cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Upward nitrate transport by phytoplankton in oceanic waters: balancing nutrient budgets in oligotrophic seas.

In oceanic subtropical gyres, primary producers are numerically dominated by small (1–5 µm diameter) pro- and eukaryotic cells that primarily utilize recycled nutrients produced by rapid grazing turnover in a highly effi cient microbial loop. Continuous losses of nitrogen (N) to depth by sinking, either as single cells, aggregates or fecal pellets, are balanced by both nitrate inputs at the base of the euphotic zone and N2-fixation. This input of new N to balance export losses (the biological pump) is a fundamental aspect of N cycling and central to understanding carbon fluxes in the ocean. In the Pacific Ocean, detailed N budgets at the time-series station HOT require upward transport of nitrate from the nutricline (80–100 m) into the surface layer (∼0–40 m) to balance productivity and export needs. However, concentration gradients are negligible and cannot support the fluxes. Physical processes can inject nitrate into the base of the euphotic zone, but the mechanisms for transporting this nitrate into the surface layer across many 10s of m in highly stratified systems are unknown. In these seas, vertical migration by the very largest (10 2 –10 3 µm diameter) phytoplankton is common as a survival strategy to obtain N from sub-euphotic zone depths. This vertical migration is driven by buoyancy changes rather than by flagellated movement and can provide upward N transport as nitrate (mM concentrations) in the cells. However, the contribution of vertical migration to nitrate transport has been diffi cult to quantify over the required basin scales. In this study, we use towed optical systems and isotopic tracers to show that migrating diatom (Rhizosolenia) mats are widespread in the N. Pacific Ocean from 140 ◦ W to 175 ◦ E and together with other migrating phytoplankton (Ethmodiscus, Halosphaera, Pyrocystis, and solitary Rhizosolenia) can mediate time-averaged transport of N (235 µmol N m −2 d −1 ) equivalent to eddy nitrate injections (242 µmol NO − m −2 d −1 ). This upward biotic transport can close N budgets in the upper 250 m of the central Pacific Ocean and together with diazotrophy creates a surface zone where biological nutrient inputs rather than physical processes dominate the new N flux. In addition to these numerically rare large migrators, there is evidence in the literature of ascending behavior
TIE-DYE: a combinatorial marking system to visualize and genetically manipulate clones during development in Drosophila melanogaster

Two types of information are particularly valuable in understanding the development of a tissue or an organ from a small population of founder cells. First, it is useful to know the composition of the final structure in terms the contribution of individual founder cells. Second, it is important to understand cell-cell interactions. To facilitate the study of both of these aspects of organ development at a tissue-wide level, we have developed a method, TIE-DYE, that allows simultaneous lineage tracing of multiple cell populations as well as the genetic manipulation of a subset of these populations. Seven uniquely marked categories of cells are produced by site-directed recombination of three independent cassettes. We have used the TIE-DYE method to estimate the number of founder cells that give rise to the wing-imaginal disc during normal development and following compensatory growth caused by X-ray irradiation of the founder cells. We also show that four out of the seven types of marked clones can be genetically manipulated by gene overexpression or RNAi knockdown, allowing an assessment of the consequences of these manipulations on the entire wing disc. We demonstrate the utility of this system in studying the consequences of alterations in growth, patterning and cell-cell affinity.
The Merging Categories: Appropriate Education or Administrative Convenience?

The trend to include mildly mentally retarded, emotionally disturbed (behavior disordered), and learning disabled children in the same generic category and in the same school programs is increasing. The position taken here is that this trend represents an avoidance of the difficulties of diagnosis and programming. The author believes that the noncategorical trend in special education can endanger the appropriate education of many children, and that convenience must not replace education of children with diverse conditions and needs.
Computed tomography-based tissue-engineered scaffolds in craniomaxillofacial surgery.

Introduction Tissue engineering provides an alternative modality allowing for decreased morbidity of donor site grafting and decreased rejection of less compatible alloplastic tissues. Methods Using image-based design and computer software, a precisely sized and shaped scaffold for osseous tissue regeneration can be created via selective laser sintering. Polycaprolactone has been used to create a condylar ramus unit (CRU) scaffold for application in temporomandibular joint reconstruction in a Yucatan minipig animal model. Following sacrifice, micro-computed tomography and histology was used to demonstrate the efficacy of this particular scaffold design. Results A proof-of-concept surgery has demonstrated cartilaginous tissue regeneration along the articulating surface with exuberant osseous tissue formation. Bone volumes and tissue mineral density at both the 1 and 3 month time points demonstrated significant new bone growth interior and exterior to the scaffold. Conclusion Computationally designed scaffolds can support masticatory function in a large animal model as well as both osseous and cartilage regeneration. Our group is continuing to evaluate multiple implant designs in both young and mature Yucatan minipig animals. Copyright  2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Efficient physical topologies for regular WDM networks

