cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of Orally Administered Duodenal Fluid on Serum Proteins in Neonatal Calves

Abstract This study was to determine if orally administered duodenal fluid, as a source of intestinal microorganisms, would influence absorption of γ -globulin of colostrum in newborn calves. Duodenal fluid was obtained 2h postfeeding from a cannulated milk-fed calf. Twenty-seven male and female Holstein calves obtained within 6h of birth were assigned randomly to one of three treatments: 1) colostrum alone, 2) 200ml duodenal fluid immediately followed by colostrum, and 3) 200ml duodenal fluid followed 3h later by colostrum. Pooled colostrum was fed at 10% of body weight in two daily feedings. Total protein, albumin, α -globulin, β -globulin, and γ -globulin of blood serum were determined prior to colostrum consumption, and again 24 and 48h after administration of duodenal fluid. Total proteins, β -globulin, and γ -globulin of serum increased with age in all calves. Inocula interference with absorption was indicated by depressed values of serum in calves of treatment 3 as compared to treatment 1 calves for protein (5.28 to 6.28g/dl), β -globulin (.67 to .87g/dl), and γ -globulin (.76 to 1.33g/dl). Protein was also lower in calves of treatment 3 (6.05g/dl) compared to uninoculated calves (6.28g/dl). Malabsorption of colostral proteins may be related to early establishment of large numbers of intestinal microorganisms in the newborn calf.
Heme Induces Heme Oxygenase 1 via Nrf2 Role in the Homeostatic Macrophage Response to Intraplaque Hemorrhage

Objective—Intraplaque hemorrhage (IPH) is an important progression event in advanced atherosclerosis, in large part because of the delivery of prooxidant hemoglobin in erythrocytes. We have previously defined a novel macrophage phenotype (hemorrhage-associated-mac) in human advanced plaques with IPH. These may be atheroprotective in view of raised heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1), CD163, and interleukin-10 expression and suppressed oxidative stress. Methods and Results—We have used a combination of small interfering RNA and pharmacological reagents, protein analysis, and oxidative stress measurements to dissect the pathway leading to the development of this phenotype. We found that erythrocytes, hemoglobin, or purified heme similarly induced CD163 and suppressed human leukocyte antigen and reactive oxygen species. HO-1 was required for the development of each of these features. Challenge of macrophages with purified heme provoked nuclear translocation of Nrf2, and Nrf2 small interfering RNA resulted in significant...
Avoiding information leakage in security-policy-aware planning

In early computer systems only simple actions would be governed by security policies. However, computers are increasingly handling complex organizational tasks which may have complex preconditions and postconditions. As such, it is useful to be able to plan and schedule actions in advance in order to ensure that desired actions will be able to be carried out without violating the security policy. However, there is a possibility that planning systems could accidentally leak information about future plans which should be kept confidential. In this paper, we investigate how sensitive information could be leaked by a planning system which uses security policies to ensure that planned actions will be able to occur. We formally define information leakage in this context. Then we present two techniques which can be used to mitigate or eliminate this information leakage and prove their security.
Flow Patternworks International Best Solution to a Patternmaking Problem, 2003

Flow was designed with the intention that dress should compliment, not exaggerate, the natural female form. It connects with nature, not the artificial. In nature, as in the female silhouette, there are few angles. As they flow around the body, the bias lines accentuate existing curves. The color of the garment suggests natural elements such as copper, bronze, and gold. Flow is made of satin-back crepe which allows for subtle contrast of shades, lines, and texture.
The contributions of through-bond interactions to the singlet-triplet energy difference in 1,3-dehydrobenzene.

Separation of the through-space (TS) from the through-bond (TB) interactions between the two atomic orbitals at C(1) and C(3) of 1,3-dehydrobenzene (1) has been achieved by carrying out ab initio, valence-bond, self-consistent-field (VBSCF) calculations. The results indicate that, at the CCSD(T)/cc-pVTZ optimized geometry of the singlet state of 1, the stabilization provided by TB interactions contributes 10% more than the stabilization provided by the TS interactions to the adiabatic singlet−triplet energy difference. The highest occupied MO of 1 contains a contribution from a hybrid AO at C(2), which has the same phase as the smaller lobes of the AOs at C(1) and C(3). Consequently, TB interactions in 1 increase with decreasing values of the C(1)—C(3) distance. The origin of this hybrid AO at C(2) and the contributions of hyperconjugation to TB and TS interactions in 1 are described and discussed.
Elevated temperature static fatigue of a Nicalon fiber-reinforced SiC composite

