cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effects of Prolonged Exposure to Anabolic Steroids on the Behavior of Male and Female Mice

Adult male and female mice were exposed to a combination of four anabolic-androgenic steroids at pharmacological doses for 6 months. Males were exposed to either 5 or 20 times androgenic maintenance levels, as determined by bioassay; females were exposed to either one or five times the maintenance levels for males. Even the low doses were sufficient to reduce gonadal weight in both sexes and eliminate the estrous cycle in females. Steroid treatment blocked ejaculation in most males without influencing other facets of their sexual behavior. In some females steroid treatment elicited male-like mounting and pelvic thrusting. Exposure to steroids increased aggressiveness in females. Using a different testing protocol, steroid exposure had no effect on aggressiveness in males. Steroid treatment decreased the use of a running wheel significantly in females and marginally in males. Overall, the results of this experiment suggest no enhancement of normal androgen-mediated behavior in males, but potent effects on the behavior of females.
The psychological impact of unemployment on managers and professional staff

Twenty unemployed managerial/professional staff were interviewed in depth to investigate from an individual perspective the psychological impact of unemployment in relation to three broad areas: (a) feelings about becoming unemployed; (b) the process of structuring time and (c) the job search. The experience of unemployment varied according to individual circumstances but some broad trends could be identified. Overall, the same phasic reaction as reported previously was being experienced but the phases were being passed through more slowly. Some possible reasons were suggested. The need was reiterated for further information on the psychological impact of unemployment and the factors moderating it as a basis for action.
Phase response curve analysis of a morphologically realistic globus pallidus neuron model reveals a distal dendritic mechanism for synchronization

Background Phase-locked bursting and oscillations in low frequency bands between the subthalamic nucleus (STN) and the globus pallidus (GP) are key features of the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease (PD). These dynamics may reflect susceptibility of the basal ganglia (BG) to entrainment with cortical oscillations or could also be a consequence of enhanced reciprocal STN-GP coupling under conditions of dopamine depletion. Phase response analysis is an efficient method of characterizing the tendency of single neurons to entrain to periodic input, and to predict the tendency of connected networks to synchronize. A phase response curve (PRC) describes the dependency of shifts in spike timing that result from weak inputs on the timing of inputs within the ongoing inter-spike interval (ISI). If, independent of stimulus phase, a depolarizing input causes an advance of the next spike, the PRC will be composed purely of positive values (a Type I PRC). A Type II PRC contains both positive and negative regions, indicating that a depolarizing from Sixteenth Annual Computational Neuroscience Meeting: CNS*2007 Toronto, Canada. 7–12 July 2007
Aspects of physical aging, mechanical rejuvenation, and thermal annealing in a new copolyester

Long-term effects of physical aging and mechanical rejuvenation are monitored through dynamic mechanical properties of an amorphous glassy polymer. These phenomena are investigated through dynamic mechanical testing that evaluates in situ the evolution of the storage modulus with time during annealing and physical aging. Comparisons are made on samples with different thermal histories and mechanical treatment (rejuvenation). The polymer characterized in this contribution is a new commercially available copolyester under the tradename of Tritan™. The results are discussed in context to different aging rates obtained from the various thermal and mechanical treatments; both measurements of aging rates are compared. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 55:1941–1950, 2015. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers
Methanogenesis in Marine Sediments

The anaerobic conversion of complex organic matter to CH(4) is an essential link in the global carbon cycle. In freshwater anaerobic environments, the organic matter is decomposed to CH(4) and CO(2) by a microbial food chain that terminates with methanogens that produce methane primarily by reduction of the methyl group of acetate and also reduction of CO(2). The process also occurs in marine environments, particularly those receiving large loads of organic matter, such as coastal sediments. The great majority of research on methanogens has focused on marine and freshwater CO(2)-reducing species, and freshwater acetate-utilizing species. Recent molecular, biochemical, bioinformatic, proteomic, and microarray analyses of the marine isolate Methanosarcina acetivorans has revealed that the pathway for acetate conversion to methane differs significantly from that in freshwater methanogens. Similar experimental approaches have also revealed striking contrasts with freshwater species for the pathway of CO-dependent CO(2) reduction to methane by M. acetivorans. The differences in both pathways reflect an adaptation by M. acetivorans to the marine environment.
Reconstructing patterns of reticulate evolution in plants

