cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An Integrated Approach to High-Speed Probe-Based Nanofabrication: SPM Imaging

In this article, we propose an integrated approach to achieve high-speed nano-positioning for high-speed atomic force microscope (AFM) operations in applications such as probe-based nanofabrication. The development of AFM technology enabled the “bottom up” approach to design and create nanostructures and nanodevices. The throughput of the probe-based nanofabrication, however, is limited by the challenges in positioning the probe at high-speed. In AFM operations, nano-positioning of the probe in 3-D (both lateral x – y and vertical z axes) is needed. High-speed, large-size AFM operation is challenging because in high-speed lateral scanning of the AFM operation at large positioning range, large positioning error of the AFM probe relative to the sample can be generated due to the adverse effects—the nonlinear hysteresis and the linear vibrational dynamics of the piezotube actuator. In addition, vertical precision positioning of the AFM probe is even more challenging (than the lateral scanning) because the desired trajectory (i.e., the sample topography profile) is unknown in general, and the probe positioning is also effected by and sensitive to the probe-sample interaction. The main contribution of this article is the development of an integrated approach that combines advanced control algorithm with an advanced hardware platform. The proposed approach is demonstrated by implementing to AFM imaging of a large-size (50 μm) calibration sample at high-speed (50 Hz scan rate).Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Intersubband absorption of silicon‐based quantum wells for infrared imaging

The 10-micron intersubband absorption in quantum wells made of the silicon-based system, Si/Si(1-x)Ge(x), has been calculated. The necessary details of the effective-mass anisotropy are included in the present analysis. It is found that it is readily possible to achieve an absorption constant of order of 10,000/cm in Si quantum wells with current doping technology. For 110-line and 111-line growth directions, a further advantage of Si quantum wells is pointed out, namely, an allowed absorption at normal incidence due to the anisotropic effective mass in Si.
Involvement of the Erk-MAP Kinase Pathway in TNFα Regulation of Trabecular Matrix Metalloproteinases and TIMPs

Purpose TNFalpha is a strong modulator expression of trabecular meshwork (TM) matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) and tissue inhibitor (TIMP). Laser trabeculoplasty appears to rely on this process to restore normal aqueous humor outflow facility. Thus, studies were conducted to determine whether the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (Erk)-mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase signal-transduction pathway is involved. Methods Porcine TM cells were treated with TNFalpha, and changes in MMPs and TIMPs were evaluated by zymography and Western immunoblot assay. Phosphospecific antibodies to proteins from the Erk pathway were used to evaluate responses to treatment with TNFalpha. Inhibitors of Mek, the kinase that activates Erk, and of protein kinase C (PKC) isoforms were used to define pathway involvement. Results Treatment with TNFalpha increased MMP-1, -3, and -9 and TIMP-1, whereas expression of MMP-2 was not affected and expression of TIMP-2 was decreased. Erk and Mek were rapidly phosphorylated after treatment with TNFalpha, and c-Raf-1 showed a significant bandshift. A specific inhibitor of Mek blocked the TNFalpha induction of the MMPs and TIMPs and the phosphorylation of Erk. An inhibitor of the PKC- micro isoform, which also blocks the effects of MMP-TIMP of TNFalpha, did not affect phosphorylation of Erk. Conclusions The components of this MAP kinase pathway in the TM are dramatically affected by TNFalpha and inhibition of Erk's phosphorylation blocks the changes in MMP and TIMP expression. PKC micro, which is also required in this transduction process, does not appear to be upstream from Erk in the signaling cascade. Manipulation of this and related TM signal-transduction pathways may provide targets for developing improved glaucoma treatments.
Divergent leaf traits among congeneric tropical trees with contrasting habitat associations on Borneo

A prediction of the hypothesis that niche processes control plant species distributions across edaphic gradients is that pairwise comparisons of related species on contrasting soils should show consistent patterns of trait divergence. This hypothesis was tested in lowland Bornean rain forest by combining measurements of leaf traits, soil nutrients and the distribution of tree species in the Dipterocarpaceae across a nutrient gradient. Nine species were studied, comprising four related pairs in Shorea (phylogenetic independent contrasts; PICs) and one habitat generalist (Dipterocarpus sublamellatus). Lamina area, specific leaf area (SLA), leaf nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) were measured for ∼10 saplings of each species; habitat associations were defined as a continuous function of soil nutrients and categorically in relation to substrate. Species distributions and traits varied significantly with soil nutrients. When all species were pooled, SLA and leaf P increased significantly with species' distribution across the nutrient gradient; leaf N showed the same trend. Trait shifts with habitat were stronger and more pervasive when habitat was defined categorically - in all four PICs, rich-soil specialists had larger leaves, higher SLA, leaf N and P, and lower N:P ratios. Trait shifts with habitat at least partly reflect intrinsic differences between species. Within Shorea, variation in lamina area and N:P ratio were more strongly related to phylogeny than habitat, whereas the reverse held for SLA and leaf P. Phylogeny also influenced the extent of trait divergence between related species on different soils, and patterns of trait correlation within lineages. Results support the hypothesis that niche processes influence the distribution of species and traits in lowland tropical tree communities, and highlight the value of phylogenetic information for increasing the power of comparative studies.
Seven chronic conditions: their impact on US adults' activity levels and use of medical services.

