cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Quality Control of the Elongation Step of Protein Synthesis by tmRNP

Trans-translation is a quality-control process, activated upon premature termination of protein elongation, which recycles stalled ribosomes and degrades incomplete polypeptides. These functions are facilitated by transfer-messenger RNA (tmRNA, also called 10Sa RNA or SsrA RNA), a small stable RNA molecule encoded by the SsrA gene found in bacteria, chloroplasts and mitochondria. Most tmRNAs consist of a tRNA- and an mRNA-like domain connected by up to four pseudoknots. Comparative sequence analysis provided the first insight into tmRNA secondary and three-dimensional structure. Studies of the E. coli tmRNA in vitro and in vivo demonstrated that tmRNA functions as a ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex with elongation factor Tu (EF-Tu), protein SmpB and ribosomal protein S1. The tRNA-like and mRNA-like activities of tmRNA mark prematurely terminated proteins for degradation by attaching to their C-termini peptide tags, which are recognized by numerous proteases. Studies aimed at understanding the details of the molecular mechanisms of trans-translation are ongoing.
Molecular dynamics simulation of phonon scattering at rough semiconductor interfaces

Detailed phonon transport at a rough semiconductor interface is studied by the molecular dynamics method. The simulation results show that phonon transmission coefficient is a strong function of frequency, roughness characteristic length and atomic structure. When the roughness characteristic length is comparable to the phonon wave length, the phonon transmission is decreased significantly. Complex phonon mode conversions and wave interference effects are observed.
TMN implementation architecture in RACE

The paper describes an implementation architecture for a telecommunications management network (TMN) applicable to the management of the proposed integrated broadband communications network. The paper is based on the results of the collective work of many individuals who were participating in the RACE GUIDELINE project. An elaboration of the internal structure of an operations system is also given. A proposal for the TMN platform is described in some detail. The architecture described is intended to support the future implementation of TMN systems within Europe and elsewhere. >
Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation for Myelodysplastic Syndrome: A Review

Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) continues to be the only curative option for myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Since the majority of the patients with this disease are often older and frail, treatment-related mortality and morbidity remain major obstacles to be overcome. Reduced-intensity conditioning and continued lines of investigation in the field of allogeneic transplantation are expected to ultimately improve the overall therapeutic approach to MDS. In this review we summarize current recommendations and controversies surrounding HSCT for MDS, as well as the use of novel therapeutics in the peri-transplant period.
A Hybrid Approach for Quantifying the Winding Process and Material Effects on Sheet Coil Deformation

Excessive coil deformation can complicate normal handling of a wound or rolled coil, cause difficulties in mass production, and introduce undesirable variations in the subsequent manufacturing processes. Four critical factors for coil deformation have been identified, i.e., radial stiffness of the coil material, winding tension, stiffness of the core which supports the coil, and lubrication. In this paper; we advance the understanding of coil deformation by developing an equivalent material model based on the internal stress distribution obtained from a two-dimensional winding-analysis model. The proposed material model is then implemented in a multi-layer finite element model to study the coil deformation under gravitational loading. This proposed framework can quantify the contribution of each factor in the coil deformation and thereby provide more scientific base in the engineering design process. The approach is used to analyze the deformation of laminate sheet coils.
Make/Shift/Shelter: Architecture and the Failure of Global Systems

The unanticipated challenges that architects and architecture face in the twenty-first century are no more daunting than those that plague other professions and other forms of cultural production. Just as these conditions call for a new set of disciplinary and practical flexibilities necessary to undertake on-the-ground architectural interventions in affected communities, architectural historians must make concomitant adjustments in chronicling the new forces, materials, ideas, methods and contexts that drive architectural design in these troubled and troubling times. One might reasonably suggest any number of ways to situate architecture and its histories in the current climate. The approach here taken operates from three critical perspectives: architecture in crisis, architecture as crisis, architecture and crisis. More polemical than prescriptive, this essay poses a series of questions and proposes a set of possibilities regarding the architectural-historical assessment of contemporary practice. Toward that objective, this article addresses the issue of crisis in architecture through a cursory and anecdotal selection of evidence in turn refracted through lenses global and local.
Alcohol oxidizing enzymes and ethanol-induced cytotoxicity in rat pancreatic acinar AR42J cells