Until recently, rigorously reconstructing the many hybrid speciation events in plants has not been practical because of the limited number of molecular markers available for plant phylogenetic reconstruction and the lack of good, biologically based methods for inferring reticulation (network) events. This situation should change rapidly with the development of multiple nuclear markers for phylogenetic reconstruction and new methods for reconstructing reticulate evolution. These developments will necessitate a much greater incorporation of population genetics into phylogenetic reconstruction than has been common. Population genetic events such as gene duplication coupled with lineage sorting and meiotic and sexual recombination have always had the potential to affect phylogenetic inference. For tree reconstruction, these problems are usually minimized by using uniparental markers and nuclear markers that undergo rapid concerted evolution. Because reconstruction of reticulate speciation events will require nuclear markers that lack these characteristics, effects of population genetics on phylogenetic inference will need to be addressed directly. Current models and methods that allow hybrid speciation to be detected and reconstructed are discussed, with a focus on how lineage sorting and meiotic and sexual recombination affect network reconstruction. Approaches that would allow inference of phylogenetic networks in their presence are suggested.
Does Traffic Congestion Slow the Economy

Does traffic congestion negatively impact the economic growth of metropolitan areas? This article reviews the findings of three research directions addressing this question. First, research on first-order impacts indicates that the economic value of congestion-induced travel delay is tenuous since travelers adapt. Second, research on second-order impacts suggests that congestion slows metropolitan growth, inhibits agglomeration economies, and shapes economic geographies. Third, research on public-sector congestion mitigation policies identifies significant fiscal burdens despite limited success at reducing congestion. In sum, research on individual, business, and public-sector responses to congestion demonstrate a shift from congestion mitigation toward adaptation.
Mechanical properties of fiber reinforced lightweight concrete composites

Hybrid composites with variable strength/toughness properties can be manufactured using combinations of brittle or ductile mesh in addition to brittle and ductile matrix reinforcements. The bending and tensile properties of thin sheet fiber cement composites made from these mixtures were investigated. Composites consisted of a woven mesh of either polyvinyl chloride (PVC) coated E-glass or polypropylene (PP) fibers for the surface reinforcement. In addition, chopped polypropylene, acrylic, nylon, and alkali-resistant (AR) glass fibers were used for the core reinforcement. It is shown that by controlling fiber contents, types, and combinations, design objectives such as strength, stiffness and toughness, can be achieved. Superior post-cracking behavior was measured for composites reinforced both with glass mesh and PP mesh. Load carrying capacity of PP mesh composites can be increased with the use of 1% or higher chopped PP fibers. Glass mesh composites with short AR glass fibers as matrix reinforcement indicate an increased matrix cracking strength and modulus of rupture. Combinations of PP mesh/short AR glass did not show a substantial improvement in the matrix ultimate strength. An increased nylon fiber surface area resulted in improved post peak response.
rAAV-mediated nigral human parkin over-expression partially ameliorates motor deficits via enhanced dopamine neurotransmission in a rat model of Parkinson's disease

We hypothesized that over-expressing the E3 ligase, parkin, whose functional loss leads to Parkinson's disease, in the nigrostriatal tract might be protective in the unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) rat lesion model. Recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) encoding human parkin or green fluorescent protein (GFP) was injected into the rat substantia nigra 6 weeks prior to a four-site striatal 6-OHDA lesion. Vector-mediated parkin over-expression significantly ameliorated motor deficits as measured by amphetamine-induced rotational behavior and spontaneous behavior in the cylinder test but forelimb akinesia as assessed by the stepping test was unaffected. rAAV-mediated human parkin was expressed in the nigrostriatal tract, the substantia pars reticulata, and the subthalamic nucleus. However, in lesioned animals, there was no difference between nigral parkin and GFP-transduction on lesion-induced striatal tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) innervation or nigral TH positive surviving neurons. A second lesion experiment was performed to determine if striatal dopamine (DA) neurotransmission was enhanced as measured biochemically. In this second group of parkin and GFP treated rats, behavioral improvement was again observed. In addition, striatal TH and DA levels were slightly increased in the parkin-transduced group. In a third experiment, we evaluated parkin and GFP transduced rats 6 weeks after vector injection without DA depletion. When challenged with amphetamine, parkin treated rats tended to display asymmetries biased away from the treated hemisphere. Nigral parkin over-expression induced increases in both striatal TH and DA levels. Therefore, while parkin over-expression exerted no protective effect on the nigrostriatal DA system, parkin appeared to enhance the efficiency of nigrostriatal DA transmission in intact nigral DA neurons likely due to the observed increases in TH.
Left Ventricular Deformation Recovery From Cine MRI Using an Incompressible Model