OBJECTIVES. This paper analyzes the impact of seven chronic conditions (three nonfatal: arthritis, visual impairment, hearing impairment; four fatal: ischemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes mellitus, malignant neoplasms) on US adults aged 18 and older. Impact refers to how readily a condition prompts activity limitations, physician visits, and hospital stays. METHODS. Data come from three national health surveys and vital statistics. For comparability, a single disease classification scheme was applied, and new rates were estimated. Frequency, impact, and prominence of the target conditions are studied via rates, ratios of rates, and ranks, respectively. RESULTS. In young adulthood, the nonfatal conditions prompt limitations less readily than do the fatal ones, but by older ages, arthritis and visual impairment have a limiting impact equivalent to that of fatal conditions. Despite high prevalence and limitations, nonfatal conditions stand well below fatal conditions for hea...
Scenic Spots: Chinese Tourism, the State, and Cultural Authority

Scenic Spots: Chinese Tourism, the State, and Cultural Authority. P'al Ny'iri. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2005. 143 pp.
Dual-Task Interference in Perceptual Category Learning

The effect of a working-memory—demanding dual task on perceptual category learning was investigated. In Experiment 1, participants learned unidimensional rule-based or information integration category structures. In Experiment 2, participants learned a conjunctive rule-based category structure. In Experiment 1, unidimensional rule-based category learning was disrupted more by the dual working memory task than was information integration category learning. In addition, rule-based category learning differed qualitatively from information integration category learning in yielding a bimodal, rather than a normal, distribution of scores. Experiment 2 showed that rule-based learning can be disrupted by a dual working memory task even when both dimensions are relevant for optimal categorization. The results support the notion of at least two systems of category learning: a hypothesis-testing system that seeks verbalizable rules and relies on working memory and selective attention, and an implicit system that is procedural-learning based and is essentially automatic.
Rapid Removal of Lactic Acid from Wastewater by a Flocculent Yeast

A process has been developed for rapid removal of the lactic acid in sauerkraut processing wastewater by a flocculent strain of Kluyveromyces fragilis. Under optimum conditions, the yeast reduced the lactic acid by 95–97% in 4 hr. and the net increase in yeast dry weight was slightly higher than 1,000 mg/liter. The yield of yeast based on the amount of lactic acid consumed was approximately 34%. The yeast cells settled rapidly and compacted well and greater than 99% of them settled in 1 hr. The results of this study indicate that using K. fragilis to reduce the lactic acid in the wastewater may have economic value in waste disposal and in the production of feed yeast.
Identification of mycoplasma membrane proteins by systematic TnphoA mutagenesis of a recombinant library

Wall-less prokaryotes in the genus Mycoplasma include over 90 species of infectious agents whose pathogenicity for humans and other animals is currently being assessed. Molecular characterization of surface proteins is critical in this regard but is hampered by the lack of genetic systems in these organisms. We used TnphoA transposition to systematically mutagenize, in Escherichia coli, a genomic plasmid library constructed from Mycoplasma fermentans, a potential human pathogen. The strategy circumvented problems of expressing mycoplasma genes containing UGA (Trp) codons and relied on the construction of the vector pG7ZCW, designed to reduce TnphoA transposition into vector sequences. Functional phoA gene fusions directly identified genes encoding 19 putative membrane-associated proteins of M. fermentans. Sequences of fusion constructs defined three types of export sequence: (1) non-cleavable, membrane-spanning sequences, (2) signal peptides with signal peptidase (SPase) I-like cleavage sites, and (3) signal peptides with SPase II-like lipoprotein-cleavage sites which, like most other mycoplasmal lipoprotein signals analysed to date, differed from those in several Gram-negative and Gram-positive eubacteria in their lack of a Leu residue at the -3 position. Antibodies to synthetic peptides that were deduced from two fusions to predicted lipoproteins, identified corresponding amphiphilic membrane proteins of 57 kDa and 78 kDa expressed in the mycoplasma. The P57 sequence contained a proline-rich N-terminal region analogous to an adhesin of Mycoplasma gallisepticum. The P78 protein was identical to a serologically defined phase-variant surface lipoprotein. TnphoA mutagenesis provides an efficient means of systematically characterizing functionally diverse lipoproteins and other exported proteins in mycoplasmas.
Defective Immune Function of Primary Effusion Lymphoma Cells is Associated with Distinct KSHV Gene Expression Profiles

