cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Long-term image storage and phase conjugation by a backward-stimulated echo in Pr 3+ :LaF 3

We have observed spatial-image storage and phase conjugation, using a backward-stimulated echo in a solid sample. The image storage and the delayed phase conjugation were observed to last for at least 15 sec, which is 3 × 105 times longer than the radiative lifetime of the excited state. The backward-stimulated echo produced on the 3H4–3P0 transition of Pr3+:LaF3 is found to be a phase-conjugated spatial reproduction of the first excitation pulse. The image storage time depends strongly on the sample temperature.
Rethinking male and female: The pre-hellenic philosophy of mortal opinion

(1988). Rethinking male and female: The pre-hellenic philosophy of mortal opinion. History of European Ideas: Vol. 9, No. 3, pp. 261-280.
Quality factor of MEMS and NEMS AlN Contour Mode Resonators in liquid media

Miniaturized resonant sensors for biological applications are required to operate in liquids and their quality factor (Q) is important in setting their limit of detection. This work presents the first theoretical analysis and experimental verification of the behavior of AlN Contour Mode M/NEMS Resonators (CMRs) in liquids. CMRs are based on in-plane lateral vibrations and therefore deemed to perform well in liquids, similarly to shear-based devices. This study shows that the Q in water of four 250 nm thick AlN CMRs with different frequencies of operation on the same silicon die (182 MHz to 3.45 GHz) increases with frequency (up to 90 at 3.45 GHz) in agreement with the theory and is independent of the device surface area. Therefore, miniaturization and frequency scaling of AlN CMRs can be advantageously exploited to operate in liquids.
Handbook of Crime Prevention and Community Safety

With all due apologies to the aggregate age/crime curve, there is little denying that there is great variability between offenders and within offenders over time with respect to offending over the life course. Many persons offend, but only do so once. Others offend two or three times, and then stop. And a much smaller set of persons offend with high frequency and over longer periods of time. But much like a roller-coaster’s initial large incline to the top, participation and frequency of offending also exhibit declines over the life course until some finite (but difficult to identify without fail) endpoint. This decline in offending, is what is commonly referred to (but not always conceptually agreed upon) as desistance from crime. The topic of desistance is not necessarily a new one as it can be traced back to seminal works in the 19th century by both Quetelet (1831/1984) and Beccaria (1764/1992). However, it did not begin to take hold, at least empirically, until the Philadelphia Birth Cohort Study by Wolfgang et al. (1972/1987), who were the first to study transition probabilities and recidivism in a large sample of boys followed to late adolescence. Research on desistance, however, began to flourish after the U.S. National Research Council’s report on criminal careers (Blumstein et al., 1986), in which the Panel outlined a new paradigm that parceled out an individual’s offending career into distinct dimensions, with desistance emerging as a critical feature. Not surprisingly, much theoretical work was devoted to studying desistance, and policy-relevant discussion ensued in earnest, again not surprisingly because the justice system in general, and the correctional apparatus in particular, has a keen interest in curtailing offenders from persistent offending. Unfortunately, the study of desistance requires longitudinal data spanning at least the first two decades of life, but ideally would follow individuals much longer as antisocial behavior continues (to zig and zag) well into middle to late-middle adulthood. It was only until the last quarter century that such data sets “aged,” much like a fine wine or bourbon, and permitted such analyses both in the US and abroad. In this chapter, we provide an overview of the theoretical and conceptual issues surrounding the topic of desistance, as well as a review of the theoretical and empirical work regarding it. As well, we pay particular attention to the role of desistance in prevention, intervention, rehabilitation, and punishment programs and policies, and we highlight a few directions for empirical research. In doing so, we take a look at whether it is possible to “force the plant,” as the Gluecks (1937/1966, p. 205) wondered nearly 80 years ago, “so that benign maturation [desistance] will occur earlier than it seems to at present.”
Trusting Each Other: Student-Counselor Relationships in Diverse High Schools.

Many minority, first-generation, and low-income students aspire to college; however, the college application process can present a significant obstacle. These students cannot always rely on their p...
Fast discovery and visualization of conserved regions in DNA sequences using quasi-alignment

