cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The influence of subway station design on noise levels.

Objectives/Hypothesis To investigate the impact of subway station design on platform noise levels. Study Design Observational. Methods Continuous A-weighted decibel (dBA) sound levels were recorded in 20 New York City subway stations, where trains entered on either a straight track or curved track in 10 stations each. Equivalent continuous noise levels (Leq) at various locations on the boarding platform (inbound end, midplatform, and outbound end) during train entry and exit were compared between the straight and curved stations in broadband as well as narrow one-third octave bands. Results Overall, curved stations trended louder than straight stations, although the difference in broadband Leq did not reach statistical significance (curve, 83.4 dBA; straight, 82.6 dBA; P = .054). Noise levels were significantly louder at the inbound end of the platform during train entry (inbound, 89.7 dBA; mid, 85.5 dBA; outbound, 78.7 dBA; P < .001) and at the outbound end during train exit (inbound, 79.7 dBA; mid, 85.3 dBA; outbound, 89.1 dBA; P < .001). Narrow band analysis showed that curved stations were significantly louder than straight stations at 100 Hz and high frequencies from 8 to 20 kHz. Peak impact levels ranged from 104 to 121 dBA. Conclusions Curved stations have a different noise profile compared to straight stations and are significantly louder than straight stations at high frequencies. Designing stations with straight tracks within the platform can help reduce commuter noise exposure. Level of Evidence NA Laryngoscope, 2016
Precision medicine: from pharmacogenomics to pharmacoproteomics.

Disease progression and drug response may vary significantly from patient to patient. Fortunately, the rapid development of high-throughput ‘omics’ technologies has allowed for the identification of potential biomarkers that may aid in the understanding of the heterogeneities in disease development and treatment outcomes. However, mechanistic gaps remain when the genome or the proteome are investigated independently in response to drug treatment. In this article, we discuss the current status of pharmacogenomics in precision medicine and highlight the needs for concordant analysis at the proteome and metabolome levels via the more recently-evolved fields of pharmacoproteomics, toxicoproteomics, and pharmacometabolomics. Integrated ‘omics’ investigations will be critical in piecing together targetable mechanisms of action for both drug development and monitoring of therapy in order to fully apply precision medicine to the clinic.
CoSpliceNet: a framework for co-splicing network inference from transcriptomics data

Alternative splicing has been proposed to increase transcript diversity and protein plasticity in eukaryotic organisms, but the extent to which this is the case is currently unclear, especially with regard to the diversification of molecular function. Eukaryotic splicing involves complex interactions of splicing factors and their targets. Inference of co-splicing networks capturing these types of interactions is important for understanding this crucial, highly regulated post-transcriptional process at the systems level. First, several transcript and protein attributes, including coding potential of transcripts and differences in functional domains of proteins, were compared between splice variants and protein isoforms to assess transcript and protein diversity in a biological system. Alternative splicing was shown to increase transcript and function-related protein diversity in developing Arabidopsis embryos. Second, CoSpliceNet, which integrates co-expression and motif discovery at splicing regulatory regions to infer co-splicing networks, was developed. CoSpliceNet was applied to temporal RNA sequencing data to identify candidate regulators of splicing events and predict RNA-binding motifs, some of which are supported by prior experimental evidence. Analysis of inferred splicing factor targets revealed an unexpected role for the unfolded protein response in embryo development. The methods presented here can be used in any biological system to assess transcript diversity and protein plasticity and to predict candidate regulators, their targets, and RNA-binding motifs for splicing factors. CoSpliceNet is freely available at http://delasa.github.io/co-spliceNet/ .
An Overview of Facilities Providing Clinical Services for Persons Who Stutter in Kuwait

Presently, no clear picture is available about the facilities providing clinical services for persons who stutter (PWS) in Kuwait. This information is crucial for any awareness program to be establ...
Abstract P46: Correlation Between Inpatient and Outpatient Measures of Stroke Care Quality Within Veterans Health Administration Hospitals

