cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Life history aspects of the mayfly Siphlonurus typicus (Ephemeroptera: Siphlonuridae) with a new application for measuring nymphal development and growth

Little is known about the life history of mayflies that inhabit temporary ponds. The purpose of this study was to observe and quantify life histories attributes of Siphlonurus typicus, which is known to reside in temporary ponds. Weekly samples of nymphs were taken from two temporary ponds in eastern Connecticut from March to June, 1999. Individuals were graded into 11 maturity classes, based on developmental characteristics, as a means of predicting population maturity rates. Head capsule widths (HCWs) were used to determine if growth occurred between maturity classes. Degree days were found to be an excellent predictor for population maturity (r2=0.963, p<0.0001). Nymphs that hatched earlier in the year had larger HCWs than nymphs that hatched later in the year, possibly because of different temperature regimes. The University of Connecticut Forest pond (UCF) population matured faster than the Merrow Meadows pond (MER) population, but both sexes of the UCF population tended to be smaller than their counter parts from the MER population. Sex ratios were female bias for the UCF population (1.35:1), but were not different for the MER population. Adult emergence and mating occurred from 27 May to 21 June. There was a positive relationship between number of eggs per female and female body length. Oviposition at both sites occurred directly on the ponds, pond inlets, and outlets, indicating that pond populations were the result of local migrants as well as permanent residents. Temperature was a determining factor of maturity and fecundity for Siphlonurus typicus.
Atypical Functional Brain Activation During a Multiple Object Tracking Task in Girls With Turner Syndrome: Neurocorrelates of Reduced Spatiotemporal Resolution

Turner syndrome is associated with spatial and numerical cognitive impairments. We hypothesized that these nonverbal cognitive impairments result from limits in spatial and temporal processing, particularly as it affects attention. To examine spatiotemporal attention in girls with Turner syndrome versus typically developing controls, we used a multiple object tracking task during functional magnetic resonance (fMRI) imaging. Participants actively tracked a target among six distracters or passively viewed the animations. Neural activation in girls with Turner syndrome during object tracking overlapped with but was dissimilar to the canonical frontoparietal network evident in typically developing controls and included greater limbic activity. Task performance and atypical functional activation indicate anomalous development of cortical and subcortical temporal and spatial processing circuits in girls with Turner syndrome.
Dissolved organic carbon measurement using a modified high-temperature combustion analyzer

Abstract The performance of a dissolved organic carbon (DOC) analyzer operating on the principle of high-temperature combustion (HTC) is subject to numerous design and operation characteristics. Here we describe modifications and performance tests of a commercial HTC analyzer (MQ Scientific, model MQ-1001), many of which are applicable to other HTC instruments. Design improvements include a new combustion column, auto-sampler needle assembly, and a smaller sparger/water trap that automatically maintains constant water level and pH. Techniques for monitoring and compensating for carrier gas flow rate fluctuations, as well as electronic improvements to the auto-sampler advance control and the high-pressure injection gas pulse, are also described. A new model LICOR 7000, nondispersive IR (NDIR) detector is shown to provide a 50-fold increase in sensitivity over the previous LICOR 6252 model. The total blank for the modified instrument is initially ∼27 ng C and declines during use to ∼9 ng C as the combustion column ages. For an instrument with a well-conditioned combustion column, approximately half of this background is resolvable into a reagent component coming largely from the deionized, UV-irradiated (DUV) water used to rinse the sample onto the combustion column: the other half is intrinsic to the instrument and appears associated with the quartz bead packing. Injection of varying volumes of DUV water with and without an added constant C background, indicates that our DUV water contains between 2 and 9 μM DOC, depending on the variable performance of the water purifier. Similar experiments indicate that the intrinsic instrument blank is variable over time and depends complexly on both the wait time between individual water injections and the overall time that the combustion column has been conditioned. The modified instrument fitted with the new LICOR 7000 detector measures 46.1±1.3 μM DOC in Sargasso Sea water reference material (44–45 μM) against a total instrument blank equivalent to about a fourth of this value. Overall, the modified MQ-1001 analyzer is capable of dependable, automated analysis of relatively challenging deep seawater samples with an average accuracy of about ±3.8% of the consensus value.
Essential role for Notch signaling in restricting developmental plasticity

We report that Notch signaling is essential for the switch from developmental plasticity to commitment during Caenorhabditis elegans embryogenesis. The GLP-1 and LIN-12 Notch receptors act to set a memory state that affects commitment of cells arising from the major ectodermal progenitor (AB blastomere) several cell divisions later, thereby preventing their forced reprogramming by an endoderm-determining transcription factor. In contrast to Notch-dependent cell fate induction, this activity is autonomous to the AB lineage, is independent of the known cell fate-inducing Notch ligands, and requires a putative secreted Notch ligand, Delta Serrate Lag-3 (DSL-3). Thus, Notch signaling promotes developmental commitment by a mechanism that is distinct from that involved in specifying cell fates.
Albumin transcytosis across the epithelium of the lactating mouse mammary gland.

