cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Droplet Impingement and Evaporation on a Solid Surface

An efficient spray injection leads to better vaporization and better air–fuel mixing, resulting in the stable combustion and reduced emissions in the internal combustion (IC) engines. The impingement of liquid fuels on chamber wall or piston surface in IC engines is a common phenomenon, and fuel film formed during the impingement plays a critical role in engine performance and emissions, particularly under cold start conditions. Therefore, the study on the characteristics of spray impingement on the chamber wall or piston surface is necessary. However, first, due to the complexity of the practical fuel injection systems, it is difficult to attain the detailed specific information of the spray impingement from the experiments such as droplet size, mass, number, and velocity distributions in the vicinity of wall region. Second, because of the Lagrangian particle/parcel concept (a particle representing a number of droplets in simulations), the spray–wall interaction model under Eulerian–Lagrangian approach is often developed based on the individual droplet. Therefore, the individual droplet’s impingement on wall and the droplet-to-droplet collision have been extensively studied to assist in a profound perception on the spray–wall impingement. In this chapter, the encouraging experimental observations of applying optical diagnostics technology to study droplet–wall impingement are extensively discussed. Single droplet impingement on a solid surface with various conditions was examined to understand the detailed impinging dynamic process. The droplet–wall interaction outcomes, in particular focusing on the splashing criteria, were inspected, and a new correlation of deposition–splashing is developed. Post-impingement characterizations including spreading factor, height ratio, contact line velocity, and dynamic contact angle were then analyzed based on the experimental data at various test conditions. Further, the non-evaporation volume of fluid (VOF) method based on Eulerian approach was used to characterize single droplet impinging on the wall and provide a better understanding of the dynamic impact process. The simulation results of the spreading factor and height ratio matched well with the experimental results during the droplet impingement process. In addition, due to the evaporation drawing more attention during the engine combustion process, an evaporation VOF (e-VOF) sub-model was developed and applied to multi-droplet impingement on a heated surface to qualitatively and quantitatively analyze the vaporizing process as droplets impacting onto the hot surface. The information obtained from VOF simulations can be applied to improve the spray–wall interaction models in the liquid spray Eulerian–Lagrangian method.
SATELLITE-BASED PM2.5 EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDIES

Background and Aims: Satellite- based PM2.5 air quality monitoring data has been used to complement ground PM2.5 monitoring networks, especially for regions with sparsely distributed PM2.5 monitors...
Genomic changes of AR in ctDNA prior to enzalutamide in men with mCRPC after abiraterone acetate.

320Background: Approximately 20-30% of men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) seem to respond to enzalutamide (ENZA) after prior exposure to abiraterone acetate and steroi...
Hematological parameters in largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) with formalin-preservation: comparison between wild tournament-caught and captive-raised fish.

Background Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) are an economically important freshwater fish species that have been investigated for both the short and long-term effects of stress, secondary to angling. Limited data has been published on the hematological parameters of this species and blood sample stability is a notable limitation of hematologic field studies. A relatively novel technique using 10% neutral buffered formalin preserves heparinized whole blood and maintains blood cell stability beyond one month in striped bass. The objective of this study was to evaluate the differences in hematological parameters between tournament-caught and captive-raised largemouth bass using whole blood preservation with neutral buffered formalin. Methods Two populations of largemouth bass (n = 26 wild; n = 29 captive) underwent coccygeal venipuncture to collect heparinized whole blood for packed cell volume, total solids, and manual differential. Formalin preservation of heparinized whole blood facilitated manual hemocytometer analysis. Results were compared between the populations (tournament-caught, and captive-raised) with Wilcoxon rank sum test, a Hotelling's T 2 test, and Bonferroni simultaneous 95% confidence intervals to determine significance. Results The mean packed cell volume (44.9 ± 5.4%) and total solids (7.2 ± 1.1 g/dL) were significantly higher, while the total leukocyte count (7.08 ± 1.86 × 103/µL) was significantly lower in the wild tournament-caught population of largemouth bass, as compared to the captive-raised counterparts (PCV 34.4 ± 7.2%; TS 5.2 ± 1.0 g/dL; WBC 16.43 ± 8.37 × 103/µL). The wild population demonstrated a significantly distinct leukogram characterized by a neutropenia (24.1 ± 12.7%), lymphocytosis (67.7 ± 13.0%), and monocytopenia (8.3 ± 2.9%), while the erythrocyte and thrombocyte counts were not significantly different between populations. Discussion Numerous factors have been demonstrated to influence hematologic parameters in fish including age, size, sex, temperature, environmental oxygen level, population density, and infection. The wild population endured stress during angling capture, live-well hypoxia, transport, and extended air exposures at weigh in, which may have caused a stress leukopenia as well as osmoregulatory dysfunction and subsequent hemoconcentration. Further evaluation of seasonal impact as well as increased sample size is warranted to enhance our understanding of largemouth bass hematology. Conclusion This study concluded that wild largemouth bass captured via tournament angling have higher packed cell volume and total solids, and lower total leukocyte counts, compared to captive-reared individuals. Through the completion of this study, we demonstrated the successful use of 10% neutral buffered formalin to preserve heparinized whole blood for precise hemocytometer cell counts in a new teleost species, the largemouth bass.
A Characterization of Stochastic Mirror Descent Algorithms and Their Convergence Properties