Next Generation Sequencing techniques are producing enormous amounts of biological sequence data and analysis becomes a major computational problem. Currently, most analysis, especially the identification of conserved regions, relies heavily on Multiple Sequence Alignment and its various heuristics such as progressive alignment, whose run time grows with the square of the number and the length of the aligned sequences and requires significant computational resources. In this work, we present a method to efficiently discover regions of high similarity across multiple sequences without performing expensive sequence alignment. The method is based on approximating edit distance between segments of sequences using p-mer frequency counts. Then, efficient high-throughput data stream clustering is used to group highly similar segments into so called quasi-alignments. Quasi-alignments have numerous applications such as identifying species and their taxonomic class from sequences, comparing sequences for similarities, and, as in this paper, discovering conserved regions across related sequences. In this paper, we show that quasi-alignments can be used to discover highly similar segments across multiple sequences from related or different genomes efficiently and accurately. Experiments on a large number of unaligned 16S rRNA sequences obtained from the Greengenes database show that the method is able to identify conserved regions which agree with known hypervariable regions in 16S rRNA. Furthermore, the experiments show that the proposed method scales well for large data sets with a run time that grows only linearly with the number and length of sequences, whereas for existing multiple sequence alignment heuristics the run time grows super-linearly. Quasi-alignment-based algorithms can detect highly similar regions and conserved areas across multiple sequences. Since the run time is linear and the sequences are converted into a compact clustering model, we are able to identify conserved regions fast or even interactively using a standard PC. Our method has many potential applications such as finding characteristic signature sequences for families of organisms and studying conserved and variable regions in, for example, 16S rRNA.
The Human Genome Sequence

The simple property of base pairing is central to a rapidly evolving DNA technology with which researchers can now directly examine the genetic structure of individual human beings to search for sequence variations that are correlated with specific disease states. The ultimate goal of this research is to find the gene variants that cause or influence vulnerability to disease. Techniques such as Southern blot analysis and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis have been used to detect variations in individual DNA. Now a more efficient technique, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), is universally used. PCR copies specific regions of human DNA using a temperature-activated enzyme (Taq polymerase) and nucleotide primers matched to the DNA region of interest. After DNA amplification with PCR, the sequence-amplified products can be analyzed for single-base variations or polymorphisms (from the Greek, meaning “multiple forms”). All people carry innocuous sequence variations in their DNA; these variations occur at a rate of approximately one for every 1,000 bases. One of these sequence variations could be associated with risk for a disease. Techniques for identifying the millions of variations of single nucleotides (called single nucleotide polymorphisms [SNPs]) in human DNA are being used to catalogue the extensive variation in the human genome. The ultimate goal of this effort by the Human Genome Project, involving an international network of cooperating scientists, is to identify, localize, and determine the sequence of all genes and their rates of variation.
Intrinsically proton conducting polymers and copolymers containing benzimidazole moieties: Glass transition effects

Proton conducting polymers and copolymers containing tethered benzimidazole moieties spanning a wide range of glass transition temperatures (2–113 °C) have been prepared. Conductivity versus temperature plots of the homopolymers display the competing effects of mobility and charge carrier density. Consistent with literature reports, Tg values of benzimidazole-containing polymers increased over the parent polymer, however, successful reduction of Tg was accomplished by copolymerizing a benzimidazole functional acrylate monomer (B5A) with poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether acrylate (PEGMEA). The reduction in Tg is thought to occur through disruption of intermolecular forces between benzimidazole units. Evaluation of conductivity as a function of temperature by ac impedance methods indicate that decreasing Tg through copolymerization results in conductivity increases over the low and intermediate temperature range (40–160 °C). Copolymer Tg decreases with increasing PEGMEA content, and conductivity at 40 °C can be increased by nearly 2.5 orders of magnitude over B5A homopolymer. However, conductivity at high temperatures (N160 °C) decreases due to charge carrier dilution by the addition of PEGMEA. © 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The discovery and development of rivaroxaban, an oral, direct factor Xa inhibitor

The anticoagulant rivaroxaban is the first approved direct inhibitor of the serine protease factor Xa. This article presents the history of rivaroxaban's development, from its discovery to the preclinical and clinical studies, and also provides a brief overview of other oral anticoagulants in advanced clinical development. The activated serine protease factor Xa is a promising target for new anticoagulants. After studies on naturally occurring factor Xa inhibitors indicated that such agents could be effective and safe, research focused on small-molecule direct inhibitors of factor Xa that might address the major clinical need for improved oral anticoagulants. In 2008, rivaroxaban (Xarelto; Bayer HealthCare) became the first such compound to be approved for clinical use. This article presents the history of rivaroxaban's development, from the structure–activity relationship studies that led to its discovery to the preclinical and clinical studies, and also provides a brief overview of other oral anticoagulants in advanced clinical development.
Perceptions of behaviors that cause and mitigate global warming and intentions to perform these behaviors

Abstract Individual household and travel behaviors represent a sizeable contribution to U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. This paper investigates people's knowledge of these behaviors and perceptions of these behaviors' impact in causing and mitigating climate change. In the present study, a sample of college students were asked to list the behaviors they perform that cause global warming (GW) and the behaviors they could perform to mitigate GW, to rate the impact of the behaviors in terms of their effect on causing or mitigating GW, and to rate their intention to perform each of the behaviors. Results revealed that this sample was well aware of the effect of driving on GW. However, participants underestimated the relative impact of adjusting the thermostat and eating meat on GW and overestimated the impact of littering on causing GW. Although knowledge about GW-mitigating behaviors was not consistently related to behavioral intention, belief that a behavior mitigated GW (whether accurate or not) was strongly related to intention to perform that behavior. Specifically, correlations between belief in the mitigating potential of a behavior and intention were relatively high for adjusting the thermostat, reducing meat consumption, and several behaviors that do not mitigate GW, but were relatively low for reducing driving and not littering. Practical implications and comparisons with previous literature are discussed.
Regulatory Factors in Ketogenesis and in the Metabolism of Triglycerides by Liver

