cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Ca2+-activated Cl- channel ANO1/TMEM16A regulates primary ciliogenesis

Many cells possess a single, nonmotile, primary cilium highly enriched in receptors and sensory transduction machinery that plays crucial roles in cellular morphogenesis. Although sensory transduction requires ion channels, relatively little is known about ion channels in the primary cilium (with the exception of TRPP2). Here we show that the Ca2+-activated Cl− channel anoctamin-1 (ANO1/TMEM16A) is located in the primary cilium and that blocking its channel function pharmacologically or knocking it down with short hairpin RNA interferes with ciliogenesis. Before ciliogenesis, the channel becomes organized into a torus-shaped structure (“the nimbus”) enriched in proteins required for ciliogenesis, including the small GTPases Cdc42 and Arl13b and the exocyst complex component Sec6. The nimbus excludes F-actin and coincides with a ring of acetylated microtubules. The nimbus appears to form before, or independent of, apical docking of the mother centriole. Our data support a model in which the nimbus provides a scaffold for staging of ciliary components for assembly very early in ciliogenesis and chloride transport by ANO1/TMEM16A is required for the genesis or maintenance of primary cilia.
Quasars, supermassive black holes, and host galaxy evolution

We discuss some recent results from a program to study the relationships between AGNs, super-massive black holes (SMBHs), and their surrounding host galaxies. The results are based on broad emission-line diagnostics of the SMBH masses and metal abundances in a unique sample of 578 Type 1 AGNs.
Stimuli-related variation in urination frequency of female white-tailed deer during the estrous cycle

Abstract We observed variations in urination frequency of female white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ) that appeared to be dependent on stage of the estrous cycle and type of disturbance stimuli, and evaluated possible causes for this potential chemosensory behavior. Eight does were exposed randomly to a teaser buck, other does, and a human disturbance for 5 min each day. For each doe, treatments were performed 15 times when the doe was not in estrus and 3 times during estrus. The number of urinations was recorded for each event. When disturbed, non-estrous does urinated more frequently than estrous does. Exposure of an estrous doe to another doe or to a human did not stimulate urination; in 4 test animals, exposure to a buck resulted only in occasional urination. In contrast, non-estrous does urinated infrequently in response to disturbance by another doe, or a human, whereas exposure to a teaser buck resulted in significantly higher urination frequencies. Urine undoubtedly provides valuable semiochemicals that stimulate reproductive behavior. Urine may also facilitate vomeronasal and / or olfactory communication between male deer and non-receptive females and act to prime males for the breeding season. Variation in urination due to stage of estrus may allow does to selectively provide olfactory cues to conspecifics during the breeding season.
Magnitude-Period Scaling Relations for Japan and the Pacific Northwest: Implications for Earthquake Early Warning

Scaling relations between the predominant period of P-wave arrivals and earthquake magnitude are explored using datasets from the Pacific Northwest and Japan, and compared with previous observations in southern California (Allen and Kanamori, 2003). We find the same scaling for events in all three geologically diverse regions. The sensitivity of the predominant period observation to magnitude can be optimized using various frequency bands for different magnitude ranges and in dif- ferent regions. The ability to estimate the magnitude using the first few seconds of the P wave offers a methodology for earthquake early warning. The accuracy of magnitude estimates increases with the number of stations reporting predominant period observations. The most significant improvements in the magnitude estimate occur when the number of reporting stations increased from one to four. As in south- ern California, we find that the average absolute magnitude error is 0.5 magnitude units when the closest four stations to the epicenter are used.
Explaining personal and constraint commitment in close relationships: The role of satisfaction, conflict responses, and relational bond

Relational satisfaction, conflict responses, and perceived relational bond were examined as predictors of both personal and constraint commitment in close relationships. Participants were drawn from married, engaged, and dating relationships. A total of 96 couples (36 dating, 28 engaged, and 32 married) completed an interview and a series of self-report measures. The hypothesized association between satisfaction and personal commitment was supported; results indicated that relational satisfaction was the strongest predictor of both personal and constraint commitment in both men and women. The hypothesized association between perceived relational bond and personal and constraint commitment received partial support; it was only predictive of personal commitment in women. Finally, there was strong evidence that personal commitment mediates the otherwise unanticipated positive relationship between satisfaction and constraint commitment.
Performance analysis of the RS-232-C switch on the MAP network

The primary attributes of the performance analysis of a Manufacturing Automation Protocol (MAP) network are transmission time and throughput. To make a meaningful performance analysis of a network, specific conditions such as node and network loading, message length, and baud rate have to be established prior to making the measurements. The authors describe two nodes established on the experimental MAP network at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. The results of the measurements are analyzed and documented with respect to network performance. It is concluded that MAP provides an acceptable way of transferring blocks of information between RS-232-C devices by a full seven-layer implementation. >
Charmed nonleptonic decay in asymptotically free theories

The nonleptonic decay of charmed states is studied by means of renormalization-group techniques in a class of asymptotically free models. An SU(3) sextet rule is shown to result. The enhanced piece of the Hamiltonian belongs to a 20-dimensional representation of SU(4), which distinguishes the renormalization-group approach from some alternate octet enhancement schemes. (AIP)
The roles of cytochrome b5 in cytochrome P450 reactions.