In this paper, we study the design of efficient physical topology of WDM network by building an analytical framework to find optimal connectivity of the regular networks as network sizes and traffic volume scale.
The Performance and Construction of Subjectivities of Early Adolescent Girls in Book Club Discussion Groups

This study examines the performance and construction of subjectivities of four early adolescent, sixth-grade girls as they read and discussed a novel about two adolescent Mexican children seeking a new life in America. Using data gathered through ethnographic methods such as participantobservation, interviews, dialogue journals, and book club discussions, the author describes the participants as they performed their subjectivities in various contexts, focusing specifically on their performances while reading and discussing the novel in book club groups. The girls’ conversations about themselves suggested that they engaged in ongoing constructions of their subjectivities as they interacted with the text and with each other. Analysis of data was inductive and was informed by theories of experiential response as developed by Louise Rosenblatt and others. The discussion groups provided a fertile environment in which the girls could reflect on the text, share responses, argue opposing viewpoints, and negotiate shared meanings. During the dis
Effectiveness of Percutaneous Coronary Interventions to Prevent Recurrent Coronary Events in Patients on Chronic Hemodialysis

There have been few studies looking at clinical outcomes in patients on chronic hemodialysis after balloon angioplasty. In the study by Reusser and colleagues, there was an increase in periprocedural complication rates in the hemodialysis group when compared with the control group. 1 Ahmed et al 2 and Kahn et al 3 noted high rates of restenosis, periprocedural complications, and recurrent angina in patients on hemodialysis. Given that only limited published longterm mortality data for hemodialysis patients after balloon angioplasty are available, we performed a cohort study of clinical outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention in patients on chronic hemodialysis. With use of the hospital billing database and cur
Economic History in the United States: Formative Years of a Discipline

The American people have usually been regarded as forward-looking and progressive, willing frequently to move their activities from one place to another to attain their hopes and inclined to be impatient with the heritage of the past. But there seems to have been, almost from the beginning, a minority of people in this country who found pleasure in looking back over the road that they and their forebears had traveled and in encouraging a scholarly chronicling of such progress. Perhaps the fact that so many early immigrants came from western Europe, with its much longer high-ways of economic and cultural advance, had something to do with this. But there was also the circumstance that the early settlers in America, as well as many later migrants to our West, were a Bible-reading people. The Bible is, after all, a record of movements among peoples through the centuries, and the duty placed on members of Protestant churches to become thoroughly familiar with their source of divine guidance could well have implanted a bias toward, or a fondness for, historical ideas and writings. And the citizens of a new country, it may be suggested, could hardly fail to be conscious of change through time as a true fact of life.
Polarization control of vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers through use of an anisotropic gain distribution in [110]-oriented strained quantum-well structures

An analysis of the in-plane optical matrix elements connected with the gain distribution of (In,Ga)As-GaAs quantum-well structures on [110] GaAs substrates is presented. The in-plane gain distribution is found to be anisotropic-with a maximum directed along the [110]-[110] crystallographic axis. Optically-pumped vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers on the [110] surface with these quantum wells in the cavity exhibit stable, well-defined polarization states; this stability is believed to be a consequence of the predicted anisotropic gain distribution on the [110] surface. Of the two orthogonal eigen polarizations observed, the one with the higher optical intensity, for a given pump power, was found to be stabilized along the [110] crystallographic axis; this is in agreement with the analysis. >
Entrepreneurial Behavior: Its Nature, Scope, Recent Research, and Agenda for Future Research

The end of all the cognition and motivation of entrepreneurs is to take some action in the world, and by doing so, give rise to a venture, an organization. Thoughts, intentions, motivations, learning, intelligence without action does not create economic value. The very nature of organizing is anchored in actions of individuals as they buy, sell, gather and deploy resources, work, etc. The values created by exploiting of opportunity undoubtedly include some that are intrapsychic and personal, but those we study, those of value to the readers of this book, are inherently interpersonal and social and thus observable and learnable. This chapter provides a brief overview of entrepreneurial behavior using a limited but hopefully representative lens on recent research. We call for more research on what entrepreneurs do and that this research be both more rigorous than what we currently have and also more creatively sourced.
String theory to the rescue

The search for a theory of quantum gravity faces two great challenges: the incredibly small scales of the Planck length and time, and the possibility that the observed constants of nature are in part the result of random processes. A priori, one might have expected these to be insuperable obstacles. However, clues from observed physics, and the discovery of string theory, raise the hope that the unication of quantum mechanics and general relativity is within reach. Prepared for the meeting \Why Trust a Theory? Reconsidering Scientic Method
Incremental Social Learning in Swarm Intelligence Algorithms for Continuous Optimization