The physiological and biochemical mechanisms by which the intact animal regulates its metabolism of lipids and the role of the liver in the control of blood lipids has long been a topic of interest in this laboratory. Our approach to the problem has been the examination of the uptake, metabolism, and release of the serum lipids and lipoproteins by the isolated, perfused rat liver. Our attention has been focused for some time on the various factors regulating the output and accumulation of triglyceride by the liver. It is now evident that a variety of hormones influence the hepatic metabolism of triglycerides. On the following pages is a brief discussion of some of the recent work from this laboratory on lipid metabolism in insulin deficiency (induced by alloxan diabetes), (2) on the effects of glucagon and insulin on hepatic triglyceride metabolism, and (3) on the modulating effects of substrate concentration (free fatty acids) on these processes. In order to present a coherent picture of the current status of the work, it will be useful to recount some of the earlier findings.
The Cultural Implications of the Atlantic Slave Trade: African Regional Origins, American Destinations and New World Developments

In the early modern era, an increasingly integrated and cohesive Atlantic world began to emerge. The Atlantic was the first ocean in the history of the world to be regularly crossed, and the lands that bordered it came to have a common history. Over time, a variety of links, bonds and connections drew the territories around the Atlantic - that vast 'inland sea' - more closely together. People, goods and ideas circulated in ever wider and deeper flows between the pan-Atlantic continents. Changes in one corner of the Atlantic world had repercussions in others; even seemingly local and provincial developments invariably had Atlantic dimensions. Diverse and heterogeneous, this Atlantic world became one - a unitary whole, a single system.1
Language processing in children with cochlear implants: a preliminary report on lexical access for production and comprehension.

In this plenary paper, we present a review of language research in children with cochlear implants along with an outline of a 5-year project designed to examine the lexical access for production and recognition. The project will use auditory priming, picture naming with auditory or visual interfering stimuli (Picture–Word Interference and Picture–Picture Interference, respectively) and eye tracking paradigms to examine the roles of semantic and various phonological factors. Preliminary data are presented from auditory priming, picture–word interference and picture–picture interference tasks. The emergence of group difference is briefly discussed.
Boron Nitride Nanotubes-Reinforced Glass Composites

Boron nitride nanotubes of significant lengths were synthesized by reaction of boron with nitrogen. Barium calcium aluminosilicate glass composites reinforced with ~4 weight percent of BN nanotubes were fabricated by hot pressing. Ambient-temperature flexure strength and fracture toughness of the glass-BN nanotube composites were determined. The strength and fracture toughness of the composite were higher by as much as 90 and 35 percent, respectively, than those of the unreinforced glass. Microscopic examination of the composite fracture surfaces showed pullout of the BN nanotubes. The preliminary results on the processing and improvement in mechanical properties of BN nanotube reinforced glass matrix composites are being reported here for the first time.
Research Aircraft Observations and Numerical Simulations of a Warm Front Approaching Vancouver Island

Abstract The mesoscale structure of the low-level flow and the character of the turbulence are investigated for a warm front as it approached the prominent terrain of the Pacific Northwest in the vicinity of Vancouver Island. Flight-level and airborne Doppler radar measurements collected from a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration P-3 research aircraft on 9 December 1995 during the Coastal Observation and Simulation with Topography experiment and high-resolution numerical simulations, performed with the Naval Research Laboratory’s nonhydrostatic Coupled Ocean–Atmosphere Mesoscale Prediction System (COAMPS) model, have been used to document the warm front as it approached the coast and the structure of cool air trapped along Vancouver Island. This air mass was capped by a flat, thin transition zone of enhanced static stability and vertical wind shear. The flow within the trapped air mass was oriented parallel to the terrain of Vancouver Island, but appears to have been more an outflow from the S...
CALIFORNIA LEAST TERN CHICK PREDATION BY GREATER ROADRUNNER

Abstract We present the first documented account of adult greater roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus) feeding on California least tern chicks (Sterna antillarum browni). This predation event occurred at a designated nesting site within Batiquitos Lagoon, San Diego County, California, in 1996. We hypothesize that the concentrated foraging efforts by the roadrunner were an opportunistic response to a localized abundance of favorable prey items, which warrants an increased awareness at other least tern nesting sites situated in close proximity to greater roadrunner habitat.
Domes: From Ancient to Islamic

