cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Protein kinase C and clostridial neurotoxins affect discrete and related steps in the secretory pathway

1. The effects on catecholamine secretion of activation of protein kinase C and clostridial neurotoxins were examined in digitonin-permeabilized bovine adrenal chromaffin cells. 2. The enhancement by phorbol esters increased only the initial rate of secretion; later rates were unaffected. This enhancement was present over a wide range of Ca2+ concentrations and was elicited at 18 as well as at 27 degrees C. 3. Tetanus toxin inhibited both ATP-dependent and ATP-independent secretion, indicating that the tetanus toxin target is important during the final steps in the pathway. 4. Prior activation of protein kinase C by the phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoyl phorbol acetate rendered the primed state more sensitive to inhibition by tetanus toxin. The data indicate that a phosphorylated protein kinase C substrate is either identical to or closely associated with the tetanus toxin target protein at the final steps in the pathway. 5. The interaction between the effect of protein kinase activation and that of tetanus toxin suggests that protein kinase C activation does not stimulate a separate pathway of secretion but, rather, modulates the activity of the ongoing pathway. 6. The enhancement of secretion by protein kinase C is caused, at least in part, by a qualitative change in the characteristics of the primed state. This is indicated by the increased sensitivity of primed secretion to inhibition by tetanus toxin and a threefold increase in sensitivity of primed secretion to Ca2+. 7. Because activation of protein kinase C does not increase the later rates of secretion that are limited by ATP-dependent priming reactions, it is unlikely that enhancement of the maximal rate of secretion by TPA is due to an increased amount of the primed state. Instead, protein kinase C activation may increase the efficacy with which Ca2+ stimulates secretion at all Ca2+ concentrations.
Hints for the metallic phase in Rb4C60 under pressure

The alkali fulleride Rb4C60 was investigated by infrared spectroscopy under high pressure, to study the vibrational and electronic excitations. The material exhibits a bad metal behavior in the measured pressure range (0.8–8 GPa). With increasing pressure the Drude term in the far-infrared region increases, which signals an increasing metallic character. By following the optical excitations under pressure, we could attribute the underlying mechanism of the pressure-induced insulator-to-metal transition in Rb4C60 to the closing of the charge gap, and the nanoscale phase separation scenario discussed in the literature seems to be unlikely.
Intraperitoneal injection of a hairpin RNA-expressing plasmid targeting urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) receptor and uPA retards angiogenesis and inhibits intracranial tumor growth in nude mice.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic potential of using plasmid-expressed RNA interference (RNAi) targeting urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) receptor (uPAR) and uPA to treat human glioma. Experimental Design: In the present study, we have used plasmid-based RNAi to simultaneously down-regulate the expression of uPAR and uPA in SNB19 glioma cell lines and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)–overexpressing 4910 human glioma xenografts in vitro and in vivo , and evaluate the i.p. route for RNAi-expressing plasmid administered to target intracranial glioma. Results: Plasmid-mediated RNAi targeting uPAR and uPA did not induce OAS1 expression as seen from reverse transcription-PCR analysis. In 4910 EGFR-overexpressing cells, down-regulation of uPAR and uPA induced the down-regulation of EGFR and vascular endothelial growth factor and inhibited angiogenesis in both in vitro and in vivo angiogenic assays. In addition, invasion and migration were inhibited as indicated by in vitro spheroid cell migration, Matrigel invasion, and spheroid invasion assays. We did not observe OAS1 expression in mice with preestablished intracranial tumors, which were given i.p. injections of plasmid-expressing small interfering RNA–targeting uPAR and uPA. Furthermore, the small interfering RNA plasmid targeting uPAR and uPA caused regression of preestablished intracranial tumors when compared with the control mice. Conclusion: In conclusion, the plasmid-expressed RNAi targeting uPAR and uPA via the i.p. route has potential clinical applications for the treatment of glioma.
MR Neurography of Neuromas Related to Nerve Injury and Entrapment with Surgical Correlation

MR imaging of peripheral nerves has been described in relation to abnormalities such as nerve injury, entrapment, and neoplasm. Neuroma formation is a known response to peripheral nerve injury, and here we correlate the MRN appearance of postinjury neuroma formation with intraoperative findings. We also present the MR imaging features of surgical treatment with a synthetic nerve tube and nerve wrap on postoperative follow-up imaging.
Self-Regulation, Ego Depletion, and Motivation

