism of the Post-Communist Constitutional Courts

In applying constitutional review, post-communist constitutional courts are affected by the existing political and institutional environments, as well as by their own institutional capabilities. However, our understanding of the activity of the post-communist constitutional courts remains incomplete because the existing research fails to consider how the institutional changes on these courts affect their decision-making behavior. In this study, I examine the activity of nineteen post-communist constitutional courts during the 1992-2006 period. I use an aggregate, time-series measure of judicial institutionalization to show that higher levels of institutionalization enhance these constitutional courts’ ability to pursue their policy goals and influence the degree to which they invalidate policy choices of other major political actors, while lower levels of institutionalization limit the courts’ impact on legal and political issues. The findings of this analysis thus provide the first empirical confirmation of the importance of judicial institutionalization to the policy outputs of the post-communist constitutional courts. I also illustrate how various institutional and contextual influences, such as executive power, legislative fragmentation, economic conditions, EU accession process, the identity of the litigants, and the nature of the litigated issues, influence the activity of post-communist constitutional courts.
Nonequilibrium diffusive gas dynamics: Poiseuille microflow

Abstract We test the recently developed hierarchy of diffusive moment closures for gas dynamics together with the near-wall viscosity scaling on the Poiseuille flow of argon and nitrogen in a one micrometer wide channel, and compare it against the corresponding Direct Simulation Monte Carlo computations. We find that the diffusive regularized Grad equations with viscosity scaling provide the most accurate approximation to the benchmark DSMC results. At the same time, the conventional Navier–Stokes equations without the near-wall viscosity scaling are found to be the least accurate among the tested closures.
Persistent Plethodontid Themes: Species, Phylogenies, and Biogeography

Abstract From the time of Cope's first analysis of plethodontid systematics through Dunn's era of consolidation and integration to the present time, there have been persistent themes. Criteria for recognition of species continue to evolve as methods of data acquisition have progressed and new methods of analysis of data have been developed. Species descriptions continue, often based on new discoveries, even in well-studied areas, but taxon subdivision is more common. What do we, as a community, want our species to be? Understanding of phylogenetic relationships has advanced with voluminous new molecular data; for example, we know that desmognathines are not the sister-group of all other plethodontids and that the two great clades, plethodonines and hemidactyliines, are well supported. As we have added more data, however, resolution within Hemidactyliinae has dramatically improved while, ironically, resolution within Plethodontinae has decayed. Historical biogeographical thinking has changed dramatically; ...
Guided Discovery of the Nine-Point Circle Theorem and Its Proof.

The nine-point circle theorem is one of the most beautiful and surprising theorems in Euclidean geometry. It establishes an existence of a circle passing through nine points, all of which are related to a single triangle. This paper describes a set of instructional activities that can help students discover the nine-point circle theorem through investigation in a dynamic geometry environment, and consequently prove it using a method of guided discovery. The paper concludes with a variety of suggestions for the ways in which the whole set of activities can be implemented in geometry classrooms.
A Novel Nonlinear Acoustic Health Monitoring Approach for Detecting Loose Bolts

To date, sensors have been the inevitable component of structural health monitoring (SHM) systems. Typically, sensory signals are digitized, processed by computers, and then the information is presented to the operator with plots or warnings depending on the sophistication of the system. This study proposes a novel nonlinear acoustic health monitoring (NAHM) approach for detection of loose bolts, which can work with and without any sensors. The structure is excited with bitonal excitations, which their difference is in the audible range. When the bolts are well tightened, the structure remains silent. But, the structure creates audible sound or verbal warnings in the presence of one or more loose bolts. There is no need for sensor(s), A/D converters or computers between the operator and the structure. However, it is also possible to attach a piezoelectric sensor or to use a microphone/sound level meter for further analysis of the structure’s response. The feasibility of the concept was demonstrated by detecting the loose bolt in a bolted plate system. For demonstrating the industrial potential of the proposed NAHM system, the concept was implemented for two simple washers held with nuts and bolts. Additionally, the intensities of the audible alarms were studied at different torque levels. The proposed NAHM may be used as a low-cost sensor-free SHM or as a backup for conventional nonlinear SHM systems.
Assessing farmers market produce vendors’ handling of containers and evaluation of the survival of Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes on plastic, pressed-card, and wood container surfaces at refrigerated and room temperature