Much more meaning can be derived by considering masonry domes as case studies rather than testaments to architectural history. A bird’s-eye view of the major city-scapes of Europe and Asia would show silhouettes of domical structures against the skyline. To a lesser extent curvilinear shapes would not be foreign even to the New World. Scores of monuments to the Christian faith in western cities and equally numerous Islamic mosques throughout the lands under Ottoman rule are crowned by imaginative geometric compositions of various shapes that combine to create an identity unique to each city scape. The ages of these structures vary widely from one another, but regardless of their life span they are all part of the present.
Colorfastness of Extracted Wood-staining Fungal Pigments on Fabrics: a new potential for textile dyes

In this study, pigments from three species of pigmenting fungi, Chlorociboria aeruginosa (xylindein, green), Scytalidium cuboideum (draconin red, red), and Scytalidium ganodermophthorum (yellow), were used to dye multi-fabric test strips. Tests for color stability and tests for colorfastness to washing with and without bleach, and to perspiration, were conducted. Color readings were taken using a colorimeter, and color differences were statistically determined based on overall color change as calculated using the CIE L*a*b* color space. The results indicated that all three pigments were stable over time, indicating that these pigments can be used for fabric dyeing, eliminating the need for additional chemicals or heat as is required for traditional fabric dyes. Xylindein and draconin red exhibited good colorfastness to washing, and xylindein good colorfastness to perspiration. These results indicate that xylindein shows good potential as a dye for garment fabrics, and draconin red shows good potential as a dye for second-layer garment fabrics.
Screening with Endogenous Preferences

A general framework is developed for studying screening in many-agent discrete type environments wherein each agent’s preferences depend endogenously on the allocations received by the other agents. Applications include optimal income taxation, performance contracting with across-worker externalities, and insurance with endogenous risks. The solution to the principal’s problem is analyzed by decomposing it, a la Rothschild and Scheuer (2013, 2014b), into an inner problem with fixed preferences and an outer problem with varying preferences. The outer problem is typically discontinuous at points where the preferences of two or more types endogenously coincide. As a result, the principal will frequently find it optimal to select allocations which involve two or more types with endogenously coinciding preferences, even though such allocations may appear, ex-ante, to be highly unusual. Assuming that types are strictly ordered by their single-crossing preferences is, therefore, not innocuous in endogenous preference environments.
Cell Proliferation in Neuroblastoma

Neuroblastoma, the most common extracranial solid tumor of childhood, continues to carry a dismal prognosis for children diagnosed with advanced stage or relapsed disease. This review focuses upon factors responsible for cell proliferation in neuroblastoma including transcription factors, kinases, and regulators of the cell cycle. Novel therapeutic strategies directed toward these targets in neuroblastoma are discussed.
Youth Participatory Action Research and Educational Transformation: The Potential of Intertextuality as a Methodological Tool

In this article, Melanie Bertrand explores the potential of using the concept of intertextuality—which captures the way snippets of written or spoken text from one source become incorporated into other sources—in the study and practice of youth participatory action research (YPAR). Though this collective and youth-centered form of research entails an explicit focus on change-oriented action, there is still much to be learned about the connection between processes within YPAR groups and educational shifts beyond them. Using data from a YPAR group as an example, this article aims to chart a course for research to explore this area. The author demonstrates that a methodology incorporating the concept of intertextuality can illuminate how discursive phenomena within a YPAR group may radiate outward. In addition, intertextuality may provide YPAR groups a strategy for increasing outside influence.
“The Field of Social Work” as a Cultural Course

T HE Field of Social Work" course in the undergraduate college is currently under some suspicion both from the graduate schools of social work and from undergraduate educators who shy away from any taint of "vocationalism" in the liberal arts college. To a certain extent, both of these antagonisms are justified. For, even when it has been listed as "cultural" in the catalogue, the undergraduate social-work course has been of doubtful cultural value. It has encroached on the field of vocational training without being thorough enough to recommend itself to the graduate schools of social work and yet it has not been broad enough in its approach to deserve the name of cultural.
A Method of Tracking and Precisely Locating Submarine In-line Inspection Tool

Aiming to determine the position of pipeline internal detector when pipeline internal detection technology being applied in submarine pipeline,a new method of tracking and precisely locating pipeline internal detector is proposed in this paper to locate the detector,which is verified to be feasible according to the simulation with OLGA software.In addition,the whole structure of tracking and precisely locating system that has great significance and practical value is given in this paper.
Particle Image Velocimetry Based on Optical Flow

TO speed as the goal of particle image,using the optical flow field to model the optical flow for a digital image,it is feasible to calculate the velocity field for each pixel in PIV.Comparing the different particles under the condition of the velocity field so as to achieve paticle image according with optical flow test method.The Lucsa-kanade algorithm is implemented and performance evaluation is conducted.Optical flow plays important roles in PIV,which can find out the velocity field and helps to correct misleading results obtained by traditional PIV methods.
Effects of environmental toxins on lymphocyte function: studies in rhesus and man.

