cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Thermal evidence of water exchange through a coastal aquifer: Implications for nutrient fluxes

[1] We report the discovery of a semi-confined, high permeability zone (HPZ) 2 meters below the sea bed where exchanges between coastal aquifers and the ocean occur. A temperature probe placed in the HPZ recorded a 1°C semidiurnal cycle. The cycle was in phase with the tide, indicating tidal pumping was driving water exchange through the HPZ. We use these temperature variations to quantify water exchange between the HPZ and the ocean. Water in the HPZ is enriched in nutrients and radium; both total dissolved nitrogen and phosphorus correlate strongly with dissolved 226Ra. We use these correlations and previously quantified subterranean fluxes of 226Ra to demonstrate that this system may be a significant source of nutrients to the coastal ocean.
The Populus ARBORKNOX1 homeodomain transcription factor regulates woody growth through binding to evolutionarily conserved target genes of diverse function

The class I KNOX homeodomain transcription factor ARBORKNOX1 (ARK1) is a key regulator of vascular cambium maintenance and cell differentiation in Populus. Currently, basic information is lacking concerning the distribution, functional characteristics, and evolution of ARK1 binding in the Populus genome. Here, we used chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq) technology to identify ARK1 binding loci genome-wide in Populus. Computational analyses evaluated the distribution of ARK1 binding loci, the function of genes associated with bound loci, the effect of ARK1 binding on transcript levels, and evolutionary conservation of ARK1 binding loci. ARK1 binds to thousands of loci which are highly enriched proximal to the transcriptional start sites of genes of diverse functions. ARK1 target genes are significantly enriched in paralogs derived from the whole-genome salicoid duplication event. Both ARK1 and a maize (Zea mays) homolog, KNOTTED1, preferentially target evolutionarily conserved genes. However, only a small portion of ARK1 target genes are significantly differentially expressed in an ARK1 over-expression mutant. This study describes the functional characteristics and evolution of DNA binding by a transcription factor in an undomesticated tree, revealing complexities similar to those shown for transcription factors in model animal species.
Ergonomic Hand tool Interventions for the Furniture Manufacturing Industry

This project focused on the development of ergonomic interventions to reduce the incidence of musculoskeletal problems in the furniture manufacturing industry. The results of an industry-based survey provided a list of the high priority jobs to be addressed with ergonomic interventions. This paper focuses on the development and evaluation of two of these interventions: an upholstery hand tool and an ergonomic interface for a random orbital sander. Laboratory testing was performed to examine the ergonomic issues with use of each intervention. A reduction in risk factors was found with use of the interventions. The upholstery hand tool reduced grip force from 36 to 18 N, improved hand posture by changing from a pinch grip to a power grip, and reduced the repetition rate from 40 to 24 repetitions per minute. EMG analysis of intrinsic and extrinsic muscles showed a reduction in overall muscle activity and a shift from the intrinsic muscles to the extrinsic finger flexor muscles. The ergonomic interface for th...
Cokriging of Geoelectric and Well Data to Define Aquifer Protective Layers

Cokriging and ordinary kriging of geoelectric and well data are used to determine the thickness, lateral extent, and spatial variability of a naturally occurring clay layer near Ashland, Nebraska. The clay layer that protects the underlying ground water from contaminant sources is defined by mapping the estimated clay thickness; variance maps provide an assessment of the uncertainty of the thickness estimates. Two types of information are combined in the cokriging procedure: clay thickness data estimated from drillers'logs of 128 irrigation and municipal supply wells, and thicknesses estimated from interpretation of 44 vertical electrical soundings (VES); for the ordinary kriging, well data are used alone. Both types of maps demonstrate the existence of a continuous near-surface clay layer extending over much of the Ashland wellfield; however, the cokriged map shows much more detail in the central part of the study area, where the well data are undersampled. The relatively dense VES network in the central area provides an important information bridge between the northern and southern areas making the cokriged map more continuous and accurate than the map prepared using the well data alone and ordinary kriging.
Limitations of the lead oxide vidicon for dual-energy digital subtraction angiography

Dual-energy digital subtraction angiography (DSA) can be performed, with some modifications, using existing systems designed for conventional DSA work. However, the video camera generally found in such installations, the lead oxide vidicon, places significant limitations on the image quality of dual-energy DSA. If the video camera is operated in a 60 Hz, 266 line progressive scanning mode to maintain a nominal 30 subtraction images/s frame rate, the maximum available X-ray pulse width is limited to 5 ms. The resulting required increase in low-energy kVp reduces the dual-energy signal-to-noise ratio by approximately 40% for cardiac dual-energy DSA imaging. In addition, the performance of the video camera with respect to read-out lag is much more important for dual-energy DSA than conventional single-energy imaging. Measurements show that lag reduces the iodine contrast in dual-energy DSA by up to 20% when a 30 Hz vertical scan mode is used, and by up to 27% when a 60 Hz vertical scan mode is employed. Replacement of the lead oxide vidicon with a CCD camera removes these limitations. >
Effects of posture on cardiovascular responses to lower body positive pressure at rest and during dynamic exercise