Murine milk contains 18 mg ml−1 serum albumin, a concentration equal to that in the serum of the lactating mouse. We examined cellular transport using in vivo methods in the mouse. At steady state the specific activity of 125I-albumin injected into the blood stream was equal in plasma and whey, confirming that milk albumin is extra-mammary in origin. Fluorescent albumin crossed the gland from basolateral surface to lumen via cytoplasmic vesicles, but was not transported in the apical to basal direction. Albumin was segregated from transferrin at the basal surface of the epithelial cells and did not colocalize with either caveolin-1 or -2. Vesicular transport was not disrupted by filipin providing additional evidence that, unlike the vascular endothelium, caveoli are not involved. Cytoplasmic albumin was localized to vesicles containing IgA and transport was disrupted by agents that interfere with clathrin-mediated endocytosis. Together, these findings provide evidence that albumin is transported across the mammary epithelium by the same pathway as immunoglobulin. The possibility that the massive transfer of albumin into mouse milk is mediated by fluid phase transport is considered.
Antihistone Antibodies Induced by Procainamide and Hydralazine

It is well documented that symptoms resembling those of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) as well as antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) may appear in patients undergoing prolonged drug therapy (Weinstein, 1980; Blomgren, 1973; Tan, 1974). Several drugs differing in molecular structure and metabolic pathways of biotransformation have been implicated (Lee and Chase, 1975).
Carcinogenicity of Potassium Bromate Administered in the Drinking Water to Male B6C3F1 Mice and F344/N Rats

Ozone has been proposed for water disinfection because it is more efficient than chlorine for killing microbes and rcsults in much lower levels of carcinogenic trihalomcthanes than does chlorination. Ozone leads to formation of hypobromous hcid in surface waters with high bromine content and forms brominated organic by-products and bromate. The carcinogenicity and chronic toxicity of potassium bromate (KBrO,) was studied in male B6C3F, mice and F344M rats to confirm and extcnd the results of previous work. Mice were treated with 0. 0.08, 0.4, or 0.8 g/L KBrO, in the drinking water for up to 100 wk, and rats werc provided with 0, 0.02, 0.1, 0.2. or 0.4 g/L KBrO,. Animals were euthanatized, necropsied, and subjected to a complete macroscopic examination. Selected tissues and gross lesions were processed by routine methods for light microscopic examination. The present study showed that KBrO, is carcinogenic in the rat kidney, thyroid, and mesothelium and is a renal carcinogen in the male mouse. KBrO, was carcinogenic in rodents at water concentrations as low as 0.02 g/L (20 ppm; 1.5 mglkglday). These data can be used to estimate the human health risk that would be associated with changing from chlorination to ozonation for disinfection of drinking water.
Hot Isostatic Pressed Beryllium For Large Optics

Large beryllium mirrors are being proposed by NASA, the SDI Organization, and others for a number of space applications. Traditional fabrication methods produce anisotropy and inhomogeneity of material properties that can result in thermally induced dimensional instabilities. In addition, current methods are slow and costly and may be limited to mirror sizes that can be machined from billets with a maximum diameter of about 1.7 m. This paper discusses hot isostatic pressing, the preferred fabrication method for large beryllium mirrors since it can produce dimensionally stable beryllium mirrors in less time and at lower cost than conventional methods.
The Role of a 14-3-3 Protein in Stomatal Opening Mediated by PHOT2 in Arabidopsis

The 14-3-3 λ isoform is required for normal stomatal opening mediated by PHOT2 in Arabidopsis thaliana. Arabidopsis PHOTOTROPIN2 (PHOT2) interacts with the λ-isoform 14-3-3 protein both in yeast two-hybrid screening and in an in vitro pull-down assay. Further yeast two-hybrid analysis also showed that the PHOT2 C-terminal kinase domain was required for the interaction. Site-directed mutagenesis indicated that PHOT2 Ser-747 is essential for the yeast interaction. Phenotypic characterization of a loss-of-function 14-3-3 λ mutant in a phot1 mutant background showed that the 14-3-3 λ protein was necessary for normal PHOT2-mediated blue light–induced stomatal opening. PHOT2 Ser-747 was necessary for complementation of the blue light–activated stomatal response in a phot1 phot2 double mutant. The 14-3-3 λ mutant in the phot1 mutant background allowed normal phototropism and normal chloroplast accumulation and avoidance responses. It also showed normal stomatal opening mediated by PHOT1 in a phot2 mutant background. The 14-3-3 κ mutant had no effect on stomatal opening in response to blue light. Although the 14-3-3 λ mutant had no chloroplast movement phenotype, the 14-3-3 κ mutation caused a weaker avoidance response at an intermediate blue light intensity by altering the balance between the avoidance and accumulation responses. The results highlight the strict specificity of phototropin-mediated signal transduction pathways.
Turbidity influences trophic interactions in estuaries