Stochastic mirror descent (SMD) algorithms have recently garnered a great deal of attention in optimization, signal processing, and machine learning. They are similar to stochastic gradient descent (SGD), in that they perform updates along the negative gradient of an instantaneous (or stochastically chosen) loss function. However, rather than update the parameter (or weight) vector directly, they update it in a "mirrored" domain whose transformation is given by the gradient of a strictly convex differentiable potential function. SMD was originally conceived to take advantage of the underlying geometry of the problem as a way to improve the convergence rate over SGD. In this paper, we study SMD, for linear models and convex loss functions, through the lens of H∞ estimation theory and come up with a minimax interpretation of the SMD algorithm which is the counterpart of the H∞-optimality of the SGD algorithm for linear models and quadratic loss. In doing so, we identify a fundamental conservation law that SMD satisfies and use it to study the convergence properties of the algorithm. For constant step size SMD, when the linear model is over-parameterized, we give a deterministic proof of convergence for SMD and show that from any initial point, it converges to the closest point in the space of all parameter vectors that interpolate the data, where closest is in the sense of the Bregman divergence of the potential function. This property is referred to as implicit regularization: with an appropriate choice of the potential function one can guarantee convergence to the minimizer of any desired convex regularizer. For vanishing step size SMD, and in the standard stochastic optimization setting, we give a direct and elementary proof of convergence for SMD to the "true" parameter vector which avoids ergodic averaging or appealing to stochastic differential equations.
Small-Molecule Inhibitors of Haemophilus influenzae IgA1 Protease.

Newly identified, nontypable Haemophilus influenzae (H. influenza) strains represent a serious threat to global health. Due to the increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance, virulence factors ...
Host inflammasome defense mechanisms and bacterial pathogen evasion strategies

Inflammasomes are a formidable armada of intracellular pattern recognition receptors. They recognize determinants of infection, such as foreign entities or danger signals within the host cell cytosol, rapidly executing innate immune defenses and initiating adaptive immune responses. Although inflammasomes are implicated in many diseases, they are especially critical in host protection against intracellular bacterial pathogens. Given this role, it is not surprising that many pathogens have evolved effective strategies to evade inflammasome activation. In this review, we will provide a brief summary of inflammasome activation during infection with the intent of highlighting recent advances in the field. Additionally, we will review known bacterial evasion strategies and countermeasures that impact pathogenesis.
Analysis of sub-picogram quantities of 238Pu by thermal ionization mass spectrometry

A multiple ion-counting total evaporation technique has been developed for precise analysis of sub-picogram (pg) quantities of 238Pu by thermal ionization mass spectrometry (TIMS). A resin bead loading procedure was tailored to minimize uranium (U) contamination during loading. This loading technique, coupled with a mass spectrometry protocol that minimizes U ionization and removal of bulk U with ion exchange chromatography, allows for single pg-sized aliquots of plutonium (Pu) to be measured without interference from 238U. This technique has the potential to provide complete isotopic characterization of trace amounts of Pu by TIMS, without the need for alpha spectrometry.
Accidental ketosis-induced polyuria in a toddler: a case report

In the pediatric population, parental concern of recent onset frequent or large volume urination in young children is common. A 2-year-old male with no significant past medical history and unremarkable family history was brought to his pediatrician by his mother who reports that the child had been “soaking through his diapers” for the previous two to 3 days. Mother states that patient has not had an appreciable change in the number of wet diapers per day, just the perceived weight/volume of each diaper. The patient’s mother denied any recent illness, apparent abdominal pain, dysuria, or recent changes in his bowel movements. She similarly denied polydipsia, polyphagia, or gross hematuria in the patient. Patient’s diet consists of eating a low carbohydrate with mostly high protein and fat diet that was similar to the paleo-type diet consumed by her and her husband. Meals over the recent days were even lower in carbohydrates than usual as the family was actively trying to consume healthier food options. On physical exam the child was found to be afebrile with a normal physical exam. A urine dipstick was performed and was positive for 2+ ketones and 1+ protein. Urine leukocytes and nitrites were negative, as was urinary glucose. A fingerstick blood glucose sample was 83 mg/dL. Based on the patient’s physical examination, laboratory findings, and the history which revealed a very-low carbohydrate diet, a preliminary diagnosis of ketosis-induced polyuria was made. The patient’s mother was advised to incorporate a greater portion of carbohydrates into her son’s diet, with a follow-up scheduled for the following week. At the follow-up appointment the mother reports that she had continued the patient’s carbohydrate intake and the excessive urine amount per wet diaper has not returned. Repeat urine dipstick confirmed the resolution of the ketonuria and proteinuria. This case illustrates the inadvertent consequences that can occur when parents impose new fad diets on their young children. The recent increase in the popularity of fad diets makes the consideration of alternative diets important to review in the patient history and subsequently include in the differential diagnosis of polyuria.
Increasing Robot Autonomy via Motion Planning and an Augmented Reality Interface