Static fatigue tests of a Nicalon fiber-reinforced SiC matrix composite were conducted in four-point bending over a temperature range of 425° to 1150°C in air at selected stress levels. The composite consisted of a Nicalon cloth with a 0.3 μm graphite interfacial coating and a Forced Chemical Vapor Infiltration (FCVI) SiC matrix composite; samples were tested with or without a final protective SiC seal coat. The results indicated that the fatigue life of the Nicalon-SiC composite decreased with an increase in either applied stresses or test temperatures. However, the composite exhibited a fatigue limit of ∼ 100 MPa at temperatures ≤ 950°C which decreased to ∼ 70 MPa at 1150°C. Both electron microscopy and thermogravimetric studies suggested that the lifetime of the composites was dictated by the oxidation of graphite interfacial layer at temperatures ≤700°C and by oxidation of graphite coating accompanied by formation of silicate interfacial layer via oxidation of the Nicalon fiber (and the SiC matrix) at temperatures ≥ 950°C. Use of a SiC seal coat effectively retarded the oxidation reactions and increased the lifetime by at least one order of magnitude at 425°C. On the other hand, the SiC seal coat made little (if any) difference in fatigue life at 950 °C.
Nepenthacarus, a new genus of Histiostomatidae (Acari: Astigmata) inhabiting the pitchers of Nepenthes mirabilis (Lour.) Druce in Far North Queensland, Australia

A new genus and species, Nepenthacarus warreni, is described from adults, deutonymphs, protonymphs and larvae collected from the fluid-filled pitchers of Nepenthes mirabilis (Lour.) Druce in northern Queensland, Australia.
A top-down LC-FTICR MS-based strategy for characterizing oxidized calmodulin in activated macrophages.

A liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS)-based approach for characterizing the degree of nitration and oxidation of intact calmodulin (CaM) has been used to resolve ∼250 CaM oxiforms using only 500 ng of protein. The analysis was based on high-resolution data of the intact CaM isoforms obtained by Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FTICR MS) coupled with an on-line reversed-phase LC separation. Tentative identifications of post-translational modifications (PTMs), such as oxidation or nitration, have been assigned by matching observed protein mass to a database containing all theoretically predicted oxidation products of CaM and verified through a combination of tryptic peptide information (generated from bottom-up analyses) and on-line collisionally induced dissociation (CID) tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) at the intact protein level. The reduction in abundance and diversity of oxidatively modified CaM (i.e., nitrated tyrosines and oxidized methionines) induced by macrophage activation has been explored and semiquantified for different oxidation degrees (i.e., no oxidation, moderate, and high oxidation). This work demonstrates the power of the top-down approach to identify and quantify hundreds of combinations of PTMs for single protein target such as CaM and implicate competing repair and peptidase activities to modulate cellular metabolism in response to oxidative stress.
An observational study of medication administration errors in old-age psychiatric inpatients

Background. Relatively little is known about medication administration errors in mental health settings. Objective. To investigate the frequency and nature of medication administration errors in old-age psychiatry. To assess the acceptability of the observational technique to nurse participants. Method. Cross-sectional study technique using (i) direct observation, (ii) medication chart review and (iii) incident reports. Setting. Two elderly long-stay wards in an independent UK psychiatric hospital. Participants. Nine nurses administering medication at routine medication rounds. Main outcome measures. Frequency, type and severity of directly observed medication administration errors compared with errors detected by retrospective chart review and incident reports. Results. Using direct observation 369 errors in 1423 opportunities for errors (25.9%) were detected vs. chart review detected 148 errors and incident reports none. Most errors were of doubtful or minor severity. The pharmacist intervened on four occasions to prevent an error causing patient harm. The commonest errors observed were unauthorized tablet crushing or capsule opening (111/369, 30.1%), omission without a valid reason (100/369, 27.1%) and failure to record administration (87/369, 23.6%). Among the nurses observed, the error rate varied widely from no errors to one error in every two doses administered. Of the seven nurses who completed the post-observation questionnaire, all said they would be willing to be observed again. Conclusion. Medication administration errors are common and mostly minor. Direct observation is a useful, sensitive method for detecting medication administration errors in psychiatry and detects many more errors than chart review or incident reports. The technique appeared to be acceptable to most of the nursing staff that were observed.
Evaluation of Strain Energy Release Rates in Delaminated Laminates Under Compression

Variousapproachestothedetermination oftheenergyreleaseratesofcompressively loaded compositelaminates are critically reviewed. These are the J integral, crack-closure integrals, and the direct method, which involves integration of the load-end compression relationship. The J integral is found to be a reliable approximation for the total energy release rate. The use of the crack tip stress e eld for the determination of modal contributions is exploredforcracksbetweenpliesofsameanddiffering materialproperties,respectively.Theassumptionsonwhich this technique is based are critically examined. Finally, a new displacement based method for the computation of modal contributions to G is proposed. This approach is found to be very reliable and provides values of GI and GII with a relatively coarse mesh. This new technique is expected to supplant the currently used stress-based mode separation technique.
Plotting somatotypes using SAS/GRAPH

Plotting somatotypes is a convenient method for displaying variation in somatotype distributions. A program for drawing the somatochart and plotting somatotype data using SAS/GRAPH on the IBM mainframe is described. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Concessions of an alpha male? Cooperative defence and shared reproduction in multi-male primate groups