Cytochrome b(5), a 17-kDa hemeprotein associated primarily with the endoplasmic reticulum of eukaryotic cells, has long been known to augment some cytochrome P450 monooxygenase reactions, but the mechanism of stimulation has remained controversial. Studies in recent years have clarified this issue by delineating three pathways by which cytochrome b(5) augments P450 reactions: direct electron transfer of both required electrons from NADH-cytochrome b(5) reductase to P450, in a pathway separate and independent of NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase; transfer of the second electron to oxyferrous P450 from either cytochrome b(5) reductase or cytochrome P450 reductase; and allosteric stimulation of P450 without electron transfer. Evidence now indicates that each of these pathways is likely to operate in vivo.
On the Logic of Business Plan Composition

This article presents examples for improving the effectiveness of business plans by focusing on the logical structure of their composition.
Lessons from the learning curve.

Objective: To test the hypothesis that cognitive activity across the life span is related to late-life cognitive decline not linked to common neuropathologic disorders. Methods: On enrollment, older participants in a longitudinal clinical-pathologic cohort study rated late-life (i.e., current) and early-life participation in cognitively stimulating activities. After a mean of 5.8 years of annual cognitive function testing, 294 individuals had died and undergone neuropathologic examination. Chronic gross infarcts, chronic microscopic infarcts, and neocortical Lewy bodies were identified, and measures of β-amyloid burden and tau-positive tangle density in multiple brain regions were derived. Results: In a mixed-effects model adjusted for age at death, sex, education, gross and microscopic infarction, neocortical Lewy bodies, amyloid burden, and tangle density, more frequent late-life cognitive activity (estimate = 0.028, standard error [SE] = 0.008, p Conclusions: More frequent cognitive activity across the life span has an association with slower late-life cognitive decline that is independent of common neuropathologic conditions, consistent with the cognitive reserve hypothesis.
Lying for the patient's good.

D.B. presents to the orthopaedic surgeon's office with a knee injury. He informs the surgeon that he injured the knee at work. The physical examination is consistent with a torn medial meniscus. The surgeon requests a magnetic resonance imaging study and tells the patient that, depending on the results of the scan, arthroscopic surgery may be necessary. D.B. then explains that he no longer has health insurance, but, by saying that the injury occurred at work, his treatment will be covered by Workers' Compensation insurance. On further questioning, it seems unlikely that the injury did occur on the job. D.B. asks the surgeon to report the injury as work-related; otherwise, he will have to pay for the surgery himself and he cannot afford the expense. All of us are well aware of our ethical commitment to act for the good of our patients. But how far does the scope of that dictum extend? The case above raises the question of whether doctors should be concerned only with patients' health and medical well-being or whether they should also take an interest in other things that are of importance and value to their patients. Although in most circumstances it may seem very clear that doctors are not obligated to improve the financial situation of their patients, in some circumstances the extent of the physician's responsibility is not so obvious. The health-insurance structure in the United States leaves approximately 40,000,000 patients and their doctors facing difficult dilemmas about what they will sacrifice to be able to obtain or provide needed medical treatment. In the case above, the doctor and the patient confront the question of whether truth, health, or money should be relinquished. In this particular case, and in other similar situations that we …
When Common Wisdom Is Neither Common Nor Wisdom: Exploring Voters' Limited Use of Endorsements on Three Ballot Measures

Ballot measures offer voters the opportunity to shape policy decisions directly. It remains unclear, however, if direct democracy asks too much of voters. Do voters have the capacity to make informed decisions on ballot measures that have important and far-reaching policy consequences? The common wisdom in the academic literature is that voters routinely use endorsements from elite cue-givers — such as prominent political figures, interest groups, and political parties — to arrive at an informed decision despite their lack of specific knowledge about the measures under consideration. We examine the degree to which this description is accurate in the case of direct democracy by surveying individuals about three ballot measures in North Carolina and California during their respective 2012 presidential primaries. The three ballot measures covered subjects that voters consider frequently in many states: same-sex marriage, term-limits, and taxation. We find that, contrary to the common wisdom, the ways in which individuals use endorsements to inform their decisions, while efficacious for some individuals, is highly conditional. In our surveys, campaign endorsements were informative to voters less than half of the time; but they can be quite effective for some subsets of the electorate. Our findings raise important questions about how voters evaluate ballot measures, and whether voters can make competent policy choices via the initiative and referendum.
Structural Damage Assessment Using Chaotic Dynamic Interrogation