Objective To examine the correlation between hospitals9 performance on delivering processes of high-quality care to ischemic stroke patients at discharge and ambulatory care post-discharge outcomes among Veterans Health Administration (VHA) hospitals. Methods Using 2007 chart abstracted data from nearly all veterans hospitalized for ischemic stroke at all VHA hospitals, we determined risk-standardized hospital performance for 1) four process measures of discharge care: prescription of anti-thrombotic and anti-lipidemic therapy, anti-coagulation therapy for patients with atrial fibrillation, and tobacco cessation counseling, and created a composite measure of defect free care; 2) 30-day mortality; 3) 30-day readmission; and 4) five outcome measures of post-discharge care within 6 months: blood pressure and low-density lipoprotein, international normalized ratio (INR) for patients on warfarin, glycosylated hemoglobin for patients with diabetes, and depression management, and created a composite measure of achieved outcomes. We used weighted Pearson correlation efficients to examine associations between the composite of defect free care processes at discharge and 30-day mortality, 30-day readmission, and composite achievement of outcomes within 6 months post-discharge. Results Among 3536 veterans hospitalized for ischemic stroke at 108 VHA hospitals, median risk-standardized rate of defect free composite of care at discharge was 79% (25th/75th percentile: 74%, 83%), 30-day mortality was 1% (1%, 1%), 30-day readmission was 9% (9%, 10%), and composite outcomes achieved post-discharge was 44% (41%, 47%). There was no correlation between defect-free delivery of processes at discharge and either 30-day mortality or readmission (p values > 0.70), although correlation with outcomes achieved post-discharge approached statistical significance (p=0.07), suggesting that performance on care at discharge may account for 4.8% of the hospital-level variation in performance on outcomes during the post-discharge period. Conclusions Performance on care delivered upon discharge from the inpatient setting did not predict performance on care delivered in the ambulatory care setting, even within an integrated health care system like VHA.
WHO Definition of Health, Rethinking the

The definition of health contained in the 1948 Preamble to the Constitution of the World Health Organization (WHO) as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” has generated controversy ever since. This article discusses the questions that continue to be raised about whether this can function as a current operational definition, and about how to interpret references to terms such as ‘well-being,’ ‘health,’ and ‘happiness.’ It argues that the WHO definition should be seen as a historical document and that it will be possible to learn from the debates that it has engendered and to consider how people have struggled to formulate what they regard as the most important aspects of health.
Simulated potential for enhanced performance of mechanically stacked hybrid III–V/Si tandem photovoltaic modules using DC–DC converters

This work examines a tandem module design with GaInP2 mechanically stacked on top of crystalline Si, using a detailed photovoltaic (PV) system model to simulate four-terminal (4T) unconstrained and two-terminal voltage-matched (2T VM) parallel architectures. Module-level power electronics is proposed for the 2T VM module design to enhance its performance over the breadth of temperatures experienced by a typical PV installation. Annual, hourly simulations of various scenarios indicate that this design can reduce annual energy losses to ∼0.5% relative to the 4T module configuration. Consideration is given to both performance and practical design for building or ground mount installations, emphasizing compatibility with existing standard Si modules.
Scalp Fixation in Endoscopic Browlift

Prior to scalp fixation in endoscopic browlifting, elevation is accomplished by periosteal release at the superior orbital rims and glabella followed by superior stretching at the orbital rim. For some patients, substantial elevation of the medial portion of the brow may be aesthetically undesirable or undesired. Fixation of the released and elevated forehead flap is thought to be primarily accomplished by re-adherence of the periosteal flap to the frontal bone. To ensure that it re-adheres at the proper height, intraoperative fixation can be accomplished using several techniques.
Quantification of Muscle Tissue Properties by Modeling the Statistics of Ultrasound Image Intensities Using a Mixture of Gamma Distributions in Children With and Without Cerebral Palsy

OBJECTIVES:To investigate whether quantitative ultrasound (US) imaging, based on the envelope statistics of the backscattered US signal, can describe muscle properties in typically developing children and those with cerebral palsy (CP). METHODS:Radiofrequency US data were acquired from the rectus femoris muscle of children with CP (n = 22) and an age-matched cohort without CP (n = 14) at rest and during maximal voluntary isometric contraction. A mixture of gamma distributions was used to model the histogram of the echo intensities within a region of interest in the muscle. RESULTS:Muscle in CP had a heterogeneous echo texture that was significantly different from that in healthy controls (P < .001), with larger deviations from Rayleigh scattering. A mixture of 2 gamma distributions showed an excellent fit to the US intensity, and the shape and rate parameters were significantly different between CP and control groups (P < .05). The rate parameters for both the single gamma distribution and mixture of gamma distributions were significantly higher for contracted muscles compared to resting muscles, but there was no significant interaction between these factors (CP and muscle contraction) for a mixed-model analysis of variance. CONCLUSIONS:Ultrasound tissue characterization indicates a more disorganized architecture and increased echogenicity in muscles in CP, consistent with previously documented increases in fibrous infiltration and connective tissue changes in this population. Our results indicate that quantitative US can be used to objectively differentiate muscle architecture and tissue properties.
Reducing X-ray imaging for proton postmastectomy chest wall patients.