By living in social groups with potential competitors, animals forgo monopolizing access to resources. Consequently, debate continues over how selection might favour sociality among competitors. For example, several models exist to account for the evolution of shared reproduction in groups. The ‘concession model’ hypothesizes that dominant reproducers benefit from the presence of subordinates, and hence tolerate some reproduction by subordinates. This mutual benefit to both dominants and subordinates may provide a foundation for the formation of social groups in which multiple members reproduce—a necessary step in the evolution of cooperation. To date, however, the concession model has received virtually no support in vertebrates. Instead, the vast majority of vertebrate data support ‘limited control models’, which posit that dominant reproducers are simply unable to prevent subordinates from reproducing. Here we present the most comprehensive evidence to date in support of the concession model in a vertebrate. We examined natural variation in the number of adult males in gelada (Theropithecus gelada) reproductive units to assess the extent of reproductive skew in multi-male units. Dominant (‘leader’) males in units that also had subordinate (‘follower’) males had a 30 per cent longer tenure than leaders in units that did not have followers, mainly because followers actively defended the group against potential immigrants. Follower males also obtained a small amount of reproduction in the unit, which may have functioned as a concession in return for defending the unit. These results suggest that dominants and subordinates may engage in mutually beneficial reproductive transactions, thus favouring male–male tolerance and cooperation.
Frequency Band Coding Mode Selection for Key Frames of Wyner-Ziv Video Coding

In most Wyner-Ziv video coding approaches, the temporal correlation of key frames is not exploited, since they are simply intra encoded and decoded. In previous work, by using the previously decoded key frames as the side information, we proposed to divide the frequency bands of each block into two classes. Wyner-Ziv coding was used for the low frequency bands of each block, while high frequency bands were intra coded. In this paper, we improve this approach with an efficient coding mode selection technique. Frequency bands are grouped as low and high bands and an appropriate method of coding is selected for them based on the correlation characteristics of each frame with the past. This method does not add complexity to the encoder. Simulation results show that using the proposed method, one can achieve up to 4 dB improvement over prior work.
A Tensor Algebraic Approach to Image Synthesis, Analysis and Recognition

We review our multilinear (tensor) algebraic framework for image synthesis, analysis, and recognition. Natural images result from the multifactor interaction between the imaging process, the illumination, and the scene geometry. Numerical multilinear algebra provides a principled approach to disentangling and explicitly representing the essential factors or modes of image ensembles. Our multilinear image modeling technique employs a tensor extension of the conventional matrix singular value decomposition (SVD), known as the N-mode SVD. This leads us to a multilinear generalization of principal components analysis (PCA) and a novel multilinear generalization of independent components analysis (ICA). As example applications, we tackle currently significant problems in computer graphics, computer vision, and pattern recognition. In particular, we address image-based rendering, specifically the multilinear synthesis of images of textured surfaces for varying viewpoint and illumination, as well as the multilinear analysis and recognition of facial images under variable face shape, view, and illumination conditions. These new multilinear (tensor) algebraic methods outperform their conventional linear (matrix) algebraic counterparts.
An Adjoint Sensitivity Study of the Efficacy of Modal and Nonmodal Perturbations in Causing Model Block Onset

Abstract With a blocking index as the response function, the adjoint sensitivity formalism is used to assess the impact of normal modes, adjoint modes, and regional singular vectors on prediction of block onset in a two-layer model. The authors focus on three blocks excited by perturbing the model’s state vector at times preselected using the maximal perturbation that defines the direction in phase space associated with the largest possible change in the response function. The sets of normal modes, adjoint modes, and regional singular vectors (using the total energy or the L2 norm) are computed on instantaneous basic-state flows for the preselected times and sensitivity results are presented for a time window of 3 days. When ordered by decreasing values of the growth rates of the normal modes, the authors find that some distant normal modes and adjoint modes can produce larger changes in the response function than some of their leading counterparts. In contrast, the sets of regional singular vectors conta...
Spectral Wave–Turbulence Decomposition

Abstract A new method of wave–turbulence decomposition is introduced, for which the only instrument required is one high-frequency pointwise velocity sensor. This is a spectral method that assumes equilibrium turbulence and no wave–turbulence interaction. Nonetheless, laboratory and field experiments show that the new method produces results in good agreement with the results of established wave–turbulence decomposition methods. Therefore, this spectral method proves useful when neither a synchronized wave gauge, nor a second velocimeter, is available. Furthermore, this study indicates that uncertainty in velocimeter probe orientation is responsible for most of the wave bias occurring in turbulent velocity data, so that an accurate measurement of this orientation makes wave–turbulence decomposition unnecessary.
2016 SIGCSE elections