Motivation is underappr eciated in self-r egulation theories (as is tr ue in social personality psychology at large). This paper reviews the role of motivation in the context of the strength, or limited-resource, model of self-control in several domains. Sacrificing one desire in order to pursue another is more difficult when the incipient response is strongly motivated, a notion that highlights the struggle between urges and restraints. A reduction in ego resources can be temporarily overcome by strong motivation – nevertheless, ego depletion is not solely a loss of motivation: Recent experiments indicate that regulatory resources are rooted in physical energy stores. Motivational conflicts, especially the clash between selfish motives and behaviors that promote social acceptance, set the stage for the necessity of self-regulation and the circumstances in which ego depletion is most likely. Self-regulation is the self ’s capacity for altering its behaviors. It greatly increases the flexibility and adaptability of human behavior, enabling people to adjust their actions to a remarkably broad range of social and situational demands. It is an important basis for the popular conception of free will and for socially desirable behavior. It provides benefits to the individual and to society, and indeed good self-control seems to contribute to a great many desirable outcomes, including task performance, school and work success, popularity, mental health and adjustment, and good interpersonal relationships (Baumeister, Heatherton, & Tice, 1994; Duckworth & Seligman, 2005; Mischel, Shoda, & P eake, 1988; Shoda, Mischel, & P eake, 1990; Tangney, Baumeister, & Boone, 2004;Wolfe & Johnson, 1995). Motivation is underappreciated in psychology generally, no doubt partly because the cognitive revolution of recent decades has induced the majority of r esearchers to think in co gnitive rather than motivational terms. Motivation’s role in self-regulation has been similarly underestimated. This article seeks to remedy that deficiency. It will examine the multiple ways that motivation is relevant to self-regulation. The relevance to self-regulation spans a wide range, from the confluence of motivation and self-regulation (as in the motivation to engage in self-regulation) to their conflict (as when self-regulation is used to restrain motivation).
Bounds for solutions of ordinary differential equations

Abstract : Most of the known explicit bounds, as well as criteria for global existence and boundedness, can be obtained from comparison theorems, together with a detailed analysis of the resulting first order differential equations. The same approach also yields information on the approach of a solution to a limit. The bounds given are sometimes difficult or impossible to calculate explicitly, but it is possible to give slightly weaker bounds, which are more easily calculated. The main conclusion to be drawn is that the comparison method provides not only a powerful tool for obtaining bounds for solutions, but also a unified approach to many such problems. (Author)
Detecting and monitoring time-related abnormal events using a wireless sensor network and mobile robot

In this paper, we present an anomaly detection system that is able to detect time-related anomalies by using a wireless sensor network and a mobile robot. The sensor network uses an unsupervised fuzzy adaptive resonance theory (ART) neural network to learn and detect intruders in a previously unknown environment. Upon the detection of an intruder, a mobile robot travels to the position where the intruder is detected to investigate by using its camera. The wireless sensor network uses a hierarchical communication/learning structure, where the mobile robot is the root node of the tree. Our fuzzy ART network is based on Kulakov and Davcevpsilas implementation (Kulakov and Davcev, 2005). However, we enhance their work by extending the fuzzy ART neural network with a Markov model to learn a time series and detect time-related anomalies. Finally, a mobile robot is employed to verify whether the detected anomalies were caused by intruders. The proposed architecture is tested on physical hardware. Our results show that our enhanced detection system with mobile robot verification has a higher accuracy and lower false alarm rate than the original fuzzy ART system.
Variation in the Interleukin 4–Receptor α Gene Confers Susceptibility to Asthma and Atopy in Ethnically Diverse Populations

After a genomewide screen in the Hutterites was completed, the IL4RA gene was examined as the 16p-linked susceptibility locus for asthma and atopy. Seven known variants and one novel variant, representing all nonsynonymous substitutions in the mature protein, were examined in the Hutterites; on the basis of studies in the Hutterites, outbred white, black, and Hispanic families were genotyped for selected markers. All population samples showed evidence of association to atopy or to asthma (P values .039–.0044 for atopy and .029–.0000061 for asthma), but the alleles or haplotypes showing the strongest evidence differed between the groups. Overall, these data suggest that the IL4RA gene is an atopy- and asthma-susceptibility locus but that variation outside the coding region of the gene influences susceptibility.
Quadriceps weakness, patella alta, and structural features of patellofemoral osteoarthritis.