We investigated how changes in abiotic conditions resulting from human activities indirectly alter trophic interactions using turbidity in estuaries as a model system. Development and nutrient input are causing turbidity to increase in many coastal areas. Using an 18 yr data set from Aransas and San Antonio Bays in Texas, we found fish abundance (Sciaenops ocellatus, Pogonias cromis, Archosargus probatocephalus) to be highest in low turbidity (, 30 nephelometric turbidity units [NTU]; p , 0.01), while crab (Callinectes sapidus) abundance was highest in high turbidity (. 30 NTU; p , 0.05). In field studies, mud crabs (Panopeus spp.), an important intermediate predator on oyster reefs that are not targeted in the 18 yr data set, were more abundant on oyster reefs in St. Charles Bay, Texas, when turbidity exceeded 30 NTU ( p 5 0.03). Fish predation on tethered Panopeus herbstii was greatest when turbidity was low (, 30 NTU, p , 0.05), but predation by crabs ( p 5 0.003) and overall predation ( p 5 0.02) were greatest in high turbidity (. 30 NTU). Predation on oyster spat was not different between low- and high-turbidity sites ( p 50.64). However, oysters devoted more resources to shell growth ( p , 0.01) at a cost of less somatic growth and fecundity, a reaction known to occur in response to crab predators. Elevated turbidity can alter trophic interactions in estuaries by altering species composition and trophic interactions, leading to an increase in crab abundance, which can alter predation rates as well as growth in juvenile oysters.
Load modeling for distribution circuit state estimation

Due to the limited availability of telemetered data on distribution circuits, an integral part of any practical distribution circuit state estimator is a load modeling procedure that provides estimates of load demands at all circuit nodes. Traditional load modeling techniques used for distribution power flows are designed for power system peak studies, and are not suitable for providing real-time statistical load estimates. This paper presents a real-time load modeling technique which incorporates the use of customer class curves and provides a measure of the uncertainty (statistics) in the estimates. It also incorporates the possibility of multiple line flow measurements and makes use of customer billing information. The load modeling technique is combined with a probabilistic distribution circuit state estimation algorithm. Results of the combined load modeling and state estimation algorithm are provided on an actual 934-bus distribution circuit illustrating its feasibility.
Adolescent gender ideology socialization: Direct and moderating effects of fathers' beliefs.

Previous research examining the intergenerational transmission of gender ideology focuses generally on the influence of mothers' beliefs. This article extends the understanding of gender ideology construction and transmission in two important ways. Utilizing data from the child sample of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (N = 206), we examine the construction of adolescent gender ideology via mothers' and fathers' gender beliefs. Further, we consider the interaction between maternal and paternal ideologies as they influence adolescent ideology. Findings suggest that paternal ideology plays a strong role in adolescent ideology formation, both directly and as a moderator of maternal influence.
Corticosteroid Levels in White Leghorn Hens as Affected by Handling, Laying-House Environment, and Genetic Stock,

Abstract Correlation coefficients between handling time and plasma corticosteroid concentration of White Leghorn hens were minimal when times varied from 43 to 161 sec (r=.17; P 30% in corticosteroids as compared to samples obtained from hens caught directly from the floor. Neither floor pen vs. colony cage nor genetic stock differences were found for plasma corticosteroid levels of hens at a mean age of 55 weeks. Adrenocorticotropic hormone stimulation of 63-week-old hens caused an 8.5-fold increase in corticosteroids above basal but failed to elicit differential effects associated with environments or genetic stocks. Nevertheless, hens kept in floor pens had 10.8% higher survival in the laying house and exceeded colony-cage hens by more than 40% in hen-day egg mass for the final 10 weeks of a 40-week laying period.
Interleukin-13 induces collagen type-1 expression through matrix metalloproteinase-2 and transforming growth factor-β1 in airway fibroblasts in asthma

Airway remodelling is a feature of asthma that contributes to loss of lung function. One of the central components of airway remodelling is subepithelial fibrosis. Interleukin (IL)-13 is a key T-helper 2 cytokine and is believed to be the central mediator of allergic asthma including remodelling, but the mechanism driving the latter has not been elucidated in human asthma. We hypothesised that IL-13 stimulates collagen type-1 production by the airway fibroblast in a matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)- and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1-dependent manner in human asthma as compared to healthy controls. Fibroblasts were cultured from endobronchial biopsies in 14 subjects with mild asthma and 13 normal controls that underwent bronchoscopy. Airway fibroblasts were treated with various mediators including IL-13 and specific MMP-inhibitors. IL-13 significantly stimulated collagen type-1 production in asthma compared to normal controls. Inhibitors of MMP-2 significantly attenuated collagen production in asthma but had no effect in normal controls. IL-13 significantly increased total and active forms of TGF-β1, and this activation was blocked using an MMP-2 inhibitor. IL-13 activated endogenous MMP-2 in asthma patients as compared to normal controls. In an ex vivo model, IL-13 potentiates airway remodelling through a mechanism involving TGF-β1 and MMP-2. These effects provide insights into the mechanism involved in IL-13-directed airway remodelling in asthma.
Adsorption of perfluorooctanoic acid and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid to iron oxide surfaces as studied by flow-through ATR-FTIR spectroscopy