Every three years, SIGCSE holds elections for all officer positions on the SIGCSE Board. The elected positions are Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, and three At-Large board members. In addition, the current Chair will hold the position of Immediate Past Chair. To hold a board position, one must be a professional member of both ACM and SIGCSE.
Three-Dimensional Characterization of Spherical Cryogenic Targets Using Ray-Trace Analysis of Multiple Shadowgraph Views

Backlit optical shadowgraphy is the primary diagnostic for hydrogenic ice-layer characterization in cryogenic targets at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE). Reflection and refraction of ligh...
Validation of a Screening Battery for Psychogeriatric Assessment

The aims of this study were to identify the most important diagnostic questions that warrant assessment in psychogeriatric patients and to select and validate objective screening procedures for those areas. Four areas were identified by surveying the records of 87 psychogeriatric patients: organicity, depression, prognosis, and global psychopathology. Relevant assessment instruments, selected on the basis of a comprehensive literature survey, were administered to 61 psychogeriatric inpatients, and criterion ratings were obtained in each of the four diagnostic areas. The Mental Status Questionnaire correlated -.87 with the organicity criterion and also shoed the highest correlations with the other three criterion variables. A canonical correlation analysis showed that the organicity and depression criteria could be reliably separated by the predictors, and multiple regression analysis showed that each could be reliably predicted independently. It is noted that the population studied was largely chronic in nature, so that the findings are not necessarily applicable to other kinds of settings.
Tolerance to the behavioral and hypothermic effects of 1-Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol in neonatal chicks

La tolerance de l'effet du 1-Δ9 sur l'activite, sur l'echappement d'un stimulant de chaleur et sur la temperature du corps a ete examinee sur des poussins neonataux. La tolerance s'est produite dans les trois conditions examinees.
Ultrafast dynamics of nonequilibrium resonance energy transfer and probing globular protein flexibility of myoglobin.

Protein structural plasticity is critical to many biological activities and accurate determination of its temporal and spatial fluctuations is challenging and difficult. Here, we report our extensive characterization of global flexibility of a globular heme protein of myoglobin using resonance energy transfer as a molecular ruler. With site-directed mutagenesis, we use a tryptophan scan to examine local structural fluctuations from B to H helices utilizing 10 tryptophan-heme energy transfer pairs with femtosecond resolution. We observed ultrafast resonance energy transfer dynamics by following a nearly single exponential behavior in 10–100 ps, strongly indicating that the globular structure of myoglobin is relatively rigid, with no observable static or slow dynamic conformational heterogeneity. The observation is against our molecular dynamics simulations, which show large local fluctuations and give multiple exponential energy transfer behaviors, suggesting too flexible of the global structure and thus r...
Layer-by-Layer Deposition with Polymers Containing Nitrilotriacetate, A Convenient Route to Fabricate Metal- and Protein-Binding Films.

This paper describes a convenient synthesis of nitrilotriacetate (NTA)-containing polymers and subsequent layer-by-layer adsorption of these polymers on flat surfaces and in membrane pores. The resulting films form NTA–metal-ion complexes and capture 2–3 mmol of metal ions per mL of film. Moreover, these coatings bind multilayers of polyhistidine-tagged proteins through association with NTA–metal-ion complexes. Inclusion of acrylic acid repeat units in NTA-containing copolymers promotes swelling to increase protein binding in films on Au-coated wafers. Adsorption of NTA-containing films in porous nylon membranes gives materials that capture ∼46 mg of His-tagged ubiquitin per mL. However, the binding capacity decreases with the protein molecular weight. Due to the high affinity of NTA for metal ions, the modified membranes show modest leaching of Ni2+ in binding and rinsing buffers. Adsorption of NTA-containing polymers is a simple method to create metal- and protein-binding films and may, with future enha...
Book Review: From Nothing: A Theology of Creation:

From Nothing: A Theology of Creation. By Ian A. McFarland. Louis- ville, Ky.: Westminster John Knox Press, 2014. xvii + 212 pp. $35.00 (paper).Recent years have seen a renewed interest in, and focus on, the role of the doctrine of creation within systematic theology. North American Anglicanism is no exception to this trend. In 2012, the General Convention of the Episcopal Church passed Resolution A136, which focused on creation in light of the relationship between science and Christian faith, and commended the Catechism of Creation as a tool for congregational study. Unfortunately, the Catechism of Creation left much to be desired as a theological text. Its casual readers may be left with the impression that Christians must choose between either a version of process theology or "creationism" of the sort unique to contemporary American debates on the origins of the material universe and of humanity.Ian McFarlands compact but rich retrieval of the doctrine of creatio ex nihilo offers another way forward, engaging with recent developments in the physical and biological sciences through the lens of the Christian tradition. McFarland, whose previous work has involved theological anthropology as well as Christology, is most recently the author of In Adam's Fall: A Meditation on the Christian Doctrine of Original Sin. His latest effort thus follows the trajectory of his previous work, reaching beyond the Fall to the moment of creation. At the same time, however, From Nothing is not ultimately concerned with temporal questions of origins. Instead, McFarland focuses primarily on the dogmatic function of creatio ex nihilo as a Christian "proposal about the character of God's relationship to the world" (p. xiv).Crucially, this God is not an abstract or universal prime mover, but the Triune God known and revealed in Christ. McFarland argues that the doctrine of creation cannot function as a ?"forecourt of the Gentiles,' a means by which Christians can find common theological ground with non-Christians at a generous remove from the more knotty questions associated with topics like atonement, original sin, or the Trinity" (p. xii). McFarland eschews these attempts to speak in a kind of theological Esperanto, relying instead on a grammar that is emphatically and irreducibly Christian, and grounding his argument in the doctrine of the Trinity through the role of the Word in creation described in John 1. As he explains in the preface, "The church's doctrine of creation from nothing is best understood in the context of the specifically Christian doctrine of the Trinity and, still more specifically, as a corollary of the belief that Christ is the one in whom all things were created (Col. …
Effect of Substrate Voltage on EPG Recordings of Ingestion and Probing Behavior in Diaphorina citri (Hemiptera: Liviidae)