The immune system is a potential target of environmental toxins. Impairment of immune function could have a disastrous effect upon the affected individual. We had the unique opportunity to study the results of a prolonged exposure to TCDD (2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-P-dioxin) in rhesus monkeys and their offspring. Subsequently, we performed similar studies on humans exposed to the nematode pesticide, Aldicarb. This report summarizes those previous studies. In the monkeys, no major deficits of the immune system were found and the animals did not have excessive numbers of infections. However, at higher doses of dietary TCDD (25 ppt), only 22% of the offspring survived to 1 year of age. Thus, the failure to demonstrate effects on the young may simply relate to the essential equivalence of the lethal to an immunosuppressive dose. In humans, exposure to the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, Aldicarb, was received through contaminated well water. The known exposure was for at least 1 year and could have been as long as 5 years. Various tests of the immune system, including lymphocyte subset counts, proliferative responses, total immunoglobulin levels and specific antibody responses did not reveal immunodeficiency. Increases in the numbers of CD8 positive T lymphocytes was observed. There was no evidence ofmore » any increase in clinical illness in the exposed compared with the control group.« less
Adolescent and family development: Autonomy and identity in the digital age

Abstract Adolescence is a time when youth are faced with multiple tasks that intersect and influence one another, e.g., increased desire for autonomy, salience of identity issues, peer orientation, self-focus and self-consciousness, and a continuing need for a safe environment in which to explore autonomy and identity. These all occur in a dynamic ecosystemic environment, which in the past would have mostly included family, peers, and school, but today also includes cyberspace as both a system, and a means to interact with many other systems through the use of multiple forms of information technology (IT). This paper uses the voices and experiences of 128 adolescents, captured in qualitative interviews, to look at autonomy and identity in the digital age as they talk about their parents vis a vis their use of IT. Thematic analysis revealed two major themes: 1) Adolescents spoke of their expertise. In particular they commented on their knowledge to repair equipment, ability to use IT well, their sense of pride in their own ability and their parents' acknowledgement of this ability. 2) Subjects perceived little need for their own supervision, but assessed that other adolescents and younger children needed to be watched closely by their parents. Implications of this work are discussed.
Nonsurgical rapid maxillary alveolar expansion in adults: A clinical evaluation

Palatal expansion in adults has traditionally been performed on a very limited basis. The expansion has been thought to be limited in scope and stability and to be associated with unacceptable complications. Instead, surgically assisted rapid maxillary expansion (SA-RME) has been advocated. Five adults with transverse arch deficiency are presented to illustrate the feasibility of nonsurgical expansion using the Haas appliance. Transmolar expansions of 3.9 to 7.5 mm, sufficient to correct the malocclusions, were achieved. Limiting the rate of appliance activation is thought to be important to avoid pain, swelling, and ulceration. Measurements of molar axial angulation, facial divergence, and clinical crown heights demonstrated modest molar tipping, stable mandibular divergence, and only minimal gingival recession. Radiographs revealed minimal observable root resorption of the maxillary molars and premolars. Contour tracings of the palate indicated that most of the correction of the maxillary transarch deficiency occurred at the level of the lateral walls of the palate (the alveolar process) rather than in the skeletal base of the maxilla. For this reason the technique is defined as rapid maxillary alveolar expansion (RMAE). RMAE is an acceptable alternative to SA-RME in adults for most cases of maxillary transarch deficiency. This article is followed by a commentary by Robert L. Vanarsdall Jr., and by an author's response.
Silicon Photonics for Entangled Photons

Micro-chips using silicon photonics can generate entangled photons using low power at telecommunications wavelengths and at room temperature. With further development, such compact chips might replace traditional crystal-based or fiber-based bulky photon-generation sources.
P31 Gluteal muscle thickness during lateral band walking in individuals with history of ankle sprain

Study Design Cross-sectional. Objectives To compare gluteal muscle thickness changes measured by ultrasound imaging (USI) during lateral band walking with the resistance band positioned around the ankles or the forefeet in individuals with a history of lateral ankle sprain (LAS). Background Evidence suggests proximal neuromuscular adaptations exist in individuals with a history of LAS. Understanding how lateral band walking exercises target the proximal musculature could be beneficial for treatment following LAS. Methods and Measures 18 individuals (Age=22±6 years, Height=168.8±10.5 cm, Mass=74.4±28.7 kg, Previous LAS=4±3) with history of LAS participated. B-mode USI of gluteus maximus (GMax) and gluteus medius (GMed) were collected during lateral band walking. The 8 MHz wireless transducer was secured to participants using an elastic belt. Patients performed 3 trials of 5 lateral steps per band position. Thickness measures were taken from the inferior aspect of the superior muscle border to the superior aspect of the inferior border of each muscle. Images were normalised to quiet standing. The percent activity beyond quiet standing was calculated by taking the exercise muscle thickness divided by quiet muscle thickness. Paired sample t-tests were used to compare each muscle in each band position. Cohen’s d effect sizes (ES) were calculated to determine magnitude of difference. Results The percent activity for GMax (10.63%±7.01% ankle vs. 13.98%±7.21% forefoot, p=0.009, ES=0.48) and GMed (13.61%±18.60% ankle vs. 19.10%±19.30% forefoot, p Conclusion The percent activity increased for both muscles in the forefoot position compared to the ankle position. Placing the resistance band around the forefoot may be a more challenging task for individuals with a history of LAS. During rehabilitation, it may be beneficial to begin with lateral band walks around the ankle and progress to the forefoot position as patients become more proficient at the exercise.
IOT and Industry 4.0 – Gateway towards improving Energy Efficiency