Environmental context Perfluoroalkyl compounds are organic contaminants that exhibit strong resistance to chemical- and microbial-degradation. As partitioning between solid and aqueous phases is expected to control the transport of perfluoroalkyl compounds, we studied the molecular mechanisms of their adsorption–desorption at a representative Fe oxide surface using in situ molecular spectroscopy. The results provide valuable information on the types of bonds formed, and enable a better understanding of the transport and fate of these organic contaminants in natural environments. Abstract The kinetics and mechanisms of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) adsorption to nanoparticulate hematite (α-Fe2O3) from aqueous solutions were examined using in situ, flow-through attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy. Results indicate that both PFOA and PFOS molecules are retained at the hydrophilic hematite surface and the adsorption shows strong pH dependence. However, ATR-FTIR data reveal that PFOA and PFOS are bound to the iron oxide by different mechanisms. Specifically, in addition to electrostatic interactions, PFOA forms inner-sphere Fe–carboxylate complexes by ligand exchange, whereas the PFOS sulfonate group forms outer-sphere complexes and possibly hydrogen-bonds at the mineral surface. Both solution pH and surface loading affect adsorption kinetics. Faster adsorption was observed at low pH and high initial PFC concentrations. Sorption kinetics for both compounds can be described by a pseudo-second-order rate law at low pH (pH 3.0 and 4.5) and a pseudo-first-order rate law at high pH (pH 6.0). Sorption isotherm data for PFOA derived from spectroscopic results exhibit features characteristic of ionic surfactant adsorption to hydrophilic charged solid surfaces.
Influence of age on dynamic position sense: Evidence using a sequential movement task

Age related changes to the nervous system are well documented. The main objectives of this study were to examine age-associated changes in dynamic position sense and relate these changes to measures of balance and physical function. Two groups of individuals (young 60 years) performed an upper extremity movement sequence triggered by a pre-determined target angle during passive rotations of the ankle joint at ten random velocities (10–90° s−1). Balance was assessed with a series of timed standing tests. Physical function was assessed with the SF 36 questionnaire. Muscle activity was recorded from the ankle dorsiflexors and plantarflexors during the dynamic position tests. Increased error in the elderly group suggested that dynamic position sense declines with age. Moreover, this decline in dynamic position sense was associated with decreased balance and an impaired perception of physical function. The elderly also co-contracted the ankle plantarflexors and dorsiflexors during the proprioceptive testing, perhaps as a strategy to “gain up” spindle sensitivity. These findings suggest that impaired dynamic position sense of the ankle contributes to alterations in the overall physical function and balance in the elderly. Rehabilitative training methods that improve dynamic position sense of the ankles may improve physical function and balance in the elderly.
Evolutionary paths of least resistance

When organisms face a challenging environment, they may respond by adapting along different potential evolutionary paths. Each potential path will likely correspond to a different biological mechanism for fitness increase, and which of these alternative mechanisms will evolve depends on a number of factors, including the relative fitness benefits and costs of a given mechanism, the number and type of mutations necessary to evolve the mechanism, and random chance. If one of these evolutionary paths is consistently chosen over the others, then we can think of it as the path of least resistance. In PNAS, Bratulic et al. (1) study the evolutionary paths of least resistance in Escherichia coli bacteria exposed to the antibiotic ampicillin. The authors study E. coli strains carrying a plasmid expressing TEM-1, a protein that confers resistance to ampicillin. The experimental strain has an elevated rate of translation errors, whereas a control strain has a normal translational error rate. The experiment is set up such that only the coding sequence of TEM-1 can evolve, but not the E. coli strains themselves nor the rest of the plasmid. Bratulic et al. find that under an elevated translational error rate, the path of least resistance is to evolve reduced translation-initiation efficiency for TEM-1 when ampicillin concentration is low, and robustness to translation errors when ampicillin concentration is high (Fig. 1). In contrast, a reduction in translational error rate, which could have evolved through modified synonymous choice, is not observed.
SHORT-TERM VARIATIONS IN DIET FATTY ACID COMPOSITION AND TORPOR BY GROUND SQUIRRELS

Abstract Golden-mantled ground squirrels (Spermophilus lateralis) in the laboratory are most likely to enter torpor when the linoleic acid content of their diet is 33–62 mg/g diet. Diets of free-ranging ground squirrels vary in linoleic acid content throughout summer; however, they often do not have constant linoleic acid content for more than a month. The influence of natural short-term ( 62 mg/g) levels during early-summer feeding. But increasing diet l...
A multi-data stream assimilation framework for the assessment of volcanic unrest