Swarm intelligence is the collective problem-solving behavior of groups of animals and artificial agents. Often, swarm intelligence is the result of self-organization, which emerges from the agents’ local interactions with one another and with their environment. Such local interactions can be positive, negative, or neutral. Positive interactions help a swarm of agents solve a problem. Negative interactions are those that block or hinder the agents’ task-performing behavior. Neutral interactions do not affect the swarm’s performance. Reducing the effects of negative interactions is one of the main tasks of a designer of effective swarm intelligence systems. Traditionally, this has been done through the complexification of the behavior and/or the characteristics of the agents that comprise the system, which limits scalability and increases the difficulty of the design task. In collaboration with colleagues, I have proposed a framework, called incremental social learning (ISL), as a means to reduce the effects of negative interactions without complexifying the agents’ behavior or characteristics. In this paper, I describe the ISL framework and three instantiations of it, which demonstrate the framework’s effectiveness. The swarm intelligence systems used as case studies are the particle swarm optimization algorithm, ant colony optimization algorithm for continuous domains, and the artificial bee colony optimization algorithm.
Gender-specific neuromuscular adaptations to unloading in isolated rat soleus muscles.

INTRODUCTION The potential of gender to affect unloading-induced neuromuscular adaptations was investigated. METHODS Twenty male and 20 female rats were assigned to control (CTL), or unloaded (UL) conditions. After 2 weeks of unloading, soleus muscles were removed, and neuromuscular function was assessed during a train of alternating indirect (neural) and direct (muscle) stimuli. RESULTS In rested muscle, strength showed significant (P ≤ 0.05) main effects for gender (male > female) and treatment (CTL > UL). By the end of the testing protocol, when muscles showed fatigue, gender-related and treatment-related differences in strength had disappeared. Neuromuscular transmission efficiency and strength suffered a greater decline during the testing protocol in males than females. Unloaded male muscles displayed greater contractile velocity than female muscles both when rested and fatigued. CONCLUSIONS Gender affected unloading-induced neuromuscular adaptations. The greater strength of rested male muscles was due to greater muscle mass and neuromuscular transmission efficiency. Muscle Nerve 54: 300-307, 2016.
One Struggle: Legitimating Anti-Apartheid Discourse

The author evaluates Francis Nesbitt's (2004) book, Race for Sanctions, an analysis of African-American led anti-apartheid activism in the United States from 1946 to 1994.
Against the grain : the challenges of black discourse within intercollegiate policy debate.

This research uses the speech community model of analysis to illustrate how language is used to determine inclusion into and exclusion from Debate. This has been done by examining the use of four Black discourse types in Intercollegiate Policy Debate: signifying, call and response, tonal semantics, and narrative sequencing to show the ways in which current debate practices (un)intentionally exclude Blacks. Upon examination, one can see that there is educational value to the methods used by majority of the Black student population within Debate. In addition to being a tool of empowerment for this student population, these students can also provide the overall Debate community with alternative perspectives and values. These can be useful to all students‘ development as active citizens within an increasingly diverse American society. This analysis could provide important insight into the next phase of the debate about Debate.
Aligned TiO2 Nanotube Arrays As Durable Lithium-Ion Battery Negative Electrodes

Vertically aligned amorphous titania (TiO2) nanotubes are produced by anodizing Ti foils at various applied potentials in a neutral electrolyte solution containing fluoride ions. Pore size and wall thickness are tuned in the range from 30 to 70 nm and 17 to 35 nm, respectively, by adjusting the applied potential, in addition to tuning the tube length from 355 to 550 nm. Utilizing all of these films as negative electrode materials in lithium-ion batteries delivers stable capacities of 130–230 mAh g–1 and 520–880 mAh cm–3 up to 200 cycles. Microstructural analysis shows that there is no structural change or mechanical degradation in the active material, and the amorphous active material maintains good contact with the substrate/current collector. A continuum elasticity model for the tubular geometry is presented to understand the diffusion-induced stresses, fracture tendency, and stability in TiO2 nanotubes. Modeling results indicate that the fracture tendencies of nanotubes with the dimensions in this work...
DOGMATISM AND PERSONAL SEXUAL ATTITUDES

The relation between dogmatism as measured by high and low Dogmatism scores and sexual attitudes as measured by an original Sexual Attitude Survey was determined. Ss were 192 male and 188 female university students. High-dogmatic males were found to be more sexually conservative than low-dogmatic males. There was no difference in conservatism of sexual attitudes between high-dogmatic and low-dogmatic females. Male Ss, as expected, were significantly more sexually liberal than female Ss.
Immunocytochemical Demonstration of Growth Hormone-Releasing Factor in Gastrointestinal and Pancreatic Endocrine Tumors