Energy efficiency (EE) has become an important benchmark in manufacturing industry due the increasing concerns about climate change and tightening of environmental regulations. However, most manufacturing and production industries today are only able to monitor aggregated energy consumption and lack the real-time visibility of EE on the shop floors. The ability to access energy information and effectively analyse such real-time data to extract key indicators is a crucial factor for successful energy management. While enabling real-time online monitoring of Energy Efficiency, it also applies data gathering analysis to detect abnormal energy consumption patterns and quantify energy efficiency gaps. Through a case study of a microfluidic device manufacturing line, we demonstrate how the application can assist energy managers in embedding best energy management practices in their day-to-day operations and improve Energy Efficiency by eliminating possible energy wastages on manufacturing shop floors.
Use of Social Media in Radiology Education

Social media has become the dominant method of mass digital communication over the past decade. Public figures and corporations have learned how to use this new approach to deliver their messages directly to their followers. Recently, medical educators have begun to use social media as a means to deliver educational content directly to learners. The purpose of this article is to describe the benefits of using social media for medical education. Because each social media platform has different platform-specific constraints, several different popular social media networks are discussed. For each network, the authors discuss the basics of the platform and its benefits and disadvantages for users and provide examples of how they have used each platform to target a unique audience.
Applications Of Microspectroscopy, Hyperspectral Chemical Imaging And Fluorescence Microscopy In Chemistry, Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Molecular And Cell Biology

Chemical imaging is a technique for the simultaneous measurement of spectra (chemical information) and images or pictures (spatial information)^1,2^. The technique is most often applied to either solid or gel samples, and has applications in chemistry, biology^3-8^, medicine^9,10^, pharmacy^11^ (see also for example: Chemical Imaging Without Dyeing), food science, Food Physical Chemistry, Biotechnology^12,13^, Agriculture and industry. NIR, IR and Raman chemical imaging is also referred to as hyperspectral, spectroscopic, spectral or multi-spectral imaging (also see micro-spectroscopy). However, other ultra-sensitive and selective, chemical imaging techniques are also in use that involve either UV-visible or fluorescence microspectroscopy.
Mapping Zambia’s Press Freedom Trajectory: A Longitudinal Study Examining Parliamentarians’ Perceptions of the Media

The political communication landscape in Zambia has experienced a difficult trajectory following the country’s return to democracy in 1991, after Kenneth Kaunda’s 27-year rule ended. This is evident when the role of the media in Zambia’s democratic dispensation is juxtaposed with the attitudes of parliamentarians towards the press. Pitts’s 1997 seminal study examined this phenomenon. He posited that although multi-party elections in 1991 produced a democratically elected government and brought increased freedoms for the media, the values shaped by the experiences of parliamentarians were also important to understanding the Zambian system of press freedom. The study concluded that Zambia’s leaders may have to experience intergenerational value changes to overcome the past if they are to view press freedom from a more libertarian perspective. To form a longitudinal base from which to analyse parliamentarians’ attitudes towards the press and how they have changed over time, longitudinal survey data from 1997 to 2015 has been collected. The questions addressed include: (1) Given Africa’s history of strict government regulation of the media prior to the democratisation tide of the early 1990s, what were parliamentarians’ perceptions of media regulation in Zambia from 1997 to 2015? (2) Has support for press freedom among parliamentarians, which is intrinsically linked to democracy, increased over the years? (3) What do parliamentarians think about news reporting by various media outlets in Zambia? Do they consider the reports of television, newspapers, radio and online providers to be fair and accurate? (4) Are parliamentarians familiar with online news sources and what are their perceptions of them? How do emerging media trends assist in contextualising political communication in Zambia. Using these questions as the baseline, the purpose of this chapter is to project and examine trends.
MANAGEMENT OF PRE-TERM PERIPARTUM VENTRICULAR TACHYCARDIA DUE TO ARRHYTHMOGENIC RIGHT VENTRICULAR DYSPLASIA COMPLICATED BY SEVERE PRE-ECLAMPSIA

Therapeutic options for ventricular tachycardia due to structural heart disease in peripartum cases are limited by teratogenic risk. A 22-year-old female presented with 3 days of palpitations and dizziness. She was found to be in an unstable monomorphic ventricular tachycardia requiring
Rational application of macrophage-specific LXR agonists avoids the pitfalls of SREBP-induced lipogenesis