We tested the hypothesis that cardiovascular responses to lower body positive pressure (LBPP) would be dependent on the posture of the subject and also on the background condition (rest or exercise...
Association between stress and blood pressure variation in a Caribbean population

Based on the work of Selye (The Stress of Life, New York: McGraw-Hill, 1976) it is hypothesized that stress can produce physiological abnormalities, i.e., elevated blood pressure, and that social variables can be used as indicators or risk factors for disease. It is theorized that deviations from acceptable social patterns or traditional life-styles can produce stressful conditions that are associated with disease and that these situations can be demonstrated by examination of certain social characteristics. This association is examined among the Black Caribs of St. Vincent, West Indies. The social variables included in this analysis are marital status (single, married, widowed, or separated), frequency of church attendance (frequently, sometimes, seldom, or never), years of education, and number of children (for women only). The findings show that single individuals have higher pressures than married subjects and that males who never attend church have higher pressures than men who frequently attend church; a relationship was not demonstrated for females. Among males, as the years of education increased, blood pressure also increased, but for females, increased education was associated with lower pressures. Family size was not associated with systolic or diastolic pressure. The analysis of these selected social variables suggests that these variables influence male systolic and diastolic pressures, but only female diastolic pressure.
Hormonal regulation of spermatid binding.

A Sertoli-spermatid coculture model is described in which a large percentage (greater than 76%) of round spermatids remain viable for 48 h and bind to Sertoli cells. The effects of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and testosterone on spermatid binding (expressed as the spermatid density; SD = the number of spermatids per unit area of Sertoli cell cytoplasm), ultrastructure of the Sertoli-spermatid junctional complex, and distribution in the Sertoli cell of junction-related F-actin and vinculin are described. Following 48 h of incubation, neither FSH alone nor testosterone alone affected spermatid binding to Sertoli cells beyond that observed in control cocultures. However, the combination of FSH and testosterone (FSH + testosterone) resulted in a significant increase in the density of spermatids bound to Sertoli cells. Junction-related structure of the Sertoli cell cytoskeleton between the Sertoli cell and the pre-step 8 spermatid was different than that observed between the Sertoli cell and the post-step 8 spermatid. The junction-related cytoskeletal modification of the Sertoli cell (JCMS) in the latter was similar in appearance to the well-described ‘Sertoli ectoplasmic specialization’ observed adjacent to post-step 8 spermatids in vivo. FSH + testosterone and FSH alone, but not testosterone alone, resulted in the peripheral distribution of actin and vinculin, which otherwise remained in stress fiber-like structures throughout the Sertoli cell. Results show that maximal spermatid binding to Sertoli cells in vitro requires FSH + testosterone and is associated with the peripheral distribution of actin and vinculin.
Prevalence of cigarette smoking by occupation and industry in the United States.

Background This study was undertaken to estimate the most recent prevalence of cigarette smoking by occupation and industry in the US, using the data from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III), 1988–1994. Methods Included in NHANES III are data on the cigarette smoking status, occupation, industry, and other demographic information of US non-institutionalized civilians obtained through household interview surveys. The study population included 20,032 adults aged 17 years and older. To estimate the prevalence of cigarette smoking across occupation and industry groups, we used the Survey Data Analysis (SUDAAN) software. Results The prevalence of cigarette smoking was highest among material moving occupations, construction laborers, and vehicle mechanics and repairers. The lowest smoking prevalence was found among teachers. Among industry groups, the construction industry had the highest prevalence of cigarette smoking. Conclusions These findings provide information useful for targeting education activities focusing on adverse health effects of cigarette smoking and also for indirect adjustments in analysis of morbidity and mortality by occupation. Am. J. Ind. Med. 40:233–239, 2001. Published 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Active and passive liver microvascular responses from angiotensin, endothelin, norepinephrine, and vasopressin

Vasoconstrictor agents may induce a decrease in hepatic vascular volume passively, by decreasing distending pressure, or actively, by stimulating contractile elements of capacitance vessels. Hepatic venular resistance was estimated in anesthetized rabbits from hepatic venular pressure (P(mu hv); by servo-null micropipette), inferior vena cava pressure, and total hepatic blood flow (F(hv); by ultrasound flow probe). Changes in liver volume were estimated from measures of liver lobe thickness. Angiotensin (ANG) II, endothelin (ET)-1, norepinephrine (NE), and vasopressin (VP) were infused into the portal vein at a constant rate for 5 min. We conclude that ANG II and NE induced active constriction of hepatic capacitance vessels, because the liver lobe thickness decreased significantly even though P(mu hv) and portal venous distending pressure (P(pv)) increased. All four agents increased splanchnic and hepatic venous resistances in similar proportions. With VP, P(mu hv) and P(pv) decreased, but with ET-1, P(mu hv) and P(pv) increased. However, lobe thickness was not significantly changed by either drug during the infusion compared with the 2-min control period. Thus VP and ET-1 have only minor effects on hepatic capacitance vessels. ET-1, at 0.04 microg. min(-1). kg body wt(-1), caused an increase in systemic arterial blood pressure, but erythrocyte movement through the sinusoids in some animals stopped.
Solving Tomorrow’s Problems Today? Daily Anticipatory Coping and Reactivity to Daily Stressors