Recently, there has been a growing interest in robotic systems that are able to share workspaces and collaborate with humans. Such collaborative scenarios require efficient mechanisms to communicate human requests to a robot, as well as to transmit robot interpretations and intents to humans. Recent advances in augmented reality (AR) technologies have provided an alternative for such communication. Nonetheless, most of the existing work in human-robot interaction with AR devices is still limited to robot motion programming or teleoperation. In this paper, we present an alternative approach to command and collaborate with robots. Our approach uses an AR interface that allows a user to specify high-level requests to a robot, to preview, approve or modify the computed robot motions. The proposed approach exploits the robot's decision-making capabilities instead of requiring low-level motion specifications provided by the user. The latter is achieved by using a motion planner that can deal with high-level goals corresponding to regions in the robot configuration space. We present a proof of concept to validate our approach in different test scenarios, and we present a discussion of its applicability in collaborative environments.
‘Pressurized’ Mode III Crack in an Elastic Perfectly Plastic Solid

This paper presents the solution for the elastic plastic boundary of a fully ‘pressurized’ mode III crack in an elastic perfectly plastic solid. By fully ‘pressurized’ (in analogy to an internally pressurized mode I crack) is meant that the crack faces are subjected to an externally applied (shear) stress equal to the (shear) yield stress. The dislocations in stress space method is used to find the solution. At the crack plane a plastic zone for the fully pressurized crack extends out a distance 0.273 a from a crack tip, where a is the half width of the crack. (The comparable distance found from a Bilby–Cottrell–Swinden crack is 0.414 a.) The plastic zones originating at the two crack tips merge, in a point, at the center of the crack.
Instrumental Opportunities: Music for All:

Although resources exist to help instrumental music teachers assist learners in inclusive settings, students’ voices may be absent from those resources. As such, music teachers may struggle to hono...
Role of norms in variation in cancer centers' end-of-life quality: qualitative case study protocol.

A critical barrier to improving the quality of end-of-life (EOL) cancer care is our lack of understanding of the mechanisms underlying variation in EOL treatment intensity. This study aims to fill this gap by identifying 1) organizational and provider practice norms at major US cancer centers, and 2) how these norms influence provider decision making heuristics and patient expectations for EOL care, particularly for minority patients with advanced cancer. This is a multi-center, qualitative case study at six National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) and National Cancer Institute (NCI) Comprehensive Cancer Centers. We will theoretically sample centers based upon National Quality Forum (NQF) endorsed EOL quality metrics and demographics to ensure heterogeneity in EOL intensity and region. A multidisciplinary team of clinician and non-clinician researchers will conduct direct observations, semi-structured interviews, and artifact collection. Participants will include: 1) cancer center and clinical service line administrators; 2) providers from medical, surgical, and radiation oncology; palliative or supportive care; intensive care; hospital medicine; and emergency medicine who see patients with cancer and have high clinical practice volume or high local influence (provider interviews and observations); and 3) adult patients with metastatic solid tumors and whom the provider would not be surprised if they died in the next 12 months and their caregivers (patient and caregiver interviews). Leadership interviews will probe about EOL institutional norms and organization. We will observe inpatient and outpatient care for two weeks. Provider interviews will use vignettes to probe explicit and implicit motivations for treatment choices. Semi-structured interviews with patients near EOL, or their family members and caregivers will explore past, current, and future decisions related to their cancer care. We will import transcribed field notes and interviews into Dedoose software for qualitative data management and analysis, and we will develop and apply a deductive and inductive codebook to the data. This study aims to improve our understanding of organizational and provider practice norms pertinent to EOL care in U.S. cancer centers. This research will ultimately be used to inform a provider-oriented intervention to improve EOL care for racial and ethnic minority patients with advanced cancer. Clinicaltrials.gov ; NCT03780816 ; December 19, 2018.
Semi-Supervised Learning Approach for Optimizing Condition-based-Maintenance (CBM) Decisions

Recent heightened enthusiasm towards Industrial Artificial Intelligence (IAI) and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) coupled with developments in smart sensor technologies have resulted in simultaneous incorporation of several advanced Condition Monitoring (CM) technologies within manufacturing and industrial sectors. Efficient utilization of CM data leads to enhanced safety, reliability and availability of manufacturing systems. In this regard, the paper proposes an efficient and novel hybrid Maintenance Decision Support System (MDSS) for fault diagnostic and prognostic considering CM data along with event- triggered data. The proposed MDSS model is a hybrid Machine Learning (ML)-based solution coupled with statistical techniques. In order to find an optimal maintenance policy, we concentrate the attention on a time-dependent Proportional Hazards Model (PHM) augmented with a semi-supervised ML approach. The developed hybrid model is capable of inferring and fusing High-Dimensional and Multi-modal Streaming (HDMS) data sources in an adaptive and autonomous fashion to recommend optimal maintenance decisions without human intervention. To illustrate the complete structure of the proposed MDSS, experimental evaluations are designed based on a dataset provided by NASA containing run-to-failure and CM data associated with aircraft engines. The effectiveness of the proposed model is demonstrated through a comprehensive set of comparisons with different ML algorithms.
Quasiparticle self-consistent G W band structures and high-pressure phase transitions of Li Ga O 2 and Na Ga O 2