Abstract This study aims to assess how small produce growers handle containers and evaluate the survival of Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes on various produce container surfaces commonly used at farmers markets, under storage conditions both at refrigerated and room temperature. In Study I, an anonymous survey was conducted to assess the practices of handling produce containers from 28 vendors at farmers markets in Morgantown, WV and 141 vendors from farmers markets in Kentucky. In Study II, plastic, pressed-card, and wood containers were trimmed (25 cm2) and inoculated with S. typhimurium and Tennessee, and two strains of L. monocytogenes, stored at 3.2 °C (22.19% RH) and 22.5 °C (50.40% RH), respectively, for 21 days and periodically analyzed for microbial populations on XLT-4 (Salmonella) and Modified-Oxford (L. monocytogenes) agars. The survey results showed that plastic, paper, and wood containers are the top three choices for small produce growers to transport and present produce at farmers markets. The pathogens decreased slower (P
Removal of Iron-Sulfide Deposits from Fracture Surfaces

Steels are most commonly used at moderate strength levels at which they have high ductility and resistance to subcritical crack growth due to hydrogen. Thus, in testing the susceptibility to hydrogen damage of these steels, severe charging conditions are commonly used, and hydrogen sulfide is often used in low-pH solutions to obtain the desired high fugacity for the test. The fracture faces of specimens tested in this type of solution become covered with iron and other sulfides that are difficult to remove without affecting the underlying metal as well. The removal of these sulfide deposits from the fracture surfaces is a prerequisite to fractographic analysis of the failure mode, and it was attempted by various methods. Hydrogen reduction of the sulfides at elevated temperatures followed by ultrasonic cleaning in alcohol was found to be much more successful than the other methods studied. This is true principally because the hydrogen-reduction treatment did not attack the fracture surface. Procedures for four different cleaning treatments are described, and they are rated in terms of their relative capability for cleaning sulfide-contaminated fracture surfaces without affecting the underlying metal. Evaluations of these methods for double-cantilever-beam and Charpy V-notch specimens of a 2 1/4 Cr-1Mo steel with fracture surfaces that were created at various stress-intensity levels provides information needed for studying the cracking mechanism under severe sulfide exposure conditions.
Portfolio Allocation Dynamics of China Investment Corporation in the Aftermath of the Global Financial Crisis of 2007–2009

Since its inception in 2007, the China Investment Corporation (CIC), the current operational vehicle of China’s Sovereign Wealth Fund, has undergone several important transformations. This Chapter will analyze these dynamics in terms of asset allocation strategies with respect to types of investments, geographical destination of funds, and investment goals of CIC especially as they relate to the Global Financial Crisis of 2008–2009, its aftermath, and the future prospects. Being the largest sovereign wealth investor holding assets of $482 billion as of 2013, CIC’s approach to these issues has very significant implications for China’s domestic economy as well as the global capital flows, financial stability, and economic growth.
Missed opportunities for concurrent HIV-STD testing in an academic emergency department.

Objectives.We evaluated emergency department (ED) provider adherence to guidelines for concurrent HIV-sexually transmitted disease (STD) testing within an expanded HIV testing program and assessed ...
The Golay Code

We begin by exploring the relationship between the binary Golay code (see (3.17)) and the Steiner system with parameters (5, 8, 24).
Demonstration of the phosphorylation of dihydropyridine-sensitive calcium channels in chick skeletal muscle and the resultant activation of the channels after reconstitution.

Abstract We have examined the effects of cAMP elevating agents on the phosphorylation of dihydropyridine-sensitive Ca2+ channels in intact newborn chick skeletal muscle. In situ treatment with the beta-adrenergic receptor agonist isoproterenol resulted in the phosphorylation of the 170-kDa alpha 1 subunit in the intact cells, as evidenced by a marked decrease in the ability of the alpha 1 peptide to serve as a substrate in in vitro back phosphorylation reactions with [gamma-32P]ATP and the purified catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase. The phosphorylation of the 52-kDa beta subunit was not affected. The effects of isoproterenol were time- and concentration-dependent and were mimicked by other cAMP elevating agents but not by the Ca2+ ionophore A23187 or a protein kinase C activator. To test for functional effects of the observed phosphorylation, purified channels were reconstituted into liposomes containing entrapped fluo-3, and depolarization-sensitive and dihydropyridine-sensitive Ca2+ influx was measured. Channels from isoproterenol-treated muscle exhibited an increased rate and extent of Ca2+ influx compared to control preparations. The effects of isoproterenol pretreatment could be mimicked by phosphorylating the channels with cAMP-dependent protein kinase in vitro. These results demonstrate that the alpha 1 subunit of the dihydropyridine-sensitive Ca2(+)-channels is the primary target of cAMP-dependent phosphorylation in intact muscle and that the phosphorylation of this protein leads to activation of channel activity.
High-resolution 3D marine seismic acquisition in the overburden at the Tomakomai CO2 storage project, offshore Hokkaido, Japan