Results. Multile vel models indicated that anticipatory coping changes from day to day and within stressor domains. Lagged associations suggested that yesterday’s anticipatory coping for potential upcoming arguments is related to today’s physical health and affect. Increased stagnant deliberation is associated with reduced cognitive reactivity (i.e., fewer memory failures) to arguments the next day. Discussion. T aken together, these findings suggest that anticipatory coping is dynamic and associated with important
Time sliced optical burst switching

Time Sliced Optical Burst Switching is a proposed variant of optical burst switching, in which switching is done in the time domain, rather than the wavelength domain. This eliminates the need for wavelength converters, the largest single cost component of systems that switch in the wavelength domain. We examine some of the key design issues for routers that implement time sliced optical packet switching. In particular, we focus on the design of the Optical Time Slot Interchangers (OTSIs) needed to effect the required time domain switching. We introduce a novel nonblocking OTSI design and also show how blocking OTSIs can be used to implement the required switching operations. We study the performance of systems using blocking OTSIs and demonstrate that near ideal statistical multiplexing performance can be achieved using even quite inexpensive, blocking OTSI designs. These results suggest that optical technology may one day be able to provide a cost-effective alternative to electronics in packet switching systems.
Phase correction of a resonant clocking system using resonant interpolators

Large static phase errors result from injection-locked LC clock buffers due to slight frequency mismatch between the input frequency and the tankpsilas resonant frequency. The paper demonstrates a technique that embeds a resonant interpolator into the clock buffer to correct the phase error without additional buffer elements. The test chip is fabricated in a 0.13 mum digital CMOS technology. Measured DNL of the resonant interpolator is <0.6 LSB even with quadrature inputs and phase error <1 ps is achieved.
Do workplace gender transitions make gender trouble

This article examines what happens when an employee makes the transition from one recognized gender category to another and remains in the same job. Drawing on in-depth interviews with transmen and transwomen in Texas and California, we illustrate how a new social gender identity is interactionally achieved in these open workplace transitions. While transgender people often are represented as purposefully adopting hyper-feminine or masculine gender identities post-transition, we find that our respondents strive to craft alternative femininities and masculinities. However, regardless of their personal gender ideologies, their men and women co-workers often enlist their transitioning colleague into gender rituals designed to repatriate them into a rigid gender binary. This enlistment limits the political possibilities of making gender trouble in the workplace, as transgender people have little leeway for resistance if they wish to maintain job security and friendly workplace relationships.
Health content in local television news: a current appraisal.

While local television news remains an important channel for the dissemination of health information, there has been little systematic examination of health content on those newscasts. This study, designed to update and expand upon earlier efforts, examined 1,382.5 hours of newscasts that aired on seven channels in four markets between December 2004 and June 2005. The four markets were a major-, a large-, a medium-, and a small-size market in the Midwestern United States. In total, 40,112 news stories were coded. About 8.1% of the news stories were devoted to health content. Health stories covered a large array of topics. Physical illnesses/diseases and healthy living issues received the most frequent coverage, while mental health and aging-related content were covered least frequently. Most health stories were neutral in tone and rather brief, with an average duration of less than 1 minute. One in eight (12.4%) health stories provided follow-up options. This is primarily due to an increase in the number ...
Predictors and Effect of Physical Symptom Status on Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients With Heart Failure

BACKGROUND Physical symptoms are common and distressing problems for patients with heart failure and may be the strongest predictor of health-related quality of life. Identification of variables predictive of physical symptom status is needed to develop effective interventions to improve health-related quality of life. METHODS A total of 84 patients discharged after being hospitalized for exacerbation of heart failure were followed up for 3 months. The Minnesota Living With Heart Failure Questionnaire and the Dyspnea-Fatigue Index were used to assess health-related quality of life and physical symptom status, respectively. Relationships of health-related quality of life and physical symptom status to baseline demographic, behavioral, biophysiological, and psychological variables were examined with bivariate correlations and stepwise multiple regression analyses. RESULTS Patients with better physical symptom status and those who worked, were older, and were less anxious at baseline reported better health-related quality of life (F=12.4, P<.001); physical symptom status was the strongest predictor. Patients who had less depression, worked, had higher perceived control, and were younger at baseline reported better physical symptom status (F=14.4, P<.001); depression was the strongest predictor. CONCLUSIONS Physical symptom status is the most important predictor of health-related quality of life, and baseline depression and perceived control are the best predictors of physical symptom status. Interventions targeted to improve psychological status may improve physical symptom status and thereby improve health-related quality of life.
Experience with minilaparotomy in the Philippines.