Growth hormone-releasing factor (GRF), a linear peptide that exists in a number of different molecular forms (GRF-44, -40, -37, and-31) has been shown to be responsible for the acromegaly associated with certain endocrine tumors of the pancreas and other foregut-derived structures. With the use of two anti-sera (#1A850 and G59/901) directed against different segments of the GRF molecule, a series of 24 pancreatic and 35 gastrointestinal endocrine tumors, not associated with acromegaly, were surveyed systematically for immunocytochemical localization of GRF in the tumor cells. Strong immunoreactivity for GRF was encountered in 10 tumors (6 pancreatic and 4 gastrointestinal). While all ten tumors were immunoreactive against G59/901, which recognizes GRF-44, -40, and -37, two jejunal carcinoids showed additional immunostaining with 1A850 that is specific for GRF-44. Seven of these ten tumors were also immunoreactive for a variety of other regulatory peptides and neurotransmitters, including gastrin, insulin, glucagon, serotonin, substance P, somatostatin, pancreatic polypeptide, vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). No consistent pattern of association between GRF and the other regulatory substances was evident. These findings indicate that, even in the absence of associated acromegaly, up to 17% of endocrine tumors of the gastro-entero-pancreatic (GEP) axis show immunoreactivity for GRF and that such reactivity is associated more frequently with pancreatic (25%) than with gastrointestinal (11%) endocrine tumors.
The Determinative Role of the Exchange Cation and Layer-Charge Density of Smectite on Aflatoxin Adsorption

Using bentonites to adsorb aflatoxin is an effective method of minimizing the toxicity of aflatoxin to animals and humans. Early studies indicated a more than 10-fold difference in aflatoxin adsorption capacity among different bentonites. The determining mineralogical and chemical properties of the clays in aflatoxin adsorption are still poorly understood. The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that a bentonite’s selectivity and adsorption capacity for aflatoxin is mainly determined by the ‘size matching’ requirement, on a nm scale, between the non-polar interlayer surface domains and the aflatoxin molecules. The non-polar surface domain size of smectites was varied by (1) selecting smectites with different charge densities; and (2) changing the valence and the size of exchange cations to control the amount of water in the hydration shells of the cations. Infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction were also used to characterize the aflatoxin-smectite complexes to investigate if layer-charge density would affect the bonding strength between aflatoxin and the minerals. A large aflatoxin adsorption capacity and high selectivity for aflatoxin were achieved by selecting smectites that had low charge density as represented by their <110 meq/100 g cation exchange capacity. An individual smectite’s selectivity and adsorption capacity for aflatoxin could be enhanced or weakened by replacing the exchange cation. When the smectite was saturated with divalent cations that have smaller hydrated radius (e.g. Ba2+), the smectite’s adsorption capacity and affinity for aflatoxin were enhanced. Aflatoxin entered the interlayer of all six smectites tested. The strength of its bonding to the smectites was not affected by the layer-charge density of the smectites. The results confirmed the importance of nm-scale polarity and size match between aflatoxin molecules and the adsorbing sites on smectite. The high selectivity for aflatoxin can be achieved by selecting a smectite with adequate charge density or by replacing the exchange cations with divalent cations that have low hydration energy.
Vascular Fragility and Permeability. II. Influence of Fasting and Bile Salts on Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhage.

Summary1. Sudden reduction of atmospheric pressure to 70 mm Hg caused pulmonary hemorrhage and death, in mice. 2. Fasting had the effect of reducing the degree of hemorrhage. 3. Bile salts, given tc the fasted animals increased the degree of hemorrhage.
Finite Element Modeling of Factors Influencing Optic Nerve Head Deformation Due to Intracranial Pressure.

Purpose Visual impairment and intracranial pressure (VIIP) syndrome is a health concern for long-duration spaceflight, and a proposed risk factor is elevation of intracranial pressure (ICP). Our goal was to use finite element modeling to simulate how elevated ICP and interindividual differences affect tissue deformation within the optic nerve head (ONH). Methods We considered three ICP conditions: the upright and supine position on earth and an elevated ICP assumed to occur in chronic microgravity. Within each condition we used Latin hypercube sampling to consider a range of pressures and ONH tissue mechanical properties, determining the influence of each input on the following outcome measures: peak strains in the prelaminar tissue, lamina cribrosa, and retrolaminar optic nerve. Elevated strains can alter cell phenotype and induce tissue remodeling. Results Elevating ICP increased the strains in the retrolaminar optic nerve. Variations in IOP, ICP, and in optic nerve and lamina cribrosa stiffness had the strongest influence on strains within the ONH. We predicted that 5% to 47% of individuals in microgravity would experience peak strains in the retrolaminar optic nerve larger than expected on earth. Having a soft optic nerve or pia mater and elevated ICP were identified as risk factors for these "extreme" strains. Conclusions Intracranial pressure and mechanical properties of the ONH influence the risk for experiencing extreme strains in the retrolaminar optic nerve. These extreme strains may activate mechanosensitive cells that induce tissue remodeling and are a risk factor for the development of VIIP. Future studies must also consider variations in ONH anatomy.
Influence of flame-generated ions on the simultaneous charging and coagulation of nanoparticles during combustion

ABSTRACTFlames generate a large amount of chemically and thermally ionized species, which are involved in the growth dynamics of particles formed in flames. However, existing models predicting particle formation and growth do not consider particle charging, which may lead to bias in the calculated size distribution of particles. In this study, Fuchs' charging theory was coupled with a monodisperse particle growth model to study the simultaneous charging and coagulation of nanoparticles during combustion. In order to quantify the charging characteristics of nanoparticles, a high-resolution DMA was used to measure the mobilities of ions generated from a premixed flat flame operated at various conditions. The effect of temperature on ion–particle and particle–particle combination coefficients was further examined. The proposed model showed that the influence of charging on particle growth dynamics was more prominent when the ion concentration was comparable to or higher than the particle concentrations, a co...
Outpatient High-Dose Chemotherapy and Autologous Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation for Multiple Myeloma Is Associated with a Low Infection Safety Profile.

