cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Molecular Characterization of Functional and Phylogenetic Genes from Natural Populations of Methanotrophs in Lake Sediments

The 16S rRNA and pmoA genes from natural populations of methane-oxidizing bacteria (methanotrophs) were PCR amplified from total community DNA extracted from Lake Washington sediments obtained from the area where peak methane oxidation occurred. Clone libraries were constructed for each of the genes, and approximately 200 clones from each library were analyzed by using restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) and the tetrameric restriction enzymes MspI, HaeIII, and HhaI. The PCR products were grouped based on their RFLP patterns, and representatives of each group were sequenced and analyzed. Studies of the 16S rRNA data obtained indicated that the existing primers did not reveal the total methanotrophic diversity present when these data were compared with pure-culture data obtained from the same environment. New primers specific for methanotrophs belonging to the genera Methylomonas, Methylosinus, and Methylocystis were developed and used to construct more complete clone libraries. Furthermore, a new primer was designed for one of the genes of the particulate methane monooxygenase in methanotrophs, pmoA. Phylogenetic analyses of both the 16S rRNA and pmoA gene sequences indicated that the new primers should detect these genes over the known diversity in methanotrophs. In addition to these findings, 16S rRNA data obtained in this study were combined with previously described phylogenetic data in order to identify operational taxonomic units that can be used to identify methanotrophs at the genus level.
Response to open peer commentaries for "Ethical challenges within Veterans Administration healthcare facilities: perspectives of managers, clinicians, patients, and ethics committee chairpersons".

First, we would like to clarify that the findings reported here are the result of a qualitative descriptive study that included both interviews and focus groups and not a survey study as suggested ...
Target definition for shipwreck hunting

The research described in the present article was implemented to define the locations of two World War II shipwrecks, the German raider Kormoran, and the Australian light cruiser HMAS Sydney. The paper describes the long and complex trail that led through inefficient oceanographic prediction to ambiguous historical prediction involving a single report and on to precise cognitive prediction based on nine reports from more than 70 survivors, a process that yielded a single target position or ‘mean’ just 2.7 NM (nautical miles) from the wreck of Kormoran. Prediction for the position of the wreck of Sydney opened with wishful thinking that she had somehow reached the coast more than 100 NM away when cognitive analysis of the survivor’s reports actually provided the basis for accurate prediction in a position near to the wreck of Kormoran. In the account provided below, the focus on cognitive procedures emerged from, first, a review of a sample of the shipwreck hunts, and, second, growing awareness of the extraordinarily rich database available for this search, and the extent to which it was open to cognitive analysis. This review touches on both the trans-disciplinary and the cognitive or intra-disciplinary issues that so challenged the political entities responsible for supervising of the search for the wrecks of Kormoran and Sydney. One of the theoretical questions that emerged from these debate concerns the model of expertise advanced by Collins (2013). The decomposability of alleged forms of expertise is revealed as a fundamental problem for research projects that might or might not benefit from trans-disciplinary research. Where expertise can be decomposed for operational purposes, the traditional dividing lines between experts and novices, and fools for that matter, are much harder to discern, and require advanced and scientifically informed review.
Postive sentinel nodes after neoadjuvant chemotherapy: What factors predict additional disease in the axilla?

602 Background: The predictive utility of sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy is similar to that for patients treated initially with surgery. We hypothesized that patie...
Valuing life as necessary for moral status: a noteon depression and personhood

Many contemporary accounts of moral status consider an individual’s status to be grounded in some cognitive capacity, e.g. the capacity to experience certain states, to reason morally, etc. One proposed cognitive capacity significant particularly to killing, i.e. having a status that precludes being killed absent cause, is the capacity to value one’s own life. I argue that considering this a condition for moral status is a mistake, as it would lead to the exclusion of some individuals with mental health problems who are generally considered clear cases. While a cognitive capacities approach may turn out to be generally feasible, that particular cognitive capacity is not. In the course of this discussion I address two conceptual issues, the first regarding what it means to ‘value one’s life’ and the second regarding what conditions must obtain for something to count as a capacity. These conceptual issues, when resolved pursuant to this account of moral status, lead the account to exclude individuals with major depressive disorder, i.e. deny that it is morally wrong to kill such individuals based on their moral status. I then argue that this is decisive reason to reject this particular cognitive capacity as implicated in moral status.
Nongyrotropic electrons in guide field reconnection