This paper presents a method for 3D deformation recovery of the left ventricular (LV) wall from anatomical cine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The method is based on a de- formable model that is incompressible, a desired property since the myocardium has been shown to be nearly incompressible. The LV wall needs to be segmented in an initial frame after which the method automatically determines the deformation everywhere in the LV wall throughout the cardiac cycle. Two studies were conducted to validate the method. In the first study, the deformation recovered from a 3D anatomical cine MRI of a healthy volunteer was compared against the manual segmentation of the LV wall and against the corresponding 3D tagged cine MRI. The average volume agreement between the model and the manual segmentation had a false positive rate of 3%, false negative rate of 3%, and true positive rate of 93%. The average distance between the model and manually determined intersections of perpendicular tag planes was 1.6 mm (1.1 pixel). Another set of 3D anatomical and tagged MRI scans was taken of the same volunteer four months later. The method was applied to the second set and the recovered deformation was very similar to the one obtained from the first set. In the second study, the method was applied to 3D anatomical cine MRI scans of three patients with ventricular dyssynchrony and three age-matched healthy volunteers. The LV wall deformations recovered for the three normals agreed well and the recovered strains were similar to those reported by other researchers for normal subjects. Strains and displacements of the three patients were clearly smaller than those of the three normals indicating reduced cardiac function. The deformation recovered for the three normals and the three patients was validated against manual segmentation and corresponding tag cine MRI scans and the agreement was similar to that of the first validation study.
Graduate-level education: a survey of stakeholders.

Abstract As part of the redesign of Cornell's professional master's degree program, people with an interest in graduate business education were surveyed about the skills they consider important for career succes.
Development of Pulsed-RF Measurement Techniques from 50-110 GHz

On-wafer Pulsed-RF calibrations and measurements are achieved for the first time at millimeter-wave frequencies (50-110 GHz). The system is calibrated at different duty cycles and pulse width conditions using Line-Reflect-Match (LRM) to test its dynamic range. Additionally, four different GaAs PHEMT discrete samples are tested under both pulse-RF and Continuous Mode Operations (50-75 GHz) and measurement trends are verified with actual lower frequency (2-20 GHz) Pulsed-RF measurements under the same conditions. This fully operational Pulsed-RF system (50-110GHz) paralleled with a pulsed IV-system will provide more complete information for device modeling as well as device operation outside the device Continuous Safe Operating Area (SOA)
Gut Microbiota-Derived Short-Chain Fatty Acids, T Cells, and Inflammation

T cells are central players in the regulation of adaptive immunity and immune tolerance. In the periphery, T cell differentiation for maturation and effector function is regulated by a number of factors. Various factors such as antigens, co-stimulation signals, and cytokines regulate T cell differentiation into functionally specialized effector and regulatory T cells. Other factors such as nutrients, micronutrients, nuclear hormones and microbial products provide important environmental cues for T cell differentiation. A mounting body of evidence indicates that the microbial metabolites short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) have profound effects on T cells and directly and indirectly regulate their differentiation. We review the current status of our understanding of SCFA functions in regulation of peripheral T cell activity and discuss their impact on tissue inflammation.
Combination of all- trans retinoic acid and taxol regressed glioblastoma T98G xenografts in nude mice

Glioblastoma is the most prevalent and highly malignant brain tumor that continues to defy current treatment strategies. This investigation used all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) and taxol (TXL) as a combination therapy for controlling the growth of human glioblastoma T98G xenografted in athymic nude mice. Histopathological examination revealed that ATRA induced differentiation and combination of ATRA and TXL caused more apoptosis than either treatment alone. Combination therapy decreased expression of telomerase, nuclear factor kappa B (NFkappacapital VE, Cyrillic), and inhibitor-of-apoptosis proteins (IAPs) indicating suppression of survival factors while upregulated Smac/Diablo. Combination therapy also changed expression of Bax and Bcl-2 proteins leading to increased Bax:Bcl-2 ratio, mitochondrial release of cytochrome c and apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF), and activation of caspase-9. Increased activities of calpain and caspase-3 degraded 270 kD alpha-spectrin at the specific sites to generate 145 kD spectrin breakdown product (SBDP) and 120 kD SBDP, respectively. Further, increased activity of caspase-3 cleaved inhibitor-of-caspase-activated DNase (ICAD). In situ double immunofluorescent labelings showed overexpression of calpain, caspase-12, caspase-3, and AIF during apoptosis, suggesting involvement of both caspase-dependent and caspase-independent pathways for apoptosis. Our investigation revealed that treatment of glioblastoma T98G xenografts with the combination of ATRA and TXL induced differentiation and multiple molecular mechanisms for apoptosis.
On Batterman's ‘On the Explanatory Role of Mathematics in Empirical Science’

AbstractThis discussion note of (Batterman [2010]) clarifies the modest aims of my ‘mapping account' of applications of mathematics in science. Once these aims are clarified it becomes clear that B...
Nest attributes, aggression, and breeding success of gulls in single and mixed species subcolonies

Abstract We investigated attributes of nests, aggressive interactions, and reproductive success in mixed and single species subcolonies of Great Black-backed Gulls (Larus marinus) and Herring Gulls (L. argentatus) on Appledore Island, Maine. Distances to the nearest neighboring nest were smaller for L. argentatus than L. marinus, with greatest distances between nests at edges of subcolonies in both species. More L. argentatus nests had natural screens (vegetation or rock >30 cm tall) adjacent to them than did L. marinus nests, but screen presence did not differ among nest positions within the colony. Clutch size did not differ between species; however, hatching success (number of chicks hatched per nest) was higher in L. argentatus than L. marinus. Fledging success (number of chicks fledged per nest) of L. marinus was greater at nests with heterospecific neighbors, whereas the opposite was true for L. argentatus. For both species, the frequency of aggressive interactions was lower at nests with L. argenta...
A proposed control scheme for a vocal prosthesis