Abstract Purpose Proton postmastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT) patients are positioned daily using surface imaging with additional x-ray imaging for confirmation. This study aims to investigate whether weekly x-ray imaging with daily surface imaging, as performed for photon treatment, is sufficient to maintain PMRT patient positioning fidelity. Methods and materials Calculated radiographic corrections and surface imaging residual setup errors were analyzed at the treatment angle for 28 PMRT patients (with and without breast implant, left and right sided). The temporal repartition of radiographic translations >3 mm occurring after surface imaging positioning was studied as well as their impact on the final patient position, defined as the comparison between the treatment angle surface image and the planning computed tomography scan. To compare both sets of images, the traditional bony anatomy landmarks on the digitally reconstructed radiographs were replaced by 3 radiopaque markers placed over the patient's skin tattoos. The temporal variation of the distances between these skin markers was analyzed, as were the surface imaging statistics. Results Discrepancies between surface imaging and x-ray imaging were more frequent for patients without breast implants and among reconstructed patients with large implants. One-quarter of studied patients exhibited calculated radiographic translations >3 mm during the last week of treatment. In most circumstances, applying radiographic corrections did not affect patient position, which remained within 3 mm/2° robustness tolerances. One patient's implant shifted following computed tomography planning; this shift would not have been detected without x-ray imaging. Conclusion Initial and weekly x-ray acquisition combined with daily surface imaging seems adequate both for routine PMRT positioning and to monitor potential changes in the treatment area. The limits of the surface imaging system, however, need to be better specified among patients without breast implants or in those with large implant reconstructions.
Aroyl Isocyanates as 1,4-Dipoles in a Formal [4 + 1]-Cycloaddition Approach toward Oxazolone Construction

A formal phosphine-mediated [4 + 1]-cycloaddition between a 1,2-dicarbonyl and an aroyl isocyanate to provide oxazolones bearing a disubstituted C5 center is described. By exploiting the carbene-like reactivity of oxyphosphonium enolates as C1 synthons and aroyl isocyanates as formal 1,4-dipoles, oxazolones and spiroooxindole oxazolones are constructed in high yields (39–99%).
Finite element analysis of thermoplastic polymer extrusion 3D printed material for mechanical property prediction

Abstract A space frame lattice and shell finite element model was created to predict the linearly elastic response of test coupons made with a modified polyetherimide (PEI) material. This approach was employed because it provides an efficient procedure to design and optimize 3D printed parts. The modeled coupons were 3D printed by extrusion of molten thermoplastic polymer. The finite element model was verified by comparing the predicted values of elastic modulus, shear modulus, and Poisson’s ratio in two material directions with the corresponding values obtained from quasi-static mechanical experiments. The values obtained for the moduli and the Poisson’s ratios from the finite element model matched closely with those obtained from the experiments.
On the Development of a Time Domain Method for Caa “The Successes and Failures”

A summary of the successes and failures encountered in developing a time domain steady state numerical method for aeroacoustics in two space dimensions is presented. The equations and boundary conditions governing nonlinear acoustic disturbances propagating through a viscous compressible internal steady flow field are presented. These equations and boundary conditions are evolved to a steady state on a supercomputer using an unsplit MacCormack method. The capabilities of the method are demonstrated by presenting solutions to several linear and nonlinear problems for which the expected trends were known. Results calculated from the method are shown to be superior to those obtained using direct numerical simulation. Also included is the development of a new strategy for evolving acoustic systems to a steady state. This strategy is shown to be very effective in eliminating transient acoustic waves. Failure to obtain the expected steady state solution was observed to occur only in cases where the boundary conditions were inadequate.
Highlights of the Conference

As we come to the end of this fascinating conference on gravitation, we are reminded how close this historic city lies, geographically as well as spiritually, to the founders of our subject. On the town wall itself, even if perhaps in not quite the right place, we read an inscription which is certainly right in spirit, “Da questa torre Galileo molta via de cieli svelo”. Only a few miles from here at Selasca on Lake Maggiore on July 20, 1866 Bernhard Riemann died at age 39, devoting his last days to a unified theory of gravity and electromagnetism and, as an independent enterprise, giving us that system of numbers for characterizing multiply-connected topologies which is named after Betti, but identified with the symbol, Rn, that honours Riemann. He inspired Einstein, that founder of our subject, who tells us in his own words, “Only the genius of Riemann, solitary and uncomprehended, had already won its way by the middle of the last century to a new conception of space, in which space was deprived of its rigidity, and in which its power to take part in physical events was recognized as possible.” And it is not far from Padova to Bern where Einstein gave us, in 1905, special relativity, an event celebrated in the same place fifty years later by the first of these conferences, initiated — along with our organization — by the statesmanship of Andre Mercier.
The Mind’s Construction: An Introduction to Mindreading in Shakespeare

Helms presents cognitive theories of mindreading as a set of tools with which literary critics can analyze Shakespeare’s characters. Mindreading is the human ability to attribute mental states to others: emotions, beliefs, and plans of action. Beginning with “the art to find the mind’s construction in the face” from Macbeth, Helms tracks inference and imagination in Shakespeare, using the language of mindreading to analyze moments of misreading. Shakespeare manipulates these mechanics of misreading to cultivate an early modern audience for his plays, an audience that can track the fictional minds of his character and that continues to contemplate the moral ramifications of such characters even after leaving the playhouse. Misreading fuels Shakespeare’s popular appeal and the enduring effect his works have had upon modern and early modern culture.
Assessment of technician barcode scanning verification compared to pharmacist verification