From May 1974 to June 1975 interval minilaparotomies were performed on 651 women in the Philippines (mean age 32.9; mean parity 5.5). The surgical technique is described in detail; the Pomeroy technique was used for tubal ligation under local anesthesia (in 2/3 of the cases) with a 1-night hospital stay. In 2.8% of the cases salpingectomy or fimbriectomy was performed on 1 side due to surgical difficulties and complications. Surgical difficulties were encountered in 19.8% of the procedures mostly adhesions (4.3%) and bowel interference (4%). Complications occurred during surgery in 1.7% of the cases primarily tearing or bleeding of the tube. Early postoperative complications were reported in 9.1% of the cases mostly wound complications; early complaints were reported in 18.6% mostly incision and pelvic pain or gastrointestinal complaints. None required rehospitalization. At followup (612 women at 6 months 299 at 12 months) 1 woman had become pregnant (because a ligament rather than the tube had been tied) 1 woman underwent pelvic surgery (appendectomy and oophorocystectomy) and menstrual disorders were minimal. Tubal ligation by minilaparotomy is safe effective and practical for use in rural and less developed areas.
Comparison of Media for the Isolation of Clostridium difficile From Fecal Specimens

Dowell reported in 1980 that two selective media, cycloserine mannitol agar (CMA) and cycloserine mannitol blood agar (CMBA), developed at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), gave better results than cycloserine fructose egg-yolk agar or cycloserine cefoxitin fructose egg-yolk agar in the isolation of Clostridium difficile from feces and in the quantitative recovery of the organism from pure cultures. In 1983, Bartley and Dowell modified the basal medium for CMA and CMBA by deleting L-leucine and Lserine; since then, the modified media has been used for isolating C difficile from feces. In this study, we compared the modified CMA and CMBA media with cycloserine cefoxitin fructose agar (CCFA) in the quantitative recovery of C difficile isolates and modified CCFA from two vendors in the isolation of C difficile from feces. In addition, all fecal specimens were cultured on CDC anaerobe blood agar (BA) after treatment for 1 hour with 95% ethyl alcohol (BA-ETOH). Of 350 fecal specimens examined using all media, 105 yielded C difficile . Of the 105 specimens, 80 were positive with CMBA (76%), 68 with CMA (65%), 44 with CCFA (vendor A) (42%), 38 with CCFA (vendor B) (36%), and 95 with BA-ETOH (90%). The selective media ranked as follows in quantitative recovery of 24 C difficile strains from pure cultures: CMBA>CMA>CCFA. We conclude that the modified CMBA and CMA media are superior to modified CCFA medium for recovery of C difficile and that culture on BA following alcohol treatment is a superior and costeffective method for detecting C difficile from clinical fecal specimens.
The distribution of urate in human and primate kidney.

SummaryTransverse sections of human kidney were obtained at autopsy, frozen, and subsequently analyzed for uric acid. In 15 of 18 kidneys, 14 of which were free of renal pathology, tissue urate concentrations increased progressively from the renal cortex to papillary tip. Similarly in 5 antidiuretic rhesus monkeys infused with a sodium urate solution, increasing corticomedullary urate gradients were found in frozen kidney slices. In hydrated monkeys similar infusions were not associated with the occurrence of a urate gradient. The data indicate that urate may undergo stratification in human and antidiuretic primate kidney with higher concentrations occurring in the renal medulla. Although the lack of microscopic evidence does not exclude urate microcrystallization in medullary interstitial tissue, the possibilities that urate may undergo either countercurrent multiplication as a consequence of reabsorption beyond proximal tubules or countercurrent exchange by the vasa recta after passive reabsorption in t...
Age and the sense of control.

Two large random-sample surveys of adults age 18 and over show high, stable mean levels of perceived control in the age range 18 through 50, followed by successive steps down in progressively older age groups. Physical impairment and low education account for much of the low sense of control-reported by older respondents. Education accounts for more of the age-group differences than does impairment. More than half of the age-group mean differences remain after adjustment. The results do not change substantially with added adjustment for other socioeconomic factors (race, sex, income, earnings, marital status, employment status) or other measures of physical aging (perceived health, malaise, aches and pains, exercise, and body weight). The relative importance of education suggests that intergenerational improvements in lifetime living and working conditions mnight account for much of the remaining association between old age and low sense of control
Na-K-Cl cotransport in nystatin-treated tracheal cells: regulation by isoproterenol, apical UTP, and [Cl]i