The authors report on research into the recognition of speech utilizing the myoelectric signals exhibited by the muscles that shape the vocal tract. Myoelectric signals from four muscle sites were digitized along with the acoustic waveform. Energy, average magnitude, and standard deviation of the biopotentials served as inputs to a maximum likelihood classifier. Recognition is close to three times a priori for a ten-word set, with a 70-80% chance of recognition within the first five choices of the maximum likelihood algorithm. >
An economic study for production and consumption of fish in Egypt.

The Fisheries is considered an important source of national income. Fish product is one of important component in the agricultural production. the problem of this study determined in increasing fish food gap with about 319 thousand tons in 2012. The study aimed to description and analysis of fish production in Egypt in terms of domestic production, imports, exports, consumption, the food gap, the proportion of self-sufficiency, the average per capita available amounts for consumption, In addition, studying the factors that effect on the production and consumption of fish in Egypt. The study should be verification the following results The fish production in Egypt is growing annually by about 55.9 thousand tons during the period average (1995-2012), which represents about 6.4% of the annual average, Imports of fish increase during the study period by about 4.5 tons by about 33.6 million pounds per year, and fish exports are increasing annually by about 0.68 tons by about 5.3 million pounds annually while the production of fish according to different sources show that fish farming ranked first by about 55.3% of the average amount of production, and the total northern lakes ranks second at about 14.7%, while the production of the Sea (White, Red ) ranked third by about 14.1%, and the River Nile is ranked fourth by about 10.2 and inland lakes and coastal ranked fifth and sixth by about 5.2%, 0.5% respectively during the study period . Nevertheless, the results show that there are statistically significant differences between the indicators during the period average (2008-2012). In addition, the results show that tilapia ranked first with an average production of about 646.4 thousand tons representing about 52.1%, While the average production of mullet, carp, catfish, reaches about 181.9, 142.1, 43.1 thousand tons respectively, representing about 14.7%, 11.5%, 3.5% respectively of the average total fish production during the period (2008-2012). The study also indicate that the most important economic factors that affecting on the fish production in Egypt is the amount of fish imports, the quantity of available fish, the partial elasticity of them are about -0.294 and 1.2, which indicates that an increase in the quantity of imports by about 1% leads to the decline of fish production by about 0.3%, increase the amount of fish consumption by about 1% lead to increase the amount of production by about 1.2%. However, the results show that the most important factors affecting on the amount of fish consumed in Egypt is the population and the average price of a kilogram of fish. Therefore, the study recommended the development of fisheries sector and set up of collection centers for the production of fish near fish farms, Moreover, the necessity of expansion in aquaculture to fill the fish food gap.
NIH peer review percentile scores are poorly predictive of grant productivity

Peer review is widely used to assess grant applications so that the highest ranked applications can be funded. A number of studies have questioned the ability of peer review panels to predict the productivity of applications, but a recent analysis of grants funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the US found that the percentile scores awarded by peer review panels correlated with productivity as measured by citations of grant-supported publications. Here, based on a re-analysis of these data for the 102,740 funded grants with percentile scores of 20 or better, we report that these percentile scores are a poor discriminator of productivity. This underscores the limitations of peer review as a means of assessing grant applications in an era when typical success rates are often as low as about 10%.
Enhanced Laminar Mixing in Multifluid Droplets via Multiphase Flow in a Microchannel

Laminar flow mixing remains an active area of research within the microfluidics community. Traditional mixing methods often rely upon turbulent flow, which is generally not present on the micro-scale and so alternative approaches must be sought. This work studies enhanced laminar mixing for use in a proposed monopropellant microthruster based upon homogeneous catalysis in a flow with Re < 10. The enhancement is realized through the introduction of an inert gas at a channel junction, which can lead to the formation of discrete liquid slugs. These slugs contain the monopropellant and the catalyst and have an internal recirculation that is found to enhance mixing. The focus of this study is on the numerical investigation of this process with the goal of minimizing the mixing length and characterizing the dependence of mixing on inlet conditions. The slug formation process is found to decrease the minimum mixing length by a factor of up to 7.2, with much of the benefit of the multiphase flow occurring shortly after slug formation. As minimizing the dimensions of the microthruster is a key design consideration, this reduction in mixing length demonstrates the value of the enhanced laminar mixing for the proposed micropropulsion application.
Biochemical Systematics of Geomys breviceps and Two Chromosomal Races of Geomys attwateri in Eastern Texas