This work considers a new technique for damage detection in vibration-based structural health monitoring. The technique involves exciting a structure with a low-dimensional chaotic input, reconstructing the attractor, and analyzing certain properties of the attractor for the subtle changes which may occur due to damage. Recourse is made to the Kaplan-Yorke conjecture for motivating the technique. The technique is then demonstrated in the laboratory on a beam subject to boundary clamp damage controlled by means of a special elastic clamp. The measurements are made with a special fiber optic strain measurement system whose key performance features are described.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
Serological Reactions of Levans Synthesized from Sucrose and Raffinose by Bacterial Enzymes.

SummaryCell- free, levan-synthesizing enzymes have been prepared from Streptococcus salivarius and from a spore-forming bacillus. The polysaccharide products formed by the action of these enzymes upon sucrose and raffinose possess serological properties similar to those recently described for the purified levans isolated from sucrose broth cultures of the living bacteria.
Expectation about counseling in college students in Inner Mongolia

Objective: To investigate the college students' expectation about counseling in Inner Mongolia.Methods: A total of 680 college students were selected from different colleges in Inner Mongolia by convenience sampling.They were assessed with the Expectations about Counseling-Brief Form(EAC-B) and the self-made investigation on experience of counseling.Results: The expectations about Counselor Quality and Skills were significantly higher than that about Personal Commitment(P0.001).The female students showed significantly higher expectation about counselor quality and skills than male students(P0.01).The expectations in freshmen were higher than that in sophomores and seniors(P0.001),and the expectations in sophomores were lower than that in freshmen and juniors.The expectations in the students with prior experience of counseling(n=134) were lower than those with indirect experience(n=380) and without experience of counseling(n=166).Conclusion: The expectation of counseling in college students has significant differences in gender,grade and prior experience.College students' expectation about counseling should be noticed and be made more realistic.
Navigating the cascades of circumstance

In his new book, Serendipity , eminent ecologist James A. Estes deftly weaves rigorous science with personal reflection to create an absorbing and introspective read that is equal parts memoir, ecological textbook, and motivational guidebook for young ecologists. Emphasizing the role of chance encounters in creating career opportunities, the book serves as a revitalizing reminder of the self-doubt and exhilaration that go hand-in-hand with scientific discovery.
Methyl Tert-Butyl Ether

Cholelithiasis is a major cause of morbidity in the western world and in the United States about 500,000 cholecystectomies are performed annually. Although cholecystectomy provides a safe and effective treatment a non-surgical treatment has been sought for several reasons. The medical expenses and loss of time from the work force have an important impact on the national economy. Many patients fear general anaesthesia and major abdominal surgery, and may find postoperative disability for several weeks an inconvenient and expensive detraction from their vocation.
Cancer vaccines for hematologic malignancies.

Background Improvements in the identification of tumor-associated antigens and in our understanding of the mechanisms regulating antitumor immune responses have revived interest in the use of therapeutic cancer vaccination. Due to their unique characteristics, hematologic malignancies represent an ideal target for vaccine-based therapeutic interventions. Methods A review of published vaccine studies in experimental models as well as the results of clinical trials using vaccines for patients with hematologic tumors is presented. Results Tumor vaccine strategies can be divided into two categories: antigen-specific strategies, in which the tumor antigens have been identified and can be isolated to develop a molecularly defined vaccine, and cellular or non-antigen-specific, in which the tumor-specific antigens are unknown but presumed to exist within the material used to generate the vaccine. Early clinical trials have shown not only the feasibility and safety of either approach but also the obstacles in therapeutic cancer vaccination as an effective treatment modality for hematologic malignancies. Conclusions Active immunization using current cancer vaccine approaches is feasible and safe. Although no major successes have been reported, the positive clinical results observed in some patients support the potential for therapeutic cancer vaccination in the management of hematologic malignancies. Results of studies that are testing vaccine formulations, targets, and settings (eg, bone marrow transplantation) may support the use of cancer vaccination as an efficient therapeutic strategy against tumors of hematologic origin.
Maternal Child Sexual Abuse Is Associated With Lower Maternal Warmth Toward Daughters but Not Sons

ABSTRACTMothers with a history of child sexual abuse report less warmth toward their children, but whether this association differs by child gender is unknown. We examined the association of maternal child sexual abuse and warmth across child gender, accounting for depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and child physical abuse. We verbally administered self-report measures to a cross-sectional sample of 154 mothers with a child between 8 and 12 years old. Eighty-five mothers based warmth responses on a son, and 69 on a daughter. We conducted a hierarchical multiple regression, including child gender, maternal child sexual abuse, child physical abuse, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and 4 two-way interaction terms with child gender. Maternal depression predicted decreased warmth, regardless of child gender, and maternal child sexual abuse predicted decreased warmth, but only toward daughters. Given previous research suggesting that maternal warmth predicts child well-being, the current fi...
DNA Repair Genes Are Upregulated in Multiple Myeloma (MM) Patients Relapsing after Tandem Transplantation.