We apply a scalar measure of nongyrotropy to the electron pressure tensor in a 2D particle-in-cell simulation of guide field reconnection and assess the corresponding electron distributions and the forces that account for the nongyrotropy. The scalar measure reveals that the nongyrotropy lies in bands that straddle the electron diffusion region and the separatrices, in the same regions where there are parallel electric fields. Analysis of electron distributions and fields shows that the nongyrotropy along the inflow and outflow separatrices emerges as a result of multiple populations of electrons influenced differently by large and small-scale parallel electric fields and by gradients in the electric field. The relevant parallel electric fields include large-scale potential ramps emanating from the x-line and sub-ion inertial scale bipolar electron holes. Gradients in the perpendicular electric field modify electrons differently depending on their phase, thus producing nongyrotropy. Magnetic flux violation occurs along portions of the separatrices that coincide with the parallel electric fields. An inductive electric field in the electron E × B drift frame thus develops, which has the effect of enhancing nongyrotropies already produced by other mechanisms and under certain conditions producing their own nongyrotropy. Particle tracing of electrons from nongyrotropic populations along the inflows and outflows shows that the striated structure of nongyrotropy corresponds to electrons arriving from different source regions. We also show that the relevant parallel electric fields receive important contributions not only from the nongyrotropic portion of the electron pressure tensor but from electron spatial and temporal inertial terms as well.
Corrosion-Resistant Properties of the Extracts of Plant Raw Materials in Solutions of Hydrochloric Acid

We develop a procedure for efficient extraction from oak bark (Quercus Robur) and chips and tea leaves (Camellia Sinensis). The influence of these extracts on the corrosion-electrochemical properties of 20 steel in a 5% hydrochloric acid solution is studied. It is shown that the efficiency of inhibitors increases with their concentrations in acid solutions and holding time. The results of massmetric tests are used to compute the activation energy, which reveals a noticeable retardation of corrosion processes in the inhibited media. According to the results of electrochemical calculations, the adsorption of both extracts on the steel surface can be described by the Langmuir isotherm.
Building coalitions of heterogeneous agents using weighted bipartite graphs

Teams of agents with different skills can solve critical missions by efficiently joining their complementary abilities. One critical step to exploit the distinct resources available on a set of agents is to form a coalition, i.e., an alliance that satisfies the requirements imposed by a mission. In this work, we represent the relation between agent capabilities and required resources for executing a given task by a weighted bipartite graph. Using this graph, we find an assignment between agents and resource capabilities such that the total weight of capabilities is maximized. From this assignment, also known as matching in Graph Theory, we compute a coalition of agents whose total resource capabilities can satisfy the task resource requirements. Finally, we measure the heterogeneity of the computed coalition and analyze how it is affected by the task constraints and the amount of resources present in the agents.
Social Opportunity in the Face of Cancer: Understanding the Burden of the Extended Caregiver Network

Over the past few decades, cancer-related research has begun to focus on the psychological and social costs of disease. Quality of life has become an important issue, judged not only by absence of ...
Initial Understandings of Fraction Concepts Evidenced by Students with Mathematics Learning Disabilities and Difficulties: A Framework.

Documenting how students with learning disabilities (LD) initially conceive of fractional quantities, and how their understandings may align with or differ from students with mathematics difficulties, is necessary to guide development of assessments and interventions that attach to unique ways of thinking or inherent difficulties these students may face understanding fraction concepts. One way to characterize such conceptions is through the creation of a framework that depicts key understandings evidenced as students work with problematic situations. The present study extends current literature by presenting key understandings of fractions, documented through problem-solving activity, language, representations, and operations, evidenced by students with LD and mathematics difficulties as they engaged with equal sharing problems. Clinical interviews were conducted with 43 students across the second, third, fourth, and fifth grades. Results of the study suggest that students with LD hold similar informal no...
Unsteady flow around helicopter rotor blade sections in forward flight

The aerodynamic performance of aerofoils performing unsteady motions is important for the design of helicopter rotors. In this respect the study of aerofoils undergoing in-plane oscillations (translation along the horizontal axis) provides useful insight into the flow physics associated with the advancing blade in forward flight. In this paper a numerical method is developed in which the unsteady thin layer Navier-Stokes equations are solved for aerofoils performing rigid body motions. The method has been applied to the calculation of the flowfield around a NACA 0012 aerofoil performing in-plane motions representative of high-speed forward flight. Comparison of computed pressure data with experimental measurements is generally found to be good. The quantitative differences observed between computations and experiment are thought to have arisen mainly as a consequence of the low aspect ratio of the model rotor employed in the windtunnel tests.
DSM-III criteria for affective disorders and schizophrenia: a preliminary appraisal using family interview findings