Chloride secretion in mammalian airway epithelia is stimulated by beta-adrenergic agonists via an adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP)-dependent mechanism and by apical triphosphate nucleoti...
Abstract PL03-05: Drugging RAS into oblivion

The two major oncogenic drivers of human cancer, RAS and MYC, have thus far proven recalcitrant toward therapeutic targeting by any small-molecule agent. WarpDrive Bio has pioneered a potentially transformational solution toward drugging such recalcitrant oncogenic drivers using multiple independently acting agents. The company9s proprietary new targeting technology, the Small Molecule-Assisted Receptor Targeting modality (SMART modalityTM), has enabled WarpDrive Bio to make significant progress toward the development of multiple agents that independently target RAS in the GTP and GDP states, respectively, and that are either selective for particular mutations or engage the effector surface and are expected to function as pan-RAS antagonists. Our strategy of targeting RAS using multiple agents, each of which engages the protein in a unique way, is ultimately intended to increase the durability of patient responses to anti-RAS therapy by decreasing the probability of mutational escape. Progress toward our ultimate goal of drugging RAS-driven cancers into oblivion via RAS-directed polypharmacy will be reviewed in this talk. Citation Format: Gregory L. Verdine. Drugging RAS into oblivion. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2015 Nov 5-9; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2015;14(12 Suppl 2):Abstract nr PL03-05.
Microvascular dysfunction induced by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs: role of leukocytes

The objectives of this study were to determine whether 1) the leukocyte-endothelial cell adhesion observed in venules exposed to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is accompanied by enhanced albumin extravasation, and 2) leukocytes mediate this endothelial cell barrier dysfunction. Intravital video microscopy was used to monitor leukocyte-endothelial cell adhesion and the leakage of fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled albumin in rat mesenteric venules exposed to either indomethacin or aspirin. Both NSAIDs induced the recruitment of adherent and emigrated leukocytes with temporally related increases in albumin leakage. Agents that effectively decreased or prevented the NSAID-induced leukocyte adherence/emigration (leukotriene B4 receptor antagonist or adhesion molecule-specific monoclonal antibodies) also blocked the corresponding albumin leakage response. These findings indicate that adherent and/or emigrating leukocytes mediate the early endothelial cell barrier dysfunction elicited by NSAIDs.
Amygdala: Structure and Circuitry in Rodents and Felines

This article describes the structure, connections, and cell types of the amygdala in rodents and felines. In addition, the intrinsic membrane properties of amygdala neurons are described, along with the inhibitory pressures regulating their activity. Functionally, this article discusses the pathways that support the involvement of the amygdala in the acquisition and extinction of classically conditioned fear responses and the facilitation of memory by the amygdala in emotionally arousing conditions. First, the main components of the amygdala are reviewed, including their cell types and connectivity. Then considered are the intra-amygdaloid pathways supporting the involvement of the amygdala in the formation of emotional memories.
Expectations About Couple Therapy Over Time

One common factor of therapy, expectations, has been demonstrated to be a significant contributor to outcome in individual therapy. Despite this, little is known about expectations about couple therapy. This paper presents the qualitative results of a study exploring clients’ expectations before beginning couple therapy and after six sessions. Results indicate that clients form pre-therapy expectations about their therapist, the process of therapy, and their partner. Results also showed that after six sessions, clients’ expectations about therapy were often met or modified in ways that were positive. Implications for therapists and researchers are included.
Event Reconstruction Techniques in NOvA

The NOvA experiment is a long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment utilizing the NuMI beam generated at Fermilab. The experiment will measure the oscillations within a muon neutrino beam in a 300 ton Near Detector located underground at Fermilab and a functionally-identical 14 kiloton Far Detector placed 810 km away. The detectors are liquid scintillator tracking calorimeters with a fine-grained cellular structure that provides a wealth of information for separating the different particle track and shower topologies. Each detector has its own challenges with the Near Detector seeing multiple overlapping neutrino interactions in each event and the Far Detector having a large background of cosmic rays due to being located on the surface. A series of pattern recognition techniques have been developed to go from event records, to spatially and temporally separating individual interactions, to vertexing and tracking, and particle identification. This combination of methods to achieve the full event reconstruction will be discussed.
CORONARY ARTERY CALCIUM IN THE ELDERLY: PREVALENCE, SEVERITY, AND ASSOCIATION WITH ALL-CAUSE MORTALITY

Background: Coronary artery calcium (CAC) score is a marker of coronary atherosclerosis with increasing prevalence as a function of age; however, the prevalence and prognostic implications of CAC scanning in elderly patients are not well defined. Methods: We studied 1028 consecutive asymptomatic
Production Planning and Scheduling for an Integrated Container Company