Primary effusion lymphomas (PEL) are uniformly infected with Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), and thus likely present both tumor and viral antigens to the immune system. In order to grow unrestricted and cause disease, multiple immune evasion strategies may be utilized by PEL to evade immune surveillance. Using six well-established PEL cell lines and comparing these to Epstein-Barr virus-transformed B cell lines and peripheral blood B cells, significant differences were found in the surface expression of molecules involved in antigen presentation, T cell activation and cell-cell adhesion. Significantly reduced stimulation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes, lowered sensitivity to natural killer cell-mediated lysis and impaired function as antigen presenting cells in mixed leukocyte reactions were found for three PEL cell lines with particularly low CD54, CD58 and CD81 expression. Comparative microarray analysis demonstrated specific patterns of KSHV-encoded gene expression that were associated with the different immune functions of these cell lines. Thus, the present data suggest that distinct patterns of KSHV gene expression may be associated with particular phenotypic and functional characteristics of PEL cells, which may influence PEL pathogenesis.
An achiral, anticlinic-promoting, smectic liquid crystal architecture

We describe a simple, achiral, terminal chain that appears to readily convert the synclinic SmC phase to the anticlinic SmCA phase. If the α-carbon of a terminal chain is di-substituted, i.e., if either 1,1-dimethylpentyloxycarbonyl or 1,1-dimethylhexyloxycarbonyl is used instead of the usual chiral chain, 1-methylheptyloxycarbonyl, the terminal chain in the well known, antiferroelectric mesogen MHPOBC, an anticlinic SmCA phase is observed exclusively below the SmA phase. Moreover, the dimethyl-substituted terminal chain can induce the SmCA phase in very ordinary mesogens: n-hexyl decyloxybiphenyl carboxylate (HDBC) changes its conventional synclinic SmC phase into the anticlinic SmCA phase when mixed with a molecule having the same HDBC core but containing the dimethyl-substituted terminal chain. The simple structure of this achiral terminal chain suggests that a generic mechanism is responsible for tilt sense propagation in smectics: we posit that subtle intra-layer packing arrangements within the aliphatic stratum give rise to a topographic pattern on the layer interface, and that this pattern communicates tilt sense preferences, anticlinic or synclinic, from layer to layer.
Interactive 3D protein structure visualization using virtual reality

Large-scale biomedical data sets of macromolecular structures such as DNA and proteins describe highly complex biomolecular entities which often consist of thousands of atoms and residues in large 3D strands of amino acids. Various types of abstract representations are used to display these data sets, ranging from traditional ball-and-stick models to feature-presenting cartoon models. Despite these abstractions, even the most simplified representations still generate a large amount of geometry data. Useful features are often difficult to recognize in the sheer amount of detail produced by the rendering software. Comparative visualization of various structures in any type of abstract representation is helpful for understanding the relation between function and structure, and prediction of properties of newly discovered proteins which might have an impact on drug design and better treatment options for diseases. We present a case study that uses high performance workstations and a virtual reality display system to process large amounts of geometry data for real-time 3D exploration, superimposition, and interactive navigational tasks in a virtual reality environment.
Chimp Facial Action Coding: An Important Forward Brachiation in Method

(1872) The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals. This work not only helped establish the conceptual basis of nonverbal behavior and communication but also sketched out the comparative method. In turn, comparing species on structure and function has played a key role in the development of the fields of physiology, neuroanatomy, ethology, and others, especially including nonverbal communication. One of the key benefits of cross-species comparisons is of course in providing insight into the functional value of particular communicative behavior (Marler & Vandenbergh, 1979). Animals living dense forests or dark waters or who are nocturnal are more likely to find their mates and alert their conspecifics with calls and other auditory cues than they are to rely on visual communication. There is thus also a significant selected increase in auditory acuity. Dogs and wolves, highly territorial and with their noses near the ground, use urine markers. Homo sapiens, with generally excellent visual acuity, detect their mates and potential aggressors mostly with visual cues rather than through sniffing. Such gross comparisons, tremendously important over the past century (Ekman, 1973), have become increasingly refined as particular nonverbal movements are better studied. Progress and refinements in the study of nonverbal behavior have often depended on methodological advances. Use of film and video, slow motion, the point-light technique, sound recordings and spectrograms, as well as statistical advances in coding and judgments have led to huge swings forward in understanding. Notably, in the area of facial behavior, the Facial Action Coding System (FACS), developed by Paul Ekman and colleagues, provided a standardized, neuro-anatomically based technique for the reliable coding and analysis of facial movement and expression (Ekman, Friesen, & Hager, 2002; Ekman & Rosenberg, 2005). The paper by Vick, Waller, Parr, Smith Pasqualini, and Bard (2007) in this issue describes a modification of the FACS for describing chimpanzee facial movement.
Tumor Size and Depth Predict Rate of Lymph Node Metastasis in Colon Carcinoids and Can Be Used to Select Patients for Endoscopic Resection