High-dose melphalan (MEL) and autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is now a standard therapy in patients (pts) with multiple myeloma (MM). This HCT procedure is sufficiently tolerable to be performed on either an outpatient (OP) or inpatient (IP) basis. We compared the infection profiles in 16 consecutive pts who underwent OP HCT and 31 consecutive pts who underwent IP HCT for MM over a 24-month period. The median age of each group was comparable (OP 58 yr, range 33–72 yr; IP 59 yr, range 32–74 yr). All pts received MEL 200 mg/m 2 before HCT and anti-infective prophylaxis with oral acyclovir, fluconazole and levofloxacin. Empiric treatment of first neutropenic fever in the OP group was imipenem and vancomycin (VAN) and in the IP group was cefepime with addition of VAN for persistent fever and/or positive cultures with VAN-sensitive bacteria. Median time to neutrophils >0.5 x 10 9 /L after HCT was 10 days in both groups (range 8–12 days for OP and 9–12 days for IP). Fever during neutropenia occurred in 7/16 (43.8%) of OP and 16/31 (51.6%) of IP HCT pts. Positive blood cultures (BCs) were identified in 3/7 (42.9%) of the febrile OP and 5/16 (31.3%) of the febrile IP HCT pts. Positive BCs in febrile OP HCT pts were coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CNS) (2 pts) and Pseudomonas (1 pt). Positive BCs in febrile IP HSCT pts were CNS (2 pts), Streptococcus viridans (1 pt), Enterococcus (1 pt) and Bacillus (1 pt). One febrile OP HCT pt had cytomegalovirus pneumonia, and one afebrile IP HCT pt had a positive BC for CNS. Four febrile IP HCT pts with negative BCs had other infections, including cellulitis (2), facial abscess (1), and Clostridium difficile -associated colitis (CDAC) (1). Two other IP HCT pts (1 with fever and positive BC for CNS, 1 without fever) also had CDAC, for an overall incidence of CDAC of 3/31 (9.7%) after IP HCT. In contrast, no OP HCT pts had CDAC. Overall, the incidence of infections was 4/16 (25%) after OP HCT and 11/31 (35.5%) after IP HCT. We conclude that the infection profile of OP HCT compares favorably with that of IP HCT in pts with MM and is associated with a lower incidence of CDAC.
Vision, Psychology of

At a minimum, the mind contains a sensory process that converts external physical stimuli into internal representations and a decision process that uses the contents of these representations to make decisions about what to say and what to do. Four major advances in understanding have taken place in the last half of the twentieth century. The first is the recognition that internal representations are noisy and unreliable but can be described by suitable models. The second advance is a resolution of two conflicting theories of color vision by combining them into a single unified theory. The third is the discovery that vision, like audition, carries out a frequency analysis on the visual input and does it in the theoretically most efficiency way. The final advance has been the appreciation that different types of visual information are handled by different types of mechanisms, producing a modularity of visual processing.
Two-Level Structural Cooperative Large Scale Systems

Abstract Challenging characteristics of Large Scale Systems are classified and uniformly presented. The untidy situation of the control problem for such systems due to these characteristics is demonstrated. The concept of cooperation between subsystems is considered and two main unresolved problems for it are briefly discussed. A class of Dynamical Hierarchical Systems (DYHIS) is considered and a structural control law is briefly summarized. Two-level structural cooperative Large Scale Systems are investigated.
Designing nickel base alloys for microstructural stability through low γ-γ′ interfacial energy and lattice misfit

Abstract An extended stability alloy design strategy for multicomponent γ-γ′ nickel-base alloys with near-zero lattice misfit and as low as possible interfacial energy was investigated by isothermal annealing of two experimental alloys at 900 °C for times up to 256 h. The coarsening behavior of the spherical γ′ precipitates and the phase compositions determined by atom probe tomography were utilized to exploit a modified Lifshitz-Slyozov-Wagner relationship to estimate the interfacial energies. The estimated interfacial energies are much lower than predicted by a CALPHAD-based software as well as those typically reported for multicomponent γ-γ′ nickel alloys. Despite successfully minimizing the interfacial energy and γ-γ′ lattice misfit, these factors alone were not sufficient to impart high temperature extended stability through reduced coarsening kinetics.
Housing affordability and material hardship: Does affordability measurement matter?