Abstract This paper describes a hierarchy of models and information systems being developed by integrated producers of corrugated containers to aid in the process of planning and scheduling their operations. The initial focus is on eight easily identifiable decision areas and the tools available to deal with them. The eight decision areas are paper machine loading, master scheduling, trimming, boxcar loading, stock size selection, inventory replenishment, corrugator combining and finishing and shipping scheduling. The remainder of the paper identifies the major interactions among these decision areas and the systems required to deal with them.
Influence Surface for Continuous Plates

Influence surfaces are valuable aids for the computation of moments in plates caused by concentrated loads. The influence surfaces presented in this paper have been drawn from influence coefficients computed by a numerical procedure coded for a digital computer. Four moment locations are considered in the interior panel of a continuous structure composed of nine square panels arranged three by three and supported along the edges by flexible beams which in turn are supported at their intersections by rigid columns. When the supporting beams have zero flexural and torsional stiffness, the nine-panel structure is representative of a plate supported by rigid columns at the corners of each panel. When the beams are considered to have stiffness, the structure analyzed is representative of a plate continuous on all four edges and supported on deflecting beams and rigid columns at the corners. The accuracy of the computations was checked by comparing the computer results with those obtained by a more exact method of solution. The comparison shows that the finite difference method rounds off discontinuities which occur in the more exact solution. However, a comparison of values from the two methods at some distance from a discontinuity show there is no difference between them.
A Synthesized Urban Science in the Context of Big Data and Cyberinfrastructure

In today’s gradually connected world of virtual, perceived, and real spaces, data-driven urban computing and analytics have become increasingly essential for the understanding of coupled human and socioeconomic dynamics. The complexities of such systems and their connectivity at various spatial, temporal, and semantic scales have posed daunting challenges to urban researchers. Due to the rapid progress of information and communications technology, the emergence of big data available from various sources has presented significant opportunities for urban studies. Rigorous analysis of such data depicting complex socioeconomic events is likely to open up a rich context for advancing urban sciences and policy interventions. Interdisciplinary approaches combining with rich spatial data are urgently needed to ignite transformative geospatial innovation and discovery for enabling effective and timely solutions to challenging problems. This book chapter highlights the challenges and opportunities of a synthesized urban science based on ever-increasing amounts of large-scale diverse data and computing power.
Metabolism in vivo of all-trans-[11-3H]retinoic acid after an oral dose in rats. Characterization of retinoyl β-glucuronide in the blood and other tissues

Soon after [11-3H]retinoic acid (RA) (1.1 x 10(8) d.p.m.) was administered orally to rats either as a large dose (115 micrograms = 0.38 mumol/rat) or mixed with unlabelled RA as a huge dose (22 mg = 73.33 mumol/rat), retinoyl beta-glucuronide (RAG) was identified and characterized as a significant metabolite in the serum and small intestine. Of the administered dose, 70% remained unchanged as retinoic acid in the stomach up to 1 h. Significant amounts of 5,6-epoxyretinoic acid, 4-hydroxyretinoic acid, esters of retinoic acid and several polar retinoids, including 4-oxoretinoic acid, were also detected in the stomach. No significant difference was observed in the nature of the retinoids found after a large or a huge dose; however, the ratio of RAG/RA was higher after a huge dose than after a large dose. Thus RAG, which is biologically active in vivo and in vitro, is formed quickly in significant amounts in tissues after a dose of RA.
A secure tracking mobile app development

The explosive growth of the Android platform has been a significant win for consumers with respect to competition and features. To provide users with the security applications to manage the data in their personal smart phones is very important. In this paper we describe an Android app development that the user can use to keep in touch with the lost phone if the user has misplaced the mobile or forgot the mobile somewhere and wanted to know the call history, SMS, GPS locations etc. The security solution provided by this app requires the user to install the application with security codes for call logs, SMS and GPS tracking. User has to send an SMS with these secret codes to the mobile in order to retrieve the call logs, messages, GPS locations to the mobile from which the SMS was sent. User can also manage personal information such as delete the call logs or messages. If the SIM card has been changed, the user will receive a notification with that information to the alternate number. With this app, users can also manage the personal information remotely and securely. The process and coding created in this research can be used as the platform for other secured Android mobile app development.
An optimal set of features for predicting type IV secretion system effector proteins for a subset of species based on a multi-level feature selection approach.