Background: Repair of DNA interstrand crosslinks (ICLs) is considered the major mechanism by which resistance to high and low dose melphalan emerges (Spanswick et al. Blood2002; 100: 224). Enhanced ICL repair occurs via the Fanconi anemia (FA)/ BRCA pathway in myeloma cell lines (Chen et al. Blood2005; 106: 698). The aim of this study was to evaluate if DNA repair genes were indeed upregulated at relapse when compared to baseline in patients enrolled on our Total Therapy 2 protocol. Methods: We compared 51 paired baseline and relapse bone marrow samples for gene expression profiling of CD138 selected plasma cells using the Affimetrix U133 Plus 2.0 microarray. The microarrays were preprocessed using GCOS 1.1 software and normalized using conventional GCOS 1.1 scaling. Baseline and relapse gene expression was compared using the paired Student t test. Results: More than 30 genes related to DNA repair on the microarray were analyzed. We observed significantly higher expression at relapse of FANCA (p=.003), BRCA 1 (p CHEK1 (p=.006) and FANCG (p=0.03) (Figure 1). In contrast, FANCD2 was down-regulated at relapse (p=.006), while no significant changes in expression of FANCF or DNA mismatch repair genes were seen. Conclusion: Our data supports the concept that DNA repair genes in the FA/BRCA pathway contribute to acquired resistance to melphalan in patients after high dose melphalan transplants and that inhibition of DNA repair by bortezomib, gemcitabine or the CHEK1 kinase inhibitor UCN-01, may reverse such resistance if added to high dose melphalan.
Pasture pork, strategies for minimizing environmental impact

The environmental impact of pastured pork production systems is related to climate, soil type, vegetative ground cover species and grazing pressure. Each situation requires a specific analysis. Different strategies have proven to be beneficial to reduce the environmental impact of pastured pork, including: implementing rotational management, employing an appropriate stocking rate, periodically moving shelters, feeding and drinking structures, and utilizing crops for soil bioremediation. In order to maintain a vegetative ground cover of 75%, it is advisable to implement rotational grazing systems with stocking rates lower than 50 growing-finishing pigs/ha or 10 gestating sows/ha.
Countering Reactance in Crisis Communication: Incorporating Positive Emotions via Social Media:

Based on the psychological reactance theory, this study examined the effect of incorporating sympathy via social media on countering reactance in crisis communication. The study employed a 2 (expre...
(Dis)Trust your gut: the gut microbiome in age-related inflammation, health, and disease.

Chronic inflammation represents one of the most consistent biologic features of aging. However, the precise etiology of persistent low-grade increases in inflammation remains unclear. Recent evidence suggests that the gut microbiome may play a key role in age-related inflammation. Indeed, several studies have indicated that older adults display an altered composition of the gut microbiota, and early evidence indicates that this dysbiosis is associated with the presence of several key circulating inflammatory analytes. The present review summarizes knowledge on age-related inflammation and discusses how potential relationships with gut dysbiosis may lead to novel treatment strategies in the future. “The pattern of disease is an expression of the response of man to his total environment (physical, biological, and social); this response is, therefore, determined by anything that affects man himself or his environment.” – Rene Dubos, 1961
Comments on the comparison of dynamic and static compression data

Abstract A detailed discussion is presented of the relationship between dynamic shock wave data at high pressures, acoustic velocity data at low pressures and the static compression data at intermediate pressures reported by Vaidya and Kennedy in the previous paper.
Fertility behaviors in South Korea and their association with ultrasound prenatal sex screening.