Alcoholic chronic pancreatitis (ACP) is a serious inflammatory disease causing significant morbidity and mortality. Due to lack of a suitable animal model, the underlying mechanism of ACP is poorly understood. Chronic alcohol abuse inhibits alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and facilitates nonoxidative metabolism of ethanol to fatty acid ethyl esters (FAEEs) in the pancreas frequently damaged during chronic ethanol abuse. Earlier, we reported a concentration-dependent formation of FAEEs and cytotoxicity in ethanol-treated rat pancreatic tumor (AR42J) cells, which express high FAEE synthase activity as compared to ADH and cytochrome P450 2E1. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to investigate the role of various ethanol oxidizing enzymes in ethanol-induced pancreatic acinar cell injury. Confluent AR42J cells were pre-treated with inhibitors of ADH class I and II [4-methylpyrazole (MP)] or class I, II, and III [1,10-phenanthroline (PT)], cytochrome P450 2E1 (trans-1,2-dichloroethylene) or catalase (sodium azide) followed by incubation with 800 mg% ethanol at 37°C for 6 h. Ethanol metabolism, cell viability, cytotoxicity (apoptosis and necrosis), cell proliferation status, and formation of FAEEs in AR42J cells were measured. The cell viability and cell proliferation rate were significantly reduced in cells pretreated with 1,10-PT + ethanol followed by those with 4-MP + ethanol. In situ formation of FAEEs was twofold greater in cells incubated with 1,10-PT + ethanol and ∼1.5-fold in those treated with 4-MP + ethanol vs. respective controls. However, cells treated with inhibitors of cytochrome P450 2E1 or catalase in combination of ethanol showed no significant changes either for FAEE formation, cell death or proliferation rate. Therefore, an impaired ADH class I-III catalyzed oxidation of ethanol appears to be a key contributing factor in ethanol-induced pancreatic injury via formation of nonoxidative metabolites of ethanol.
Application of Chitosan Films Enriched with Oregano Essential Oil on Bologna – Active Compounds and Sensory Attributes

Chitosan films prepared with oregano essential oil were applied on bologna slices. Release of the essential oil compounds during film preparation and application on the meat product and consumer acceptability of bologna enriched with oregano essential oil were tested. Oregano essential oil compounds were quantified by gas chromatography mass spectroscopy (GCMS) after extraction from the filmforming solution, films before and after application on bologna and from bologna slices before and after application of the films. The results indicated that the concentration of components of the essential oil sharply decreased during film preparation, e.g. from 757.7 ppm carvacrol in film-forming solution to 2.1 ppm in dried films. No carvacrol was detected in the films after application on bologna for 5 days at 4°C, mainly due to its diffusion into bologna. It seemed that the moisture and high lipid content of bologna helped the diffusion of the oregano essential oil from the chitosan film matrix into the product. S...
The Economics of Fiduciary Investment Advice

An inability to accurately detect quality prior to or even after purchase distinguishes professional advice from other consumer goods or services. A consumer that is unable to assess the difference between an advisor's recommendation and the ideal recommendation is vulnerable to the self-serving behavior of the agent. Regulation that decreases the agency costs to consumers (or increases costs to planners not acting prudently) can increase consumer welfare. A client who trusts their advisor believes that the advisor is less likely to take advantage of the information asymmetry inherent in an expert-advice relationship. This trust also reduces client oversight and provides opportunities for advisors to make recommendations that maximize their own welfare within the boundaries of the regulatory rulebook. Applying a fiduciary standard to all financial professionals who provide personalized advice will eliminate many of these conflicts of loyalty between advisors and clients and will increase bonding costs to more closely align incentives.
In-flight calibration of the Cluster/CODIF sensor

Abstract. The Cluster/CODIF sensor is a time-of-flight instrument that measures the ion composition over the energy range 40 eV e−1 to 40 keV e−1. It operated for 4 yr on S/C 1, 9 yr on S/C 3, and is still operational on S/C 4, after more than 12 yr. During this time the total ion detection efficiency has decreased by a factor of 50. In this paper, we describe the methods used to track the efficiency changes throughout the mission for the three different spacecraft and for the different ion species. The methods include calculations of the efficiencies using rate data collected in the instrument, comparisons with other instruments on the Cluster satellites, and checks based on geophysically reasonable assumptions.
Genetic gain from early generation selection for cold chipping genotypes in potato

Early generation selection for chip colour may accelerate potato chipping cultivar development. The research objective was to measure the response from early generation selection for light potato chip colour. Progeny from 175 4x × 4x families were propagated to the field using greenhouse grown tubers or seedling transplants. Tubers from progeny were made into potato chips after 3 and 6 months' storage at 4°C. Chip colour was rated as I = light to 10 = dark. Genotypes were categorized as retained ( ≤ 4 ) or discarded ( > 4) based on the 6-month chip colour, then field grown a second year at two locations and re-evaluated for chip colour. Positive selection responses resulted, but were lower in the seedling transplants. Interaction between genotype and environment, and genotype and storage duration reduced responses. Selected genotypes should be evaluated over multiple environments and storage conditions to insure reliable performance. Expanding variation by introgressing favourable alleles from wild species may further enhance breeding success.
Failure to Recognize Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia 2B: More Common Than We Think?