Ranges of Geomys attwateri and G. breviceps meet at a contact zone in eastern Texas. G. attwateri has two chromosomal races, F and G, with a diploid number of 70 but FN = 74 and 72; G. breviceps has a diploid number of 74 and FN = 72. Previous work on these species used morphological and chromosomal data to assess relationships between the species. However, questions concerning evolutionary relationships among the three forms remain unanswered. We examined allozymic data from 20 presumptive enzymatic loci for 178 individuals, including 34 chromosomal hybrids. Results indicate that there is an effective barrier to gene flow between G. attwateri and G. breviceps as indicated by presence of three fixed allelic differences. There is no apparent barrier to gene flow between the two chromosomal races of G. attwateri . Genetic exchange between the species is limited to hybrids in a narrow zone of contact. However, two pocket gophers with parental genotypes were initially identified as hybrids (based on karyotypes). Therefore, backcrossed individuals are present, but gene flow is severely restricted.
Shape optimization and level set method in full waveform inversion with 3D body reconstruction

Full waveform inversion (FWI) in the presence of salt bodies with high wavespeeds as well as sharp and irregular boundaries has been a major challenge in computational seismology. In this paper, we consider the 3D salt body reconstruction problem using a variational formulation of shape optimization. We study the shape functional using the Helmholtz equation and shape derivative to calculate the gradient descent direction for surface boundary deformation. The level set method is employed to represent domains and their boundaries and the dynamic evolution of shape changes. The performance of the approach is demonstrated by a 3D numerical experiment.
Identification and Analysis of Quality Gaps for Online Service Retailers

There has been a steady growth in e-commerce, especially during the past seven years. Online service retailers OSRs, as e-commerce retailers, continue to invest heavily in the enhancement of the services provided to their customers. This study aims to identify the quality gaps of OSRs and the influential factors that can mitigate each gap. A conceptual model of the quality gaps of OSRs was developed based on an exploratory review of several service quality studies of online retailers. A survey instrument was developed to measure the significance of the quality gaps on customers' willingness to shop online. Data from a total of 253 survey respondents were analyzed using a linear regression model. Four out of nine of the quality gaps Tactile feedback, On-time Delivery, Sales Information, and Confounding Knowledge Technology showed statistical significant with regards to customers' willingness to shop online, and the overall model was significant p < 0.001.
Acute urologic management of the patient with spinal cord injury. Initial hospitalization.

SUMMARY The early urologic management of the patient with spinal cord injury can be straightforward. Intermittent catheterization is the most acceptable therapy until final urologic decisions have been made based on appropriate urodynamic studies. The intermittent catheterization should be aggressive and periodic to empty the bladder, and the patients should be encouraged to do this independently when they are able to. Should any changes occur during this management, such as fever, infection, or dysreflexia, urodynamic studies should be done to identify high-pressure voiding with a high (40–60 cm H2O) leak-point pressure. Then, appropriate therapy should be instituted to lower the bladder pressure, including, initially, anticholinergic drugs and, ultimately, maybe another method such as a sphincterotomy. We usually reserve aggressive invasive therapy for patients whose spinal cord injury has totally evolved and who are rehabilitating, usually no less than 6 months after spinal cord injury, except in severe cases. There is controversy about the initial and long-term treatment of patients with intermittent catheterization, antibiotics, or both. This controversy will continue. Upper urinary tract complications associated with spinal cord injury have been virtually eliminated with better urologic therapy, and the incidence should continue to be negligible if proper therapy is given. Patients who have maintained good bladder management and who are doing well physically with good nutritional habits and medical care since their spinal cord injury will have a much better outcome than those who have more severe urologic and medical problems.
Rosiglitazone increased heart failure but did not differ from metformin plus sulfonylurea for other CV outcomes at interim analysis.

Source Citation Home PD, Pocock SJ, Beck-Nielsen H, et al. Rosiglitazone evaluated for cardiovascular outcomes—an interim analysis. N Engl J Med. 2007;357:28-38. 17551159
Acute and Delayed Traumatic Peripheral Entrapment Neuropathies

Traumatic entrapment neuropathy results from compression injury to a nerve, particularly where the nerve lies in proximity to a more rigid anatomic structure. Anatomic continuity of the nerve is preserved, and a favorable outcome may be expected if treatment is directed at avoiding chronic trauma, relaxation of the musculoskeletal areas of impingement, or local injection of anti-inflammatory agents. An overview of the more common sites of injury is presented in order to familiarize the reader with the salient features of these often undiagnosed lesions.
Prediction of the Clogging Profile Using the Apparent Porosity and Momentum Impulse