Abstract Imbalances in the sex ratio at birth in Southeast and East Asia increased especially after the mid-1980s. We study how ultrasonic technology affected sex ratios at birth in South Korea, a country with a strong son preference. Between 1985 and 1995 fetal screenings and abortion services were widely available, though not available in the years before, and prohibited in the years after. Using the 1985, 1995, and 2005 Census microdata, we examine changes in sex ratios of newborns by birth year. We then study periodic effects on the fertility stopping rule, using the 2006 Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging, which provides birth years for all children. Between 1985 and 1995 there was a large increase in the fraction of boy babies at birth orders of three or more. Despite these fractions falling in the subsequent time period when fetal screening became illegal, they remained above plausible biological levels. Supporting earlier findings in the literature, the increase in sex ratios was especially large when prior sibling composition was entirely female. We also find that having only daughters significantly increases the probability of parents having another child, and this effect is greater for parents with any child born after 1985 than the parents with all children born before 1985. There exist significant period effects, suggesting that sex ratios at birth became imbalanced when ultrasound technology became available. The availability of ultrasound technology also influenced parents’ fertility decisions, seen especially in parents with only daughters deciding to have another child. Our study provides new evidence for how the availability of ultrasound technology influenced sex ratios at birth and influenced fertility behaviors in Korea.
Psychophysiological Feedback for Adaptive Human–Robot Interaction (HRI)

Recent advances in robotics and sensing have given rise to a diverse set of robots and their applications. In recent years robots have increasingly applied in the service industry, search and rescue operations and therapeutic applications. The introduction of robots to interact with humans resulted in a dedicated field called human–robot interaction (HRI). Social HRI is of particular importance as it is the main focus of this chapter. This chapter presents an affect-inspired approach for social HRI. Physiological processing together with machine learning was employed to model affective states for an adaptive social HRI and its application in social interaction in the context of autism therapy was investigated.
S-NPP VIIRS thermal emissive band thermal calibration errors and their impact on blackbody warm up and cool down f factors

The Visible-Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) onboard the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (S-NPP) spacecraft as a primary sensor was launched October 28, 2011. There are 22 VIIRS bands: 7 thermal emissive bands (TEBs), 14 reflective solar bands (RSBs) and a Day Night Band (DNB). An on-orbit On-Board Calibrator BlackBody (OBCBB) is used as the TEB calibration source that tracks the detector gain change on a scan-by-scan basis. A thermal model to account for internal sensor emission is used in both the OBCBB derived gain calibration and Earth View (EV) radiance and brightness temperature retrievals. This thermal model uses pre-launch calibration coefficients to convert detector response into radiance and internal VIIRS cavity thermistors to estimate the sensor's internal emission from various optical surfaces. The inputs to the thermal model have uncertainties which introduce errors in both the gain correction and the EV retrievals. This paper will discuss the impacts of the thermal model uncertainties on the VIIRS calibration.
Synthesis and conformational analysis of d-gluco-pyranosyl-(6,6′)-d-gluco-pyranuronate, a model compound for the inter-glycan 6,6′-ester linkage

The synthesis of a 6,6'-ester linked disaccharide analog model compound was achieved in five steps from d-glucose and featured a key oxidative esterification transformation. The synthesized d-gluco-pyranosyl-(6,6')-d-gluco-pyranuronate was characterized in D2O using NMR spectroscopy. Using the experimental data together with molecular dynamics simulations (TIP3P, water), a model of the compound's conformational behavior was established. The effect of the 6,6'-ester linkage on the solution phase structure was compared to that of the previously reported 6,6'-ether linkage in a disaccharide analog. Based on the established models, the ester linkage was found to have a profound effect on the overall shape of the molecule.
The survival impact of surgical therapy in squamous cell carcinoma of the hard palate.

OBJECTIVE To describe the incidence and determinants of survival of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the hard palate (SCCHP) between the years of 1973 to 2014 using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. METHODS Retrospective, population-based cohort study of patients in the SEER tumor registry who were diagnosed with SCCHP from 1973 to 2014. Outcomes and measures included overall survival (OS) and disease-specific survival (DSS). RESULTS A total of 1,489 cases of primary SCCHP were identified. Of those, 53.2% were females and 47.8% presented with stage IV disease. The mean age at diagnosis was 69.8 years. Overall survival at 2, 5, and 10 years was 44%, 33%, and 21%, respectively. A total of 66.2% of patients underwent surgery (with or without radiation therapy [RT]); 20.1% received RT; and 22.4% had both surgical and RT. On multivariate analysis, RT, advanced age, stage, and grade were associated with worse OS and DSS (P < 0.05). Surgical therapy (with or without radiation) was an independent favorable predictor of OS and DSS (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION SCCHP is relatively infrequent tumor that portends an overall poor prognosis when advanced stage and a greater prognosis when early stage. Surgical therapy was found to be an independent predictor for improved OS and DSS, whereas RT was associated with reduced OS and DSS. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 4. Laryngoscope, 128:2050-2055, 2018.
The development of a mouse model of mTBI-induced post-traumatic migraine, and identification of the delta opioid receptor as a novel therapeutic target.