We performed a blind family interview study of 226 first-degree relatives of 63 probands meeting DSM-III criteria for schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and bipolar disorder, as diagnosed by the National Institute ot Mental Health Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS). A small test-retest reliability study demonstrated good agreement between the proband interviewer and the principal family interviewer for the major diagnostic categories of psychotic disorders. Excellent compliance was obtained, with 85% of living relatives interviewed personally.Three principal findings emerged front the study. First, as expected, bipolar disorder, as defined by DSM-III, displayed a strong familial comportent, comparable to that found by many studies using criteria other than those of DSM-III. Second, patients meeting DSM-III criteria for schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder displayed a low familial prevalence of schizophrenia. Although initially suprising, this finding is in agreement with the results of several other recent lantily studies of schizophrenia. Upon comparing our results with those of other recent family studies of schizophrenia, it appears that the familial component in schizophrenia tnay be less than was estimated by earlier studies using older and “broader” definitions of schizophrenia.Third, we found that patients meeting DSM-III criteria for schizophrenia appeared genetically heterogeneous. Those who had displayed a superimposed full affective syndrome at some tinte in the course of their illness, together with those probands meeting DSM-III criteria for schizoaffective disorder, displayed a high familial prevalence of major affective disorder, similar to that found in the families of the bipolar probands. On the other hand, “pure” DSM-III schizophrenie probands, who had never experienced a superimposed full affective syndrome, displayed a low familial prevalence of major affective disorder, similar to that found in the general population. These findings favor the possibility that probands meeting DSM-III criteria for schizophrenia, but displaying a superimposed full affective syndrome, may in sonie cases have a disorder genetically relatcd to major affective disorder.Further prospective family interview studies, using DSM-III criteria and larger samples, will be necessary to test these preliminary impressions.
Modeling on-site wastewater treatment system performance fragility to hydroclimate stressors.

Increasing variability of climate-related factors, especially precipitation and temperature, poses special risks to on-site wastewater treatment systems (OWTS), which depend on subsurface saturation conditions for treatment and dispersion of wastewater. We assess OWTS fragility – the degree to which a system loses functionality – as a step to characterizing the resilience of residential wastewater treatment systems. We used the frequency and indexed severity of OWTS failures and resulting repairs to quantify fragility as a function of hydroclimate variables, including precipitation, temperature and stream flow. The frequency of each category of repair (minor, moderate and major) for 225 OWTS obtained from Boulder County public health records was modeled as a function of climate factors using a generalized linear model with a Poisson distribution link function. The results show that prolonged precipitation patterns, with monthly rainfall >10.16 cm, influence OWTS fragility, and complete loss of OWTS functionality, requiring replacement, is impacted by high temperatures, frequency of wetter-than-normal months, and the magnitude of peak stream flow in the watershed. Weather-related covariates explained 70% of the variability in OWTS major repair data between 1979 and 2006. These results indicate that fragility arising from climate factors, and associated costs to owners, environmental and health impacts, should be considered in planning, design and operation of OWTS.
Abstract A63: The role of DARC in the immunological tumor microenvironment of breast cancer

The Duffy Antigen Receptor for Chemokines (DARC or ACKR1) gene regulates circulating levels of inflammatory chemokines and major alleles of the gene are associated with a myriad of clinical outcomes. There are two unique isoforms of DARC which are expressed from distinct separate promoters, but little is known about the expression or regulation of these isoforms. Using quantitative RT-PCR and Immunohistochemical studies of lymphoblastic cells from relevant ancestry groups, we recently found that a DARC polymorphism, the Duffy Null (Fy-) allele found almost exclusively in African ancestry groups, is associated with altered regulation of these isoforms. Our data indicates that people of African ancestry who carry the Fy- allele will have an altered expression pattern of DARC isoforms. Thusly, we investigated whether the Fy- allele is associated with distinct recruitment of monocytes to breast tumor epithelia, regulated by DARC modulated chemokines. This may translate into a suite of distinct inflammatory responses correlated with specific chemokine action and may explain the disparate clinical outcomes of breast cancer in this population. Citation Format: Melissa B. Davis, Michele Monteil, Rupali Hire, Elizabeth W. Howerth. The role of DARC in the immunological tumor microenvironment of breast cancer. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference: Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy: A New Chapter; December 1-4, 2014; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2015;3(10 Suppl):Abstract nr A63.
OKT3 induction in pediatric renal transplantation