Quasiparticle self-consistent $GW$ calculations are presented for the band structures of $\mathrm{Li}\mathrm{Ga}{\mathrm{O}}_{2}$ and $\mathrm{Na}\mathrm{Ga}{\mathrm{O}}_{2}$ in the orthorhombic $Pna{2}_{1}$ tetrahedrally coordinated crystal structures, which are closely related to the wurtzite structure of ZnO. Symmetry labeling of the bands near the gap is carried out, and effective-mass tensors are extracted for the conduction-band minimum and crystal-field split valence-band maxima (VBM) at $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}$. The gap is found to be direct at $\mathrm{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}$ and is 5.81 eV in $\mathrm{Li}\mathrm{Ga}{\mathrm{O}}_{2}$ and 5.46 eV in $\mathrm{Na}\mathrm{Ga}{\mathrm{O}}_{2}$. Electron-phonon coupling zero-point normalization is estimated to lower these gaps by about $0.2\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.1$ eV. Optical response functions are calculated within the independent-particle long-wavelength limit, and they show the expected anisotropy of the absorption onsets due to the crystal-field splitting of the VBM. The results show that both materials are promising candidates as ultrawide-gap semiconductors with wurtzite-based tetrahedrally bonded crystal structures. Direct transitions from the lowest conduction band to higher bands, relevant to $n$-type doped material and transparent conduction applications, are found to start only above 3.9 eV and are allowed for only one polarization, and several higher band transitions are forbidden by symmetry. Alternative crystal structures, such as $R\overline{3}m$ and a rocksalt-type phase with a tetragonally distorted $P4/mmm$ spacegroup, both with octahedral coordination of the cations, are also investigated. They are found to have higher energy but about 20% smaller volume per formula unit. The transition pressures to these phases are determined, and for $\mathrm{Li}\mathrm{Ga}{\mathrm{O}}_{2}$ they are found to be in good agreement with experimental studies. The $R\overline{3}m$ phase also has a comparably high but slightly indirect band gap, while the rocksalt-type phase is found to have a considerably smaller gap of about 3.1 eV in $\mathrm{Li}\mathrm{Ga}{\mathrm{O}}_{2}$ and 1.0 eV in $\mathrm{Na}\mathrm{Ga}{\mathrm{O}}_{2}$.
Abstract PO-157: High urinary thromboxane B2 associates with aggressive prostate cancer and inversely correlates with aspirin use

Background: Systemic low-grade inflammation is a candidate risk factor for prostate cancer (PC) in African-American (AA) men potentially contributing to aggressive disease and mortality. Regular use of the anti-inflammatory drug aspirin is associated with decreased risk of advanced stage PC and increased disease-free survival in AA men. The chemopreventive benefits of aspirin have been attributed to inhibition of the cyclooxygenase (COX) pathway. Thromboxane A2 is an eicosanoid produced by the COX 1 enzyme in platelets. Aspirin inhibits cancer metastasis by inhibiting COX1 activity and thromboxane A2 synthesis. Hence, we assessed the role of thromboxane A2 in the development of lethal PC. Because thromboxane A2 is highly unstable, we measured its corresponding primary metabolite, urinary thromboxane b2 (TXB2), to examine the relationship of thromboxane A2 levels with PC. Method: TXB2 was measured in cases (977) and controls (1023) from the NCI-MD PC Case Control study using a mass-spectrometry-based assay. We estimated odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) using unconditional logistic regression, with TXB2 levels modeled by quartiles. Multivariable models were adjusted for PC risk factors. Results: We observed an inverse relationship between aspirin use and levels of TXB2 in both cases and controls. For cases who used aspirin, the odds of having TXB2 urinary levels in the highest quartile (Q4) were significantly reduced when compared to non-users (adjusted OR = 0.29 95%CI 0.19-0.4) and this observation remained significant when stratified by race/ethnicity (AA men: OR 0.21 95%CI 0.11-0.38) (EA men: OR 0.34 95%CI 0.19-0.61), indicating significant inhibition of TXB2 formation by aspirin. The adjusted OR for PC was 1.42 (95%CI 1.09-1.85) for men in Q4 compared to Q1 (P trend 0.002). There was an association between TXB2 and PC in AA men (Q4 adjusted OR 1.95 95%CI 1.31-2.91, P trend Citation Format: Maeve Kiely, Ginger Milne, Tsion Z. Minas, Tiffany H. Dorsey, Wei Tang, Cheryl J. Smith, Michael B. Cook, Clayton Yates, Stefan Ambs. High urinary thromboxane B2 associates with aggressive prostate cancer and inversely correlates with aspirin use [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Conference: Thirteenth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2020 Oct 2-4. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2020;29(12 Suppl):Abstract nr PO-157.
Using acetone for rapid PCR-amplifiable DNA extraction from recalcitrant woody plant taxa.