While 92 million Americans are currently estimated to have some form of cardiovascular disease (CVD), nearly one-half of adults in the United States are projected to develop CVD by 2030, annually eclipsing all other causes of death for the past century (1). Coronary heart disease, which confers a plurality of CVD etiologies resulting in death, is exceptional in its ties to insufficient cholesterol transfer from peripheral sites to the liver and subsequent disposal (1, 2). As a mediator of inflammation, a source of peripheral cholesterol, and a cell type integral to the deposition of vascular fatty lesions, the macrophage has been cast to play a leading role in atherosclerosis. Each of these contributors to atherogenesis are regulated by the liver X receptor (LXR) (3). In PNAS, Muse et al. (4) manipulate ligand-induced LXR activities to accentuate a transcriptional program that promotes cholesterol efflux gene expression specifically in the macrophage. The LXR family of nuclear receptors is implicated in a reciprocal coordination of gene products involved in lipid homeostasis and inflammation (3). While lipids bearing oxidative modifications not only underlie excessive neutral lipid accumulation and inflammatory gene expression, they also agonize LXR. Therefore, this nuclear receptor family is a uniquely suited drug target to mitigate vascular lesion development (5). LXR performs these functions by … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence should be addressed. Email: evans{at}salk.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Harpooning reactions of excited rare gas atoms

Reactive quenching of the excited states of the rare gases has been studied for more than a decade. Early, Gundel et al [J. Chem. Phys. 64,4390(1976)] proposed that reactions of the metastable states of argon (3p 5 4s[3/2] 2 and 3p 5 4s′[1/2] 0 ) were analogous to reactions of alkali metal atoms with halogens and proceeded by a harpooning mechanism, which assumes the reaction proceeds through an ion intermediary, Ar * + Cl 2 → Ar + + Cl 2 − → ArCl * + Cl. Product branching fractions, vibrational energy disposal, velocity dependence, and vibrational excitation of reactants and propensity for ion-core conservation (N. Sadeghi, in previous measurements similar to studies with copper presented in an adjacent section) have now been studied for the reactions of metastable states of all the rare gases with many chloride compounds. This paper will present recent studies of the effect of excited state energy on the harpoon reaction. We present measurements of total binary and tertiary quench rates and branching fractions for the reaction, Xe (5p 5 np,np′, n=6,7)+ Cl 2 . Xenon atoms are excited by state-selective, two-photon absorption with a u.v. laser, and the time dependent fluorescence from the excited atom in the I.R., visible, and from XeCl * (B) products near 308 nm are then measured with subnanosecond time resolution. The energy dependence of the measured reaction rates are consistent with a multichannel harpoon model to be presented which is based on the formalism of Gislason and Sachs [J. Chem. Phys. 62, 2678 (1975)].
Multiple Roles for Poly(ADP-Ribose) Synthesis in Repair of DNA Damage and Malignant Transformation

Poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation inhibits the activity of many enzymes associated with DNA metabolism, including polymerases, ligases, topoisomerases and endonucleases, and depletes cells of essential cofactors such as NAD and ATP. In cells exposed to DNA damaging agents, inhibition of poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation accelerates strand break rejoining and stimulates additional DNA breakage by endogenous nucleases. The net single-strand break frequencies can therefore be increased or decreased by inhibitors of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase such as 3-aminobenzamide, according to the relative importance of the two opposing biochemical effects on DNA breakage in different cell types. Transformation and promotion of cells in vitro can also be inhibited by 3-aminobenzamide during the early times after exposure to the initiating or promoting agents, but the relationship of this to DNA repair is nuclear.
Executive Functioning and Negative Affect: an Examination of the Meditational Effects of Emotion Regulation

Recent data highlight maladaptive emotion regulation strategies as a transdiagnostic risk factor. Executive functioning (EF) is also conceptualized as a transdiagnostic mechanism. Drawing these two areas together, data supports the intervening role of rumination, a form of emotion regulation, in the EF clinical symptomatology link. However, research has yet to fully examine various emotion regulation strategies as transdiagnostic mechanisms in youth. The relationship between EF components, emotion regulation strategies, and transdiagnostic negative affect was examined. Set-shifting was associated with general emotion regulation difficulties as well as rumination, worry, and thought suppression. Inhibition was only related to general emotion regulation difficulties and the brooding subtype of rumination. Finally, various forms of emotion regulation were observed to mediate the relationship between set-shifting and negative affect.
Preconception insurance and initiation of prenatal care.