Multiple endocrine neoplasia 2B (MEN2B) has a classic childhood phenotypic presentation characterized by mucosal neuromas and marfanoid habitus. However, the diagnosis of MEN2B is often delayed beyond childhood, at which time medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) may be regionally advanced or metastatic. We examined the extent of this delay and its impact on the treatment of MTC. Patients in the MEN database were retrospectively analyzed to determine the age at first presentation for a MEN2B-related complaint and the subsequent time to correct diagnosis. Operative and pathology reports were reviewed to determine the extent of thyroidectomy and cervical lymphadenectomy during the initial and subsequent neck operations. We identified 22 patients with MEN2B, 20 were de novo cases and a M918T RET gene mutation was confirmed in 18 of the 22 patients. Median age at diagnosis of MTC was 13 years (range 6–25 years). The median delay in diagnosis was 26 months (range 0–18 years). Persistent local-regional MTC was present following the initial cervical operation in 12 of 22 patients (55%); including 4 of 13 with MEN2B diagnosed prior to initial surgery and 8 of 9 with MEN2B diagnosed after initial surgery. Most patients displayed phenotypic characteristics of MEN2B long before the correct diagnosis was made. Half of the patients failed to undergo complete resection of MTC at their initial thyroid surgery. Early recognition of the MEN2B phenotype with a thoughtful approach to preoperative staging and surgery will maximize control of MTC and minimize the need for reoperation.
Century bandwidth antennas for use in applications with waveform diversity

Broadband characterizations are very useful in many applications as they operate over a wide range of frequencies. The objective of this paper is to study the transient responses of various well-known antennas over broad frequency ranges. As such, the phase responses of these antennas as a function of frequency are of great interest. In the ensuing analysis, each antenna is excited by a monocycle pulse. Many antennas show resonant properties, and numerous reflections exist in the antenna outputs However, some of the antennas are inherently broadband, up to a 100:1 bandwidth. Hence, the transient responses of these antennas can be used to determine their suitability for wideband applications with low cutoff frequency. Here we are specifically interested in dealing with century bandwidth antennas.
Anticlastic Stability Modeling for Cross-ply Composites:

A viable aspect of fiber-reinforced composites is their elastic tailoring ability. Anticlastic curvature is one example of elastic tailoring that occurs with an unsymmetric cross-ply layup. Residual stresses resulting from differences in coefficients of thermal expansion and elastic properties in each lamina can cause large out-of-plane deformations. In the case of thin unsymmetric cross-ply laminates under thermal curing load, a cylindrical shape is observed because of this inherent geometrical nonlinearity as opposed to the saddle shape that classical lamination theory predicts. In this article, a finite element approach, using ABAQUS™, is implemented in order to predict the unsymmetric cross-ply laminate shapes under thermal curing stresses and understand the underlying limit point instability. Numerical results for curvatures of the predicted shapes are in agreement with published experimental and analytical data. The stability of the cylindrical laminates is also investigated. Depending on the aspect...
The Psychiatric Case Register: A Versatile Device for the Application of Multiple Methodological Approaches

The significance of psychiatric case registers as research instruments has been well established. They have been utilized in the planning and evaluation of community mental health services (Gardner, et al., 1964; Miles & Gardner, 1966; Gardner & Babigian, 1966; Gardner, 1967), in epidemiological research (Miles et al., 1964; Babigian & Odoroff, 1969; Babigian, 1970; Pederson et al., 1972; Guggenheim & Babigian, 1974; Pederson et al., 1973; Kendell, et al., 1973) and in clinical research (Babigian, et al., 1965). There has been less focus however, on the research designs that may be employed with register data. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to provide a more complete description of the methodological versatility of the case register has been presented elsewhere (Bahn, 1967; Baldwin, 1970; Wing, 1970; Babigian, 1972; Wing, 1972). Although much of this paper is based on our experience with the Monroe County Psychiatric Case Register, the various research designs below are not specific to it, but can be employed with all similar registers.
Public Works and the Environment

Public works have important environmental effects. Society's changing attitudes toward these effects in turn affect public works. These changes include a broadening of the concept of environment beyond conservation itself to encompass aesthetic satisfactions and social values. The reason for society's critical appraisal of engineering lies in the length of time involved in public works from early planning to the end of construction. The time span (which lengthens as more environmental and social issues are considered) causes public works to be judged according to later and higher standards than prevailed in the earlier phases of the project. Engineering can reduce this time lag by employing the skills of its own science to anticipate and use those standards by which its works will later be judged. Engineering also must be allied with other disciplines if public works are to meet the environmental standards of the future.
The Obama Administration's Clean Air Act Legacy and the UNFCCC