Abstract Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae) is a major pest of citrus production because it is the vector of Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (Rhizobiales: Rhizobiaceae), which causes Asiatic huanglongbing, a devastating disease of citrus. Understanding the probing and ingestion behavior of the vector is important in understanding pathogen transmission and possible strategies to reduce disease incidence. We assessed the feeding behavior in D. citri by using electropenetrography, wherein a small electric current is passed through the insect. Changes in circuit voltage are recorded, and patterns of voltage changes are subsequently correlated with specific behaviors. However, different laboratories use different equipment with varying applied voltages. It is axiomatic that there will be some voltage at which there will be a change in the behavior of the insect. Current equipment has a range from 0 to 1300 mV, but studies where voltage was reported were in the range from 20 to 600 mV. The purpos...
Microvesicle Information Transfer from Lung to Marrow Cells.

A body of work in the literature has shown that after marrow transplantation into irradiated mice, there appear cells in the lung with an epithelial lung cell phenotype, but with markers of the donor marrow cells. After transplantation of green-fluorescent protein positive marrow cells into lethally irradiated mice, we have previously shown that there are from 3–5% non-hematopoietic cells bearing the donor marrow markers in the lung, most of these being cytokeratin positive (Aliotta et al., Exp Hematol., 34(2):230–41, 2006). We have utilized a cell impermeable double culture chamber to co-culture irradiated and non-irradiated lung across from marrow cells. With 2 or 7 days of co-culture, the marrow cells express the lung-specific mRNAs surfactant proteins B and C and Clara Cell specific protein at high levels. This phenomenon is most pronounced when the lung has been exposed to 500 cGy 5 days prior to initiating co-culture, although it is also seen with non-irradiated lung. Conditioned media from lung exerts the same effects and RNase treatment of the conditioned media markedly decreased this effect. Ultracentrifugation of the conditioned media pellets the converting activity, which appears to reside in microvesicles. These microvesicles were demonstrated to enter marrow stem cells and to enhance their capacity to convert to lung epithelial cells after transplantation. Most recently, we have also shown that the capacity to enter marrow cells varies both with the cell cycle status of lineage negative Sca-1+ murine marrow cells and with the source of the microvesicles, either from irradiated or normal lung. Altogether, these data indicate that microvesicle transfer from damaged tissue may be the basis of some forms of marrow plasticity, which have been previously reported.
Hydrogel scaffolds promote neural gene expression and structural reorganization in human astrocyte cultures

Biomaterial scaffolds have the potential to enhance neuronal development and regeneration. Understanding the genetic responses of astrocytes and neurons to biomaterials could facilitate the development of synthetic environments that enable the specification of neural tissue organization with engineered scaffolds. In this study, we used high throughput transcriptomic and imaging methods to determine the impact of a hydrogel, PuraMatrix™, on human glial cells in vitro. Parallel studies were undertaken with cells grown in a monolayer environment on tissue culture polystyrene. When the Normal Human Astrocyte (NHA) cell line is grown in a hydrogel matrix environment, the glial cells adopt a structural organization that resembles that of neuronal-glial cocultures, where neurons form clusters that are distinct from the surrounding glia. Statistical analysis of next generation RNA sequencing data uncovered a set of genes that are differentially expressed in the monolayer and matrix hydrogel environments. Functional analysis demonstrated that hydrogel-upregulated genes can be grouped into three broad categories: neuronal differentiation and/or neural plasticity, response to neural insult, and sensory perception. Our results demonstrate that hydrogel biomaterials have the potential to transform human glial cell identity, and may have applications in the repair of damaged brain tissue.
Dietary Factors and Cognitive Function in Poor Urban Settings.