Purpose This study aims to show the feasibility and sustainability of technician barcode scanning verification as an alternative to pharmacist visual verification of first dose medications in an acute care setting. Methods A two-phase, noninferiority, single-center study was conducted to compare the accuracy of technician barcode scanning verification to pharmacist visual verification of pre-packaged first dose medications within a large acute care medical center. In phase 1, a pharmacy technician utilized barcode scanning as a means of verification. These preparations were then re-verified for accuracy by pharmacist visual verification. In phase 2, the verification order was reversed, starting with pharmacist visual verification of first doses, which were subsequently re-verified by a technician utilizing barcode scanning. Accuracy and efficiency (first dose processing time) of each phase was analyzed via error logs and retrospective dose tracking. Results A total of 12,328 first dose preparations were included in the analysis and showed no difference between technician barcode scanning verification and pharmacist visual verification. Retrospective time study showed a 4-minute decrease in processing time when doses were verified by technician barcode scanning. Based on initial study outcomes, a variance was granted to pilot first dose tech-check-tech by the Wisconsin State Board of Pharmacy. Conclusion This study determined that there is no difference in verification accuracy between technician barcode scanning verification and pharmacist visual verification of first doses in an acute care setting. Through leveraging technology and skill mix, Froedtert Hospital was able to provide the same level of patient safety while decreasing pharmacy processing time, developing our technician workforce, and reallocating pharmacist staff from distributive roles in central pharmacy to decentralized clinical activities.
Formal Verification through Combinatorial Topology: the CAS-Extended Model

Wait-freedom guarantees that all processes complete their operations in a finite number of steps regardless of the delay of any process. Combinatorial topology has been proposed in the literature as a formal verification technique to prove the wait-free computability of decision tasks. Wait-freedom is proved through the properties of a static topological structure that expresses all possible combinations of execution paths of the protocol solving the decision task. The practical application of combinatorial topology as a formal verification technique is limited because the existing theory only considers protocols in which the manner of communication between processes is through read-write memory. This research proposes an extension to the existing theory, called the CAS-extended model. The extended theory includes Compare-And-Swap (CAS) and Load-Linked/Store-Conditional (LL/SC) which are atomic primitives used to achieve wait-freedom in state-of-the-art protocols. The CAS-extended model theory can be used to formally verify wait-free algorithms used in practice, such as concurrent data structures. We present new definitions detailing the construction of a protocol complex in the CAS-extended model. As a proof-of-concept, we formally verify a wait-free queue with three processes using the CAS-extended combinatorial topology.
FPTAS for Minimizing Earth Mover’s Distance under Rigid Transformations

In this paper, we consider the problem (denoted as EMDRT) of minimizing the earth mover’s distance between two sets of weighted points A and B in a fixed dimensional ℝ d space under rigid transformation. EMDRT is an important problem in both theory and applications and has received considerable attentions in recent years. In this paper, we present the first FPTAS algorithm for EMDRT. Our algorithm runs roughly in O((nm) d + 2(lognm)2d ) time which matches the order of magnitude of the degree of a lower bound for any PTAS of this problem, where n and m are the sizes of A and B, respectively. Our result is based on several new techniques, such as the Sequential Orthogonal Decomposition (SOD) and Optimum Guided Base (OGB). Our technique can also be extended to several related problems, such as the alignment problem, and achieves FPTAS for each of them.
Jürgen Habermas (1929–): The Importance of Higher Education for Democracy

Jurgen Habermas is the contemporary embodiment of the critical theory tradition of the Frankfurt School and has had an impact on social and political theory for over 50 years. He works to make sense of democracy and its unfinished possibilities. In a neoliberal economy that valorises the market, he articulates how reason can transcend the reductionist vision of economic priorities. He imagines new possibilities for universities that underline their critical role in the life of a nation and the idea that higher education is a public good. This chapter identifies his key main ideas: the demise of the public sphere; the capacity of civil society to be a location for de-colonising the lifeworld and the learning potential associated with the theory of communicative action and discursive democracy. The implications of these for teaching and learning in higher education and in universities are identified.
Effect of Cage Type on Short-Term Radiographic Outcomes in Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion.