Regional lymphadenectomy is recommended for all colon carcinoids, whereas resection without lymphadenectomy is accepted for selected appendiceal and rectal carcinoids. We examined the relation of tumor size and depth to lymph node metastasis in order to determine whether colon carcinoids could be selected for endoscopic resection. Patients were identified from the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results Registry. The Pearson chi-square and the log rank tests were used. P < 0.05 was considered significant. We identified 929 patients who underwent resection of localized colon carcinoids without distant metastasis diagnosed from 1973 to 2006. The diagnosis of small and superficial tumors increased over time (p < 0.001). The presence of lymph node metastasis was adversely associated with survival (p < 0.001); however, there was only a trend toward independence on multivariate analysis (p = 0.054). Tumor size and depth were associated with lymph node metastasis (p < 0.001, p < 0.001). Tumors were subgrouped by size and depth to find cases with a low risk of lymph node metastasis. Intramucosal tumors < 1 cm had a 4% rate of lymph node metastasis, while all other subgroups had rates ≥14%. Tumor size and depth predict lymph node metastasis for colon carcinoids. Endoscopic resection may be appropriate for intramucosal tumors <1 cm.
Novel Mutations That Control the Sphingolipid and Cholesterol Dependence of the Semliki Forest Virus Fusion Protein

The enveloped alphavirus Semliki Forest virus (SFV) infects cells via a membrane fusion reaction mediated by the E1 membrane protein. Efficient SFV-membrane fusion requires the presence of cholesterol and sphingolipid in the target membrane. Here we report on two mutants, srf-4 and srf-5, selected for growth in cholesterol-depleted cells. Like the previously isolated srf-3 mutant (E1 proline 226 to serine), the phenotypes of the srf-4 and srf-5 mutants were conferred by single-amino-acid changes in the E1 protein: leucine 44 to phenylalanine and valine 178 to alanine, respectively. Like srf-3, srf-4 and srf-5 show striking increases in the cholesterol independence of growth, infection, membrane fusion, and exit. Unexpectedly, and unlike srf-3, srf-4 and srf-5 showed highly efficient fusion with sphingolipid-free membranes in both lipid- and content-mixing assays. Both srf-4 and srf-5 formed E1 homotrimers of decreased stability compared to the homotrimers of the wild type and the srf-3 mutant. All three srf mutations lie in the same domain of E1, but the srf-4 and srf-5 mutations are spatially separated from srf-3. When expressed together, the three mutations could interact to produce increased sterol independence and to cause temperature-sensitive E1 transport. Thus, the srf-4 and srf-5 mutations identify novel regions of E1 that are distinct from the fusion peptide and srf-3 region and modulate the requirements for both sphingolipid and cholesterol in virus-membrane fusion.
Gonadal Hormone-Dependent and -Independent Regulation of Immune Function by Photoperiod in Siberian Hamsters

Siberian hamsters (Phodopus sungorus) exhibit changes in reproductive and immune function in response to seasonal variations in day length. Exposure to short days induces gonadal regression and inhibits testosterone secretion. In parallel, short days enhance immune function: increasing leukocyte numbers and attenuating cytokine and behavioral responses to infection. We examined whether photoperiodic changes in leukocyte phenotypes and sickness behaviors are dependent on concurrent photoperiodic changes in gonadal function. Male hamsters were gonadectomized or sham-gonadectomized and either exposed to short days (9 h light/day; SD) or kept in their natal long-day (15 h light/day; LD) photoperiod for 10-13 wk. Blood samples were obtained for leukocyte enumeration, and hamsters were challenged with bacterial LPS, which induced behavioral (anorexia, reductions in nest building) and somatic (weight loss) sickness responses. Among gonad-intact hamsters, exposure to SD increased total and CD62L+ lymphocytes and CD3+ T lymphocytes in blood and significantly attenuated LPS-induced sickness responses. Independent of photoperiod, castration alone increased total and CD62L+ lymphocyte and CD3+ T lymphocyte numbers and attenuated somatic and anorexic sickness responses. Among castrated hamsters, SD exposure increased lymphocyte numbers and suppressed sickness behaviors. In castrated hamsters, the magnitude of most immunological effects of SD were diminished relative to those evident in gonad-intact hamsters. The SD phenotype in several measures of immunity can be instated via elimination of gonadal hormones alone; however, photoperiodic effects on immune function persist even in castrated hamsters. Thus, photoperiod affects the immune system and neural-immune interactions underlying sickness behaviors via gonadal hormone-dependent and -independent mechanisms.
Analytic performance of the iQ200 Automated Urine Microscopy Analyzer and comparison with manual counts using Fuchs-Rosenthal cell chambers

Automated instruments that can examine urine for cells and particles have reduced the need for labor
Coherent Eddies in the Labrador Sea Observed from a Mooring

Abstract During June–November 1994, a mooring in the central Labrador Sea near the former Ocean Weather Station Bravo recorded a half-dozen anomalous events that prove to be two different types of coherent eddies. Comparisons with simple analytical models are used to classify these events as coherent eddies on the basis of their velocity signatures. The first clear examples of long-lived convectively generated eddies are reported. These four small (radius ∼5–15 km) eddies are exclusively anticyclonic, with cold, fresh middepth potential temperature (θ) and salinity (S) cores surrounded by azimuthal currents of ∼15 cm s−1. Their θ/S properties identify them unambiguously as the products of wintertime deep convection in the interior Labrador Sea. Compared with eddies in other regions, these anticyclones are unusual for their strong surface expressions and composite θ/S cores. Two warm cyclones are also seen; these are larger (radius ∼15 km) than the anticyclones and about as energetic (currents ∼15 cm s−1)....
Ten Year Observation of Problem Based Learning: A Guide to Future Evaluations?