Abstract Monitoring injected CO2 is an important part of assuring permanence of long term storage to mitigate atmospheric emissions. Three-dimensional (3D) seismic has been shown to be an effective technology for visualizing and quantifying subsurface geology and fluids. In this study, we demonstrate the successful acquisition, processing, and initial interpretation of a first-of-its-kind high-resolution 3D (HR3D) marine seismic survey above an active CO2 injection site offshore Tomakomai, Japan. An initial sensitivity study indicated generally favorable subsurface conditions for imaging subsurface pore fluid changes. A unique processing workflow incorporating multiple data processing software packages has been tailored to the short-offset and low-fold HR3D acquisition. The final 3D volume shows generally flat and laterally-continuous stratigraphy in the overburden above the injection zone without identifiable faults, indicating coherent overburden above the CO2 injection site and low associated risk of vertical CO2 migration. The successful deployment of this novel marine seismic monitoring technology in the overburden at a small-scale (100 kt/yr) demonstration project suggests HR3D will also be a useful characterization and monitoring tool for larger demonstration and commercial-scale (˜10 MT) offshore Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) sites.
The Meniscal Grammar Signs: Comma and Apostrophe Signs for Characterization of a Displaced Fragment in the Meniscal Recess

Vertical flap tears, or parrot beak flap tears, are oblique tears of the meniscus thought to originate as a central radial tear and propagate longitudinally towards the periphery, generating a partially detached unstable fragment that can subsequently displace into the meniscal recess. Although magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is frequently used to diagnose and characterize meniscus pathology, imaging findings for displaced flap tears are not well described in the literature. The recently published meniscal comma sign describes inferior displacement of a meniscus flap tear into the meniscotibial recess that, when seen on MRI, resembles a comma. In the present article, we define the meniscal apostrophe sign, characterized by superior displacement of a meniscus flap tear into the meniscofemoral recess found on MRI. Displaced fragments in the meniscal recess are crucial to identify, as they often result in significant pain and mechanical symptoms related to tenting of the deep medial collateral ligament, which responds poorly to nonoperative treatment. Misdiagnosis of these unstable flap tears as degenerative meniscus extrusion or isolated progression of osteoarthritis can lead to a delay in treatment.
Cyberporn Use in the Context of Religiosity

Past studies have demonstrated an inverse relationship between religiosity and addictive behaviors, such as gambling, smoking, alcoholism, and substance use. This association suggests that religios...
Preclinical testing using novel CT20p petide-nanoparticle combination in breast cancer.

3085 Background: Patients with metastatic breast cancer may be initially responsive to treatment, but a significant number develop refractory disease. There is a critical unmet need to develop effe...
Advances toward multiscale computational models of cartilage mechanics and mechanobiology

Abstract Across spatial scales, biological systems exhibit exquisite hierarchy in architecture and function, leading to complex, observable phenomena. In the articular cartilage of our joints, the organization of molecule- to tissue-level structures governs the interplay of macromolecules and determines the biological activity of embedded cells (chondrocytes), motivating the development of new computational models to provide insight and understanding. We review recent work on multiscale modeling of cartilage, with an emphasis on finite element based methods, and emerging experimental approaches that enable calibration and validation. Through new nested modeling approaches, we are now able to dissect interactions of constituent macromolecules, and we envision the ability to soon define the mechanical microenvironment experienced by and within single cells that guide biological activity.
Behavioral Symptoms of Dementia in Latinos: Pharmacological, Non-pharmacological, and Ethnocultural Healthcare Interventions

Although it can be argued that the general knowledge base of how to effectively treat the behavioral symptoms of dementia (BSDs) is less than optimal, it is even more challenging to understand how to best treat BSDs in ethnic/racial minority groups, as in the case of Latinos. In this chapter, the inclusion of indigenous and other folk-based frameworks is discussed, as well as the potential for a greater accounting for cultural differences in the treatment of BSDs. This chapter provides an overview of the predominant interventions utilized in healthcare to treat patients with dementia, including Western-based methods of pharmacological and non-pharmacological approaches. In the case of Latinos, the ethnocultural and traditional healing systems are promoted as those that can be integrated in the Western approaches. Central to appropriate use of pharmacological interventions are factors such as those that are epigenetic, gene-environment interactions, and genetic variations in different populations. When ethnic/racial status is considered for a Latino patient, it is the realm of ethnopharmacology that answers the call for more specific and tailored consideration of medications (e.g., psychotropics, for an aging Latino population). Non-pharmacological interventions are also reviewed and discussed for their range of effectiveness and their limitations being based on differing research protocols that cannot always provide predictive or definitive improved treatment outcomes. A call is made for more Latinos as research participants, as well as more interdisciplinary research studies for BSDs.
Q-ary Asymmetric LOCO Codes: Constrained Codes Supporting Flash Evolution