Background The effect of expandable versus static cage type on radiographic outcomes in transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) has not been well studied in the literature. We studied the effect of 3 cage types on change in foraminal height (FH), disk height (DH), subsidence, and segmental lordosis (SL). Methods We conducted a retrospective review of patients who underwent TLIF in a single institution from 2014 to 2019. The following 3 cage types were identified: banana cage, bullet, and expandable cage. Computed tomography (CT) scans of the lumbar spine or lumbar radiographs (when CT scan was not available) with 6-week follow-up time were used for radiographic assessment. Results One hundred patients with 133 fused segments were identified. The average age was 60.9 years, and 40% were men. A banana cage was used in 19 segments (14.3%), a bullet cage was used in 47 (35.4%), and an expandable cage was used in 67 segments (50.4%). There were no significant differences in FH (average increase, 0.7 mm; P = 0.771), subsidence (average, 2.3 mm; P = 0.554), DH (average decrease, 1.0 mm; P = 0.769), or clinically significant subsidence (>4 mm; P = 0.174). Expandable cages demonstrated a positive 1.2° gain in SL, whereas both other cages demonstrated a decrease in SL on average (P = 0.05). This result held up on multivariate analysis (P = 0.031). Conclusions The average increase in the foraminal height in TLIF is small (0.7 mm) and is not different between the cage types; therefore, direct decompression is crucially important in this procedure. Although TLIF is often considered to be a kyphotic procedure, an expandable cage demonstrated superiority in terms of segmental lordosis improvement.
Risk and Return in International Retailing

Entry method strategies and operational control strategies are explored, considering the latter strategy independently of the former, isolating its unique risks. These risks are quantified in a small sample with analysis of how the same methodology could be employed in future research.
Multiscale Feedback Loops in SARS-CoV-2 Viral Evolution.

COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The viral genome is considered to be relatively stable and the mutations that have been observed and reported thus far are mainly focused on the coding region. This article provides evidence that macrolevel pandemic dynamics, such as social distancing, modulate the genomic evolution of SARS-CoV-2. This view complements the prevalent paradigm that microlevel observables control macrolevel parameters such as death rates and infection patterns. First, we observe differences in mutational signals for geospatially separated populations such as the prevalence of A23404G in CA versus NY and WA. We show that the feedback between macrolevel dynamics and the viral population can be captured employing a transfer entropy framework. Second, we observe complex interactions within mutational clades. Namely, when C14408T first appeared in the viral population, the frequency of A23404G spiked in the subsequent week. Third, we identify a noncoding mutation, G29540A, within the segment between the coding gene of the N protein and the ORF10 gene, which is largely confined to NY ([Formula: see text]95%). These observations indicate that macrolevel sociobehavioral measures have an impact on the viral genomics and may be useful for the dashboard-like tracking of its evolution. Finally, despite the fact that SARS-CoV-2 is a genetically robust organism, our findings suggest that we are dealing with a high degree of adaptability. Owing to its ample spread, mutations of unusual form are observed and a high complexity of mutational interaction is exhibited.
Temporal data mining in nuclear site monitoring and in situ decommissioning

Abstract Temporal data mining (TDM) is an active and rapidly evolving area in big data science. Is it possible to borrow the concepts and algorithms of TDM and apply them to nuclear site monitoring and in situ decommissioning (ISD) research? Since all the data collected from the nuclear-decommissioning sites are time-specific, age-specific, and development stage–specific, they are ideal for TDM analysis to validate system performance and reveal unknown patterns of material failure, liquid leaking, and radiation field changing. Savannah River National Laboratory has established an ISD Sensor Network Test Bed—a unique, small-scale, and configurable environment—for the assessment of prospective sensors on actual ISD system at minimal cost. This chapter analyzed the baseline data collected by ISD test bed in recent years with the assistant of TDM algorithms/codes to find out frequency episodes in the event stream. The results have confirmed that TDM techniques and corresponding codes are effective tools to validate ISD performance, and the frequent episodes found in the data stream not only showed the daily cycle of the sensor responses but also established the response sequences of different types of sensors, which was verified by the actual experimental setup. Some abnormal patterns may have the potential for prediction of system failures.
The Women's Fight: The Civil War's Battles for Home, Freedom, and Nation

Review of: The Women's Fight: The Civil War's Battles for Home, Freedom, and Nation, Thavolia Glymph
Pattern discovery, validation, and online experiments: a methodology for discovering television shows for public health announcements.

OBJECTIVE Public Health Announcements (PHAs) on television are a means of raising awareness about risk behaviors and chronic conditions. PHAs' scarce airtime puts stress on their target audience reach. We seek to help health campaigns select television shows for their PHAs about smoking, binge drinking, drug overdose, obesity, diabetes, STDs, and other conditions using available statistics. MATERIALS AND METHODS Using Nielsen's TV viewership database for the entire US panel, we presented a novel show discovery methodology for PHAs that combined (i) pattern discovery from high-dimensional data (ii) nonparametric tests for validation, and (iii) online experiments on Facebook. RESULTS The nonparametric tests verified the robustness of the discovered associations between the popularity of certain shows and health conditions. Findings from fifty (independent) online experiments (where our awareness messages were seen by nearly 1.5 million American adults) empirically demonstrated the value of the methodology. DISCUSSION For 2016, the methodology identified several shows whose popularities were genuinely associated with certain health conditions, opening up the possibility of health agencies embracing both big data and large-scale experimentation to address an old problem in a new way. CONCLUSION Policy makers can repeatedly apply the methodology as new data streams in, with perhaps different feature sets, pattern discovery techniques, and online experiments running over longer periods. The comparatively lower initial investment in the methodology can pay off by identifying several shows for a potentially national television campaign. As simply a by-product, the initial investment also results in awareness messages that might reach millions of individuals.
Health Equity and Medicaid Transformation - Operationalizing President Biden's Agenda.