Premise Quick and effective DNA extraction from plants for subsequent PCR amplification is sometimes challenging when working across diverse plant taxa that may contain a variety of inhibitory compounds. Time-consuming methods may be needed to overcome these inhibitory effects as well as the effects of various preservation and collection methods to extract DNA from leaf samples. Our objective was to develop a rapid DNA extraction protocol that could be used with diverse plant taxa to produce high-quality DNA suitable for downstream PCR applications. Methods and results We tested the efficacy of acetone in extracting DNA from fresh, frozen, oven-dried, acetone-fixed, and herbarium leaf material of 22 species from 16 woody and herbaceous plant families. An improved simplified DNA extraction protocol was developed using acetone-fixed leaf material. The addition of 1% sodium dodecyl sulfate solution resulted in the optimal extraction from all tissue samples. The DNA resulting from the extraction protocol was readily amplified using real-time PCR assays. Conclusions The protocol described here resulted in the extraction of DNA from recalcitrant plant species that was of sufficient quality and quantity for PCR amplification, as indicated by the low threshold cycle values from real-time assays. This method is simple, fast, and cost-effective, and is a reliable tool for extracting high-quality DNA from plant material containing PCR inhibitors.
Considering a new platform for academic campus interviews: Entering the virtual world

As a May 2020 Social Work PhD Graduate, I spent the spring semester interviewing for academic tenure track positions. When COVID-19 reached the United States, the interview process quickly changed ...
Effect of Commercial Surfactants on Hase Separation of Liquid Mixtures

In the work presented here, we have investigated whether the presence surfactants has any influence on the linear growth of the single-phase domains. We expected that coalescence could eventually be retarded by increasing the concentration of surfactants in the mixtures. Therefore we determined the thresholds of the surfactant concentration beyond which the separation process starts to slow down significantly. Our results indicate that surfactant presence does not affect the early stage of separation, only when droplets reach their critical size, it slows down the complete separation.
Abstract 17028: Single Cell Analysis of T Cells Found in Atherosclerotic Plaque

Background: Despite advances in medical therapy, heart attack and stroke remain leading causes of morbidity and mortality. Biological, epidemiological, and clinical studies have shown that many pat...
The Everyday Life Experiences of Transgender Students at the University of Florida

This research centers on the everyday life experiences of transgender students, specifically transgender students of color at the University of Florida. By life experiences I mean the social, and academics for transgender students. Understanding these experiences can help educators, policy makers, and relative stakeholders at UF address the day-to-day needs of trans students in the classroom, throughout the campus, and as Gainesville residents. Indeed, the implications of my research address campus climate issues and University of Florida’s own vision, practice for diversity, equity, and inclusion. Often, when we think about diversity and inclusion we see race and demographics. However, educators are only beginning to incorporate and think about gender identity and expression as a diversity issue -- which means that the needs of queer students generally speaking and transgender students specifically are historically overlooked and neglected. This project uses a mixed methods approach, and specifically qualitative and quantitative approaches. By replicating the national survey Injustice at Every Turn, national queries on the lives and experiences of transgender Americans will be taking into account in formulating a 35 question survey. I will use one-on-one interviews so that transgender students at UF may speak authentically about their lives. These narratives help reveal the day-to-day, or what I call “life experiences,” of transgender students at UF and may speak to experiences and nuances that surveys may not always capture.
Transcriptomic coordination at hepatic steatosis indicates robust immune cell engagement prior to inflammation

Deregulation in lipid metabolism leads to the onset of hepatic steatosis while at subsequent stages of disease development, the induction of inflammation, marks the transition of steatosis to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. While differential gene expression unveils individual genes that are deregulated at different stages of disease development, how the whole transcriptome is deregulated in steatosis remains unclear. Using outbred deer mice fed with high fat as a model, we assessed the correlation of each transcript with every other transcript in the transcriptome. The onset of steatosis in the liver was also evaluated histologically. Our results indicate that transcriptional reprogramming directing immune cell engagement proceeds robustly, even in the absence of histologically detectable steatosis, following administration of high fat diet. In the liver transcriptomes of animals with steatosis, a preference for the engagement of regulators of T cell activation and myeloid leukocyte differentiation was also recorded as opposed to the steatosis-free livers at which non-specific lymphocytic activation was seen. As compared to controls, in the animals with steatosis, transcriptome was subjected to more widespread reorganization while in the animals without steatosis, reorganization was less extensive. Comparison of the steatosis and non-steatosis livers showed high retention of coordination suggesting that diet supersedes pathology in shaping the transcriptome’s profile. This highly versatile strategy suggests that the molecular changes inducing inflammation proceed robustly even before any evidence of steatohepatitis is recorded, either histologically or by differential expression analysis.
Relationships Between Perceived Neighborhood Disorder and Depressive Symptomatology: The Stress Buffering Effects of Social Support Among Older Adults