Objective To determine the relationship between quadriceps weakness and cartilage damage and bone marrow lesions (BMLs) in the patellofemoral joint (PFJ), and if this relationship is modified by patella alta.
Dual-Porosity Expanded Polytetrafluoroethylene Soft Tissue Implant A New Implant for Facial Soft Tissue Augmentation

Objective To illustrate problems observed with low-porosity expanded polytetrafluoroethylene soft tissue implants and to describe a new dual-porosity implant, the technique for insertion, and this author's preliminary experience. Method A review of 175 pieces of SoftForm (Collagen Corporation, Palo Alto, Calif) placed in 69 patients over 3 years was performed. Between October 1, 1997, and September 30, 2000, 106 Advanta implants (Atrium Medical Corporation, Hudson, NH) in 42 patients have been carried out. A new instrument for implant insertion and the procedure used is described herein. Results The low-porosity expanded polytetrafluoroethylene implants demonstrated a significant amount of problems with shrinkage and migration. Conclusions Preliminarily, the dual-porosity implants would appear to offer a lower incidence of these complications. They are subjectively softer to feel once in place. Insertion is quick and easy using the method described herein.
Toxin A of Clostridium difficile binds to the human carbohydrate antigens I, X, and Y.

Abstract Clostridium difficile causes pseudomembranous colitis in humans. The enterotoxin (i.e., toxin A) from this organism is believed to be responsible for the initial intestinal pathology associated with this disease. Previous work shows that this toxin binds to carbohydrates that contain Gal alpha 1-3Gal beta 1-4GlcNAc. However, this carbohydrate is not present on normal human cells. Therefore, this study was undertaken to identify potential receptors for toxin A that do exist on human intestinal epithelium. Using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, affinity chromatography, and altered migration in an electric field, we assayed the binding of toxin A to purified carbohydrates and glycoproteins. We found that toxin A bound to the carbohydrate antigens designated I, X, and Y. Each of these carbohydrates exist on the intestinal epithelium of humans.
Puntos de encuentro: peregrinación y sociedad quechua actual. Comentarios introductorios

The text is a mental journey to the festival of Lord of Qoyllurit’i and a presentation of the four papers on this event presented at the Latin American Studies Association (LASA) 2009 meeting that Anthropologica publishes in this section. It highlights the richness of contributions as they provide information, ideas, and new interpretations, and shows the strength and intensity of the experience that they evoke.
Stresserleben bei der Arbeit im Kulturvergleich

Stresserleben am Arbeitsplatz bezeichnet die Prozesse, durch die Mitarbeiter schadigende oder herausfordernde Anforderungen bei der Arbeit wahrnehmen, diese einschatzen und darauf reagieren (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984). Diese Definition basiert auf dem transaktionalen Stressmodell nach Lazarus und Folkman (1984) und unterscheidet zwei Elemente im Prozess der Stressentstehung: Zum einen den auslosenden Reiz, den sogenannten Stressor, zum anderen die Reaktion des Individuums, das Stresserleben (Jex, 1998).
Climate Change and US Agriculture: Opportunities for Conservation to Reduce and Mitigate Emissions and to Support Adaptation to Rapid Change

A rapidly changing climate can have profound consequences on agriculture and rural communities (Broecker 1975; Parry et al. 2007; Karl et al. 2009; National Research Council 2010; Hatfield et al. 2014; Melillo et al. 2014). Knowing how a changing climate will affect agricultural production and the quality of associated natural resources is essential to developing efficient and effective plans for resource allocation that minimize negative economic and sociological impacts (Hatfield et al. 2014). Although the rate and magnitude of climate change are not known with certainty, certain actions, especially those conducted on behalf of agricultural conservation, can serve to protect social welfare and the vitality of the environment. Because actions are undertaken today to address an uncertain future economic and environmental challenge, they constitute, in effect, insurance against the negative impacts of climate change. Agricultural conservation practices on managed lands provide many environmental and societal benefits, such as improved water quality, improved habitat for wildlife, and retention of water for attenuation of flood and drought risks, in addition to sustaining agricultural production. Protecting these benefits and maintaining the sustainability of agriculture under a rapidly changing climate involves a focus not just on agricultural production, but also the health and integrity…
Definitive Focal Therapy for Prostate Cancer Therapy: What’s It and Why Should(nt) We Offer It?

The incidentally diagnosed low-grade, low-volume localized cancer may not require immediate radical treatment, being suitable for active surveillance.
Automated infrasound signal detection algorithms implemented in MatSeis - Infra Tool.