Abstract Active volcanoes pose a constant risk to populations living in their vicinity. Significant effort has been spent to increase monitoring and data collection campaigns to mitigate potential volcano disasters. To utilize these datasets to their fullest extent, a new generation of model-data fusion techniques is required that combine multiple, disparate observations of volcanic activity with cutting-edge modeling techniques to provide efficient assessment of volcanic unrest. The purpose of this paper is to develop a data assimilation framework for volcano applications. Specifically, the Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF) is adapted to assimilate GPS and InSAR data into viscoelastic, time-forward, finite element models of an evolving magma system to provide model forecasts and error estimations. Since the goal of this investigation is to provide a methodological framework, our efforts are focused on theoretical development and synthetic tests to illustrate the effectiveness of the EnKF and its applicability in physical volcanology. The synthetic tests provide two critical results: (1) a proof of concept for using the EnKF for multi dataset assimilation in investigations of volcanic activity; and (2) the comparison of spatially limited, but temporally dense, GPS data with temporally limited InSAR observations for evaluating magma chamber dynamics during periods of volcanic unrest. Results indicate that the temporally dense information provided by GPS observations results in faster convergence and more accurate model predictions. However, most importantly, the synthetic tests illustrate that the EnKF is able to swiftly respond to data updates by changing the model forecast trajectory to match incoming observations. The synthetic results demonstrate a great potential for utilizing the EnKF model-data fusion method to assess volcanic unrest and provide model forecasts. The development of these new techniques provides: (1) a framework for future applications of rapid data assimilation and model development during volcanic crises; (2) a method for hind-casting to investigate previous volcanic eruptions, including potential eruption triggering mechanisms and precursors; and (3) an approach for optimizing survey designs for future data collection campaigns at active volcanic systems.
Abdominal compartment syndrome in traumatic hemorrhagic shock: is there a fluid resuscitation inflection point associated with increased risk?

Abstract Background The volume of fluid administered during trauma resuscitation correlates with the risk of abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS). The exact volume at which this risk rises is uncertain. We established the inflection point for ACS risk during shock resuscitation. Methods Using the Glue Grant database, patients aged ≥16 years with ACS were compared with those without ACS (no-ACS). Stepwise analysis of the sum or difference of the mean total fluid volume (TV)/kg, TV and/or body weight, (μ) and standard deviations (σ) vs % ACS at each point was used to determine the fluid inflection point. Results A total of 1,976 patients were included, of which 122 (6.2%) had ACS. Compared with no-ACS, ACS patients had a higher emergency room lactate (5.8 ± 3.0 vs 4.5 ± 2.8, P Conclusions There is a dramatic rise in ACS risk after 1,302 mL/kg of fluid is administered. This plot could serve as a guide in limiting the ACS risk during resuscitation.
Ultrahigh temperature tensile properties of arc-melted tungsten and tungsten-iridium alloys

Tungsten is one of the most important metals for high temperature applications. The major deterrents to the use of tungsten are poor fabricability at room temperature and rapid decrease in strength at temperatures above 1600 K. Previous investigations have shown that the addition of rhenium to tungsten improves both room- temperature fabricability and high-temperature strength. Based on its similarity to rhenium's electron structure, iridium as another potential alloying element in tungsten. It was recently confirmed that tungsten-iridium alloys with less than 1.0w/o iridium exhibit better fabricability than tungsten-rhenium alloys at room temperature. The strength properties of tungsten-iridium alloys at ultrahigh temperatures have not yet been researched. The present paper reports the tensile properties of dilute tungsten-iridium alloys in the temperature range 1600 to 2600 K. The focus of the present paper is to examine the effects of iridium concentration and test temperature on the strength and fracture behavior of tungsten-iridium alloys at ultrahigh temperatures.
Performance guarantees for sparse regression-based unmixing

Sparse regression-based unmixing has received much attention in recent years; however, its theoretical performance has not been explored in the literature. In this work, we present theoretical guarantees for the performance of a sparse regression based unmixing (in short, sparse unmixing) implemented in the form of a Lasso optimization with non-negativity constraints. We provide a sufficient condition required for the exact recovery of the endmembers and validate it both theoretically and through experiments. In cases in which the condition is not verified, we explore the performance of sparse unmixing in relation to the exact recovery coefficient (ERC).
Accident Performance of Light Water Reactor Cladding Materials