BackgroundPost-traumatic headache is the most common and long-lasting impairment observed following mild traumatic brain injury, and frequently has migraine-like characteristics. The mechanisms und...
Three Views on Violence, Sanctions and Ethics: A Law & Economics Analysis of Gordon, Lopez and Bastiat

This article addresses the question of whether sanctions constitute violence in the broad sense of that term, and whether, and under what conditions, sanctions can be justified. The sanctions imposed against Iraq and Cuba are discussed as case studies and several ethical theories are applied to determine whether sanctions can be justified on ethical grounds. The views of Joy Gordon, George A. Lopez and Frederic Bastiat are examined as representative of three approaches that can be taken. The conclusion is that the imposition of sanctions constitutes unethical conduct regardless of which set of ethical principles are applied. A bibliography with links to other Bastiat studies is also included.
Activation of Carcinogens by Human Liver Cytochromes P-450

Over the years scientists have become aware that many chemical carcinogens are not active in themselves and that enzymatic activation to electrophilic forms is required for tumor initiation and, perhaps, for tumor promotion in some instances (Nebert, 1978; Weisburger, 1980; Miller and Miller, 1981; Conney, 1982; Searle, 1984; Dipple et al., 1985). Many of the proteins that have been recognized to have roles In the metabolism of drugs are now implicated in both the bioactivation and detoxification of potential mutagens and carcinogens, including enzymes involved in oxidation and conjugation reactions (Guengerich, 1988). Most of these enzymes are found in gene families with more or less closely related sequences (Nebert et al., 1989), and discernment of the catalytic roles of individual proteins in specified bioactivation and detoxication reactions is difficult but necessary for an understanding of cancer etiology. Levels of many of these enzymes show wide inter-individual variation, with both genetic and environmental contributions to these differences.
Transcranial Contrast-Enhanced Color-Flow Imaging

Owing to the variability and complexity of vessels that comprise the circle of Willis, hand-held transcranial Doppler (TCD) devices are subject to problems of vessel identification and documentation. Furthermore, TCD does not provide morphological information about the basal vessels. These problems significantly limit conventional TCD sonography.
Portable Fluorescence Detection Platform with Integrating Sphere

A platform coupled with an integrating sphere for portable fluorescence detection was presented in this paper. The detector under testing has a demonstrated lower limit of detection 0.4 nM for detecting fluorescein solutions and 0.00128 ng/mL for detecting SYBR-Green stained dsDNA in this preliminary work. The signal-to-noise ratio analysis suggests that the limit of detection could be even lower than presented herein.
Exploring the Effect of Household Structure in Historical Record Linkage of Early 1900s Ireland Census Records

Record linkage is the process of identifying records corresponding to unique entities across datasets. Linking historical data allows researchers to better characterize topics like population mobility, impacts of local/national events, and generational changes. Most record linkage algorithms rely on string similarities (e.g. edit distance of name); however sometimes we expect to see changes not captured by standard text similarity metrics (e.g. name changes after marriage). The recently available Ireland 1901, 1911 national census records have limited, non-standardized fields containing the typical errors associated with digitizing and formatting hand-written records. These issues, coupled with high frequencies of common names, are part of the reasons traditional methods struggle. These methods often only consider pairwise information without incorporating household or relationship information across records (e.g. parents, siblings). However, the original census records correspond to households which allows us to explore incorporating additional structure into traditional record linkage methods. In this paper, we describe an initial labeling procedure for a subset of County Carlow, Ireland and compare approaches for including household information into both supervised and unsupervised record linkage techniques.
BRUGADA SYNDROME: DEATH REVEALS ITS PERPETRATOR

Brugada syndrome is an inherited channelopathy that conveys an increased risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD). Baseline ECG may be normal, confounding the diagnosis. Provoking factors may be required to unmask the Brugada ECG pattern. A 50 year old woman with HTN and HLD presented with fever and
Nanocellulose for oil and gas field drilling and cementing applications

Abstract Global energy demand has been in an increasing trend over the last decades and it will continue to be in the same trend in the years to come. In order to match the demand, the oil and gas drilling industry has been drilling deeper, long horizontal, extended reach multi-lateral wells to tap deeper reservoirs and to maximize reservoir contact. Existing hydrocarbon reservoirs are getting depleted. Exploration of new hydrocarbon reserves are mostly found in challenging environment and drilling operation in these fields are associated with high pressure and high temperature regime. The conventional drilling fluid typically consists of biopolymers such as cellulose, starch and xanthan gum. These biopolymers are used as viscosifiers, fluid-loss control additives and suspending agents. When subjected under high pressure and high temperature environment drilling, these additives will degrade and deteriorate. Nanomaterials such as nanocellulose exhibit excellent thermal and physiochemical properties due to their well-ordered crystalline structure. These type of property enhancements are necessary to design a high performance water based drilling fluid systems. An acid-digestion process of regular cellulose will remove the amorphous form and retain the nano-sized crystalline part of cellulose. Further processing and chemical modification of crystalline nanocellulose can lead to a range of nano-based products such as polyanionic cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose, etc. for various oil and gas field drilling applications. In this paper, we tried to capture the recent research and development efforts around nanocellulose for oil and gas industry drilling applications. This review also includes techno-economic analysis of nanocellulose and the viability for oil and gas industry applications.
Advances in triboluminescence and mechanoluminescence