AbstractThis paper advances prediction of the clogging profile using the apparent porosity concept. The clogging profile is the vertical distribution of fine sand particles within a gravel-bed substrate that is overlain by hydraulically rough open channel flow. The author introduces the apparent porosity to represent the conveyance of fluid momentum through porous media, which is therefore a function of both the media and fluid, i.e., an apparent property. The author parameterizes the apparent porosity considering that coherent structures inject fluid momentum and sand into a clean gravel bed and the flow becomes laminar at its limit when the gravel is fully packed with sand. The author couples the apparent porosity with the previously published momentum-impulse model to provide a process-based prediction of the clogging profile, and the results show good agreement with experimental data. Results analyzed in dimensionless form via the dimensionless clogging depth show that the gravel porosity and roughnes...
Using ACRL's framework to support the evolving needs of today's college students

ABSTRACTThe threshold concepts of the Association of College and Research Libraries’ new framework dovetail with rapidly evolving trends in higher education. Adapting our library instruction classes for the new framework will require greater partnership with the teaching faculty and information technologists, as well as incorporating resources beyond our tried-and-true periodical databases. Having ready access to large sets of data, online primary resources, and multimedia files will be excellent tools for librarians to use both in teaching the threshold concepts and in preparing our students for research in a postacademic career.
Influence of Joule Dissipation on Heat Exchange and Magnetic Hydrodynamics of Liquid in a Spherical Layer. Part I

Results of numerical simulation of the convective heat exchange in the electrically conducting liquid flowing between two concentric isothermal spheres are presented. The influence of Joule heating of this liquid and the thickness of the spherical liquid layer on the structure of the liquid flow, the temperature and magnetic-induction fields, and the distribution of Nusselt numbers in it was investigated. Equations for simulation of the heat exchange in the spherical liquid layer in the case where the gravitational acceleration is directed to its center were derived.
A Case of MDMA-Associated Cerebral and Pulmonary Edema Requiring ECMO

A 20-year-old female presented with confusion, generalized tonic-clonic seizures, and severe hyponatremia after ingesting 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). Brain computed tomography (CT) demonstrated cerebral edema. Her hospital course was rapidly complicated by respiratory failure and shock requiring intubation and vasopressors. Refractory acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) was diagnosed which was unresponsive to conventional and salvage therapies, requiring initiation of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), leading to normalization of oxygenation parameters. Hyponatremia was corrected and the encephalopathy resolved. The patient was decannulated and extubated after three days. MDMA-induced hyponatremia is hypothesized to result from enhanced serotonergic activity and arginine vasopressin (AVP) release in the brain leading to hyperthermia-induced polydipsia and syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone (SIADH) secretion. A common but often unrecognized complication of severe hyponatremia is the Ayus-Arieff syndrome where cerebral edema causes neurogenic pulmonary edema via centrally mediated increases in catecholamine release and capillary injury. For our patient, ECMO was required for three days while the hyponatremia was corrected which led to rapid clearing of the cerebral edema and neurogenic pulmonary edema. This case illustrates that, in selecting patients with refractory ARDS from MDMA-associated cerebral and pulmonary edema, ECMO may be a temporizing and life-saving modality of treatment.
Black Early Adolescent Critical Reflection of Inequitable Sociopolitical Conditions: A Qualitative Investigation:

In this study, we investigate how Black early adolescents describe the influence of systems and individuals on sociopolitical conditions in their schools, neighborhoods, and communities. Scholars s...
The Social Psychology of Entrepreneurial Behavior

Social psychology has traditionally divided its study of meaningful social behavior into the intrapersonal processes that affect action and the interpersonal processes that describe relationships between two and more individuals. This chapter describes some of the intrapersonal factors – social cognitive processes, attributions, attitudes, and elements of the self-concept – that are implicated in entrepreneurial behavior.
Role of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Growth and Development of Arabidopsis

Mutants of Arabidopsis with altered fatty acid composition provide the means for a better understanding of the biochemistry and regulation of plant lipid synthesis. Moreover, the mutants deficient in polyunsaturated fatty acids offer a model system to investigate the biological roles of polyunsaturated membrane lipids. Here we summarize work on mutants which show a substantial decrease in the amount of 18:2 and 18:3 and a concomitant increase in the amount of 18:1 compared to wild-type plants. The deficiency in polyunsaturated lipids was found in all tissues of the plant. Lipid analyses and in vitro assays indicate that the mutant plants lack the endoplasmic reticulum 18:1 phosphatidylcholine desaturase responsible for 18:1 desaturation on the eukaryotic pathway. Despite the pronounced effect on the fatty acid composition of the non-chloroplast membranes of the cell, the mutants show growth characteristics at 22°C that were very similar to wild-type. By contrast, studies on growth and development at temperatures toward the low end of the physiological range demonstrate a requirement of substantial levels of membrane polyunsaturation for low-temperature survival of a higher eukaryote. Our observations are not consistent with a gross disruption of membrane structure but instead suggest limited defects in the function of plant membranes.
Evaporation from Solids