During a loss of coolant accident as experienced at Fukushima, inadequate cooling of the reactor core forces component temperatures ever higher where they must withstand aggressive chemical environments. Conventional zirconium cladding alloys will readily oxidize in the presence of water vapor at elevated temperatures, rapidly degrading and likely failing. A cladding breach removes the critical barrier between actinides and fission products and the coolant, greatly increasing the probability of the release of radioactivity in the event of a containment failure. These factors have driven renewed international interest in both study and improvement of the materials used in commercial light water reactors. Characterization of a candidate cladding alloy or oxidation mitigation technique requires understanding of both the oxidation kinetics and hydrogen production as a function of temperature and atmosphere conditions. Researchers in the MST division supported by the DOE-NE Fuel Cycle Research and Development program are working to evaluate and quantify these parameters across a wide range of proposed cladding materials. The primary instrument employed is a simultaneous thermal analyzer (STA) equipped with a specialized water vapor furnace capable of maintaining temperatures above 1200 C in a range of atmospheres and water vapor contents. The STA utilizes thermogravimetric analysis and amore » coupled mass spectrometer to measure in situ oxidation and hydrogen production of candidate materials. This capability is unprecedented in study of materials under consideration for reactor cladding use, and is currently being expanded to investigate proposed coating techniques as well as the effect of coating defects on corrosion resistance.« less
Identifying the Body of Richard III and an Acronym

In Dr. Stephen J. Clarson’s class, Polymer Spectroscopy (MTEN-6035), we discussed the interaction of visible and invisible light (e.g., UV light) with materials. The class began with the acronym ROYGBIV which stands for “Richard of York Gave Battle in Vain”. This particular piece stems from the research of how spectrometry was used in identifying the remains of Richard III, the last king of the House of York.
Determinants of audit report lag in the banking industry: updated evidence

This study examines the determinants of audit report lag (ARL) in the banking industry. Using data from 2001–2010 and models developed from prior research for banks, the pooled sample results show that bank size measured by market capitalisation and profitability measured by return on assets are associated with shorter ARL. Extraordinary items and higher abnormal audit fees are associated with longer ARL. We find that these results are driven by large banks that are subject to internal control requirements under the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Improvement Act and Sarbanes-Oxley Act. We find that the audit of internal controls over financial reporting and the presence of material weaknesses in internal controls are associated with longer ARL in the large bank subsample. The study provides updated evidence on the determinants of audit report lag in the banking industry and finds that the determinants of ARL have changed over a period of regulatory and economic changes in the last decade.
Antifungal use in hospitalized adults in U.S. academic health centers.

Purpose Use of antifungal agents and predictors of total antifungal use among adult inpatients at U.S. academic health centers was characterized. Methods Claims data obtained from a geographically representative sample of U.S. nonprofit academic health centers were analyzed to characterize use of systemic antifungals during the period 2004–08. Aggregate data were analyzed to identify trends in use of three antifungal classes (azoles, polyenes, echinocandins), as well as individual antifungal agents. Multivariate regression analysis was employed to investigate predictors of total antifungal use and interhospital variability in antifungal use. Results Aggregate antifungal use at health centers included in the data analysis increased from (mean ± S.D.) 82 ± 36 days of therapy (DOT) per 1000 patient-days in 2004 to 88 ± 39 DOT per 1000 patient-days in 2007 and then declined to 77 ± 36 DOT per 1000 patient-days in 2008. Use of voriconazole increased significantly during the study period ( p < 0.0001), while use of caspofungin decreased significantly ( p < 0.0001). Higher use of third- or fourth- generation cephalosporins was a significant predictor of higher total antifungal use ( p = 0.0005); performance of more stem cell or bone marrow transplants was also significantly associated with greater antifungal use. Conclusion Total antifungal use at a sample of U.S. academic health centers increased from 2004 to 2007 but decreased to below baseline in 2008. Azoles were the most commonly used agents. In 2008, total antifungal use at the centers ranged from 29 to 334 DOT per 1000 patient-days.
Excretion and storage of [14C] toxaphene and two isolated [14C] toxaphene fractions

The 7‐d urinary and fecal excretions of [ 14 C] toxaphene and two isolated [ 14 C] toxaphene fractions (polar fraction 7 and nonpolar fraction 2) were determined in orally dosed rats. The urinary, fecal, and total excretions of toxaphene were, respectively, 22.5, 35.7, and 58.2% of the administered dose. The total excretions of fractions 2 and 7 were, respectively, 69.4 and 65.0%, and the overall order of excretion was fraction 2 > toxaphene > fraction 7. All three groups had low toxaphene levels (below 0.2 ppm) in all tissues analyzed except for fat, where significant levels were detected. Hexane and chloroform extracts of the urine revealed that the activity was more polar than the parent material for all three groups. Apparently, toxaphene must be metabolized before it can be excreted in the urine. When fat extracts were analyzed by thin‐layer chromatography and autoradiography, differences were found between the parent material and the extracted activity. There was an increase in polar activity in the...
Teaching training in a mixed-reality integrated learning environment