Health Equity and Medicaid Transformation President Biden has made reforms intended to “protect and strengthen Medicaid” a centerpiece of his health policy agenda. Given Medicaid’s size and complex...
Properties of Numbers and Inequalities

Supposing that by the property of inequality that 1 ≤ 1 it can be shown by the inequality theory that inequality is equal which means 1 = 1 which means 1 ≤ 1 one is equal one, one is greater than lesser than. The inequality 2 + 2 ≥ 2 which means that the number is equal to 2. I will go into the properties of numbers and absolute values from here onwards.
In Situ Surface-Directed Assembly of 2D Metal Nanoplatelets for Drug-Free Treatment of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria

The development of antibiotic resistance among bacterial strains is a major global public health concern. To address this, drug-free antibacterial approaches are needed. High-touch surfaces in particular can serve as a means for the spread of bacteria and other pathogens from one infected person to another. Copper surfaces have long been known for their antibacterial properties. To further enhance the surface9s antibacterial properties, we used a one-step surface modification technique to assemble 2D copper chloride nanoplatelets directly onto copper surfaces such as copper tape, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) grids, electrodes, and granules. The nanoplatelets were formed using copper ions from the copper surfaces, enabling their direct assembly onto these surfaces in a one-step process that does not require separate nanoparticle synthesis. The synthesis of the nanoplatelets was confirmed with TEM, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Antibacterial properties of the surfaces with copper chloride nanoplatelets were demonstrated in multi-drug-resistant (MDR) E. coli. The presence of copper chloride nanoplatelets on the surface led to a marked improvement in antibacterial properties compared to the untreated copper surfaces. Surfaces with copper chloride nanoplatelets affected bacterial cell morphology, prevented bacterial cell division, reduced their viability, damaged bacterial deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), and altered protein expression. In particular, proteins corresponding to cell division, DNA division, and mediation of copper toxicity were down-regulated. This work presents a robust method to directly assemble copper chloride nanoplatelets onto any copper surface to imbue it with improved antibacterial properties. To demonstrate that our method of particle generation can be used with other metal surfaces, we also demonstrate the synthesis of other metal-derived nanoarchitectures on a variety of metal surfaces.
Can we use anti-predator behavior theory to predict wildlife responses to high-speed vehicles?

Animals seem to rely on antipredator behavior to avoid vehicle collisions. There is an extensive body of antipredator behavior theory that have been used to predict the distance/time animals should escape from predators. These models have also been used to guide empirical research on escape behavior from vehicles. However, little is known as to whether antipredator behavior models are appropriate to apply to an approaching high-speed vehicle. We addressed this gap by (a) providing an overview of the main hypothesis and predictions of different antipredator behavior models via a literature review, (b) exploring whether these models can generate quantitative predictions on escape distance when parameterized with empirical data from the literature, and (c) evaluating their sensitivity to vehicle approach speed via a simulation approach where we assessed model performance based on changes in effect size with variations in the slope of the flight initiation distance (FID) vs. approach speed relationship. We used literature on birds for goals (b) and (c). We considered the following eight models: the economic escape model, Blumstein9s economic escape model, the optimal escape model, the perceptual limit hypothesis, the visual cue model, the flush early and avoid the rush (FEAR) hypothesis, the looming stimulus hypothesis, and the Bayesian model of escape behavior. We were able to generate quantitative predictions about escape distances with the last five models. However, we were only able to assess sensitivity to vehicle approach speed for the last three models. The FEAR hypothesis is most sensitive to high-speed vehicles when the species follows the spatial (FID remains constant as speed increases) and the temporal margin of safety (FID increases with an increase in speed) rules of escape. The looming stimulus effect hypothesis reached small to intermediate levels of sensitivity to high-speed vehicles when a species follows the delayed margin of safety (FID decreases with an increase in speed). The Bayesian optimal escape model reached intermediate levels of sensitivity to approach speed across all escape rules (spatial, temporal, delayed margins of safety) but only for larger (> 1 kg) species, but was not sensitive to speed for smaller species. Overall, no single antipredator behavior model could characterize all different types of escape responses relative to vehicle approach speed but some models showed some levels of sensitivity for certain rules of escape. We derive some applied applications of our finding by suggesting the estimation of critical vehicle approach speeds for managing populations that are especially susceptible to road mortality. Overall, we recommend that new escape behavior models specifically tailored to high-speeds vehicles should be developed to better predict quantitatively the responses of animals to an increase in the frequency of cars, airplanes, drones, etc. they will be facing in the next decade.
Device-to-device relay assisted cellular networks with token-based incentives