In the face of a gridlock Congress, hopes for comprehensive climate legislation were dashed early in President Obama’s first term. U.S. leadership in international climate policy had been seriously undermined in ways, he soon learned, were not easily repaired. The President’s engagement with climate issues, to many observers, seemed slow and inconsistent, but deepened rhetorically and substantively in the second term with a decisive focus on existing statutory authority, looking most importantly to the Clean Air Act as a vehicle for greenhouse gas regulation. This essay situates the Obama Administration’s Clean Air Act regulatory agenda in the context of longstanding domestic obligations of signatories to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change as well as positioning for the 2015 Conference of the Parties in Paris.
Exploring gender and identity issues among female adolescent and young adults who connect in an anonymous platform

There has been an increased usage of online cancer support groups as a resource for health-related information and social support. This work analyzes message blog posts from an anonymous online support community to better understand issues related to gender and identity among female adolescent and young adults. This work sheds further light into the nuances of gender and identity issues including motherhood and reproductive issues, physical appearance, and romantic relationships. Specifically, findings reveal that female adolescent and young adults experience issues pertaining to infertility, feeling like a bad mom, hair loss, scarring, dating, and intimacy. These findings of this work offer further guidance about how healthcare providers and caregivers can attempt to meet the needs of female adolescent and young adults.
B2B commitment building in emerging markets: the case of Brazil

The research examines the suitability of relationship marketing paradigms to emerging markets (EMs) through the lens of communication, relationship benefits and commitment. Using the U.S. as a developed nation sample and Brazil as a proxy for EM countries like the BRIC nations, a B2B buyer–supplier commitment-building model is conceptualized and tested for context-specific boundaries. The study compares communication behaviors and relationship benefits along functional, psychological and social dimensions to discern the evaluation process and governance mechanisms influenced by an EM buyer’s institutional environment. Results showed that buyers from relation-based EMs like Brazil base their relationship commitment more on the psychological attributes of the partnership, while a buyer’s commitment-building process in rule-based, developed nations like the US is largely influenced by functional attributes.
MemGator - A Portable Concurrent Memento Aggregator: Cross-Platform CLI and Server Binaries in Go

The Memento protocol makes it easy to build a uniform lookup service to aggregate the holdings of web archives. However, there is a lack of tools to utilize this capability in archiving applications and research projects. We created MemGator, an open source, easy to use, portable, concurrent, cross-platform, and self-documented Memento aggregator CLI and server tool written in Go. MemGator implements all the basic features of a Memento aggregator (e.g., TimeMap and TimeGate) and gives the ability to customize various options including which archives are aggregated. It is being used heavily by tools and services such as Mink, WAIL, OldWeb. today, and archiving research projects and has proved to be reliable even in conditions of extreme load.
Can a right to health care be justified by linkage arguments

Linkage arguments, which defend a controversial right by showing that it is indispensable or highly useful to an uncontroversial right, are sometimes used to defend the right to health care (RHC). This article evaluates such arguments when used to defend RHC. Three common errors in using linkage arguments are (1) neglecting levels of implementation, (2) expanding the scope of the supported right beyond its uncontroversial domain, and (3) giving too much credit to the supporting right for outcomes in its area. A familiar linkage argument for RHC focuses on its contributions to the right to life. Among the problems with this argument are that it requires a positive conception of the right to life that is not uncontroversial and that it only justifies the subset of RHC that seeks to prevent loss of life. A linkage argument for RHC with better prospects claims that a well-realized right to health care enhances the realization of a number of uncontroversial rights.
Special Probability Distributions

Abstract This chapter discusses special random variables and their distributions. These include the Bernoulli distribution, binomial distribution, geometric distribution, Pascal distribution, hypergeometric distribution, Poisson distribution, exponential distribution, Erlang distribution, uniform distribution, and normal distribution.
Cosmetic Procedures and Office Based Sedation

Ageing population, stable economy and income, wider availability of cosmetic surgeons, improving safety are likely to increase the numbers of office based cosmetic surgery in the intermediate to long term.
Robust and adaptive locomotion of an autonomous hexapod

This paper explores the viability of using cooperation among local controllers to achieve coherent global behavior. Our approach is to decompose a difficult control last for a complex robot into a multitude of simpler control tasks for robotic subsystems. We illustrate and examine the effectiveness of this approach via rough terrain locomotion using an autonomous hexapod robot. Traversing rough terrain is a good task to test the viability of this approach because it requires a considerable amount of leg coordination. We found that implementing a complicated global task with cooperating local controllers can effectively control complex robots.
The Social Contract Revisited: Evidence from Communist and State Capitalist Economies

The social contract thesis explained stability in communist autocracies as a consequence of an implicit exchange between the regime and the populace: citizens remained quiescent and the regime prov...
The Missing Link: Examining the Impact of Housing Vouchers and Community-Based Services and Supports on Transitions From Nursing Facilities to the Community

Several government initiatives aim to increase the availability of home and community-based services. These efforts have helped facilitate the transition of individuals with disabilities living in ...
Origins of collectivity in small systems