Existing research indicates neighborhood is an important determinant of depressive symptoms. However, this research has several limitations. These include a lack of investigation of older adults' experiences and of social support as a possible moderator. The current study aims to fill these gaps by increasing knowledge about the relationships between perceived neighborhood disorder and depressive symptoms among older adults. Applying stress process theory, this study investigated the relationships between two subjective indicators of neighborhood stressors - physical and social perceived neighborhood disorder and depressive symptoms. This study also tested whether social support moderated the effects of the neighborhood stressors on depressive symptoms. This study was based on secondary data analysis from the Health and Retirement Study 2016 (N = 3,684; age 50+). This study applied a negative binomial regression in that the outcome was a count variable. The results showed the stress buffering effects of social support were not significant for both perceived neighborhood social disorder and physical disorder. Not as a moderator but as the main effect, lower social support was significantly related to higher depressive symptoms. Having a depression history, lower self-rated health, female, and lower education were also related to higher depressive symptoms. This study contributes to social work practice by addressing older adults' depressive symptomatology. Findings identified vulnerable older adults to target for interventions based on individual characteristics. Focusing on social support should be a vital component of interventions. Social workers can help older adults maintain and strengthen their social support, with beneficial effects on their depressive symptomatology.
Cancer as a tool for preclinical psychoneuroimmunology

Cancer represents a novel homeostatic challenge to the host system. How the brain senses and responds to changes in peripheral physiology elicited by tumor growth is a largely untapped area of research. This is especially relevant given the widespread prevalence of systemic problems that people with various types of cancer experience. These include disruptions in sleep/wake cycles, cognitive function, depression, and changes in appetite/food intake, among others. Critically, many of these problems are evident prior to diagnosis, indicating that their etiology is potentially distinct from the effects of cancer treatment or the stress of a cancer diagnosis. Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) is well equipped to tackle these types of problems, as it uses approaches from multiple disciplines to understand how specific stimuli (endogenous and environmental) are transduced into neural, endocrine, and immune signals that ultimately regulate health and behavior. In this article, I first provide a brief historical perspective of cancer and PNI, introduce the idea of cancer as a systemic homeostatic challenge, and provide examples from preclinical literature supporting this hypothesis. Given the rise of advanced tools in neuroscience (e.g., calcium imaging), we can now monitor and manipulate genetically defined neural circuits over the extended time scales necessary to disentangle distal communication between peripheral tumors and the brain
Breakthroughs in Microwaves: Programmable Terahertz Chip-Scale Surfaces and Systems—An Interview With Dr. Kaushik Sengupta

This article is the next in the periodic Breakthroughs in Microwaves series. This series is intended to highlight recent accomplishments, especially to those new to the field, by researchers in microwave engineering that hold promise. Up until about 15 years ago, there was a distinct dearth of applications in the region between approximately 100 GHz and the infrared region except in radio astronomy. In the last 10 to 15 years, however, there has been significant research in this frequency range. Of particular interest are fully integrated solutions that utilize standard integrated circuit processes, made possible by the sub-millimeter wavelengths inherent to this frequency range. Increased parasitics and coupling make design using standard microwave techniques problematic when scaled to the THz range, but new thinking has emerged that looks at the full problem in an electromagnetic sense with full co-design of all elements needed. This article first provides the reader information on previous THz technology applications and then presents an overview of traditional antenna beamforming structures. This introduction is then followed by a discussion of new programmable chip-scale electromagnetic surfaces as one of the solutions for THz applications. This article ends with a lively discussion with one of the leaders in this technology, Dr. Kaushik Sengupta, who discusses further insight into this pioneering technique.
How good was Shepherd’s response to Hume’s epistemological challenge?

Recent work on Mary Shepherd has largely focused on her metaphysics, especially as a response to Berkeley and Hume. However, relatively little attention has thus far been paid to the epistemologica...
Constant Time Boolean Matrix Multiplication on a Linear Array with a Reconfigurable Pipelined Bus System

We show that the product of two N × N boolean matrices can be calculated in constant time on an LARPBS with O(N3 / log N) processors. All data communications and computations are performed on the bit level. To the best of the author‘s knowledge, this is the first parallel boolean matrix multiplication algorithm that has constant execution time, and is executed on a distributed memory system with (N3) processors. By using our boolean matrix multiplication algorithm, it is shown that the transitive closure of a directed graph can be obtained in O(log N) time ( measured by bit level operations) on an LARPBS with O (N3 / log N) processors. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first parallel algorithm for tansitive closure of directed graphs with time complexity O(log N) (comparable to that of CRCW PRAM) and cost O (N3) on a realistic parallel computing model, which has no shared memory, and interprocessor communications are dealt with explicitly and efficiently.
Error resilience and concealment in video coding