Triboluminescence is the spontaneous emission of light that results from the mechanical force applied to certain materials. This spontaneous light emission has been observed for hundreds of years. However, there are few practical applications of triboluminescence. Mechano-luminescence is a form of triboluminescence, and sometimes the terms are used interchangeably. Triboluminescence has the potential to use in many fields. This paper is a review of the history and mechanics of triboluminescence, and some applications are discussed. The types of triboluminescence covered in this paper include elastic-stress mechano-luminescence, plastic-stress mechano-luminescence, and fracture mechano-luminescence. Materials and methods in developing future applications have also been included. The research reviewed in this paper gives an insight into past and current advances in the field of triboluminescence and explains the potential for future applications.
Chasing utopia: Disaster memorial volunteers at the Joplin Memorial Race

Abstract In the days and weeks after a disaster event, communities often display a strong sense of unity and a collective sense of loss that unites helpers and community members, creating a “utopian mood.” Whereas previous research focuses on emergent disaster relief workers and volunteers in the immediate aftermath of a disaster, this research identifies a new convergent behavior where established helpers continue beyond the immediate recovery phase and constitute a new disaster volunteer type, the Disaster Memorial Volunteer. This type of volunteer participates in commemoration events that refresh the collective memory of a disaster event and potentially reduce risk to future events within that community. Through interviews and in the field observations, we examine how a commemorative running event in Joplin, Missouri annually recreates the sense of unity and comradery as was experienced in the early days of recovery from the 2011 EF-5 tornado.
Low-lying resonances of 9ΛBe: Faddeev calculation with Padé-approximants

Configuration space Faddeev equations are applied to describe the 9ΛBe hypernucleus in the ααΛ cluster model. For calculation of resonance state energies a variant of the method of analytical continuation in coupling constant is used. To realize this method, an auxiliary three-body potential is added to the Hamiltonian of the equations. A proper choice of strength parameter of the potential converts a resonance state into a bound state and an energy trajectory is obtained by variations of this parameter. To fulfill analytical continuation of this trajectory as a function of the strength parameter onto the complex plane, the Pade approximation is used. Spectrum of low-lying resonances is calculated with two αΛ phenomenological potentials. We predict existence of the 0+2 and 4+1 virtual states as well as the 2+2 resonance state near by the ααΛ threshold. The Be 8 ( L + ) + Λ ( s -wave ) configuration for description of the 9ΛBe ground band is discussed.
Water-based chitosan/melamine polyphosphate multilayer nanocoating that extinguishes fire on polyester-cotton fabric.

Abstract Polyester–cotton (PECO) blends are widely used in the textile industry because they combine the softness of cotton and the strength and durability of polyester. Unfortunately, both fiber types share the disadvantage of being flammable. The layer-by-layer coating technique was used to deposit a highly effective flame retardant (melamine polyphosphate) from water onto polyester–cotton fabric. Soluble melamine and sodium hexametaphosphate form this water-insoluble flame retardant during the coating procedure. This unique nanocoating imparts self-extinguishing properties to PECO with only 12% relative coating weight. Vertical flame testing, pyrolysis combustion flow calorimetry (PCFC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy were used to evaluate the quality of the coating as well as its flame retardant performance. A combination of both condensed and gas-phase activity appears to be the reason for this effective flame retardancy. Degradation pathways of both cotton and polyester are affected by the applied coating, as shown by PCFC and TGA. Use of environmentally benign and non-toxic chemicals, and the ease of layer-by-layer deposition, making this coating an industrially feasible alternative to render polyester–cotton fabric self-extinguishing.
Shock from Kawasaki Disease leading to profound coronary aneurysms

Introduction: Historically, Kawasaki Disease is a process that general pediatricians are trained to recognize and that can generally be managed on the floor. Diagnosis requires fever for 5 days and 4/5 of: conjunctival injection, oral mucous membrane changes, peripheral extremity changes, rash, and cervical lymphadenopathy. However, an estimated 5% or greater of these patients can present in florid shock, necessitating critical care. Case Description: An 8-year-old female presented with 6 days of fever and rash and was found to be in shock with systolics in the 60s. Her exam was …
It Takes a Village to Build a Robot: An Empirical Study of The ROS Ecosystem