The primary objective was to determine the association between preconception insurance and initiation of prenatal care. This retrospective cohort uses data from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (2009–2013). Self-reported preconception insurance status was the primary exposure. The primary outcome was first trimester initiation of prenatal care. Secondary outcomes included: preterm delivery, birth weight, and the presence of birth defects. Survey-weighted generalized linear models were used to calculate risk ratios and accounted for state-level clustering. Of the 181,675 included women from 32 states, 21.1% were uninsured prior to conception. 88% of insured women vs. 70% of uninsured women initiated care in the first trimester. Uninsured women were less likely to initiate care in the first trimester (adjusted relative risk (RR) 0.87 (95% confidence interval 0.85–0.89), p < 0.001) compared to women with insurance in the adjusted analysis. Among the secondary outcomes, uninsured nulliparous women had a 20% higher risk of extremely (<28 weeks) preterm delivery than those with preconception insurance (adjusted RR 1.20 (1.03–1.39), p = 0.01). Uninsured women also had a slightly increased risk of having SGA infant compared to insured women (adjusted RR 1.04 (1.01–1.09), p = 0.02). There were no differences in the other secondary outcomes. Preconception insurance is associated with earlier initiation of prenatal care.
Factors That Motivate and Challenge Psychology Majors’ Pursuit of Academic Good Work:

Gardner, Csikszentmihalyi, and Damon defined good work as excellent, ethical, and engaged. In two studies, we explored factors that motivate and challenge undergraduate psychology majors’ pursuit o...
UNIV Courses and Programs - How They Support Students in Your Discipline

We all have a role to play in supporting Mason students as they become engaged citizens and well-rounded scholars who are prepared to act. With this holistic image in mind, UNIV Courses and Programs has continued over the last twenty years to expand its offering of undergraduate transition, career readiness, student leadership, research and scholarship, and academic success courses. We now offer 40 courses with a total of 138 section offerings for the fall 2018 semester. Nationally-recognized student transition professionals have noted that they know of no other program as robust in supporting student success as our UNIV Courses and Programs at George Mason University. Our goal is to help students navigate key transitions during and after their time at Mason. We conceptualize a developmental process of acclimation, exploration, preparation, and pursuit. In tandem with academic studies and co-curricular experiences, our UNIV courses offer knowledge and resources that help shape new global leaders who embody vision, justice, clarity, tolerance, and respect and are prepared to move out into the world. UNIV courses are open to all undergraduate students at any time during their college career. With improved understanding of the range of courses available, faculty will be prepared to recommend specific UNIV courses to promote student learning and student success.
Human natural killer cell manufacturing using a closed system process for patients with metastatic solid tumors or hematologic malignancies

Background & Aim As potent effectors of the innate immune system natural killer (NK) cells are currently utilized in clinical trials world-wide to treat a variety of hematologic and solid organ malignancies. The ongoing phase I/II study at the National Institutes of Health (08-H-0186) previously utilized open-system processing requiring 60-80 small GREX flasks and single donor AB plasma in the culture medium. We optimized the manufacturing process to generate large numbers of NK cells using closed-system processing with large 5 liter GREX containers and commercially available pooled AB serum. Methods, Results & Conclusion The manufacturing process entails two stages: Preparation of the feeder EBV-transformed lymphoblastoid cell line (LCL) and NK cell culture. LCL are cultured in closed GREX100-CS vessels with XVIVO15 culture media containing 15mM HEPES, 2mM glutamax and 10% of either commercially available pooled AB serum or single donor AB plasma. With one culture vessel capable of generating 8-10 × 108 LCL feeder cells using 600-800mL of culture medium, 3 vessels sufficiently support a full scale culture. LCL number and viability are similar between groups containing serum vs. plasma. In the second stage, NK cell culture is initiated using 3 GREX500-CS with 40 × 106 NK cells and 400 × 106 irradiated LCL feeder cells in 500mL/vessel. Fresh XVIVO20 containing 15mM HEPES, 2mM glutamax, 500IU/mL IL2 and either 10% AB plasma or pooled AB serum is added on days 4, 8, 12 and 17. On day 14, a portion of the cells are harvested and washed for fresh infusion, and the remaining cells are re-seeded into a new vessel for harvest for second infusion on day 19. Day 14 and day 19 harvest generated 10-14 × 109 (1 vessel) and 50-70 × 109 NK cells (4-5 vessels) for fresh infusion, enough to support the target dose level of 1 × 108 (1st harvest) and 5 × 108 (2nd harvest) NK cells/kg. We found no significant differences in cell growth, viability or TRAIL expression when using AB plasma vs. AB serum. However, TRAIL expression was significantly increased when the concentration of the NK cells was kept below 4 × 106 cells/mL during culture. NK cells also demonstrated tumor cell line killing ability in vitro and had increased CD107. In summary, we have developed a new process that improves safety and consistency for culturing NK cells in large numbers for an ongoing clinical trial at the NIH. This process can be easily adapted by cell therapy manufacturing facilities at most academic institutions.
Readmissions for Cirrhosis Within the Healthcare Readmissions Reduction Program: A Hidden Challenge.

AbstractWith the passage of the Affordable Care Act, the Healthcare Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) was implemented, leading to significant reductions in readmissions for congestive heart failure, pneumonia, and myocardial infarction. Patients with cirrhosis have a complex and difficult to man