Abstract We review recent developments in the theoretical description and understanding of multi-particle correlation measurements in collisions of small projectiles (p/d/ 3 He) with heavy nuclei (Au, Pb) as well as proton+proton collisions. We focus on whether the physical processes responsible for the observed long range rapidity correlations and their azimuthal structure are the same in small systems as in heavy ion collisions. In the latter they are interpreted as generated by the initial spatial geometry being transformed into momentum correlations by strong final state interactions. However, explicit calculations show that also initial state momentum correlations are present and could contribute to observables in small systems. If strong final state interactions are present in small systems, recent developments show that results are sensitive to the shape of the proton and its fluctuations.
Podocyte-specific JAK2 overexpression worsens diabetic kidney disease in mice

Activation of JAK-STAT signaling has been implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic kidney disease. An increased expression of JAK-STAT genes was found in kidney glomerular cells, including podocytes, in patients with early diabetic kidney disease. However, it is not known whether increased expression of JAK or STAT isoforms in glomerular cells can lead to worsening nephropathy in the setting of diabetes. Therefore, we overexpressed JAK2 mRNA specifically in glomerular podocytes of 129S6 mice to determine whether this change alone could worsen diabetic kidney disease. A 2-3 fold increase in glomerular JAK2 expression, an increase similar to that found in humans with early diabetic kidney disease, led to substantial and statistically significant increases in albuminuria, mesangial expansion, glomerulosclerosis, glomerular fibronectin accumulation, and glomerular basement membrane thickening, and a significant reduction in podocyte density in diabetic mice. Treatment with a specific JAK1/2 inhibitor for 2 weeks partly reversed the major phenotypic changes of diabetic kidney disease and specifically normalized expression of a number of downstream STAT3-dependent genes implicated in diabetic kidney disease progression. Thus, moderate increases in podocyte JAK2 expression at levels similar to those in patients with early diabetic kidney disease can lead directly to phenotypic and other alterations of progressive diabetic glomerulopathy. Hence, inhibition of these changes by treatment with a JAK1/2 inhibitor suggests that such treatment may help retard progression of early diabetic kidney disease in patients.
Fertilizer, Irrigation and Root Ball Slicing Affects Burford Holly Growth after Planting

Abstract Dwarf burford holly (Ilex cornuta ‘Burfordii Nana’) fertilized with 22.1 g N/container/yr of nitrogen during production in the nursery generated more new shoot weight but less root weight after transplanting to a landscape than those receiving 14.8 g N/container/yr. Slicing the root ball at planting, compared to not slicing, resulted in comparable regenerated root weight but reduced new shoot number, new shoot dry weight and new shoot:regenerated root dry weight ratio when irrigation was not applied daily after transplanting. Although irrigation frequency did not impact total weight of regenerated roots into landscape soil, more roots grew from the bottom half of the root ball when plants were irrigated periodically after planting than when plants received daily irrigation. Plants irrigated other than daily produced fewer shoots and less shoot weight than those receiving irrigation daily after transplanting. When plants were without irrigation for 4 or 6 days in the first week after transplanting...
A facile alternative technique for large-area graphene transfer via sacrificial polymer

A novel method of transferring large-area graphene sheets onto a variety of substrates using Formvar (polyvinyl formal) is presented. Due to the ease at which formvar can be dissolved in chloroform this method allows for a consistent, a clean, and a more rapid transfer than other techniques including the PMMA assisted one. This novel transfer method is demonstrated by transferring large-area graphene onto a range of substrates including commercial TEM grids, silicon dioxide and glass. Raman spectroscopy was used to confirm the presence of graphene and characterize the morphological properties of the large-area sheets. SEM and AFM analyses demonstrated the effectiveness of our rapid transfer technique for clean crystalline large-area graphene sheets. The removal of the sacrificial polymer was found to be one to two orders of magnitude faster than PMMA methods. Ultimately this facile transfer technique offers new opportunities for a wide range of applications for large-area graphene through the utilization ...
Pediatric and Adult Recommendations Vary for Sibling Testing in Cystic Fibrosis

Four to 5 % of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients are diagnosed as adults and often have subtler symptoms. Their siblings are at genetic risk to also have a subtler disease state. Diagnostic testing is recommended for siblings of newly diagnosed infants, but recommendations are less clear for later diagnoses. This study explored sibling testing recommendations in pediatric and adult practice using a survey that was emailed to CF clinicians. There were 58 respondents. Results revealed that 82.5% of pediatric and 36.4% of adult care respondents reported always recommending diagnostic testing for siblings of a newly diagnosed patient. In adult care, another 33.3% reported recommending diagnostic testing if the sibling has symptoms. In pediatric care, whether the sibling had newborn screening was most influential. Most pediatric respondents prefer the sweat chloride test, while 40% in adult practice prefer familial mutation analysis. Perceived barriers included cost, insurance coverage and logistical concerns in both settings, parental emotional state in pediatrics, and concern making recommendations for someone who is not the patient in adult care. Genetic counselors may be able to meet familial needs in CF care, including sibling testing. Many newly diagnosed patients/families do not see a genetic counselor, especially in adult care. These data reveal opportunities for practice guidelines and standardization.
Managing Discovery in the Life Sciences: Harnessing Creativity to Drive Biomedical Innovation