Over the past eleven years, the Robot Operating System (ROS), has grown from a small research project into the most popular framework for robotics development. Composed of packages released on the Rosdistro package manager, ROS aims to simplify development by providing reusable libraries, tools and conventions for building a robot. Still, developing a complete robot is a difficult task that involves bridging many technical disciplines. Experts who create computer vision packages, for instance, may need to rely on software designed by mechanical engineers to implement motor control. As building a robot requires domain expertise in software, mechanical, and electrical engineering, as well as artificial intelligence and robotics, ROS faces knowledge based barriers to collaboration.In this paper, we examine how the necessity of domain specific knowledge impacts the open source collaboration model. We create a comprehensive corpus of package metadata and dependencies over three years in the ROS ecosystem, analyze how collaboration is structured, and study the dependency network evolution. We find that the most widely used ROS packages belong to a small cluster of foundational working groups (FWGs), each organized around a different domain in robotics. We show that the FWGs are growing at a slower rate than the rest of the ecosystem, in terms of their membership and number of packages, yet the number of dependencies on FWGs is increasing at a faster rate. In addition, we mined all ROS packages on GitHub, and showed that 82% rely exclusively on functionality provided by FWGs. Finally, we investigate these highly influential groups and describe the unique model of collaboration they support in ROS.
Factors Associated with #MeToo Involvement Among College Students

Sexual violence is a topic that has received increasing national attention and has been identified as a commonly occurring social issue. In response to the failure of the criminal justice system (and society at large) to adequately respond to the prevalence of sexual victimization, the #MeToo movement (which involves posting the #MeToo hashtag on social media) has acted as a mechanism to expose systemic oppression and abuses of power, while also holding perpetrators of sexual violence accountable for sexual abuse and harassment. There is growing popularity in utilizing the internet to raise awareness about social issues and to generate participation in collective action. While most research investigating factors associated with social movement participation has been primarily confined to collective identity as a precursor to in-person activism, less is known about other predictors (e.g., demographic characteristics) of social and, more specifically, digital activism. Using data collected from 626 undergraduate college students, the current study examines the impact of various demographic characteristics, collective identity, self-esteem, self-control, and attitudes towards sexual coercion on participation in the #MeToo movement in various forms (i.e., posting the #MeToo hashtag on personal social media accounts; signing a #MeToo petition; attending a #MeToo protest or rally). Results indicate that demographic characteristics, collective identity, Greek membership/collegiate athletics, and sexual violence programming are significantly associated with #MeToo involvement. Policy implications and recommendations for future research are discussed.
Research Methods for Political Science : Quantitative, Qualitative and Mixed Methods Approaches

The third edition of Research Methods for Political Science retains its effective approach to helping students learn what to research, why to research and how to research. The text integrates both quantitative and qualitative approaches to research in one volume and covers such important topics as research design, specifying research problems, designing questionnaires and writing questions, designing and carrying out qualitative research and analyzing both quantitative and qualitative research data. Heavily illustrated, classroom tested, exceptionally readable and engaging, the text presents statistical methods in a conversational tone to help students surmount "math phobia." Updates to this new edition include: Research topics chapters have been upgraded and expanded. Two mixed methods design chapters have been added. A new chapter on hermeneutic analysis designs and research with large data sets. The chapter on multivariate statistics has been expanded, with an expanded discussion on logistic regression. Tools on how to prepare and present research findings are now featured in the appendix, allowing instructors more flexibility when teaching their courses. Research Methods for Political Science will give students the confidence and knowledge they need to understand the methods and basics skills for data collection, presentation and analysis.
Developing Professional Identity Through Reflective Practice

From her vantage point of time and experience, the author discusses one approach to teaching clinical law courses — integrating skills training with the development of professional identity through reflective practice — as a model that might be followed by others. Moreover, the author suggests that the approach might be adopted for use in other parts of the curriculum as well, thus providing a means for addressing the Carnegie Foundation’s call for more “balanced learning” in law school within its report, Educating Lawyers. This report had concluded that legal education could be significantly improved to “better serve the needs of the bar and the nation as a whole,” and raised critical questions and concerns, most notably the need for integration of the law student’s learning experience. The author suggests it might be possible to introduce some changes without disruption or difficulty by building, wherever possible, on what is already in place. Clinical-legal education comes first to mind when combining the theoretical with the practical, but it is not the only opportunity for doing so. Still, it is more likely, however, that the first steps toward enhanced integrative learning will occur in the clinical setting. In the clinical legal classroom, it is possible to combine more than theory with practice: guided by appropriate “leading questions,” students can be directed to expand their substantive and ethical understanding as well as develop their practical lawyering skills. Moreover, the clinic can be used as a vehicle for developing self-reflection, an essential skill for integrative learning.