Twenty cadaveric renal transplant patients (mean age 12.5±4.8 years) received 14 days (mean 13.0±2.8 days) of OKT3 (mean dose 0.16±0.09 mg/kg) along with prednisone 0.5 mg/kg per day, azathioprine 2 mg/kg per day and cyclosporine 5 mg/kg per day which was increased to obtain therapeutic levels before the discontinuation of OKT3. Actuarial patient and graft survival were 100% and 50%, respectively, at both 1 and 5 years. Four children lost their grafts within the first 48 h. One loss was technical in origin, the remaining 3 had pathological evidence of vascular thrombosis. Of the remaining 16 children, 12 (75%) experienced rejection episodes within the first 2 months post transplant (mean 27±15 days). Successful reversal of early rejection episodes was achieved in 11 of 12 patients. Clinically significant cytomegalovirus infection occurred in 4 patients and resulted in graft loss in 2 patients. Circulating OKT3 levels ranging from 1,000 to 32,000 ng/ml were seen in all patients within the first 48 h. There was a rapid and total depletion of circulating CD3-positive lymphocytes in all patients. Antiisotypic and anti-idiotypic OKT3 antibodies were assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and blocking anti-idiotypic antibodies were detected by immunofluorescence inhibition assay. Positive OKT3 antibody titers were detected in 11 children by ELISA and 10 children by immunofluorescence inhibition assay. In summary, we have found that in pediatric renal transplant patients receiving OKT3 induction therap: (1) there is a high occurrence of vascular thrombosis; (2) the incidence of early acute rejection is high; (3) the time to first rejection is not as long as that reported for adults; (4) there is a substantial rate of sensitization against OKT3; (5) despite successful reversal of early acute rejection, long-term-graft survival does not appear to have been beneficially altered.
Bacteriophage Amplification-Coupled Detection and Identification of Bacterial Pathogens

Current methods of species-specific bacterial detection and identification are complex, time-consuming, and often require expensive specialized equipment and highly trained personnel. Numerous biochemical and genotypic identification methods have been applied to bacterial characterization, but all rely on tedious microbiological culturing practices and/or costly sequencing protocols which render them impractical for deployment as rapid, cost-effective point-of-care or field detection and identification methods. With a view towards addressing these shortcomings, we have exploited the evolutionarily conserved interactions between a bacteriophage (phage) and its bacterial host to develop species-specific detection methods. Phage amplification-coupled matrix assisted laser desorption time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) was utilized to rapidly detect phage propagation resulting from species-specific in vitro bacterial infection. This novel signal amplification method allowed for bacterial detection and identification in as little as 2 h, and when combined with disulfide bond reduction methods developed in our laboratory to enhance MALDI-TOF-MS resolution, was observed to lower the limit of detection by several orders of magnitude over conventional spectroscopy and phage typing methods. Phage amplification has been combined with lateral flow immunochromatography (LFI) to develop rapid, easy-to-operate, portable, species-specific point-of-care (POC) detection devices. Prototype LFI detectors have been developed and characterized for Yersinia pestis and Bacillus anthracis, the etiologic agents of plague and anthrax, respectively. Comparable sensitivity and rapidity was observed when phage amplification was adapted to a species-specific handheld LFI detector, thus allowing for rapid, simple, POC bacterial detection and identification while eliminating the need for bacterial culturing or DNA isolation and amplification techniques.
Optimal Low-pass Ladder Design

In this Chapter, a fundamental network theoretic idea[9] is generalized and extended to accommodate switched-capacitor LDI ladder filters to be designed with the following properties: (a) constant group delay in the specified portion of the pass-band within a given tolerance; (b) prescribed constancy of passband amplitude, with arbitrarily selective response.
American Indians and Alaska Natives with Disabilities in Rural, Tribal Lands, Frontier Regions, and Plain States

American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) consists of 569 federally recognized tribes, approximately 310 reservations, 34 urban Indian communities, and more than 300 languages. Although AIANs are diverse in composition and cultural beliefs, they have a shared history of oppression, discrimination, and subjugation in the United States. The majority of AIANs reside in metropolitan areas, less than half (34%) live on reservations or tribal lands (Weaver, 2012), and others live in rural or frontier communities. Most historical issues remain current issues for AIAN: poverty, high unemployment, language and cultural barriers, rural or remote communities, lack of support services, inadequate health services, limited local resources, and lack of understanding by non-AIAN federal and state administrators and non-AIAN service providers and communities. Their rate of disability is disproportionally higher than any other group in the United States. In this chapter, information is presented on traditional cultural values and strengths, rate of disability, health behaviors, service utilization and barriers, role of tribal government in regulating vocational rehabilitation (VR) and other human services, and analysis of best practices for service delivery for AIANs with disabilities in rural, tribal lands, frontier regions, and plain states. The intent is to identify what works and what does not work in general with this population in rural, tribal, and frontier regions in the VR service delivery system and to make recommendations for effective intervention.
Considering the Role of Acculturation in Parent-Child Communication About Sexual Health

The authors discuss the role of acculturation in communication between Hispanic American parents and their teenage children regarding sexual health. They mention the levels of acculturation affecting the amount and content of communication, the desire of teenagers to avoid conflict or discomfort in talking to their parents, and the importance of considering acculturation levels going forward.
Physician Knowledge of Human Genetic Variation, Beliefs About Race and Genetics, and Use of Race in Clinical Decision-making.