We consider a device-to-device (D2D) relay-assisted cellular network where mobile transceivers that are owned by self-interested users are incentivized to relay each other's data using tokens, which they exchange electronically to “buy” and “sell” downlink relay services. We formulate the decision problem faced by each UE, namely, the problem of deciding whether or not to relay, as a Markov decision process (MDP). We propose a supervised learning algorithm that devices can deploy to learn their optimal relay policies online given their experienced network environment. Our simulation results show that, within the proposed token system, self-interested devices can achieve almost 15% higher throughput on average, and almost 40% higher throughput at the 90th percentile, than with only direct base-station-to-device communications. Additionally, we show that the token system performs best when the network contains neither too few nor too many tokens.
Hacia una psicología postmodernay postoccidental

La investigacion psicologica necesariamente procede sobre la base de supuestos sobre los cuales no hay fundamentos. Estos supuestos enmarcan tanto los problemas a resolver como los medios a traves de los cuales ellos son abordados. En terminos generales, la Psicologia del siglo veinte ha tenido como supuestos la racionalidad individual, el ordenamiento racional del universo y el lenguaje como vehiculo para reflejar el universo. Sin embargo, un amplio espectro de trabajos recientes ha cambiado la concepcion modernista en este campo. Los argumentos postmodernos trasladan el foco desde la racionalidad individual hacia las relaciones interpersonales, ven el universo como socialmente construido y entienden el lenguaje no como reflejo sino como accion en si misma. Se examinan las implicancias que ello tiene para la teoria psicologica, la metodologia y la accion social en las culturas.
The Tennessee Education Lottery Scholarship: A Reward for Past Achievement or Motivator for Future Performance?

The Tennessee lottery scholarship (TELS) program is intended to make college more affordable for young people in Tennessee, with the aim of increasing higher education enrollment and retention rates. One way to evaluate the effectiveness of TELS is to determine to what extent did the scholarship change student behavior? That is, does TELS induce desirable behavior that would not otherwise occur? Using a logit model to predict year-over-year college retention, we conclude that TELS has a positive, but small, effect on student behavior in Tennessee. The biggest impact of TELS occurs among continuing students, with no effect for first-time students.
The tour operator industry: An analysis

Abstract This paper analyzes the function and structure of the domestic tour operator industry which represents a large part of domestic tourism. The tour operator industry in the United States is polarized into a few large stable and many small less stable firms. Entry into and exit from the industry is easy, and the paper shows that from 1978 to 1985 only 34 percent of the firms remained in the industry. The tour operator's main functions are primarily to reduce information and transaction costs for the consumer and to reduce promotional expenditures for suppliers. The second part of the paper analyzes different types of package tours to the Hawaiian Islands and shows that basic package tours (accommodation and transportation only) provide a bigger discount to the consumer (15% than do inclusive tours (—3%). Suggestions are made as to how the industry may become more stable in the future.
The Complexity of Public Attitudes Toward Sex Crimes

AbstractPrevious research suggests that public opinion about crime is nuanced, as it has been found to vary greatly depending upon the type of questions asked and the amount of information provided. Few have similarly examined the complexity of public attitudes specifically about sex crimes. A survey was administered to a sample of U.S. residents utilizing the factorial survey method. The results suggest that specific details about the offense, offender, and victim had a significant effect on perceptions. The findings point to discrepancies between policy and public opinion, as well as to the importance of educating the public about the realities of sexual offending and victimization.
Asymmetry in voltage-dependent movements of isolated outer hair cells from the organ of Corti

The electrically induced movements of outer hair cells (OHC) were studied using the whole-cell voltage-clamp technique and video analysis. Cell shortening occurs during depolarization and elongation occurs during hyperpolarization from holding potentials near -70 mV. However, a marked asymmetry in response magnitude exists such that depolarization produces larger cell length changes than do comparable levels of hyperpolarization. The response is such that at normal resting potentials in vivo, displacements are about 2 nm/mV, but increase to about 15 nm/mV as the cell is depolarized. This mechanical rectification in the depolarizing direction manifests itself during symmetrical sinusoidal voltage stimulation as a "DC" reduction in cell length superimposed upon "AC" length changes. The observed OHC mechanical rectification may be involved in the reported production of "DC" basilar membrane displacements during suprathreshold acoustic stimulation (LePage, 1987). Estimates of the magnitude of OHC movements at acoustic threshold levels induced by receptor potentials in the high-frequency region of the cochlea indicate a disparity between basilar membrane and OHC movements on the order of 21 dB. Thus, it appears questionable whether OHC mechanical movements solely underlie the "active process" thought to be responsible for the high degree of neural tuning at sound pressures near 0 dB.
A bidirectional vibrotactile communication system: tactual display design and attainable data rates