In this mixed-method study, we examined the design and potential impact of a mixed-reality integrated learning environment (MILE) in providing the simulated and immersive teaching practice for university teaching assistants. A virtual-reality-based learning platform integrating a Kinect-enabled sensorimotor interface was developed and used by twenty three university teaching assistants. Qualitative and quantitative data on the participants' participation behaviors, engagement, and perceptions were collected via video/screen recording, interview, surveys on teaching self-efficacy and sense of presence, and eye tracking. Results indicated that the MILE reinforced sense of presence and supported the performance of an ample range of virtual teaching tasks/actions with avatar-embodied live gesturing. The environmental fidelity in the mixed-reality learning spaces, the design and arrangement of virtual agents and avatars, and the affordance of embodied gesturing and walking are salient MILE design features that affected participants' sense of presence and their virtual teaching performance. A mixed-reality-integrated learning environment was used for teaching training.The environment reinforced sense of presence and immersive training experience.The environment supported virtual teaching actions and embodied live gesturing.Three salient design features of the environment emerged from the data.
Fluorenyl benzothiadiazole and benzoselenadiazole near-IR fluorescent probes for two-photon fluorescence imaging (Conference Presentation)

Imaging biological samples with two-photon fluorescence (2PF) microscopy has the unique advantage of resulting high contrast 3D resolution subcellular image that can reach up to several millimeters depth. 2PF probes that absorb and emit at near IR region need to be developed. Two-photon excitation (2PE) wavelengths are less concerned as 2PE uses wavelengths doubles the absorption wavelength of the probe, which means 2PE wavelengths for probes even with absorption at visible wavelength will fall into NIR region. Therefore, probes that fluoresce at near IR region with high quantum yields are needed. A series of dyes based on 5-thienyl-2, 1, 3-benzothiadiazole and 5-thienyl-2, 1, 3-benzoselenadiazole core were synthesized as near infrared two-photon fluorophores. Fluorescence maxima wavelengths as long as 714 nm and fluorescence quantum yields as high as 0.67 were achieved. The fluorescence quantum yields of the dyes were nearly constant, regardless of solvents polarity. These diazoles exhibited large Stokes shift (<114nm), high two-photon absorption cross sections (up to 2,800 GM), and high two-photon fluorescence figure of merit (FM , 1.04×10-2 GM). Cells incubated on a 3D scaffold with one of the new probes (encapsulated in Pluronic micelles) exhibited bright fluorescence, enabling 3D two-photon fluorescence imaging to a depth of 100 µm.
Functions and Realization of Distributed Project Safety Monitoring,Acquisition and Communication Software

The paper,with the DSIMS4.0 dam engineering project monitoring data acquisition and communication software of the Nanjing NARI Group Dam Geotechnical Engineering Monitoring Branch as an example,describes the features and functions of the distributed engineering safety data acquisition and communication software. The ways to adapt to a variety of data acquisition units (NDAs) of multiple communication protocols and to various types of ports are discussed. The transmission methods adopted can accommodate multiple data acquisition computers and multiple clients and can communicate with NDAs.
Changing trends in valve surgery in Europe: 1991-2000.

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY This study sought to elaborate the changing trends in valve surgery in Europe during the 1990s. METHODS The databases of different national surgical societies, registries and governments and international organizations were consulted and the data obtained were analyzed. RESULTS The population of Europe (excluding Russia, CIS and Turkey) increased by 2.29%, from 509.67 million in 1991 to 519.15 million in 2000. During this period, the volume of cardiac surgery increased in Europe by 101% to 413,520 operations (797 per 10(6) population). The volume of valve surgery increased by 63% to 85,076 (164 per 10(6) population). The largest volumes of valve surgery were performed in Germany, France, UK, Italy and Spain. The increase in valve surgery volume was maximum in the Baltic states (+287%) and least in Scandinavia (+30%). Valve surgery volume per center per year changed from 139 in 1991 to 140 in 2000. The increase in overall valve surgery volume was sustained by an increase in subsets of octogenarian patients, valve surgery combined with coronary artery surgery, and increased productivity of the emerging economies of countries such as the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland. Valve surgery as a proportion of cardiac surgery in Europe changed from 25.95% in 1991 to 21% in 2000. In 2000, valve surgery with combined procedures constituted 6.7% of total cardiac surgical volume, but 32% of valve surgical output in Europe. Mechanical valves have continued to dominate and were used in 77% of cases in 2000. Increased use of bioprostheses in the elderly subset among affluent economies was balanced by an increased use of mechanical prostheses in younger patients in emerging facilities in the East and South. The capital-intensive innovations (viz. robotic valve surgery, minimally invasive valve surgery, bioengineered valves) found niches only in some West European centers. Catheter-based procedures did not fulfil their promise. Balloon aortic valve dilatation investigations decreased drastically by the end of the decade, and balloon mitral dilatations number. Conservative aortic valve surgery is not yet practiced widely across Europe, while mitral repair has become widely accepted in clinical parlance. CONCLUSION Despite the greater political and economic integration of Europe, the pattern of valve surgery continues to remain extremely diverse within the continent.
The Receptor Concept: Prejudice, Prediction, and Paradox