Race in the USA has an enduring connection to health and well-being. It is often used as a proxy for ancestry and genetic variation, although self-identified race does not establish genetic risk of disease for an individual patient. How physicians reconcile these seemingly paradoxical facts as they make clinical decisions is unknown. To examine physicians’ genetic knowledge and beliefs about race with their use of race in clinical decision-making Cross-sectional survey of a national sample of clinically active general internists Seven hundred eighty-seven physicians completed the survey. Regression models indicate that genetic knowledge was not significantly associated with use of race. However, physicians who agreed with notions of race as a biological phenomenon and those who agreed that race has clinical importance were more likely to report using race in their decision-making. Genomic and precision medicine holds considerable promise for narrowing the gap in health among racial groups in the USA. For this promise to be realized, our findings suggest that future research and education efforts related to race, genomics, and health must go beyond educating health care providers about common genetic conditions to delving into assumptions about race and genetics.
Simultaneous Product Representations with a i x + b i

In this chapter I establish simultaneous representations of the type mentioned in the preface.
Formation of Functionally-Graded Materials Through Centrifugally-Assisted Combustion Synthesis

ABSTRACT The use of a centrifugal force during combustion synthesis to obtain functionally-graded materials was investigated. Composites formed by the reaction 2Al + 3 CuO + x Cu = Al 2 O 3 + (3 + x) Cu were synthesized in a centrifuge. The effects of diluent content, x, relative density of the reactants, and the particle size of CuO were investigated. Graded zones between the ceramic and metallic phases were obtained under a given set of these parameters. Phase separation times were calculated from sedimentation theory and discussed in light of experimental observations.
Some Lessons from Array Processing Theory

Practical problems arising in radar, sonar and seismology have stimulated extensive research in the area of array processing during the past two decades. This paper is not a review in the sense that it attempts to give a balanced presentation of the various elegant and highly mathematical analyses which have contributed to an understanding of arrays. It is the author’s feeling that array processing as a field has now matured to the point where a number of fairly simple intuitive notions can be abstracted from the more formal studies. We will be concerned with these intuitive notions, with questions like: What have we learned and why are these conclusions plausible? For formal proofs the interested reader will be referred to the, by now, very extensive literature.
Adipose PD-L1 Modulates PD-1/PD-L1 Checkpoint Blockade Immunotherapy Efficacy in Breast Cancer

ABSTRACTProgrammed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) and its receptor programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) modulate antitumor immunity and are major targets of checkpoint blockade immunotherapy. However, clinical trials of anti-PD-L1 and anti-PD-1 antibodies in breast cancer demonstrate only modest efficacy. Furthermore, specific PD-L1 contributions in various tissue and cell compartments to antitumor immunity remain incompletely elucidated. Here we show that PD-L1 expression is markedly elevated in mature adipocytes versus preadipocytes. Adipocyte PD-L1 prevents anti-PD-L1 antibody from activating important antitumor functions of CD8+ T cells in vitro. Adipocyte PD-L1 ablation obliterates, whereas forced preadipocyte PD-L1 expression confers, these inhibitory effects. Pharmacologic inhibition of adipogenesis selectively reduces PD-L1 expression in mouse adipose tissue and enhances the antitumor efficacy of anti-PD-L1 or anti-PD-1 antibodies in syngeneic mammary tumor models. Our findings provide a previously unap...
Developing laminar natural convection of power law fluids in vertical open ended channel

Abstract Steady, developing laminar natural convection heat transfer for power law fluids between two parallel vertical plates where the fluid is entrained from the bottom and exiting from top is studied. The results for asymmetric and symmetric configurations of the heated plates, which are kept at uniform temperatures with an aspect ratio of 40, are presented. For the numerical computations, the ANSYS Workbench Fluent commercial package is used to solve the governing equations and its numerical output is post-processed. Various range values of Rayleigh number (Ra = 104, 105, 106) Prandtl number (Pr = 10, 100, 1000), non-Newtonian power law indexes ( 0.6 ⩽ n ⩽ 1.4 ) of the fluids and the temperature ratios of colder and hotter walls (rT = 0, 0.5, 1.0) are considered. The temperature and velocity profiles, and the average Nusselt number distributions are presented. Comparisons between Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids are made in terms of the variations of the average Nusselt number as a function of the non-dimensional governing parameters.
Family and Juvenile Law

This article examines the legislative and case law affecting domestic relations family law and juvenile law in Virginia in the first decade of the 21st century.
Combining Acute Kidney Injury with Gastrointestinal Pathology: A Clue to Acute Oxalate Nephropathy

Acute oxalate nephropathy (AON) is an increasingly recognized cause of acute kidney injury (AKI). Herein, we present two cases of biopsy-proven acute oxalate nephropathy in patients with gastrointestinal malabsorption, coincidentally both stemming from cholangiocarcinoma. The first is a 73-year-old male who presented with syncope and was found to have severe, oliguric AKI in the setting of newly diagnosed, nonresectable cholangiocarcinoma. The second is a 64-year-old man with remote resection of cholangiocarcinoma who presented after routine laboratory monitoring showed significant AKI. Temporary dialysis was required in both cases before renal recovery occurred. Together, these cases should increase physicians' suspicion of AON in the presence of malabsorption. By doing so, the workup of oxalate nephropathy can be expedited with prompt initiation of treatment.
Vision: Magnified Foveal Representation in Monkey Midbrain.