Flash memory devices are winning the competition for storage density against magnetic recording devices. This outcome results from advances in physics that allow storage of more than one bit per cell, coupled with advances in signal processing that reduce the effect of physical instabilities. Constrained codes are used in storage to avoid problematic patterns. Recently, we introduced binary symmetric lexicographically-ordered constrained codes (LOCO codes) for data storage and transmission. This paper introduces simple constrained codes that support non-binary physical gates in multi, triple, quad, and the currently-in-development penta-level cell (M/T/Q/P-LC) Flash memories. The new codes can be easily modified if problematic patterns change with time. These codes are designed to mitigate inter-cell interference, which is a critical source of error in Flash devices. The new codes are called q-ary asymmetric LOCO codes (QA-LOCO codes), and the construction subsumes codes previously designed for single-level cell (SLC) Flash devices (ALOCO codes). QA-LOCO codes work for a Flash device with any number, q, of levels per cell. For q ≥ 4, we show that QA-LOCO codes can achieve rates greater than 0.95log 2 q information bits per coded symbol. Capacity-achieving rates, affordable encoding-decoding complexity, and ease of reconfigurability support the growing improvement of M/T/Q/P-LC Flash memory devices, as well as lifecycle management as the characteristics of these devices change with time.
Characteristics of Second-Generation African Women Entrepreneurs: Education, Technology, and Globalization Effect

Research reports, publications, and magazines describe and attest to the resilience, courage, motivation, and other characteristics of the current generation African female entrepreneurs. And as much as the challenges of the first-generation and culture-induced entrepreneurs still linger into this present era, there have been notable improvements in female education, training, access to finance, mentorship and networking.
“Painful, yet Beautiful, Moments”: Pathways Through Infant Feeding and Dynamic Conceptions of Breastfeeding Success:

What is breastfeeding "success"? In this article, we challenge the traditional biomedical definition, instead centering visions of success described by breastfeeding mothers themselves. Using semi-structured interviews, quantitative surveys, and written narratives of 38 first-time mothers in the United States, we describe five common pathways through the first-year postpartum, a taxonomic distinction far more complex than a success-failure dichotomy: sustained breastfeeding, exclusive pumping, combination feeding, rapid weaning, and grinding back to exclusivity. We also explore the myriad ways in which mothers define and experience breastfeeding success, and in the process uncover the ways that cultural narratives-especially intensive mothering-color those experiences. Finally, we discuss how these experiences are shaped by infant feeding pathway. In doing so, we discover nuance that has gone unexplored in the breastfeeding literature. These findings have implications for supporting, promoting, and protecting breastfeeding in the United States and other high-income countries.
Funny business from the large $N_c$ finite temperature crossover

It is well known that the deconfinement transition temperature for $SU(N_c)$ gauge theory is almost independent of $N_c$, and the transition is first order for $N_c \ge 3$. In the real world ($N_c=3$, light quarks) it is a crossover located far away from the pure gauge value. What happens to the transition temperature at fixed fermion mass if the number of fermion flavors is held constant ($N_f=2$) and $N_c$ is varied? There are multiple plausible stories, only one of which appears to be true when the systems are simulated on the lattice. I describe the physics issues which surround the question and my lattice - based answer to it.
Sex Differences in the Utilization and Outcomes of Cardiac Valve Replacement Surgery for Infective Endocarditis: Insights From the National Inpatient Sample

Background The data on the differential impact of sex on the utilization and outcomes of valve replacement surgery for infective endocarditis are limited to single‐center and small sample size pati...
Chapter 9 Social Judgment Theory in Education: Current and Potential Applications

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the recent progress made in the application of social judgment theory (SJT) to a variety of problems in education. The study of educational decision ecologies entails working with cue structures and task characteristics as they exist naturally, not as they are experimentally manipulated. The utility of SJT in education is that it provides both a theoretical model of the judgment process and a methodological system within which one can investigate the model's specific implications. The work in SJT has given rise to a particularly useful theory of human cognition: cognitive continuum theory (CCT). Many decisions are accomplished using a mixture of analysis and intuition, which gives rise to a general mode of cognition termed “quasirationality.” This is regarded the fundamental characteristic of CCT: human cognition ranges on a continuum from highly intuitive to highly analytic. The middle and largest region of the continuum is quasi-rational where facets of both intuitive and analytic thinking blend.
CGA-7 and HHF, two monoclonal antibodies that recognize muscle actin and react with adherent cells in human long-term bone marrow cultures