This study examines the association between housing affordability and risk of household material hardship among a sample of 3,311 low-income urban families. Results from pooled regression and fixed...
Feasibility study of interacting side-by-side piezoelectric harvesters in low-intensity grid-generated turbulence

Resonant fluidic harvesters can typically be tuned to the frequency of the flow, so they yield a larger power output compared to their non-resonant counterparts. In order to explore increasing this output for non-resonance harvesters, a feasibility study has been performed to analyze the behavior of two side-by-side piezoelectric harvesters in low-intensity (less than 0.5%) grid-generated turbulence with respect to beam configurations, mean flow velocity, distance from the grid and separation between the two beams. Experimental results show that the potential for energy harvesting is perhaps not as great in the low mean-velocity flow as it is for the higher speed cases which are accompanied by flutter, but the side-by-side piezoelectric beams display potential for use as turbulence sensors at low speeds.
Structural characterization and evaluation of municipal wastewater sludge (biosolids) from two rural wastewater treatment plants in East Texas, USA.

Abstract Wastewater sludge (or) biosolids collected from two rural wastewater treatment plants (NWWTP, LWWTP) in East Texas, USA were characterized and evaluated via inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and ion chromatography. The proximate organic and inorganic compositions and spectroscopic characteristics of sewage sludge were determined. The results show that the concentrations of toxic metals Cd, Cr, Cu, Mo, Ni, Pb, Hg, and Zn meet USEPA guideline recommendations for land applications. Notably, metals concentrations in biosolids from NWWTP (Mn (700 ± 83) > Zn (422.5 ± 35.4 ppm) > Ba (319.5 ± 87 ppm) > Cu (240 ± 27 ppm) > B (107 ± 14 ppm) > V (24 ± 3.3 ppm) > Cr (20 ± 3.3 ppm) > Ni (16.7 ± 2.0 ppm) > Pb (16.8 ± 1.1 ppm) > As (11.99 ± 1.27 ppm) > Co (7.6 ± 0.7 ppm) > Mo (6.4 ± 1.4 ppm) > Hg (0.55 ± 0.24 ppm) > Cd (0.130 ± 0.109 ppm)) and LWWTP follow similar trends. Macro-elements concentrations in LWWTP follow the trend P (19,648 ± 169) > Fe (22,688 ± 2110) > Ca (9372 ± 163) > S (9010 ± 1009) > Al (12,538 ± 2116) > K (3514 ± 550) > Mg (33,370 ± 502) > Na (1511 ± 472). The Br−, NO3−, NO2−, F−, Cl−, and SO42− concentrations meet USEPA guidelines. Whereas biosolid particle sizes were in the range ~20 μm to 500 μm mineralogical results show quartz and vermiculite to be major constituents with abundancies 12.94%, and 10.87% w/wt, respectively.
Typing Species of Cryptococcus and Epidemiology of Cryptococcosis

This article reviews the more common DNA-based molecular markers used to genotype species and strains of Cryptococcus. The current schemata for molecular epidemiological typing of C. neoformans and C. gattii are defined and summarized. Common methods of assessing the population genetics of the C. neoformans–C. gattii species complex are described and exemplified. In addition, the epidemiology, ecology and geographic distribution of Cryptococcus species and subpopulations are reviewed.
Testing messages about comparative risk of electronic cigarettes and combusted cigarettes.

Introduction Health agencies are grappling with communicating risks of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) compared with combusted cigarettes. This study examined smokers’ responses to two types of comparative risk messages with one type incorporating more negative antismoking elements in the design. Methods In an online experiment, 1400 US adult (18+ years) current smokers and recent quitters were randomised to view one of three comparative risk messages about e-cigarettes (CR messages), one of three comparative risk messages that included more negative antismoking elements in the design (CR− messages) or a control message. Selection of outcomes was guided by the antismoking message impact framework. Multivariate analyses of covariance and logistic regression models analysed effects of messages on message evaluations, e-cigarette-related and cigarette-related beliefs and behavioural intentions. Results Both CR and CR− messages decreased smokers’ intentions to smoke cigarettes, increased intentions to switch to e-cigarettes completely and increased perceptions that e-cigarettes are less harmful than combusted cigarettes. Neither message type increased dual use intentions relative to exclusive e-cigarettes use or smoking cessation. CR messages decreased perceived absolute risks of e-cigarettes and self-exempting beliefs about smoking, whereas CR− versus CR messages produced higher self-efficacy to quit smoking. Conclusion Comparative risk communication might encourage smokers to switch to lower-harm tobacco products. Comparative risk messages with more negative antismoking elements in the design might be particularly effective, because they led to higher self-efficacy to quit smoking. Regulatory agencies may consider using comparative risk messages with more negative antismoking elements to educate the public about lower risk of e-cigarettes.
Crystal structures of ammonium citrates