Summary The superior colliculus is canonically viewed as a controller of extra-foveal gaze. This traditional view of superior colliculus function is challenged by the discovery that it has an expanded foveal magnification, comparable to that in primary visual cortex.
Anarchist Miracles: Distributed Communities, Nodal Subjects and The Crying of Lot 49

Throughout his works, but especially in Gravity's Rainbow and Vineland , Pynchon is concerned with the ability of individuals and groups to resist forces of domination and control. In Gravity's Rainbow , the preterite must struggle against those who see them as little more than human resources subject to cybernetic manipulation. Resistance finds expression in the actions of the Counterforce, but the dialectic that eventually evolves between the Counterforce and the anonymous forces of control characterized as Them is clearly worrisome.
Flexible Electrostatic Transducers for Wearable Haptic Communication

We describe a wearable thin-film flexible electrostatic transducer (FET) design capable of delivering haptic stimulation directly to the skin over a broad frequency range. The FET vibrates a curved electrode on a thin film against the skin to generate perceivable displacement. Performance was characterized and studies were carried out to benchmark the comfort and perceptibility on human subjects. Specifically, we conducted a psychophysical experiment to estimate detection thresholds at low (26Hz) and high (260Hz) frequencies and estimated the maximum level at which the stimuli remained comfortable. The displacement response of the FET was highly nonlinear, actuating close to either zero or maximum displacement after a threshold driving amplitude. The 260Hz vibrations were detected at lower displacements than the 26Hz vibrations. In user studies, the detection thresholds indicated that the current FET design achieved a 10dB perceivable stimulation range at both frequencies. No significant difference was found for gender or forearm location. Participants found all low amplitude signals to be comfortable, while at maximum amplitude the low frequency (26Hz) signal was preferred. The present study provides a methodology to quantitatively characterize actuator performance in terms of human perception.
Rapid eye movement sleep and neuronal development.

Purpose of review To understand the importance of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep in the cognitive and sensorimotor development via neural plasticity during embryonic development and infants. Recent findings REM sleep has remained a mystery as many of the underlying mechanisms of REM sleep remain unclear. Recent findings have demonstrated that REM sleep selectively prunes newly formed dendritic spines in the developing brain as well as strengthening new synapses in the developing brain. This process is critical for normal neuronal circuit development and behavioral improvement after learning. Summary Although many mechanisms of REM sleep remain unclear, recent findings strongly suggest that REM sleep is vitally important in pruning synapses as well as maintaining new synapses for the development of a healthy brain. Developmental neuroplasticity refers to the continuous change of the developing brain during fetal development. Lack of plasticity may result in reduced intellectual ability, reduced learning and memory consolidation, and mental illness.
Polaron Effects in High-T c Oxide Superconductors

We argue that measurements of the specific heat, static susceptibility, dc and ac conductivity, and thermopower are consistent with a polaron model for normal-state conduction in the high-T c superconductors La2-xSrxCuO4-y and YBa2Cu3O7-y. Strong electron-phonon coupling is also suggested by measurements of elastic constants and thermal Debye-Waller factors. We investigate a model for polaron formation in these systems and a possible mechanism for polaron superconductivity.
Unions, Worker Voice, and Management Practices: Implications for a High-Productivity, High-Wage Economy

This article uses the metaphor of a social contract to review the evolution of American unions and their effects— especially in the variations in their quality—on firm employment strategies and performance, takes stock of the current state of unions and alternative forms of worker voice that have emerged in recent years, and discusses implications for the future of labor and employment policies. The key policy implication is that fundamental, not incremental, changes in labor policy will be needed if the range of worker voice and representation processes workers want and the economy needs are to grow to a scale large enough to close existing voice gaps and contribute to building a new productivity- and wage-enhancing social contract.
Genetic testing in endocrine surgery: Opportunities for precision surgery.