Type IV secretion systems (T4SS) are multi-protein complexes in a number of bacterial pathogens that can translocate proteins and DNA to the host. Most T4SSs function in conjugation and translocate DNA; however, approximately 13% function to secrete proteins, delivering effector proteins into the cytosol of eukaryotic host cells. Upon entry, these effectors manipulate the host cell’s machinery for their own benefit, which can result in serious illness or death of the host. For this reason recognition of T4SS effectors has become an important subject. Much previous work has focused on verifying effectors experimentally, a costly endeavor in terms of money, time, and effort. Having good predictions for effectors will help to focus experimental validations and decrease testing costs. In recent years, several scoring and machine learning-based methods have been suggested for the purpose of predicting T4SS effector proteins. These methods have used different sets of features for prediction, and their predictions have been inconsistent. In this paper, an optimal set of features is presented for predicting T4SS effector proteins using a statistical approach. A thorough literature search was performed to find features that have been proposed. Feature values were calculated for datasets of known effectors and non-effectors for T4SS-containing pathogens for four genera with a sufficient number of known effectors, Legionella pneumophila, Coxiella burnetii, Brucella spp, and Bartonella spp. The features were ranked, and less important features were filtered out. Correlations between remaining features were removed, and dimensional reduction was accomplished using principal component analysis and factor analysis. Finally, the optimal features for each pathogen were chosen by building logistic regression models and evaluating each model. The results based on evaluation of our logistic regression models confirm the effectiveness of our four optimal sets of features, and based on these an optimal set of features is proposed for all T4SS effector proteins.
Adolescent predictors of social and coping drinking motives in early adulthood.

Abstract Although motivations to use alcohol have been shown to predict alcohol use and alcohol-related problems, little is known about how drinking motives develop. This study identified antecedents in adolescence of social and coping motives for drinking in early adulthood. Data came from a longitudinal study of youths in the eastern U.S. (N = 451) followed from secondary school into early adulthood (52.4% female; Mage = 23.01; SD = 1.03). In a structural equation analysis, frequency of drunkenness and peer alcohol use positively predicted young adult social motives, whereas only frequency of drunkenness predicted coping motives. These findings indicate that alcohol use behaviors and social relationships in adolescence may contribute to the development of adult drinking motives.
Improved parallel data partitioning by nested dissection with applications to information retrieval.

The computational work in many information retrieval and analysis algorithms is based on sparse linear algebra. Sparse matrix-vector multiplication is a common kernel in many of these computations. Thus, an important related combinatorial problem in parallel computing is how to distribute the matrix and the vectors among processors so as to minimize the communication cost. We focus on minimizing the total communication volume while keeping the computation balanced across processes. In [1], the first two authors presented a new 2D partitioning method, the nested dissection partitioning algorithm. In this paper, we improve on that algorithm and show that it is a good option for data partitioning in information retrieval. We also show partitioning time can be substantially reduced by using the SCOTCH software, and quality improves in some cases, too.
Adrenal Androgen Synthesis Inhibitor Therapies in Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer

It is well recognized that the vast majority of prostate cancers rely on testosterone for growth. Even after medical or surgical castration, a significant number of men will unfortunately experience disease progression manifested as an increasing prostate-specific antigen (PSA) or objective tumor growth. Left untreated, castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) is uniformly fatal. It causes close to 30,000 deaths annually in the United States, with most men living only 2–4 years from the time castration resistance develops. In recent years, research has shown that despite castration resistance these tumors still retain sensitivity to low levels of circulating testosterone and other androgens. By inhibiting androgen synthesis, targeted adrenal androgen synthesis inhibitors slow the growth of castration-resistant tumors. The major agents in use today include corticosteroids, ketoconazole, aminoglutethimide, estrogens and progestins, as well as the novel CYP17 inhibitors abiraterone acetate, TAK-700 and TOK-001. The following article reviews the clinical data supporting the use of each of these adrenal androgen synthesis inhibitors in advanced prostate cancer, including the dosing, schedules, and common side effects.
Assessing Eating Pathology in African Americans

Early researchers concluded that clinical eating disorders were virtually nonexistent among “minorities” which led theorists to positively stereotype African Americans (particularly African-heritage women) as “protected” from eating disturbances and dysfunctions. However, in the past decade there has been increasing evidence to suggest that intragroup variation exists in the prevalence, symptom presentation, and correlates of eating dysfunctions for this population. The present chapter discusses and presents a sample of published interviews and self-report instruments designed to assess eating pathology. The psychometric relevance of these forms of assessment for eating disturbances in African-heritage Americans was discussed.
A retrospective view of obesity.

To gain a perspective on «obesity in the nineties» requires an understanding of where the field came from during the 1980s. Three main themes seem to characterize much of the research during the 1980s. First there was completion of development of multi-disciplinary treatment programmes utilizing the best behavioural modification, nutrition education, exercise and on occasion pharmacological adjuncts. Most characteristic of all was the widespread use of very low calorie diets which first appeared at the beginning of the decade and peaked at its end. The second major development of the 1980s was the recognition of the importance of fat distribution in addition to total fat as a risk factor for the consequences of obesity
Estimating the distance distribution of subpopulations and testing observation outlyingness for a large-scale complex survey