A significant body of evidence suggests that poor dietary intake is associated with reduced cognitive function. However, few studies have examined this relation in poor urban settings. Our brief review suggests that (a) higher overall diet quality may play a particularly important role in cognitive function among the poorest and (b) greater vitamin E intake is related to better cognitive performance, at least in part, via fewer depressive symptoms. The broader recent literature strongly suggests the beneficial role of diet for learning and memory, and potentially synergistic influences on other cognitive domains. However, adherence to healthful diet among urban poor may be limited by factors such as cost and access. Here, we propose several potential moderators and mediators of diet–cognition relations among urban poor. Future studies should focus on the complex interplay among factors that influence the role of diet in cognitive function among poor, urban-dwelling persons.
Measuring PM2.5, Ultrafine Particles, Nicotine Air and Wipe Samples Following the Use of Electronic Cigarettes.

Background Few studies have examined the extent of inhalation or dermal contact among bystanders following short-term, secondhand e-cigarette exposure. Objective Measure PM2.5 (particles < 2.5 microns), UF (ultrafine particles < 100 nm), and nicotine in air and deposited on surfaces and clothing pre-/during/post- a short-term (2-hour) e-cigarette exposure. Methods E-cigarettes were used ad libitum by three experienced users for 2 hours during two separate sessions (disposable e-cigarettes, then tank-style e-cigarettes, or "tanks") in a 1858 ft3 room. We recorded: uncorrected PM2.5 (using SidePak); UF (using P-Trak); air nicotine concentrations (using air samplers; SKC XAD-4 canisters); ambient air exchange rate (using an air capture hood). Wipe samples were taken by wiping 100 cm2 room surfaces pre- and post- both sessions, and clean cloth wipes were worn during the exposure and collected at the end. Results Uncorrected PM2.5 and UF were higher (p < .0001) during sessions than before or after. Median PM2.5 during exposure was higher using tanks (0.515 mg/m3) than disposables (0.035 mg/m3) (p < .0001). Median UF during exposure was higher using disposables (31 200 particles/cm3) than tanks (25 200 particles/cm3)(p < .0001). Median air nicotine levels were higher (p < .05) during both sessions (disposables = 0.697 ng/L, tanks = 1.833 ng/L) than before (disposables = 0.004 ng/L, tanks = 0.010 ng/L) or after (disposables = 0.115 ng/L, tanks = 0.147 ng/L). Median accumulation rates of nicotine on surface samples were 2.1 ng/100 cm2/h using disposables and 4.0 ng/100 cm2/h using tanks; for cloth samples, it was 44.4 ng/100 cm2/h using disposables and 69.6 ng/100 cm2/h using tanks (p < .01). Mean room ventilation rate was ~5 air changes per hour during both sessions. Conclusions Short-term e-cigarette use can produce: elevated PM2.5; elevated UF; nicotine in the air; and accumulation of nicotine on surfaces and clothing. Implications Short-term indoor e-cigarette use produced accumulation of nicotine on surfaces and clothing, which could lead to dermal exposure to nicotine. Short-term e-cigarette use produced elevated PM2.5 and ultrafine particles, which could lead to secondhand inhalation of these particles and any chemicals associated with them by bystanders. We measured significant differences in PM2.5 and ultrafine particles between disposable e-cigarettes and tank-style e-cigarettes, suggesting a difference in the exposure profiles of e-cigarette products.
A Comparison of Diffusion-Weighted Imaging Abnormalities Following Balloon Remodeling for Aneurysm Coil Embolization in the Ruptured vs Unruptured Setting

BACKGROUND The prothrombotic milieu seen in subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) poses a unique challenge to neurovascular surgeons with regard to device use and microcatheter practice. OBJECTIVE To determine how demographic factors and balloon practices impact diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) abnormalities and outcomes in patients with SAH compared to those without (non-SAH). METHODS We retrospectively analyzed 77 patients with SAH treated by balloon-assisted coiling in a single institution compared with 81 consecutive patients with unruptured aneurysms treated by balloon-assisted coiling at the same institution. Data were collected with regard to demographic factors, procedural and anatomic considerations, and DWI abnormalities on postprocedural magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS SAH patients were significantly more likely to have DWI abnormality (75% vs 21%, P < .0001) and had a higher number and volume of DWI (4.0 vs 3.0, P = .0421 and 1.3 vs 0.3 cc, P = .0041) despite similar balloon practices. SAH patients were not more likely to have DWI abnormality in vascular territory distal to the treated aneurysm but had a higher likelihood of DWI in a vascular territory unrelated to the aneurysm (81.5% vs 47.1%, P = .0235). Patients without DWI abnormality were significantly more likely to have a good outcome as defined by modified Rankin Score 0 to 2 (95.6% vs 81.6%, P = .0328). Patients with DWI abnormality more often underwent 4-vessel angiography (70.5% vs 48.0%, P = .0174), but this was not found to be significant on multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION Balloon-assisted coiling does not result in increased incidence of downstream ischemic events in SAH patients compared to non-SAH patients and is safe in this cohort of patients. Other factors, such as 4-vessel angiography of the SAH milieu itself, may predispose patients to a higher rate of ischemic events.
INTERSECTING INTERESTS: Gender, Race, and Congressional Attention to Women’s Issues