Abstract Recent innovations in molecular and genetic diagnostic techniques have led to rapid advances in genomic medicine and their application to the clinic. The identification and classification of various genetic associations, syndromes, and susceptibility genes in endocrine surgical disorders are increasingly relevant to patient care. Hereditary endocrine disorders represent a significant proportion of disease encountered by endocrine surgeons. Hence, genetic testing has emerged as an important adjunct for the diagnosis and management of patients with endocrine surgical disorders. This article summarizes commonly encountered inherited endocrine disorders and their tumor susceptibility genes, with a focus on the clinical utility of genetic testing and its impact on the surgical management of endocrine disorders.
Hand Function at 18-22 Months Is Associated with School-Age Manual Dexterity and Motor Performance in Children Born Extremely Preterm.

Objectives To determine associations between hand function at age 18-22 months (early) and scores on the Movement Assessment Battery for Children, 2nd edition (MABC) at 6-7 years of age (school age) in extremely preterm children. Study design Prospective multicenter cohort of 313 extremely preterm children with early hand function assessment and school-age MABC testing. Early hand function was compared with “definite deficits” (MABC Results Children with early hand function deficits were more likely to have definite school-age deficits in all MABC subtests (Manual Dexterity, Aiming and Catching, and Balance) and to have received physical or occupational therapy (45% vs 26%; P Conclusion Hand function deficits at age 18-22 months are associated with manual dexterity deficits and motor difficulties at school age, independent of perinatal-neonatal factors and the use of occupational or physical therapy. This has significant implications for school success, intervention, and rehabilitative therapy development.
Spitzer 24 μm observations of optical/near-IR selected extremely red galaxies: Evidence for assembly of massive galaxies at z ∼1–2?

Optical/near-IR colors have been widely used to select z > 1 galaxies with old stellar populations. However, because a single color can not separate dust reddening from old stars, the relative fractions of dusty starbursts and old early type galaxies in an optical/near-IR selected sample are unknown. In this talk, I present the first, direct measurement of the fraction of dusty sources in a sample of extremely red galaxies with (R − Ks) ⩾ 5.3 mag and Ks < 20.2 mag, using 24 μm mid-infrared data from the Spitzer Space Telescope. Combining deep 24 μm, Ks- and R-band data over an area of ∼64 sq.arcmin in the ELAIS N1 field of the Spitzer First Look Survey (FLS), we find that 50 ± 6% of our ERO sample have measureable 24 μm flux above the 3σ flux limit of 40 μJy. This flux limit corresponds to a SFR of 12 M⊙/yr at z ∼ 1, much more sensitive than any previous long wavelength measurement. The significant implication is that our deep 24 μm observations have revealed for the first time galaxies being assembled together at z ∼ 1. Some of the starburst EROs are in the midst of violent transformation to become massive early type galaxies at the epoch of z ∼ 1–2.
Assessing Bayesian Racism Scale: Measuring Endorsement of Racial Stereotypes

Bayesian racism is the belief that it is rational to discriminate against people based on existing racial stereotypes. The presence of Bayesian racism is strongly associated with negative feelings about minoritized groups and the desire to maintain racially inequitable social hierarchies. A confirmatory factor analysis on the Bayesian Racism Scale (BRS) yielded a unidimensional measure for assessing prejudicial attitudes that endorse stereotypes based on racial and ethnic groups. Findings from the study have important implications for multicultural and social justice research.
Obesity, Weight Loss, and Nutrition in Headache Disorders

Obesity, weight management, and nutrition are more often discussed in the setting of cardiovascular health; however, their relevance extends into various other bodily systems, including the nervous system. Primary headache disorders are inherent brain conditions not attributable to other bodily causes. The pathophysiology behind head pain is quite complex due to the underlying multifactorial mechanisms. However, there are factors, both intrinsic and extrinsic, which can contribute to the worsening of an already predisposed brain to further headache attacks. Controlling these factors can lead to better headache management and improved quality of life. This chapter will begin with an overview of obesity and the evidence supporting its connection to chronic daily headache (CDH). The impact of weight loss on headache will be reviewed through its association with body mass index. Next, a generalized overview of nutrition as a trigger to certain headache disorders will be discussed. Attention will be directed toward particular ingredients and diets speculated to play a part in headache control. Lastly, a review of the principal components of a diary and suggestions on how to perform an elimination diet for proper nutritional trigger identification will be presented.
Investigation and Mitigation of Noise Contributions in a Compact Heterodyne Interferometer.