The crystal structures of (NH4)H2C6H5O7 and (NH4)3C6H5O7 have been determined using a combination of powder and single crystal techniques. The structure of (NH4)2HC6H5O7 has been determined previously by single crystal diffraction. All three structures were optimized using density functional techniques. The crystal structures are dominated by N-H⋅⋅⋅O hydrogen bonds, though O-H⋅⋅⋅O hydrogen bonds are also important. In (NH4)H2C6H5O7 very strong centrosymmetric charge-assisted O-H-O hydrogen bonds link one end of the citrate into chains along the b-axis. A more-normal O-H⋅⋅⋅O hydrogen bond links the other end of the citrate to the central ionized carboxyl group. In (NH4)2HC6H5O7, the very strong centrosymmetric O-H-O hydrogen bonds link the citrates into zig-zag chains along the b-axis. The citrates occupy layers parallel to the bc plane, and the ammonium ions link the layers through N-H⋅⋅⋅O hydrogen bonds. In (NH4)3C6H5O7, the hydroxyl group forms a hydrogen bond to a terminal carboxylate, and there is an extensive array of N-H⋅⋅⋅O hydrogen bonds. The energies of the density functional theory-optimized structures lead to a correlation between the energy of an N-H⋅⋅⋅O hydrogen bond and the Mulliken overlap population: E(N-H⋅⋅⋅O) (kcal/mole) = 23.1(overlap)½. Powder patterns of (NH4)H2C6H5O7 and (NH4)3C6H5O7 have been submitted to International Centre for Diffraction Data for inclusion in the powder diffraction file.
Hepatic Artery Pseudoaneurysm in the Liver Transplant Recipient: A Case Series

Introduction. Hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm is a rare and potentially fatal complication of liver transplantation with a reported incidence of 0.3–2.6% and associated mortality approaching 75%. Clinical presentation typically includes sudden hypotension, gastrointestinal bleed or abnormal liver function tests within two months of transplantation. We report a series of four cases of hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm in adult liver transplant recipients with the goal of identifying factors that may aid in early diagnosis, prior to the development of life threatening complications. Methods. A retrospective chart review at a high volume transplant center revealed 4 cases of hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm among 553 liver transplants (Incidence 0.72%) between March 2013 and March 2017. Results. Two of the four patients died immediately after intervention, one patient survived an additional 151 days prior to death from an unrelated condition and one patient survived at two years follow up. All cases utilized multiple imaging modalities that failed to identify the pseudoaneurysm prior to diagnosis with computed tomography angiography (CTA). Two cases had culture proven preoperative intrabdominal infections, while the remaining two cases manifested a perioperative course highly suspicious for infection (retransplant for hepatic necrosis after hepatic artery thrombosis and infected appearing vessel at reoperation, respectively). Three of the four cases either had a delayed biliary anastomosis or development of a bile leak, leading to contamination of the abdomen with bile. Additionally, three of the four cases demonstrated at least one episode of hypotension with acute anemia at least 5 days prior to diagnosis of the hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm. Conclusions. Recognition of several clinical features may increase the early identification of hepatic artery pseudoaneurysm in liver transplant recipients. These include culture proven intrabdominal infection or high clinical suspicion for infection, complicated surgical course resulting either in delayed performance of biliary anastomosis or a biliary leak, and an episode of hypotension with acute anemia. In combination, the presence of these characteristics can lead the clinician to investigate with appropriate imaging prior to the onset of life threatening complications requiring emergent intervention. This may lead to increased survival in patients with this life threatening complication.
Fertility preserving surgery for high-grade epithelial ovarian carcinoma confined to the ovary.

Abstract Objective To investigate the safety of uterine preservation in patients with high-grade epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC). Study design The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database was accessed (1988–2014) and patients aged Results A total of 1039 patients with a median follow-up of 119 months were identified. Rate of uterine preservation was 31.8 %. Patients who had hysterectomy were older (median 41 vs 32 yrs, p Conclusion In this retrospective cohort of patients with unilateral high-grade non-clear cell EOC confined to the ovary, uterine preservation was not associated with a worse prognosis.
Quantification of Inactive Lithium and Solid Electrolyte Interphase (SEI) Species on Graphite Electrodes After Fast Charging

Rapid charging of Li-ion batteries is limited by lithium plating on graphite anodes, whereby Li+ ions are reduced to Li metal on the graphite particle surface instead of inserting between graphitic...
An analysis on microbial contamination of swimming pool water during 2008 to 2011

Objective To ensure the health of swimmers and to provide scientific support for the effective prevention and control of waterborne infectious diseases by investigating the sanitary status of swimming pools water.Methods The water samples were randomly collected from different swimming pools according to the Standards for Sanitary Supervision Technique of Public Entertainments ( GB/T 17220-1998 ).The samples were then detected according to the Standard Testing Methods for Public Entertainments ( GB/T 18204-2000 ) and the Standards for Cosmetics Sanitation.Results 566 of the 667 ( 84.86％ ) water samples tested during the period of 2008 to 2011 met the standards; and the rate was 80.59％ in 2008,84.08％ in 2009,85.71％ in 2010,and 88.95％ in 2011.There was no significant difference among the four years.87.86％ of the samples met the standards for bacterial count and 92.35％ met the standards for coliform group.There was some difference among different sorts of swimming pools or different areas of the pools.Conclusions The quality of swimming pools water has some potential safety hazard.Supervision should be strengthened to improve hygienic condition of swimming pools. Key words: Public entertainments; Swimming pool water; Micro-organism; Detection; Infectious diseases
Predictive Direct DC-Link Control for Active Power Decoupling of A Single-Phase Reduced DC-Link MV Solid-State Transformer