In this paper we review error resilience and concealment techniques which have been developed both within and outside the various videoconferencing standards. We consider the H.324 videoconferencing standard with its accompanying lower-level H.263 and H.223 video and multiplexing standards, MPEG-2, and MPEG-4. We then describe an error resilience algorithm commonly used with variable length codewords, and finally review error concealment techniques that have appeared in the literature.
A Note on Public Sector Integration: The Decline of British Naval Aviation, 1914–1945

Economists have traditionally confined their study of mergers to the economy's private sector. Over the years a body of knowledge has contributed to our understanding of corporate buyouts and acquisitions. But what about the public sector? Can an industrial organization framework tell us anything about the performance of a public enterprise once amalgamated? This note suggests that industrial organization can offer some insight into government mergers. Our case study focuses on Great Britain's treatment of its naval aviation unit, the Royal Naval Air Service. The time, 1914 to 1945, covers naval aviation's evolution from the First through the Second World War. Specifically, Britain's aviation consolidation played a pivotal role in arresting the Royal Navy's once heralded lead in naval aviation.
Ultrastructural features of the life cycle ofAcetabularia mediterranea

Features of the cytology and ultrastructure of the life cycle ofAcetabularia mediterranea from events leading to the division of the primary nucleus to cysts formation are described. In agreement with the work ofBoloukhere (1969, 1970, 1972) the loss of the ramiform primary nucleolus, and striking changes in the rhizoid chloroplasts are observed. The development of the secondary nuclei, and their associated basophilic aggregates, the presence of cytoplasmic microtubules, and the process of cytoplasmic cleavage are described and discussed. Golgi bodies appear to be involved in cell wall synthesis.
Methionine-Cystine Interrelations in Chicks Fed Diets Containing Suboptimal Levels of Methionine

Studies were conducted with chicks on the interrelationship between cystine and methionine in either crystalline amino acid or wheat-peanut meal diets containing suboptimal levels of these two amino acids. The crystalline amino acid basal diet contained 0.2% DL-menthionine and 0.2% L-cystine whereas the wheat-peanut meal diet contained 0.2% methionine and 0.26% cystine. Marked improvements in weight gain and feed efficiency were observed when these diets were supplemented with 0.2 to 0.6% DL-methionine. When similar levels of L-cystine were added to the basal diets containing 0.2% methionine, chick growth was depressed. When the diets contained 0.4% methionine, the growth depressing effect of cystine was not observed. These results point to the existence of an antagonism of cystine on methionine utilization when the dietary level of methionine is suboptimal.
Four-Dimensional Microscopic Analysis of the Filopodial Behavior of Primary Mesenchyme Cells during Gastrulation in the Sea Urchin Embryo

During gastrulation of the sea urchin embryo, primary mesenchyme cells (PMCs) migrate from the vegetal pole to a site below the equator of the embryo where they form a ring-like structure and begin producing the larval skeleton. As these cells migrate, they extend and retract filopodia which appear to interact with the basal lamina and underlying ectoderm. To better characterize this behavior in vivo, we studied PMC migration using differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy in combination with four-dimensional imaging (x, y, z space and time). We were able to determine the persistence and direction of extension of each filopodium and were also able to observe the dynamic behavior of each using colorized movie loops. This analysis showed that: (1) Most filopodia are quite transient, usually persisting for less than 0.5-6.0 min, during which time they continuously survey their surroundings; (2) PMCs extend an average of 121 filopodia/hr during migration; (3) the initial direction of extension of filopodia from the cell body is random, with just as many filopodia projecting toward as away from the direction of migration; (4) as a consequence of (2) and (3) above, each PMC explores the area surrounding its cell body approximately once every 5 min; (5) PMCs nearer to the target site migrate faster than those located farther away. To further investigate filopodial distribution, confocal microscopy was used to collect z series of PMCs transplanted to different locations in the embryo and fixed during migration. We found that more filopodia tended to be distributed toward the target site as cells approached the ring, suggesting that filopodial distribution may reflect regional differences in directional cues.
A Perspective on Challenges to Recreational Fisheries Management: Summary of the Symposium on Active Management of Recreational Fisheries

We convened a symposium at the Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference in December 2000 on the challenges of developing and implementing active management programs for recreational fisheries. We were ...
Application of the Stallwood Jet and dc Arc to the Analysis of Air Contamination in Inert Gases

This exploratory paper demonstrates the quantitative response of H2, N2, and O2 in 50% argon–50% helium to a 20-A dc arc and 1% thoriated-tungsten electrodes. This work also illustrates the feasibility of exciting the spectra of these gases, as well as chlorine, at atmospheric pressure and at other relatively simple conditions with a minimum of special facilities.
The application of the formyl CH--O hydrogen bond postulate to the understanding of enantioselective reactions involving chiral boron lewis acids and aldehydes