There has been emphasis on factual recall (and to a lesser extent on clinical skills) as entrees to postgraduate education. However most department heads are at least equally interested in the question “is this candidate personally, professionally or academically dysfunctional”? Problem based learning is a microcosm of the human enterprise and seeks to promote the scholastic, professional and personal growth of students with respect to self, others and wider societal/humanistic issues and values. These elements have been a major focus of Judeo Christian and Greco Roman thought and values with a more recent restatement in the language of existentialism. An obstacle for educators has been that these three thought/value systems, even in historical perspective, are difficult to measure. Cloninger’s recent quantitative psychobiological studies of learning and functionality encompass much of these three prior systems. Cloninger’s seven major categories (240 items) of genetically and socially determined learned behaviours are discussed as a possible basis for future directions in quantifiable evaluation.
Speech-language pathologists' opinions on the management of velopharyngeal insufficiency.

Abstract A 16-item questionnaire designed to survey opinions on the management of velopharyngeal insufficiency (VPI) was distributed to all members (N = 296) of the American Cleft Palate Association who were speech-language pathologists. Questionnaires were completed by 173 respondents (58.4 percent). There were differences of opinion among speech-language pathologists on various management issues related to VPI, including the value of instrumental assessment of VPI, the importance of oral examination of velopharyngeal function, and the effectiveness of speech therapy in the treatment of VPI. The implications of these findings for clinical training in VPI are discussed.
Are Going Concern Opinions Associated with Lower Audit Impact

The issuance of going concern (GC) opinions by auditors has been accepted, a priori, as a measure of auditor independence and quality throughout the literature (DeFond Zhang 2014). Recent findings suggest researchers should reconsider the validity of this measure. The issuance of GC opinions has been shown to reduce expected litigation costs to auditors (Kaplan and Williams 2012) and GC opinions have been shown to be associated with deficient audits (Aobdia 2015). These studies, however, are unable to explain changes in audit behavior surrounding the issuance of GC opinions. I develop a measure of audit impact using Benford’s law. Emerging research supports the application of Benford’s law in assessing quality of financial statements (Amiram et al. 2015). I exploit the fact that this measure is not contaminated by business and economic risks, which are of particular concern when GC opinions are being considered. My findings suggest that more impactful auditors are less likely to issue GC opinions and the GC opinions they do issue are more predictive of bankruptcies; in addition, I find the quality of financial statements to be lower when GC opinions are issued. This decline is resulting from a reduction in the auditor’s impact. Consistent with external factors motivating less impactful auditors to overissue GC opinions, I find their GC opinions are less predictive of bankruptcy.
Intraoperative seizure and cerebrospinal fluid leak during adult cochlear implant surgery.

Objective and Importance: To report a rare case of cerebrospinal fluid gusher and subsequent seizure immediately after cochlear implant electrode insertion.Clinical Presentation: After the cochlear implant electrode was inserted, brisk flow of 10 mL of cerebrospinal fluid was seen. The electrode was promptly inserted and the leak was additionally sealed with fascia. Seconds later, the patient had a tonic-clonic seizure lasting 30 seconds. Two additional episodes occurred during the case. Her postoperative course was uneventful with no subsequent seizures. The device has been successfully activated.Intervention & Technique: Postoperative imaging showed correct intracochlear placement of the electrode as well as an incidental enlarged vestibular aqueduct. Neurology consultation including electroencephalogram was unremarkable.Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first report of a seizure temporally associated with cochlear implant electrode insertion. The significance and possible casual relationship be...
Towards MRI-guided cardiac ablation procedures with no contrast agent: safety and efficacy considerations

Background Efforts are underway to perform MRI-guided cardiac ablations in the magnet. The chief motivations are: 1) the ability to see the effects of treatment, 2) improved catheter positioning during mapping and therapy, and 3) avoiding ionizing radiation and iodinated contrast agent from x-ray. However, current efforts use gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) to obtain MR Angiogram (MRA) for anatomical context and late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) for enhancement of ablation lesions. There may be motivations to limit use of GBCAs, both in the specific context of an ablation procedure and in general use. The general use motivation is health-based, as the FDA is investigating the risk of gadolinium deposits in the brain after repeated use of GBCAs. Another motivation is for accuracy in assessment of acute lesions, since wash-in/out kinetics make it difficult to infer lesion size from enhancement regions in LGE images, even with carefully chosen timing and imaging parameters. The typical LGE protocol requires waiting 10-15 minutes after contrast agent injection before T1w imaging. This protocol is both unpractical to run repeatedly and limited by contrast-agent dose. It may be possible to perform this procedure without GBCAs. We focus on the acquisition of images for MRA, real-time navigation and lesion assessment. We present proof-of-concept data in swine left ventricle (LV).
Creating Flight Simulator Landing Gear Models Using Multidomain Modeling Tools