In this book, distinguished scholars Philip A. Rea, Mark V. Pauly, and Lawton R. Burns explore the science and management behind marketable biomedical innovations. They look at how the science actually played out through the interplay of personalities, the cultures within and between academic and corporate entities, and the significance of serendipity not as a mysterious phenomenon but one intrinsic to the successes and failures of the experimental approach. With newly aggregated data and case studies, they consider the fundamental economic underpinnings of investor-driven discovery management, not as an obstacle or deficiency as its critics would contend or as something beyond reproach as some of its proponents might claim, but as the only means by which scientists and managers can navigate the unknowable to discover new products and decide how to sell them so as to maximize the likelihood of establishing a sustainable pipeline for still more marketable biomedical innovations.
Comparison of aerosol models from the Ocean Color satellite sensors and AERONET-OC and their impact on reflectance spectra in coastal waters

The choice of aerosol model in the atmospheric correction is critical in the process of the derivation of the water leaving radiances from the Ocean Color (OC) imagery for ocean monitoring. For the current sensors like MODIS, VIIRS and now OLCI atmospheric correction procedures include assumptions about the characteristics of atmospheric aerosols based on relative humidity and particle size distributions. At the sea level, SeaPRISM radiometric instruments which are part of the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET) make direct measurements of the water leaving radiances from the ocean, as well as observations of sky radiances from which aerosol parameters such as aerosol optical depth (AOD), fraction of fine and coarse aerosols and others are determined. The discrepancies between satellite and AERONET data are usually significant in coastal areas which are primarily due to the more complex atmospheres near the coast than in the open ocean. Using NASA SeaDAS software, characteristics of aerosols in atmospheric correction models for VIIRS and MODIS sensors are retrieved and compared with the ones from AERONET-OC data in terms of AOD, and remote sensing reflectance (Rrs) at the several AERONET-OC sites. The impact of the solar angles, scattering angles determined by the Sun-sensor geometry and wind speed on the differences in aerosols parameters are evaluated and correlated with the accuracies in the retrieval of the remote sensing reflectance spectra from ocean waters. Significant dependence of AOD on the wind speed is demonstrated which is most likely related to the modeling of the state of the ocean surface.
Closed Loop Therapy in the Critical Care Unit Using Microprocessor Controllers

Automatic closed loop control of therapeutic interventions in the critically ill patient allows therapy to be optimized to rapidly changing patient needs. Three such examples of closed loop control in clinical care are presented: 1) the mechanically ventilated patients where the rate of ventilation is controlled according to metabolic rate, 2) the burn patient where IV fluids are given to maintain urine output and 3) a method of monitoring metabolic rate using a feedback replenishment technique. In each case a microprocessor system provides the necessary feedback control and user interaction. The microprocessor itself is small and inexpensive enough to provide integration of multiple inputs, high level user interaction, and flexibility during instrumentation development.
Evaluation of Hansen et al.: Nuance Is Crucial in Comparisons of Noise

One snapshot of the peer review process for "Cytoplasmic Amplification of Transcriptional Noise Generates Substantial Cell-to-Cell Variability" (Hansen et al., 2018).
Changes in Status and Performance Over Time for Students With Specific Learning Disabilities

With the shift from No Child Left Behind (NCLB) to Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), accountability models are being changed. Given the past 15 years of reporting on student subgroups and 10 years...
The effects of age, interface modality, and system design on drivers’ attentional demand when making phone calls while driving on a limited-access highway

Abstract In-vehicle information systems that allow drivers to use a single voice command to complete a task rather than multiple commands better keep drivers’ attention toward the road, especially compared with when drivers complete the task manually. However, single voice commands are longer and more complex and may be difficult for older drivers to use. The current study examined the glance behavior, workload, and driving performance of drivers age 20–66 years when they placed a call using their hands or voice with the Chevrolet MyLink or Volvo Sensus information system during highway driving. In general, as age increased, drivers took longer to complete phone calls, reported greater workload when using voice commands, and made significantly more off-road glances lasting longer than two seconds when placing calls relative to younger drivers. Both the voice-command systems of MyLink and Sensus increased the proportion of time that drivers were looking at the road when calling compared with manual phone calling, but the relative increase was greater when using MyLink’s single-voice-command system compared with the multiple-command system of Sensus, and this advantage grew as drivers aged. The findings indicate that placing calls while driving using voice commands helps drivers of all ages keep their attention toward the road better than doing so manually, and that, contrary to expectation, using a single-command system like MyLink’s worked better than a multiple-command system like Sensus for older drivers as well as younger ones.
Multiagent Incentive Contracts: Existence, Uniqueness and Implementation