Abstract A number of noteworthy enantioselective reactions involving a variety of chiral boron Lewis acids and aldehydes can be rationalized in terms of the occurrence of formyl CH--O hydrogen bonds in the transition states and the additional three-dimensional organization which they provide.
Serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-10 concentrations in normal and septic neonatal foals

Previously it was reported that compared to surviving septic foals, non-surviving foals had a 35-fold increase in interleukin-10 (IL-10) and 15-fold increase in IL-6 gene expression in their peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). As gene expression profiles can be time-consuming, we sought to determine if serum IL-6 and IL-10 in foals would aid in the diagnosis and prognosis of septicemia. A prospective study of septic neonatal foals admitted to the Cornell University Equine Hospital during 2007 and 2008 was performed. Septicemia was confirmed in 15 foals using blood culture results and sepsis scores. Blood samples for measurement of serum IL-6 and IL-10 concentrations were collected at the time of admission (T0) and again 24 (T24) and 48 (T48) hours later. Blood samples from age-matched control foals (n=15) born at the Cornell Equine Park were obtained from foals 12-72h after birth (T0) and again 24 (T24) and 48 (T48) hours later. IL-6 and IL-10 concentrations were determined in the serum from dams of septic foals and serum and colostrum from dams of control foals. Serum IL-6 was also measured in healthy foals prior to ingestion of colostrum. Interleukin-6 was detected using an ELISA and IL-10 was detected using a bead-based fluorescent immunoassay. Group differences were detected using a Wilcoxon rank sum test with a Bonferroni correction applied to the p value. There were no significant differences in serum IL-10 concentration between the two groups of foals. Relative to control foals, septic foals had significantly lower serum IL-6 concentrations at all 3 time points. Relative to septic foals, control foals had significantly higher serum IL-6:IL-10 ratios. Serum IL-6 was undetectable in foals prior to ingestion of colostrum. However, colostral IL-6 concentration measured in the control mares was high (> or =215ng/mL) in all samples suggesting passive transfer of maternal IL-6 to the equine neonate. Colostral IL-10 was undetectable in 11/12 samples. Failure of passive transfer may directly influence the serum IL-6 concentration in septic foals. Neither serum IL-6 nor IL-10 alone, were useful diagnostic indices of sepsis in equine neonates. Although the number of animals involved in this study was too small for the identification of a concrete value, the serum IL-6:IL-10 ratio is likely to provide a valuable prognosticator for neonatal septicemia.
Advanced composition explorer provides new insights into particle sources

The January 15th issue of Geophysical Research Letters (GRL) includes a special section on results from Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE). ACE was launched in August 1997, and is now in orbit around the L1 Lagrangian point. ACE is instrumented to measure the elemental, isotopic, and ionic charge state composition of the heavy nuclei in the solar wind, solar energetic particles, and galactic cosmic rays. As reported in the special section of GRL, a large solar particle event occurred on November 6, 1997. The energetic particle composition, as measured by ACE, was surprising with significant effects due to mass-dependent fractionation. The isotopic abundance ratios of 13C/12C, 22Ne/20Ne, and 26Mg/24Mg were about twice as large as typical solar system values, implying charge-to-mass dependent acceleration. Data from ACE and the Solar, Anomalous and Magnetospheric Particle Explorer (SAMPEX) show the ionic charge states of Mg, Si, and Fe increased with increasing energy for this event. This indicates that the higher energy nuclei may have come from a source millions of degrees hotter than typical coronal temperatures (∼ 1 million degrees). Several papers in the special section conclude that more than one acceleration process may have been present during the November 6 event.
Characteristics of an assay for Rous sarcoma virus and Rous sarcoma cells in tissue culture.

Abstract An accurate tissue culture assay for Rous sarcoma virus (RSV) and Rous sarcoma cells is described. The Rous sarcoma virus changes a chick fibroblast into a morphologically new and stable cell type with the same chromosomal complement as ordinary chick embryo cells. One virus particle is enough to change one cell, but at any one time 90% of the cells in a culture are not affected by RSV. The cellular resistance is the same in a clonal population. The physiological state of the cell is of some importance in deciding whether or not it is competent to be infected by RSV but so far attempts to infect all the cells in a chick embryo culture by altering the physiological condition have failed.
Using Operator Role Theory to Guide Function Allocation in System Development

Operator role theory provides a conceptual framework for guiding function allocation during the system design process, and for analyzing the allocation of functions in an existing or proposed design. The present paper describes the basic tenets of operator role theory and presents a method for using those tenets in the processes of system analysis and design. Operator role theory holds that there are four generic operator roles that are possible in a given function. These four roles (Direct Performer, Manual Controller, Supervisory Controller, and Executive Controller) describe different relationships between humans and automation. The concepts and methods have been used and proven useful in system analysis and design for two helicopter cockpit systems, a computer control system interface, and a traffic management center.