Volatilization of solids in the broad sense includes any process which results in conversion of matter from the solid state to the vapor phase. Volatilization may occur in two principal ways. Solid may be converted into vapor by (1) evaporation, in which case the gaseous molecules formed consist entirely of atoms supplied by the solid, or (2) a chemical reaction between the solid and another species to form gaseous products. In the latter case the other species may be a gas, another solid, or a liquid. The additional species may be present inadvertently as part of the environmental gas or of the container material, or may be introduced purposely. Volatilization reactions of this second type are governed by considerations described in other chapters of this treatise (cf. Chapters 4, 5, 8, and 9 of Volume 4). However, although more complex, the reactions of solids with other phases, particularly with gases, to form volatile products are related to, and in some respects similar. to, direct evaporation of gases from solids. Gas-surface volatilization reactions are complicated by the need for interaction, adsorption, and reaction of the incoming gas with the solid, as described in Chapter 5 of Volume 6A and Chapter 8 of Volume 4. However, following, and perhaps during, formation of the product molecules the molecular processes are similar to those occurring during evaporation, as described in this chapter.
Global existence of small amplitude solutions for a model quadratic quasi-linear coupled wave-Klein-Gordon system in two space dimension, with mildly decaying Cauchy data

The aim of this paper is to study the global existence of solutions to a coupled wave-Klein-Gordon system in space dimension two when initial data are small, smooth and mildly decaying at infinity. Some physical models strictly related to general relativity have shown the importance of studying such systems, but very few results are know at present in low space dimension. We study here a model two-dimensional system, in which the non-linearity writes in terms of "null forms", and show the global existence of small solutions. Our goal is to prove some energy estimates on the solution when a certain number of Klainerman vector fields is acting on it, and some optimal uniform estimates. The former ones are obtained using systematically quasi-linear normal forms, in their para-differential version; the latter ones are recovered by deducing a new coupled system of a transport equation and an ordinary differential equation from the starting PDE system, by means of a semi-classical micro-local analysis of the problem. We expect the strategy developed here to be robust enough to enable us, in the future, to treat the case of the most general non-linearities.
Asymptotic theory of diffusion-flame extinction in the stagnation-point boundary layer☆

Abstract An analysis is developed for predicting extinction of the diffusion flame that is established when an oxidizing gas flows about the nose of a vaporizing fuel body. Use is made of the limit of a large ratio of the activation energy to the thermal energy at the flame for the overall combustion process, since this limit encompasses all cases of practical interest. By revealing a correspondence with the asymptotic flame structure of a counterflow diffusion flame analyzed earlier, the theory makes available explicit formulas, in term of a Damkohler number, for study of gas-phase extinction in the present geometry. From these results a simplified but reasonably accurate method is developed for obtaining, from experimental data on extinction, kinetic information concerning the overall oxidation process occurring in the vicinity of extinction. Curves calculated from a parametric study are presented to facilitate application of the technique, and the procedure is illustrated for methanol burning in oxygennitrogen mixtures.
Why Are You Seeking Refuge? Conducting Evaluations of Central American Asylum Seekers

Asylum seekers from the Northern Triangle region in Central America, comprised of Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador, many of them unaccompanied minors and families with young children, are arriving at the U.S. border in record high numbers. Many of them have been exposed to trauma and violence in their country of origin and have suffered human rights abuses. Their reception in the USA is increasingly adversarial. Under the Trump administration, there has been a rise in policies that endanger the human rights of Central American immigrants and refugees. Mental health professionals can play an important role in protecting their human rights and helping them in the asylum process. They can assist asylum seekers through conducting culturally informed psychological evaluations and as expert witnesses, testifying in court and producing court reports. This paper includes an overview of the legal and international context of the asylum process and discusses geopolitical factors affecting asylum seekers from Central America. Case examples of evaluations of Central American asylum seekers that were conducted by the author are provided to illustrate key points of how social workers can assist applicants in their asylum applications, thereby supporting their human rights.
How to Spot and Deal with Internet Trolls

Trolling. When it comes to social media, coming across a troll or two is inevitable. It is important for healthcare professionals to learn how to spot a troll and the different strategies for dealing with them. In this chapter, we will discuss the six types of trolls that healthcare professionals come across most frequently. We will look at the content and types of posts these trolls frequently attack and discuss strategies for dealing with them. We will also discuss the basic strategies for dealing with any other troll you may come across. Next, we will discuss what makes someone become a troll to help you better understand why this group of people may choose to attack you or something you are posting about as well as to help you not become a troll yourself. Finally, we will take a look at how to have a productive debate online.
Encoding and monitoring responsibility sensitive safety rules for automated vehicles in signal temporal logic

As Automated Vehicles (AV) get ready to hit the public roads unsupervised, many practical questions still remain open. For example, there is no commonly acceptable formal definition of what safe driving is. A formal definition of safe driving can be utilized in developing the vehicle behaviors as well as in certification and legal cases. Toward that goal, the Responsibility-Sensitive Safety (RSS) model was developed as a first step toward formalizing safe driving behavior upon which the broader AV community can expand. In this paper, we demonstrate that the RSS model can be encoded in Signal Temporal Logic (STL). Moreover, using the S-TaLiRo tools, we present a case study of monitoring RSS requirements on selected traffic scenarios from CommonRoad. We conclude that monitoring RSS rules encoded in STL is efficient even in heavy traffic scenarios. One interesting observation is that for the selected traffic data, vehicle parameters and response times, the RSS model violations are not frequent.
Ion Pairing and Redissociaton in Low Permittivity Electrolytes for Multivalent Battery Applications.