Incentive contracts with multiple agents is a classical decentralized decision-making problem with asymmetric information. Contract design aims to incentivize noncooperative agents to act in the principal's interest over a planning horizon. We extend the single-agent incentive contract to a multiagent setting with history-dependent terminal conditions. Our contributions include: (a) Finding sufficient conditions for the existence of optimal multiagent incentive contracts and conditions under which they form a unique Nash Equilibrium; (b) Showing that the optimal multiagent incentive contracts can be solved by a Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (HJB) equation with equilibrium constraints; (c) Proposing a backward iterative algorithm to solve the problem.
Thomas Reid on the Improvement of Knowledge

Thomas Reid often seems distant from other Scottish Enlightenment figures. While Hume, Hutcheson, Kames, and Smith wrestled with the nature of social progress, Reid was busy with natural philosophy...
Reduction of Radiation Dose and Scanning Time While Preserving Diagnostic Yield: A Comparison of Battery-Powered and Manual Bone Biopsy Systems.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: There is scarcity of data on the comparative efficacy between bone biopsy drill systems across various types of bone lesions. Our aim was to investigate differences in diagnostic yield, scanning time, and radiation dose between manual and battery-powered bone biopsy systems in CT-guided biopsies of lytic, sclerotic, and infectious bone lesions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective single-center institutional review board–approved study. A total of 585 CT-guided core needle biopsies were performed at 1 institution from May 2010 to February 2019. Classification of bone lesions, location, bone biopsy system, suspected origin of primary disease, final pathologic diagnosis, diagnostic yield, presence of crush artifacts, radiation dose, and scanning times were collected. For the battery-powered system, OnControl was used. For the manual drill system, Bonopty, Osteo-site, and Laurane drill systems were used. Comparisons in lytic and sclerotic lesions and suspected discitis/osteomyelitis were made using the Fisher exact test. Subgroup analysis of the drill systems for scanning time and radiation dose was performed by 1-way ANOVA. RESULTS: Our patient cohorts consisted of a total of 585 patients with 422 lytic, 110 sclerotic, and 53 suspected infectious lesions. The mean age was 62 ± 13 years with a male/female ratio of 305:280 for all lesions. The diagnostic yield was 85.5% (362/422) for lytic, 82.7% (91/110) for sclerotic, 50.9% (27/53) for infectious lesions, and 82.1% (480/585) for all lesions. No statistical difference was found when comparing diagnostic yields of powered drills with the manual systems for lytic, sclerotic, and infectious lesions. However, in a subgroup analysis, radiation dose and scanning time were significantly lower for powered drill compared with manual drill systems in lytic (P = .001 for both) and sclerotic lesions (P = .028 and P = .012, respectively). No significant differences were seen between the drill systems for suspected infectious lesions. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate that there was no statistically significant difference in diagnostic yield when comparing battery-powered and manual bone biopsy systems for CT-guided bone biopsies; however, the use of the power drill system resulted in significantly reduced scanning time and radiation dose in lytic and sclerotic lesions.
Experiences and Impact of Having Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder On the Lives of Their Korean-American Mothers

A diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) changes family dynamics and impacts family members’ lives. Knowing family perceptions of ASD and understanding their experiences and challenges with ch...
Coupling ensemble smoother and deep learning with generative adversarial networks to deal with non-Gaussianity in flow and transport data assimilation

Abstract Dynamic data such as hydraulic head and concentration data can be integrated into the groundwater flow and contaminant transport model to improve its predictive ability for groundwater resource management and aquifer remediation. Ensemble Smoother with Multiple Data Assimilation (ES-MDA) has gained popularity for data assimilation in the field of hydrogeology, where aquifer parameters such as hydraulic conductivity are calibrated by conditioning on observed dynamic data. The ES-MDA has an optimal solution if aquifer parameters follow a multi-Gaussian distribution. However, fluvial deposits commonly exhibit a strong heterogeneity with channels (i.e., connectivity). In other words, the hydraulic conductivity does not follow the multi-Gaussian distribution. To deal with data assimilation in channelized aquifers, we propose to couple ES-MDA with deep learning. Specifically, Generative Adversarial Networks (GAN), a deep learning algorithm, are used to re-parameterize the channelized aquifer with a low-dimension latent variable. The ES-MDA is then used to update the latent variable by assimilating dynamic data into the groundwater model. Synthetic studies of groundwater flow and contaminant transport models are used to demonstrate the proposed method. The results illustrate that the coupling of GAN and ES-MDA is able to reconstruct the channel structures and reduce the uncertainty of hydraulic head and contaminant concentration predictions.
Evaluating the Use of Monetary Incentive in Text-Delivered Sexually Transmitted Infection Education