Despite claims by normative theorists that gender diversity in Congress leads to better representation of women’s interests, the results of empirical studies have been largely mixed. While some scholars have found positive effects of gender diversity, others have found very little impact. We argue that it is not the presence of White and minority women alone that makes political institutions more responsive to women’s issues, but rather it is the organizational presence of minority men along with minority women who make similar claims for inclusion, power, and organizational formation to achieve those goals that matters. We examine to what extent gender and racial diversity have led to more attention to issues that directly and indirectly impact women. Using congressional hearings data from 1951–2004, we find that the increased presence of minority men and women legislators in the House, but less so in the Senate, is responsible for keeping women’s interests on the congressional agenda. We demonstrate how an intersectional and additive approach can add both theoretical and empirical value to the study of political representation by demonstrating the impact of women and minorities in Congress.
Effects of GPS Error on Geographic Routing

A number of geolocation-based DTN (Delay Tolerant Networking) routing protocols have been shown to perform well in selected simulation and mobility scenarios. However, the suitability of these mechanisms for widely-available inexpensive GPS hardware has not been evaluated. In this brief paper we evaluate the effect of GPS positional error on our own and previously existing geographic routing protocols.
Fault-Tolerant and Secure Data Transmission Using Random Linear Network Coding

Network coding is a technique used to improve both wired and wireless networks' throughput and provide reliable transmission. In network coding, original data packets can be encoded to an infinite number of coded packets. A subset of these coded packets is sufficient to decode the coded packets and retrieve the original data. In addition to providing reliable data transmission, network coding can be used as a lightweight security mechanism to protect data against eavesdroppers. An eavesdropper is not able to decode coded packets and retrieve original data unless it has access to a sufficient number of coded packets. In a data transmission application, transmitting more redundant packets increases the chance of delivering a sufficient number of coded packets to the destination. As a result, this increases the reliability of the data transmission. However, more redundant transmissions make the system more vulnerable to eavesdropper attacks because there is a higher chance that an eavesdropper will receive enough coded packets. In this work, we study network coding to provide reliable and secure data transmission schemes by performing a trade-off between the security and reliability of the data transmission. We formulate the problem as a mixed integer and linear programming problem, and we propose a linear programming approximation to solve it. We study the performance of our proposed methods through extensive simulations.
Contributors to Wisconsin's persistent black-white gap in life expectancy.

Although the black-white gap in life expectancy has narrowed in the U.S., there is considerable variability across states. In Wisconsin, the black-white gap exceeds 6 years, well above the national average. Reducing this disparity is an urgent public health priority, but there is limited understanding of what contributes to Wisconsin’s racial gap in longevity. Our investigation identifies causes of death that contribute most to Wisconsin’s black-white gap in life expectancy among males and females, and highlights specific ages where each cause of death contributes most to the gap. Our study employs 1999–2016 restricted-use mortality data provided by the National Center for Health Statistics. After generating race- and sex-specific life tables for each 3-year period of observation (e.g., 1999–2001), we trace recent trends in the black-white life expectancy gap in Wisconsin. We subsequently conduct a series of analyses to decompose the black-white gap in three time periods into 13 separate causes and 19 different age groups. In 2014–16, Wisconsin’s black-white gap in life expectancy was 7.34 years for males (67% larger than the national gap), and 5.61 years for females (115% larger than the national gap). Among males, homicide was the single largest contributor, accounting for 1.56 years of the total gap. Heart disease and cancer followed, contributing 1.43 and 1.42 years, respectively. Among females, heart disease and cancer were the two leading contributors to the gap, accounting for 1.12 and 1.00 years, respectively. Whereas homicide contributed most to the racial gap in male longevity during late adolescence and early adulthood, heart disease and cancer exerted most of their influence between ages 50–70 for both males and females. Other notable contributors were unintentional injuries (males), diabetes and cerebrovascular disease (females), and perinatal conditions (males and females). Our study identifies targets for future policy interventions that could substantially reduce Wisconsin’s racial gap in life expectancy. Concerted efforts to eliminate racial disparities in perinatal mortality and homicide early in the life course, and chronic conditions such as cancer and heart disease in later life, promise to help Wisconsin achieve the public health objective of racial parity in longevity.
Molecular Properties of Leukocyte Receptors for Leukotrienes