The CGA-7, a monoclonal antibody that reacts with smooth muscle cell actin but not with endothelial cell or fibroblast actin, and HHF, a monoclonal antibody that reacts with smooth muscle, skeletal muscle, and cardiac muscle actin, both recognize microfilaments present within adherent cells from actively hematopoietic human long-term marrow cultures. Macrophages, monocytes, and cultured marrow fibroblasts do not react with either antibody. These data suggest that the anti-actin antibodies may serve as useful markers for in vitro microenvironmental cells and lend support to the hypothesis that stromal cells from long- term marrow cultures are different from marrow fibroblasts and may constitute a unique cell lineage.
A Generalized Mathematical Model in One-Dimension

In the previous chapter we derived a stochastic solute transport model (Eq. 3.14); we developed the methods to estimate its parameters, and investigated its behaviour numerically. We see some promise to characterise the solute dispersion at different flow lengths, and there are some indications that Eq. (3.14) produce the behaviours that would be interpreted as capturing the scale-dependency of dispersivity.
ROTATING TOOL POINT FREQUENCY RESPONSE PREDICTION USING RCSA

This article describes the prediction of rotating tool point frequency response functions using receptance coupling substructure analysis (RCSA). In this approach, the at-speed spindle-machine dynamics are identified by impact tests of a rotating cylindrical standard artifact. After removing the portion of the artifact beyond the holder flange in simulation, models of arbitrary tool-holder combinations are coupled to the spindle response to predict the speed-dependent tool point frequency response. Given this information, process dynamics predictions for spindles that exhibit dynamic changes with rotating speed are made possible without detailed knowledge of the spindle geometry, assembly tolerances, etc. Experimental results and comparisons with prediction are provided.
THE SPECTROSCOPY OF SALICYLALDEHYDES, ELECTRONIC ABSORPTION SPECTRA

Abstract Measurements of the electronic absorption spectra of vapor- and solution-phase salicylaldehydes are reported for wavelengths ≥1900 A. Three intense absorption band systems are readily assigned as A′ (ππ ∗ ) ← 1 1 A′ transitions by comparison with all-valence-electron computations. Moderate vibrational structure in the 3 1 A′ (ππ ∗ ) ← 1 1 A′ transitions of isotopic salicylaldehydes is analyzed and tentative assignments are made for the coupled vibrations.
Planning and implementing a nondestructive pavement testing program

Planning and implementing a nondestructive testing (NDT) program for pavements is an interesting and often frustrating task. The authors of this paper perceived a need to summarize their experiences while using four NDT devices to test pavement sections on the federal-aid interstate and primary highway systems in Indiana. The lessons learned during the planning and execution of the project can be instructive to organizations planning similar studies. It will be of particular interest to those persons who have little experience conducting a project of this nature. Many of the basic concepts of planning, organizing, and conducting an NDT program are included. Personal experiences of the authors are given to help reinforce these concepts.
Cell Structure and Motion, Cytoskeleton and Cell Movement

Introduction The Cytoskeleton Major Structural Components Organization Dynamic Behavior Microtubules Structure Function Organization and Dynamics Importance in Biotechnology Actin Filaments Structure Organization Assembly Dynamics Actin-Based Motility Intermediate Filaments Structure Assembly Dynamics Intermediate Filament Associated Proteins Function Bibliography Keywords: physiology; anatomy; adhesion; extracellular matrix
Bandwidth Reallocation Techniques for Admitting High Priority Real-Time Calls in ATM Networks

A high priority real-time connection is denied admission to an ATM network if sufficient bandwidth is not available along all suitable paths through the network. Bandwidth reallocation and dynamic active channel re-routing are techniques that can be used to admit high priority real-time connections where traditional CAC techniques would deny admission. A node can select lower priority channels, reallocate their bandwidth to the new higher priority connection being admitted, and reroute those channels so that their QoS requirements and transmission deadlines can still be satisfied. At call admission time, one or more backup channels are established for those primary channels that are likely to be selected as victims for bandwidth reallocation. This allows reroutes to be handled quickly and efficiently. When reroutes occur, the protocols ensure that the transmitted data are received on time and in sequence, which is essential for real-time communications. SANRoP, a cell based discrete event simulator, was developed to simulate these protocols in an ATM network in order to determine how well they perform.