Background : The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported increases in chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis from 2016 to 2017 despite numerous testing and education programs. In addition, young adults are at an increased risk of STIs. Aim: To describe the effectiveness of monetary incentives provided to college females for engaging with automated mobile messaging delivered education over the course of six weeks concerning sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Methods : A longitudinal cohort study was conducted at a large Southeastern, public university in the United States. One hundred and fifty-six female college students (18-24 years in age) participated in a mobile messaging and marketing automation platform delivered once a week for six weeks. Engagement with weekly education was measured by clicks on educational content. Results : Out of the six messages, χ 2 analysis revealed that paid participants were more likely to engage with the STI education in weeks two, four, five, and six. In this study, simple linear regression ANOVA confirmed that compensation was the main extrinsic motivator for engagement rather than other factors, such as the delivery method. Conclusions : Monetary incentive can increase engagement with STI education in college females while mobile messaging also has the potential.
Students' Surgical Experiences in a Distributed Model of Clinical Education: A Mixed-Methods Sequential Case Study.

Objective Equal opportunity to learn has received much attention in higher education. Ensuring students’ comparable educational experiences in the surgical clerkship can be challenging, especially when considering multiple sites in multiple regional medical campuses (RMCs). This study examined whether students were provided with comparable learning opportunities across different campuses/sites and what factors impacted students’ educational experiences during the surgical clerkship. Design A mixed-methods explanatory sequential approach was used to elicit students’ experiences. The study involved the separate data collection and analysis by first using a survey questionnaire, followed by focus groups. The quantitative phase provided a general understanding of students’ experiences, and the qualitative data and analysis refined and further explained statistical results by exploring students’ perceptions in much more depth. The responses to the Likert-scale survey items were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis test and the qualitative responses were analyzed through a standard qualitative thematic inductive coding approach. Setting The distributed clinical medical education program of College of Medicine, Central Michigan University, adopted a wide range of rural and urban communities across Michigan. Its surgical clerkship was located across 3 regional medical campuses, utilizing a total of 6 clinical sites. Participants A total of 92 students responded to the survey questionnaire at the end of their surgery rotation. Using the purposeful sampling, 2 focus groups with 7 participants were conducted. Results The survey results demonstrated some statistically significant educational experiences in different sites during the surgery clerkship within this context. Those site differences were related to roles and expectations, supervision, feedback, and team collaboration. Whether students had comparable surgery learning experiences across the RMCs was associated with multiple factors. Those factors that included Site Features (organizational culture and volume and specialties), Health Professionals (un/engaged surgeons and team dynamics), and Personal Traits (self-directed learning), combined together, contributed to students’ achieved roles and responsibilities. Conclusions The research found students’ differing educational experiences in the general surgery clerkship from students’ perspectives using a case study design. More studies conducted with other medical schools are needed to fully understand the common conceptualization of comparable educational opportunities in the surgical clerkship. Further research is also necessary to investigate perceptions of clerkship directors, faculty, and other health professionals.
Reemergence of Cylindrocladium Crown Rot of Roses in Florida

On April 2017, four out of 10,000 Double Knock Out Red roses were observed presenting partially wilted and chlorotic foliage in a commercial nursery in Gadsden Co., Florida. Closer examination of t...
Natural Killer Cells: From Innate to Adaptive Features

Natural killer (NK) cells are innate lymphocytes that provide critical host defense against pathogens and cancer. Originally heralded for their early and rapid effector activity, NK cells have been recognized over the last decade for their ability to undergo adaptive immune processes, including antigen-driven clonal expansion and generation of long-lived memory. This review presents an overview of how NK cells lithely partake in both innate and adaptive responses and how this versatility is manifest in human NK cell-mediated immunity.
Moderating spillover: Focusing on personal sustainable behavior rarely hinders and can boost climate policy support

Abstract A successful climate movement must make progress on two fronts: widely adopting behavior changes to reduce emissions and achieving structural changes through climate policy. Some research has suggested people might see sustainable behavior as a substitute (rather than a complement) for climate policy. Does reflecting on sustainable behavior strengthen or undermine climate policy support? In the present research we find that reflecting on sustainable behavior rarely harms policy support. It only occurs when policies are framed as having costs fall on individuals (rather than industry) and when reflection on one’s behavior is not connected to one's values or identity. Here, people may reject a policy because they feel they already are taking action. Conversely, reflecting on behaviors in connection to one’s values or identity actually increases climate policy support, and leads people to feel that policies like a carbon tax, even if personally costly, reflect their values and identity.