This paper uses commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) domain specific modeling software to create a high fidelity plant model of an aircraft’s landing gear for inclusion into a full aircraft flight simulator. The use of domain specific modeling software enables detailed modeling of the physics and facilitates accurate computational simulation of the aerodynamic and mechanical loads that occur when the landing gear are deployed and retracted during landing and take-off operations. The parameter design space is easily searched by considering a number of different landing scenarios including touching down on one wheel first, to optimize the design.
Insights on Death and Dying, by J. Ufema

Insights on Death and Dying is written as a compilation of personal experiences on death and dying from a registered nurse's perspective. Ufema shares her lived experiences as a nurse in hospice ca...
Language, Music, Fire, and Chess: Remarks on Music Evolution and Acquisition

There is considerable debate about the evolution of both language and music cognition in human beings (see [10, 13, 24, 25] for the former, and [6, 11, 21, 33] for the latter). However, the two debates have distinct characters. In the case of language, most agree that there exists a significant biological component to the underlying cognitive system that modern humans enjoy, which in some form was either the direct or indirect product of evolutionary changes in biology. In the case of music, however, human ability in this domain has recently been compared to mastery of fire (an obvious cultural invention) [21] and specifically dismissed as not arising through evolutionary forces, understood in the standard Darwinian sense. Patel’s primary arguments [21] for this relate to childhood acquisition, which he argues occurs quite differently for language and music. In particular, he claims that there is no critical period for acquisition of music perception. I examine his arguments here, coming to quite different conclusions.
ADRC and Internal Model Controller of PMSM Based on Parameters Variation Estimation

As permanent magnet synchronous motor(PMSM)is a nonlinear object and the parameters are uncertainty,based on the mathematical model of PMSM in the synchronousd qcoordinates and the vector control principle,internal model controller with parameters variation observer was designed for the current control of the system,so the controller could overcome the issues that conventional internal model controller is sensitive to the motor parameters variations;besides active disturbance rejection controller(ADRC)is designed for the speed control of the driver,so the system is robust to the load torque variations.The simulation results show that the proposed speed and current controller based on ADRC and internal model controller with parameters variation observer can provide good performance both under motor parameters and load torque variations,then the effectiveness of the proposed method is proved.
Deep brain stimulation in Parkinson's disease.

Throughout the past decade, there has been a marked increase in surgical therapies, primarily deep brain stimulation (DBS), for the treatment of advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD). DBS of the thalamus has been shown to be effective in reducing parkinsonian tremor; however, it is not the treatment of choice for PD given the progression of other symptoms such as rigidity and bradykinesia. Stimulation of the globus pallidus or the subthalamic nucleus is safe and efficacious in the long-term treatment of all cardinal symptoms of PD, and they are currently the surgeries of choice. Serious adverse events with DBS can occur in 1% to 2% of patients, infection in 5% to 8% of patients, and hardware complications in approximately 25% of patients. Complications associated with DBS are related to the experience of the surgical center. Referring physicians and patients should be aware of the number of surgical procedures and complication rates of any prospective surgical center.
FINE NEEDLE ASPIRATION CYTOLOGY OF PAPILLARY NEOPLASMS

This article covers the fine needle aspiration biopsy cytomorphology of papillary carcinomas of different organs, differential diagnoses, and clinical correlation. Diagnostic problems and helpful cytologic features are emphasized. The purpose is to have a concise source of information that helps the pathologist to evaluate these neoplasms.
Close listening: Talking books, blind readers and medieval worldbuilding

How does historical fiction create a world for readers to inhabit? Drawing upon contemporary convergence theory that traces how stories move across concurrent media platforms, this essay enacts a multimodal approach to Bruce Holsinger’s historical novel The Invention of Fire across two mediums: the printed text and the audiobook. Holsinger’s mystery uses an increasingly blind poet John Gower as its sleuth-protagonist, and I consider how the text’s first-person narration and shifting rhetoric of blindness convey the sensory experience of a lost medieval past. The audiobook voice narration by Simon Vance further remediates the story’s tropes of oral performance, and a broader history of ‘talking books’ for blind readers reveals how sensory experience and embodied knowledge are constructed by technology and environment.
Deep imaging of absorption and scattering features by multispectral multiple scattering low coherence interferometry

We have developed frequency domain multispectral multiple scattering low coherence interferometry (ms2/LCI) for deep imaging of absorption and scattering contrast. Using tissue-mimicking phantoms that match the full scattering phase function of human dermal tissue, we demonstrate that ms2/LCI can provide a signal/noise ratio (SNR) improvement of 15.4 dB over conventional OCT at an imaging depth of 1 mm. The enhanced SNR and penetration depth provided by ms2/LCI could be leveraged for a variety of clinical applications including the assessment of burn injuries where current clinical classification of severity only provides limited accuracy. The utility of the approach was demonstrated by imaging a tissue phantom simulating a partial-thickness burn revealing good spectroscopic contrast between healthy and injured tissue regions deep below the sample surface. Finally, healthy rat skin was imaged in vivo with both a commercial OCT instrument and our custom ms2/LCI system. The results demonstrate that ms2/LCI is capable of obtaining spectroscopic information far beyond the penetration depth provided by conventional OCT.
Conditional optimization of nonlinear adaptive control systems