The products of oxygenation of arachidonic acid constitute the most diverse family of inflammatory mediators, that are generated by many different pathways in almost all types of cells and are potent initiators and modulators of numerous biological functions. Distinct lipoxygenases convert arachidonic acid to an array of monohydroxy-eicosatetraenoic acids (HETEs) (see Appendix for list of abbreviations), di- and tri-HETEs, and peptide conjugates of HETEs, which participate with different functions in inflammatory and hypersensitivity reactions. The most potent of the arachidonic-acid-derived mediators of chemotaxis and other leukocyte functions is 5(S), 12(R)-dihydroxy-eicosa-6,14 cis-8,10-trans-tetraenoic acid or leukotriene B4 (LTB4), which is produced by the 5-lipoxygenase systems predominating in human polymorphonuclear (PMN) leukocytes, macrophages, and mast cells (Samuelsson, 1983). The C-6-sulfidopeptide leukotrienes, LTC4, LTD4, and LTE4, from the 5-lipoxygenase cascade of mast cells and macrophages, are potent smooth muscle contractile and vasoactive factors but affect PMN leukocytes solely by increasing adherence to endothelial cells and other surfaces in vitro and in vivo (Goetzl et al., 1983; Samuelsson, 1983; Hayaishi and Yamamoto, 1985). In contrast, the 15-lipoxygenase pathway is localized preferentially in epithelial cells of human skin, pulmonary airways, and the gastrointestinal tract (Burrall et al., 1985; Hunter et al., 1985; Krilis et al., 1986) and transforms arachidonic acid into 15-HETE and multiple isomers of 8,15-di-HETE and 14,15-di-HETE.
Cavitation nucleation in gelatin: Experiment and mechanism

Abstract Dynamic cavitation in soft materials is becoming increasingly relevant due to emerging medical implications such as the potential of cavitation-induced brain injury or cavitation created by therapeutic medical devices. However, the current understanding of dynamic cavitation in soft materials is still very limited, mainly due to lack of robust experimental techniques. To experimentally characterize cavitation nucleation under dynamic loading, we utilize a recently developed experimental instrument, the integrated drop tower system. This technique allows quantitative measurements of the critical acceleration (acr) that corresponds to cavitation nucleation while concurrently visualizing time evolution of cavitation. Our experimental results reveal that acr increases with increasing concentration of gelatin in pure water. Interestingly, we have observed the distinctive transition from a sharp increase (pure water to 1% gelatin) to a much slower rate of increase (∼10× slower) between 1% and 7.5% gelatin. Theoretical cavitation criterion predicts the general trend of increasing acr, but fails to explain the transition rates. As a likely mechanism, we consider concentration-dependent material properties and non-spherical cavitation nucleation sites, represented by pre-existing bubbles in gels, due to possible interplay between gelatin molecules and nucleation sites. This analysis shows that cavitation nucleation is very sensitive to the initial configuration of a bubble, i.e., a non-spherical bubble can significantly increase acr. This conclusion matches well with the experimentally observed liquid-to-gel transition in the critical acceleration for cavitation nucleation. Statement of Significance From a medical standpoint, understanding dynamic cavitation within soft materials, i.e., tissues, is important as there are both potential injury implications (blast-induced cavitation within the brain) as well as treatments utilizing the phenomena (lithotripsy). In this regard, the main results of the present work are (1) quantitative characterization of cavitation nucleation in gelatin samples as a function of gel concentration utilizing well-controlled mechanical impacts and (2) mechanistic understanding of complex coupling between cavitation and liquid-/solid-like material properties of gel. The new capabilities of testing soft gels, which can be tuned to mimic material properties of target organs, at high loading rate conditions and accurately predicting their cavitation behavior are an important step towards developing reliable cavitation criteria in the scope of their biomedical applications.
Increased acetylcholine and glutamate efflux in the prefrontal cortex following intranasal orexin‐A (hypocretin‐1)

Orexin/hypocretin neurons of the lateral hypothalamus and perifornical area are integrators of physiological function. Previous work from our laboratory and others has shown the importance of orexin transmission in cognition. Age-related reductions in markers of orexin function further suggest that this neuropeptide may be a useful target for the treatment of age-related cognitive dysfunction. Intranasal administration of orexin-A (OxA) has shown promise as a therapeutic option for cognitive dysfunction. However, the neurochemical mechanisms of intranasal OxA administration are not fully understood. Here, we use immunohistochemistry and in vivo microdialysis to define the effects of acute intranasal OxA administration on: (i) activation of neuronal populations in the cortex, basal forebrain, and brainstem and (ii) acetylcholine (ACh) and glutamate efflux in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of Fischer 344/Brown Norway F1 rats. Acute intranasal administration of OxA significantly increased c-Fos expression, a marker for neuronal activation, in the PFC and in subpopulations of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons. Subsequently, we investigated the effects of acute intranasal OxA on neurotransmitter efflux in the PFC and found that intranasal OxA significantly increased both ACh and glutamate efflux in this region. These findings were independent from any changes in c-Fos expression in orexin neurons, suggesting that these effects are not resultant from direct activation of orexin neurons. In total, these data indicate that intranasal OxA may enhance cognition through activation of distinct neuronal populations in the cortex and basal forebrain and through increased neurotransmission of ACh and glutamate in the PFC.