This paper presents a fast predictive control method for active power decoupling of a reduced dc-link medium-voltage (MV) solid-state transformer (SST). Typical configurations of the SSTs are multiple series-stacked modules to interface the MV, which requires the modules to be single phase in nature. One critical issue in the single-phase SSTs is 120 Hz power fluctuation. Traditionally, large passives are used to buffer the 120 Hz power for 5% ripple on the dc-link, which significantly increases footprint and cost. This paper proposes active power decoupling strategy for the MV SST, i.e., adding an additional capacitor port to buffer the 120 Hz power fluctuation with 30% ripple on the capacitor port for smaller capacitance requirements. Moreover, significantly, different from conventional single-phase converters with small dc-link ripple, the dc-link itself is sized for 30%-60% pk-pk switching-frequency ripple to further minimize the dc-link passives in this paper. For such a converter with small passives, the control should be fast enough to ensure small over/undershoot on the dc-link during transients for safe and reliable operation. To address the challenge, direct dc-link regulation is proposed rather than traditional indirect dc-link regulation in terms of control architecture. Based on this control architecture, a model based predictive control method, which updates every switching cycle for a deadbeat response on the dc-link, is proposed. Simulation and experimental results at 2 kV verify the effectiveness of the proposed direct dc-link predictive control method for active power decoupling and reduced dc-link in the MV SST application.
Civilizing Space or Criminalizing Place: Using Routine Activities Theory to Better Understand How Legal Hybridity Spatially Regulates “Deviant Populations”

The combining of administrative, civil, and criminal law has broadened modern crime control mechanisms and greatly increased the legal authority and discretion of law enforcement officers. Such legal hybridity has contributed specifically to the pervasiveness of spatial regulatory practices (or spatial remedies), such as the use of banishment policies and civil gang injunctions (CGIs), by police in urban centers. While banishment policies and CGIs exemplify the reliance on legal hybridity to manage “deviant” populations spatially, empirical evidence suggests that spatial remedies guided by the theoretical underpinnings of deterrence and broken windows perspectives are not efficacious at predicting observed behavioral changes. We argue for a critical approach to understanding disobedience to spatial remedies, suggesting that routine activities theory is an appropriate framework to expose why these mechanisms fail to generate robust compliance or remedy problem areas.
Role of Inferior Vena Cava Filter Retrieval in Patients on Chronic Anticoagulation Therapy

Describe the role of inferior vena cava filter (IVCF) retrieval in patients on chronic anticoagulation given the overlap of these treatment options in the management of patients with venous thromboembolic disease. Despite the increase in IVCF retrievals since the Food and Drug Administration safety communications in 2010 and 2014, retrieval rates remain low. Previous studies have shown that longer filter dwell times are associated with greater risk for filter complications and more difficulty with filter retrievals. Recent findings suggest that complications are more frequent in the first 30 days after placement. The decision to retrieve an optional IVCF is individualized and requires diligent follow-up with consistent re-evaluation of the need for the indwelling IVCF, particularly in those on long-term anticoagulation therapy.
Analysis of Relationship between Blood Stream Infection and Clinical Background in Patients' Lactobacillus Therapy by Data Mining

The convergence of embedded sensor systems and stream query processing suggests an important role for database techniques, in managing data that only partially - and often inaccurately - capture the state of the world. Reasoning about uncertainly as a first class citizen, inside a database system, becomes an increasingly important operation for processing non deterministic data. An essential step for such an approach lies in the choice of the appropriate uncertainty model, that captures the probabilistic information in the data, both accurately and at the right semantic detail level. This paper introduces Hierarchical First-Order Graphical Models (HVGMs), an intuitive and economical representation of the data correlations stored in a Probabilistic Data Management system, in a hierarchical setting. HFGM semantics allow for an efficient summarization of the probabilistic model that can be induced from a dataset at various levels of granularity, effectively controlling the trade-off of the model's complexity vs its accuracy.
Dissolution of aerosol particles collected from nuclear facility plutonium production process

A simple, robust analytical chemistry method has been developed to dissolve plutonium containing particles in a complex matrix. The aerosol particles collected on Marple cascade impactor substrates were shown to be dissolved completely with an acid mixture of 12 M HNO3 and 0.1 M HF. A pressurized closed vessel acid digestion technique was utilized to heat the samples at 130 °C for 16 h to facilitate the digestion. The dissolution efficiency for plutonium particles was 99 %. The resulting particle digestate solution was suitable for trace elemental analysis and isotope composition determination, as well as radiochemistry measurements.