A design algorithm for adaptive control of systems described by nonlinear integral operator equations is considered. Kulikowski's original approach is extended to include bounded input functions. The limited range of performance criteria considered previously is similarly extended making use of the concepts of nonlinear functional analysis. The plant operator is assumed to be only partially known, and the optimization problem is formulated as a conditional-minimization problem. The solution is obtained in the form of an iteration and two such iteration techniques are described. The first one is based on the principle of contraction mapping; the second on Newton's modified method. The identification procedure is briefly mentioned and an analog implementation scheme is presented.
Leadership development in a professional medical society using 360-degree survey feedback to assess emotional intelligence.

Background The current research evaluated the potential utility of a 360-degree survey feedback program for measuring leadership quality in potential committee leaders of a professional medical association (PMA). Emotional intelligence as measured by the extent to which self-other agreement existed in the 360-degree survey ratings was explored as a key predictor of leadership quality in the potential leaders.
Systematic Review, Meta-analysis, and Cost-effectiveness of Treatment of Latent Tuberculosis to Reduce Progression to Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis.

Background. Evidence-based recommendations for treating persons having presumed latent tuberculosis (LTBI) after contact to infectious multidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis (TB) are lacking because published data consist of small observational studies. Tuberculosis incidence in persons treated for latent MDR -TB infection is unknown. Methods. We conducted a systematic review of studies published 1 January 1994-31 December 2014 to analyze TB incidence, treatment completion and discontinuation, and cost-effectiveness. We considered contacts with LTBI effectively treated if they were on ≥1 medication to which their MDR-TB strain was likely susceptible. We selected studies that compared treatment vs nontreatment outcomes and performed a meta-analysis to estimate the relative risk of TB incidence and its 95% confidence interval. Results. We abstracted data from 21 articles that met inclusion criteria. Six articles presented outcomes for contacts who were treated compared with those not treated for MDR-LTBI; 10 presented outcomes only for treated contacts, and 5 presented outcomes only for untreated contacts. The estimated MDR-TB incidence reduction was 90% (9%-99%) using data from 5 comparison studies. We also found high treatment discontinuation rates due to adverse effects in persons taking pyrazinamide-containing regimens. Cost-effectiveness was greatest using a fluoroquinolone/ethambutol combination regimen. Conclusions. Few studies met inclusion criteria, therefore results should be cautiously interpreted. We found a reduced risk of TB incidence with treatment for MDR-LTBI, suggesting effectiveness in prevention of progression to MDR-TB, and confirmed cost-effectiveness. However, we found that pyrazinamide-containing MDR-LTBI regimens often resulted in treatment discontinuation due to adverse effects.
Teaching E. coli to Endocytose

What if I told you that engineering a single protein into E. coli is sufficient to make it fill up with membrane-bound vesicles? Would you send me to the couch or to a padded cell? Not so fast, as this is precisely what a group of sixteen investigators from three continents have recently shown by expressing caveolin-1 in E. coli. Caveolin-1 is the main protein involved in the formation of mammalian membrane structures called caveolae. The consequences were amazing.
Crossing the Mediterranean: deterritorialised identities in Perdus entre deux rives, Des vacances malgré tout, and La traversée

ABSTRACTWhile the term ‘Mediterranean Sea’ refers primarily to a geographical category, recent scholarship contends that it is also a ‘contested concept’ used throughout history for ideological purposes. In the context of the Algeria-France relationship, the Mediterranean constitutes an especially complex entity. This article focuses on the shared visual economy between Algeria and France, and examines varying representations of the Mediterranean in three contemporary documentaries: Oujdi’s Perdus entre deux rives, les chibanis oublies (2014), Bensmail’s Des vacances malgre tout (2000), and Leuvrey’s La traversee (2013). Oujdi’s Les chibanis is filmed in Marseille and documents the marginalisation of retired Algerian workers. A reading of the opening and closing images of the Mediterranean suggests that the documentary echoes current political debates on access to French benefits and calls for the inclusion of chibanis within French society. In Des vacances, Bensmail films a Paris-based family travelling ...
IWSHM 2017: Damage-scattered wave extraction in an integral stiffened isotropic plate: a baseline-subtraction-free approach:

Ultrasonic guided waves enable long-distance inspection of structures for health monitoring purposes. However, this capability is diminished when applied to complex structures where damage-scattere...
Protectors, aggressors, and kinfolk: dogs in a tribal community.