This is a time of “great expectations” in the field of hormone and neurotransmitter action. Recent advances in our understanding of receptors have been so dramatic that we appear to be at the threshold of finally resolving the molecular nature of cellular receptors. The nature of these receptors is an important issue in biology which transcends endocrinology and neural transmission; it concerns the cardinal problem in the broad area of intercellular and intracellular communication. The once “elusive” receptors for hormones and neurotransmitters, long postulated to be the primary functional units for initiation of biological action, now appear to be “real” molecules. Specific macromolecular binding units for certain hormones and transmitters, with kinetic and specificity characteristics expected for a receptor have been reported. They can be isolated and manipulated. In several cases these receptors, derived either from the “cytosol” or solubilized from plasma membranes have been isolated in pure form. It is widely accepted that if we now follow the same strategy so successfully employed by the enzymologists (first isolate, then proceed to chemical characterization and determination of subunit sequences, conformational analysis, finally X-ray analysis) that the intimate molecular details of receptor structure and function will be clarified.
Imaging architectures with volume holographic elements

Volume holographic imaging elements are capable of extracting two-dimensional narrow-band slices from extended three-dimensional polychromatic radiators. We demonstrate the use of this property for imaging in the context of the 90° volume holographic geometry.
The Cog Project

We are building a humanoid robot at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. It is a legless human sized robot and is meant to be able to emulate human functionality. We are particularly interested in using it as vehicle to understand how humans work, by trying to combine many theories from artificial intelligence, cognitive science, physiology and neuroscience. While undergoing continual revisions in its hardware and software the robot has been operational in one form or another for over three years. We are working on systems that emulate both human development and human social interactions.
TopoLens: Building a CyberGIS Community Data Service for Enhancing the Usability of High-resolution National Topographic Datasets

Geospatial data, often embedded with geographic references, are important to many application and science domains, and represent a major type of big data. The increased volume and diversity of geospatial data have caused serious usability issues for researchers in various scientific domains, which call for innovative cyberGIS solutions. To address these issues, this paper describes a cyberGIS community data service framework to facilitate geospatial big data access, processing, and sharing based on a hybrid supercomputer architecture. Through the collaboration between the CyberGIS Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), a community data service for accessing, customizing, and sharing digital elevation model (DEM) and its derived datasets from the 10-meter national elevation dataset, namely TopoLens, is created to demonstrate the workflow integration of geospatial big data sources, computation, analysis needed for customizing the original dataset for end user needs, and a friendly online user environment. TopoLens provides online access to precomputed and on-demand computed high-resolution elevation data by exploiting the ROGER supercomputer. The usability of this prototype service has been acknowledged in community evaluation.
What Should We Expect from Police Data: Can They Tell Us Whether Crime Rates Rise or Fall?

Police data on registered crime are incomplete, inconsistent, and susceptible to manipulation. This has long been understood. Less well understood are changes over time in victims’ and others’ patterns of reporting to the police that sometimes make apparent changes in crime figures fundamentally misleading. Police data in recent decades in many countries, for example, overstated increases in violence rates, especially when the real incidence of violence was rising, and understated declines when the real incidence was falling. Changes in victim reporting are understandable; they partly reflect widely recognized changes in social norms and attitudes toward disturbing behavior. Behaviors affected include drunken driving and violence against women. Even more confounding are changes in thresholds of tolerance for violence and other disturbing behavior that shape citizens’ answers to victimization surveys and their decisions to report alleged crimes, and police decisions to register them. Disturbing behaviors, for example, minor violence, sexual misconduct, and impaired driving, that formerly were not viewed as criminal now are. Taken together, changes in victim reporting and in the effects on victims and police of changing thresholds of tolerance have in some European countries generated misleading police crime data that indicate that violent and sexual offending has increased in recent years, or been stable. The best evidence, however, is they are much more likely to have declined.
Comparison versus reminding

Comparison and reminding have both been shown to support learning and transfer. Comparison is thought to support transfer because it allows learners to disregard non-matching features of superficially different episodes in order to abstract the essential structure of concepts. Remindings promote memory for the individual episodes and generalization because they prompt learners to retrieve earlier episodes during the encoding of later related episodes and to compare across episodes. Across three experiments, we compared the consequences of comparison and reminding on memory and transfer. Participants studied a sequence of related, but superficially different, proverb pairs. In the comparison condition, participants saw proverb pairs presented together and compared their meaning. In the reminding condition, participants viewed proverbs one at a time and retrieved any prior studied proverb that shared the same deep meaning as the current proverb. Experiment 1 revealed that participants in the reminding condition recalled more proverbs than those in the comparison condition. Experiment 2 showed that the mnemonic benefits of reminding persisted over a one-week retention interval. Finally, in Experiment 3, we examined the ability of participants to generalize their remembered information to new items in a task that required participants to identify unstudied proverbs that shared the same meaning as studied proverbs. Comparison led to worse discrimination between proverbs related to studied proverbs and proverbs unrelated to studied proverbs than reminding. Reminding supported better memory for individual instances and transfer to new situations than comparison.