Detailed speciation of electrolytes as a function of chemical system and concentration provides the foundation for understanding bulk transport as well as possible decomposition mechanisms. In particular, multivalent electrolytes have shown a strong coupling between anodic stability and solvation structure. Furthermore, solvents that are found to exhibit reasonable stability against alkaline-earth metals generally exhibit low permittivity, which typically increases the complexity of the electrolyte species. To improve our understanding of ionic population and associated transport in these important classes of electrolytes, the speciation of Mg(TFSI)2 in monoglyme and diglyme systems is studied via a multiscale thermodynamic model using first-principles calculations for ion association and molecular dynamics simulations for dielectric properties. The results are then compared to Raman and dielectric relaxation spectroscopies, which independently confirm the modeling insights. We find that the significant presence of free ions in the low-permittivity glymes in the concentration range from 0.02 to 0.6 M is well-explained by the low-permittivity redissociation hypothesis. Here, salt speciation is largely dictated by long-range electrostatics, which includes permittivity increases due to polar contact ion pairs. The present results suggest that other low-permittivity multivalent electrolytes may also reach high conductivities as a result of redissociation.
Improving the Convergence of Distributed Gradient Descent via Inexact Average Consensus

It is observed that the inexact convergence of the well-known distributed gradient descent algorithm can be caused by inaccuracy of consensus procedures. Motivated by this, to achieve the improved convergence, we ensure the sufficiently accurate consensus via approximate consensus steps. The accuracy is controlled by a predefined sequence of consensus error bounds. It is shown that one can achieve exact convergence when the sequence decays to zero; furthermore, a linear convergence rate can be obtained when the sequence decays to zero linearly. To implement the approximate consensus step with given error bounds, an inexact average consensus scheme is proposed in a distributed manner. Due to the flexibility of choices of both consensus error bounds and consensus schemes, the proposed framework offers the potential to balance the communication and computation in distributed optimization.
The unique nature of public stigma toward non-medical prescription opioid use and dependence: a national study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Our ability to combat the opioid epidemic depends, in part, on dismantling the stigma that surrounds drug use. However, this epidemic has been unique and, to date, we have not understood the nature of public prejudices associated with it. Here, we examine the nature and magnitude of public stigma toward prescription opioid use disorder (OUD) using the only nationally representative data available on this topic. DESIGN General Social Survey (GSS), a cross-sectional, nationally representative survey of public attitudes. SETTING United States, 2018. PARTICIPANTS/CASES A total of 1169 US residents recruited using a probability sample. MEASUREMENTS Respondents completed a vignette-based survey experiment to assess public stigma toward people who develop OUD following prescription of opioid analgesics. This condition is compared with depression, schizophrenia, alcohol use disorder (AUD) and subclinical distress using multivariable logistic or linear regression. FINDINGS Adjusting for covariates (e.g. race, age, gender), US residents were significantly more likely to label symptoms of OUD a physical illness [73%, confidence interval (CI) = 66-80%; P < 0.001] relative to all other conditions, and less likely to label OUD a mental illness (40%, CI = 32-48%; P < 0.001). OUD was significantly less likely to be attributed to bad character (37%, CI = 30-44%; P < 0.001) or poor upbringing (17%, CI = 12-23%; P < 0.001) compared with AUD. Nonetheless, perceptions of competence associated with OUD (e.g. ability to manage money; 41%, CI = 33-49%; P < 0.01) were lower than AUD, depression and subclinical distress. Moreover, willingness to socially exclude people with OUD was very high (e.g. 76% of respondents do not want to work with a person with OUD), paralleling findings on traditional targets of strong stigma (i.e. AUD and schizophrenia). CONCLUSIONS US residents do not typically hold people with prescription opioid use disorder responsible for their addiction, but they express high levels of willingness to subject them to social exclusion.
BDDC for a Saddle Point Problem with an HDG Discretization

The Balancing Domain Decomposition by Constraints (BDDC) algorithms, introduced in [4], are nonoverlapping domain decomposition methods. The coarse problems in the BDDC algorithms are given in terms of a set of primal constraints. An important advantage with such a coarse problem is that the Schur complements that arise in the computation will all be invertible. The BDDC algorithms have been extended to many different applications with different discretizations such as [9, 10, 13, 14, 2] and [11, 12].