Many finite populations targeted by sample surveys comprise a relatively small number of homogeneous subpopulations. In on-going survey operations, it is often of interest to be able to assess whether a new observation belongs to one of those subpopulations or should be flagged as not belonging to any of them. Because the homogeneity of the subpopulations depends on potentially large numbers of survey variables interacting in complex ways, we define a distance measure in the space induced by the survey variables, and consider the distribution of these distances within the subpopulation as a summary of the distributional characteristics of the subpopulation. We also define a measure of the outlyingness of each individual point as the fraction of points with a less extreme distance in the subpopulation. In this thesis, we propose a sample-based estimator for the subpopulation distance distribution functions and measure of outlyingness. We allow for a general distance measure, and consider both multivariate means and medians as centers. We describe the design-based asymptotic properties of the estimator under weak assumptions on the finite population. We investigate several approaches for design-based variance estimation, including a combination of kernel regression and replication variance estimation. The practical properties of the procedures are evaluated in a longitudinal complex survey called the National Resources Inventory. The theoretical derivations for sample distance distribution can be generalized to a broad class of survey estimators, involving nondifferentiable functions defined at the population level. We extend the theoretical results to two classes nondifferentiable survey estimators, statistics as nondifferentiable functions of estimated parameters and estimators implicitly defined through estimating equations. In both cases, a direct Taylor linearization is not applicable, but we can assume the limiting function is differentiable and do asymptotic expansion on the limits. We offer a design-based perspective of both cases in this thesis and justify the design assumptions under probabilistic mechanism. We also propose a variance estimator using kernel smoothing and show its consistency.
Application of Si Plasmon Imaging in Semiconductor Failure Analysis

In this paper, we demonstrate the various applications of the ETEM Si plasmon imaging technique in semiconductor failure analysis. The mechanism of the plasmon imaging will be discussed briefly, then followed by four case studies. The capability of Si plasmon imaging to distinguish the silicon oxide (e.g. gate oxide) and the silicon materials (e.g. poly gate and substrate) is its key advantage over the conventional imaging techniques. Si plasmon imaging not only can identify the defective residues but also can be performed at high magnification to investigate the gate oxide and its interfaces with poly or substrate.
Polypropylene crystallization at an alumina interface using single walled carbon nanotubes

Interfaces play an important and often limiting role in the mechanical, thermal, and electrical performance of composite materials. Here we suggest a novel method to improve the interfacial interaction in polypropylene-alumina composites using single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) to nucleate lamellar crystals at the interface. Macroscopic alumina substrates are used to determine the ideal crystallization parameters and investigate the kinetics of crystal growth. SWNTs are uniformly adsorbed to the interface via Van der Waals interactions and lamellar crystals are grown on the surface using isothermal solution processing techniques. Avrami analysis of crystal surface coverage was used to confirm one-dimensional transcrystalline growth commonly seen with SWNT nucleated crystals. Scanning electron microscopy was used to confirm shish-kebab structures present at the SWNT-polypropylene interface. The determined crystallization parameters were used on colloidal solutions of alumina platelets to successfully create uniformly coated particles with an improved interface. This method shows promise for improving the interphase of semicrystalline polymer-ceramic composites to achieve excellent material properties.
MORC3 Is a Target of the Influenza A Viral Protein NS1

Summary Microrchidia 3 (MORC3), a human ATPase linked to several autoimmune disorders, has been characterized both as a negative and positive regulator of influenza A virus. Here, we report that the CW domain of MORC3 (MORC3-CW) is targeted by the C-terminal tail of the influenza H3N2 protein NS1. The crystal structure of the MORC3-CW:NS1 complex shows that NS1 occupies the same binding site in CW that is normally occupied by histone H3, a physiological ligand of MORC3-CW. Comparable binding affinities of MORC3-CW to H3 and NS1 peptides and to the adjacent catalytic ATPase domain suggest that the viral protein can compete with the host histone for the association with CW, releasing MORC3 autoinhibition and activating the catalytic function of MORC3. Our structural, biochemical, and cellular analyses suggest that MORC3 might affect the infectivity of influenza virus and therefore has a role in cell immune response.
Characterization of the response of Perovskite solar cells to gamma rays and neutrons

Perovskite solar cells are a promising technology for printing photovoltaics in a stand-alone space environment. Therefore, their response to space radiation is of interest. We document here the initial studies that were performed and the direction for future studies. Samples of Perovskite solar cells immersed in a nitrogen atmosphere were subjected to different doses of gamma radiation and were exposed to an isotopic neutron source. We find that irradiated samples reduced their forward and backward efficiencies by more than 33% compared to the same cells prior to irradiation. Further studies with encapsulated solar cells are warranted.
Tensions between Formal and Informal Water Providers: Receptivity toward Mechanised Boreholes in the Sunyani West District, Ghana

Sustainable Development Goal 6 seeks universal access to safe water. This is ambitious, especially for developing countries, and meeting it will require reliance on informal water suppliers alongsi...