A series of experiments with a bidirectional vibrotactile communication system examined the effectiveness with which a person can receive and react to vibratory stimuli applied to the skin. In order to design an effectual tactual display, vibratory patterns that varied in duration and shape were presented on the 6*24 vibrotactile array of the Optacon, a portable electronic reading aid for the blind. In determining the maximal set of unambiguously discriminable tactual patterns, the results of the first experiment indicate that higher resolution, a larger element size, and larger interelement spacing are desirable, yet potentially conflicting, characteristics for a tactual display. In the second experiment, a maximum data rate of approximately 10 b/s was attained through the tactual channel of the fingertip using vibratory stimulation. The results indicate that low-resolution tactual displays are just as effective in transmitting information as tactual displays with a larger number of elements. >
A domain decomposition method for concurrent coupling of multiscale models

SUMMARY Motivated by atomistic-to-continuum coupling, we consider a fine-scale problem defined on a small region embedded in a much larger coarse-scale domain and propose an efficient solution technique on the basis of the domain decomposition framework. Specifically, we develop a nonoverlapping Schwarz method with two important features: (i) the use of an efficient approximation of the Dirichlet-to-Neumann map for the interface conditions; and (ii) the utilization of the inherent scale separation in the solution. The paper includes a detailed formulation of the proposed interface condition, along with the illustration of its effectiveness by using simple but representative numerical experiments. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Dephosphorylation of tyrosine hydroxylase by brain protein phosphatases : a predominant role for type 2A

Abstract Extracts from rat corpus striatum, or striatal proteins resolved by chromatography on DE-52, were tested for protein phosphatase activity using tyrosine hydroxylase, phosphorylated by cAMP-dependent protein kinase, as substrate. The predominant dephosphorylating activity was independent of divalent cations and was inhibited by low concentrations (100 nM) of okadaic acid, defining the phosphatase as type 2A. Phosphatase type 2C (Mg 2+ and Mn 2+ stimulated) was evident in the presence of okadaic acid but at level of approximately 10% of type 2A activity. Phosphatase 2B (Ca 2+ and calmodulin dependent) mediated dephosphorylation of tyrosine hydroxylase was not apparent. The dephosphorylation of [ 32 P]-tyrosine hydroxylase was not modulated by tetrahydrobiopterin, ATP, or GTP. These results indicate that tyrosine hydroxylase which has been phosphorylated by cAMP dependent protein kinase is dephosphorylated predominately by phosphatase type 2A in brain, and the activity of this phosphatase is not modulated by pteridines or nucleotides.
Components of human intelligence

Abstract This article describes a ‘componential’ view of the nature of human intelligence. The article is divided into four main parts. The first part, an introduction, sets an historical and contemporary context in which the present proposals may be viewed. The second part presents a componential metatheory or framework, providing a description of the basic mechanisms that are proposed to constitute the human intellectual system. The third part provides theory derived from the componential point of view, and data collected to test the theory. The fourth part draws some general conclusions from the metatheory, theory, and data.
Thermal cycling treatments and microstructures for improved properties of Fe-0.12% C-0.5% Mn steels

Abstract A non-standard heat-treating process has been successfully applied for improving the mechanical properties of low carbon Fe-0.12% C-0.5% Mn steels. The process consists of alternate thermal cycling in the γ range and two phase ( α + γ ) range with intermediate quenching so as to produce a microduplex fine grained mixture of martensite and proeutectoid ferrite. Some retained austenite is also present. These structures were characterized using optical and transmission electron microscopy. The microduplex structures and the related tensile properties resulting from the heat treatment were compared with those after conventional and rapid heat treatment methods. The tensile properties of the microduplex structures are related to the volume fractions of ferrite and harder martensite phases as a composite, and the refined grain size. Considerable increases in strength are obtained which indicate potential applications of these heat treatments for strengthening steels e.g. in automobiles, thereby achieving weight reductions and fuel savings.
Radiation monitoring with CVD diamonds in BABAR

The BABAR experiment has been using two polycrystalline chemical-vapor-deposition (pCVD) diamonds for radiation monitoring for nearly 2 years. In July 2005, an additional 12 diamond based radiation sensors will be installed inside the BABAR detector. These diamonds will take over the function of 12 silicon PIN-diodes that are currently used in the radiation protection and monitoring system. We describe our highly successful experience with using pCVD diamond radiation sensors in a high energy physics experiment. We also detail our findings of persistent signal currents and magnetically suppressed erratic dark currents in pCVD diamond based radiation sensors.