ABSTRACTFree-roaming dogs are a common phenomenon on many American Indian reservations as well as globally. Lack of canine restriction may be pathologized by outsiders, assumed to be a “problem” that reflects underlying individual or community dysfunction. Seldom investigated are the cultural logics underlying the lack of restriction, and the positive role that dogs may be playing in the community. This paper examines relationships between a northern plains reservation community and their dogs. We found these relationships to be complex and multifaceted, harkening back to a pre-contact past when human survival itself depended on the dog, and extending into a present shaped by a broad range of cultural notions about the human–dog relationship. We explore the concept of dog restriction, asking what it means for connections with dogs in a context where relationships with dogs run deep, but have been disrupted by settler colonialism. We found a community that very much desires dogs and views them positively, ...
European Style Stock Options

We have seen in Chapters 1 and 2 how different it is to invest in risk-free assets than in stocks. Going down the line of available financial instruments chosen for consideration in this book, we come to the study of stock options. There exists a further fundamental difference between stocks and options, and consequently, even much more of a difference between risk-free investing and options trading. The fundamental difference between stocks and options is that options have quite complicated dynamics, are much more volatile, and moreover, have a limited life time. As a matter of fact, options usually have a very limited life time. Options are available with expirations of up to eight months on over 1700 stocks, and for over 200 stocks as far in the future as three years; nevertheless, the most liquid options are those which expire sooner rather than later, and consequently the old fashioned buy and hold strategy obviously is almost never an option. On the other hand, although individual options by themselves are extremely volatile, i.e., risky, the price movements of different kind of options on the same underlying stock, as well as of the price movements of the underlying stock, are almost perfectly correlated, positively or negatively. That fact alone can be exploited for constructing various trading strategies that have the objective of actually reducing or even, at least theoretically, eliminating the risk involved in investing rather than increasing the upside potential aggressively.
Lived Experiences of Adolescents with Learning Disabilities

Research indicates that young people with Learning Disabilities (LD) can suffer academic and social difficulties, lower levels of self-esteem, and social isolation. However, several research studies indicated that some children with LD were able to overcome these challenges through self-advocacy, peer support, and self-acceptance. Seeking to build on those results, the research question guiding this study was: What is the lived experience of adolescents with LD in regards to peer support, self-advocacy, and self-acceptance of LD? Interview data from a small purposive sample of four adolescent participants reportedly thriving with LD were analyzed using techniques inspired by Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. Results suggested protective factors consistent with the prior studies (e.g., self-advocacy) and also raised hypotheses about additional protective factors: multiple forms of social support (peer, family, and mentoring) and the importance of developing a personal understanding of LD/ADHD. It is hoped that these hypotheses on protective factors derived from the voices of a few adolescents thriving with LD will spark larger scale research that continues to place the authentic lived experience of young people central in research findings. Keywords: Learning Disabilities, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, Self-Advocacy, Peer Support, Qualitative Research
Evaluation of commercial Upland (Gossypium hirsutum) and Pima (G. barbadense) cotton cultivars, advanced breeding lines and glandless cotton for resistance to Alternaria leaf spot (Alternaria alternata) under field conditions

Alternaria leaf spot (ALS, caused by Alternaria spp.) is one of the most common foliar diseases in cotton (Gossypium spp.) that occurs in most cotton-growing regions of the world including the United States. In New Mexico, ALS caused by A. alternata (Nees:Fr.) Keissler is becoming prevalent due to favorable weather conditions in the late cropping season; however, there is limited information on screening cotton for ALS resistance. In this study, a total of 125 Upland cotton (G. hirsutum L.) genotypes were separated into 5 trials each with 32 entries and 3–4 replications, together with one trial including 8 Pima cotton (G. barbadense L.) cultivars and lines with 4 replications in 2016. Three additional field trials each with 32 or 34 genotypes and 4 replications were conducted in 2017. Based on the high disease incidence (99.9% with a range of 90–100% in 2016 and 100% in 2017) and high disease severity index (DSI, 26.7–92.0 with a mean of 62.4 in 2016 and 42.0–89.0 with a mean of 66.7 in 2017) of foliar symptoms in the late growing season in both years, no cotton genotype was immune to ALS (A. alternata) under the natural infection field conditions. The analysis of variance showed that there were significant genotypic variations in six of the nine replicated trials, and the broad-sense heritability estimates for DSI ranged from 0.489 to 0.702 with an average of 0.566. No significant genotypic difference was detected among Pima cotton cultivars and lines in both years. An orthogonal contrast detected no overall significant difference between Upland and Pima cotton in both years, while 15 Upland glandless lines as a group, had a significantly lower DSI than the glanded group with 17 Upland lines in one replicated test. Glandless NuMex COT 15 GLS, NM 13P1117 and NM 12Y1002, and glanded commercial transgenic FM 2484 B2F, PHY 444 WRF and NG 4545 B2XF were consistently resistant to ALS in two or more tests. The results provide useful information for breeding cotton for ALS resistance.
The Origin and Spread of Leprosy: Historical, Skeletal, and Molecular Data

East Africa and India have recently been proposed as places of origin for leprosy, based primarily on the geographical mapping of sixteen single-nucleotide polymorphism subtypes (snps). When compar...