We present a noise estimation and subtraction algorithm capable of increasing the sensitivity of heterodyne laser interferometers by one order of magnitude. The heterodyne interferometer is specially designed for dynamic measurements of a test mass in the application of sub-Hz inertial sensing. A noise floor of 3.31×10−11m/Hz at 100 mHz is achieved after applying our noise subtraction algorithm to a benchtop prototype interferometer that showed a noise level of 2.76×10−10m/Hz at 100 mHz when tested in vacuum at levels of 3×10−5 Torr. Based on the previous results, we investigated noise estimation and subtraction techniques of non-linear optical pathlength noise, laser frequency noise, and temperature fluctuations in heterodyne laser interferometers. For each noise source, we identified its contribution and removed it from the measurement by linear fitting or a spectral analysis algorithm. The noise correction algorithm we present in this article can be generally applied to heterodyne laser interferometers.
Novel-View X-Ray Projection Synthesis Through Geometry-Integrated Deep Learning.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S) X-ray imaging is a widely used approach to view the internal structure of a subject for clinical diagnosis, image-guided interventions and decision-making. The X-ray projections acquired at different view angles provide complementary information of patient's anatomy and are required for stereoscopic or volumetric imaging of the subject. In reality, obtaining multiple-view projections inevitably increases radiation dose and complicates clinical workflow. Here we investigate a strategy of obtaining the X-ray projection image at a novel view angle from a given projection image at a specific view angle to alleviate the need for actual projection measurement. Specifically, we propose a deep learning-based geometry-integrated projection synthesis framework for generating novel-view X-ray projections. MATERIALS/METHODS We for the first time investigate the novel-view projection synthesis problem for X-ray imaging. We propose a deep learning-based geometry-integrated projection synthesis model to generate novel-view X-ray projections through feature disentanglement and geometry transformation. The proposed deep learning model extracts geometry and texture features from a source-view projection, and then conducts geometry transformation on the geometry features to accommodate the change of view angle. Then the X-ray projection in target view is synthesized from the transformed geometry and shared texture features via an image generator. We validate the proposed approach by experimenting on one-to-one and multi-to-multi X-ray projection synthesis using lung imaging cases across various patients. We conduct experiments on a public dataset containing 1018 lung CT images, where 80% and 20% data are used for training and testing. The projection images are digitally produced from CT images using geometry consistent with a clinical on-board cone-beam CT system for radiation therapy. RESULTS We deploy the trained model on the held-out testing set for novel-view projection synthesis. The generated results are compared with ground truth qualitatively and quantitatively. For AP-to-lateral and lateral-to-AP view synthesis, average NRMSE / SSIM / PSNR values over all testing data are 0.185 / 0.880 / 22.646 and 0.173 / 0.911 / 23.908, respectively. Promising results are also obtained for multi-to-multi view synthesis. By visualizing the generated projections, we observe the proposed model can generate images closely to the targets despite the various anatomic structures of different patients, indicating the potential of the proposed model for X-ray projection synthesis. CONCLUSION This work investigates the synthesis of novel-view X-ray projections and presents a robust model combining the deep learning and geometry transformation. It is shown that the generated X-ray projections reveal the internal anatomy distribution from new viewpoints, which potentially provides a new paradigm for volumetric imaging with substantially reduced efforts in data acquisition.
Search and validation of short genome-wide biomarkers for bacterial biological phylogenies

We continue the exploration of DNA-based indexing as a universal coordinate system in DNA spaces to characterize very large groups (families, genera, and even phylla) of organisms on a uniform biomarker reference system, a comprehensive "Atlas of Life", as it is or as it could be on earth. We provide a second confirmation that DNA noncrosshybridizing (nxh) sets can be successfully applied to infer ab-initio phylogenetic trees by providing a method to measure distances among entire genomes indexed by sets of short oligonucleotides selected so as to minimize crosshybridization. These phylogenies are solidly established and well accepted in bacterial biology, albeit done by analyses of relatively small segments of highly conserved rybozomic DNA. Second, it is further demonstrated that DNA indexing does provide novel and principled genome-wide predictions into the phylogenesis of organisms hitherto inaccessible by current methods, such as a prediction of the origin of the Salmonella plasmid 50 as being acquired horizontally, likely from some bacteria somewhat related to Yesinia. We conclude with some discussion about the scalability and potential of this method to develop a comprehensive tree of life based on genome-wide methods.
CAR-DRIVER MODELS FOR MANUAL AND AUTOMATED TRAVEL

This paper presents a model for manual and automated traffic flow. The model is based on the abstraction of vehicle activities by the space and time taken up by the vehicle engaged in the activity. The manual driver model includes the activities of vehicle following and lane change and allows for different levels of aggressiveness of drivers. The parameters of the activities are calibrated with real highway data. The expectation is that this model will provide more realistic estimates of highway capacity while retaining the efficiency of macro-scale simulators.
New Horizons in Vitamin E Research — The Vitamin E Cycle, Biochemistry, and Clinical Applications

Probably most diseases at some point during their course involve free radical reactions in tissue injury. In some cases, free radical reactions may be involved in multiple sites and at different stages of a chronic disease. So, both acute and degenerative diseases are thought to involve free radical reactions in tissue injury. An overview will be given of the evidence for the occurrence of free radicals and the importance of antioxidant interventions with particular reference to the lipophilic antioxidant vitamin E (tocopherols and tocotrienols).