MatSeis's infrasound analysis tool, Infra Tool, uses frequency slowness processing to deconstruct the array data into three outputs per processing step: correlation, azimuth and slowness. Until now, an experienced analyst trained to recognize a pattern observed in outputs from signal processing manually accomplished infrasound signal detection. Our goal was to automate the process of infrasound signal detection. The critical aspect of infrasound signal detection is to identify consecutive processing steps where the azimuth is constant (flat) while the time-lag correlation of the windowed waveform is above background value. These two statements describe the arrival of a correlated set of wavefronts at an array. The Hough Transform and Inverse Slope methods are used to determine the representative slope for a specified number of azimuth data points. The representative slope is then used in conjunction with associated correlation value and azimuth data variance to determine if and when an infrasound signal was detected. A format for an infrasound signal detection output file is also proposed. The detection output file will list the processed array element names, followed by detection characteristics for each method. Each detection is supplied with a listing of frequency slowness processing characteristics: human time (YYYY/MM/DD HH:MM:SS.SSS), epochal time, correlation, fstat, azimuth (deg) and trace velocity (km/s). As an example, a ground truth event was processed using the four-element DLIAR infrasound array located in New Mexico. The event is known as the Watusi chemical explosion, which occurred on 2002/09/28 at 21:25:17 with an explosive yield of 38,000 lb TNT equivalent. Knowing the source and array location, the array-to-event distance was computed to be approximately 890 km. This test determined the station-to-event azimuth (281.8 and 282.1 degrees) to within 1.6 and 1.4 degrees for the Inverse Slope and Hough Transform detection algorithms, respectively, and the detection window closely correlated to the theoretical stratospheric arrival time. Further testing will be required for tuning of detection threshold parameters for different types of infrasound events.
Co-culture of Hepatocytes and Kupffer Cells as an In Vitro Model of Inflammation and Drug-Induced Hepatotoxicity

Immune-mediated drug-induced hepatotoxicity is often unrecognized as a potential mode of action due to the lack of appropriate in vitro models. We have established an in vitro rat donor-matched hepatocyte and Kupffer cell co-culture (HKCC) model to study immune-related responses to drug exposure. Optimal cell culture conditions were identified for the maintenance of co-cultures based on cell longevity, monolayer integrity, and cytokine response after lipopolysaccharide (LPS) exposure. Hepatocyte monocultures and HKCCs were then used to test a subset of compounds associated with hepatotoxic effects with or without LPS. Cytokine levels and metabolic activity (cytochrome P450 3A [Cyp3A]) were measured after a 48-h exposure to monitor endotoxin-induced changes in acute phase and functional end points. LPS-activated HKCCs, but not hepatocyte monocultures, treated with trovafloxacin or acetaminophen, compounds associated with immune-mediated hepatotoxicity, showed LPS-dependent decreases in interleukin-6 production with concomitant increases in Cyp3A activity. Differential endotoxin- and model-dependent alterations were observed in cytokine profiles and Cyp3A activity levels that corresponded to specific compounds. These results indicate the utility of the HKCC model system to discern compound-specific effects that may lead to enhanced or mitigate hepatocellular injury due to innate or adaptive immune responses.
Indicators of Hydrologic Stress in Massachusetts

1 Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA, email: sara.brandt@tufts.edu, Tel: 617-627-3211 2 Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA, email: richard.vogel@tufts.edu , Tel: 617-627-4260 3 Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA, email: stacey.archfield@tufts.edu, Tel: 617-627-3211
Tuning Multiphase Amphiphilic Rods to Direct Self-Assembly

New methods to direct the self-assembly of particles are highly sought after for multiple applications, including photonics, electronics, and drug delivery. Most techniques, however, are limited to chemical patterning on spherical particles, limiting the range of possible structures. We developed a lithographic technique for fabrication of chemically anisotropic rod-like particles in which we can specify both the size and shape of particles and implement multiple diverse materials to control interfacial interactions. Multiphase rod-like particles, including amphiphilic diblock, triblock, and multiblock were fabricated in the same template mold having a tunable hydrophilic/hydrophobic ratio. Self-assembly of diblock or triblock rods at a water/oil interface led to the formation of bilayer or ribbon-like structures.
On Cost Sharing Mechanism of Vertical RJVs

For two-tier market structures included of one upstream monopolist and some downstream oligopolists,the impact of two cost-sharing mechanism based on output and profit changes upon RJVs size,the relationship of RJVs size,RD cost and RD performance are analysised.Some conclusions are acquired: the optimal RJVs size for upstream is larger than that of downstream.Under cost sharing mechanism based on output change,the optimal RJVs size for both upstream and downstream decrease with RD cost;under cost sharing mechanism based on profit change,the optimal RJVs size for upstream decrease with RD cost,but the optimal RJVs size for downstream increase with RD cost.
Basis adaptation for sparse nonlinear reinforcement learning

This paper presents a new approach to representation discovery in reinforcement learning (RL) using basis adaptation. We introduce a general framework for basis adaptation as nonlinear separable least-squares value function approximation based on finding Frechet gradients of an error function using variable projection functionals. We then present a scalable proximal gradient-based approach for basis adaptation using the recently proposed mirror-descent framework for RL. Unlike traditional temporal-difference (TD) methods for RL, mirror descent based RL methods undertake proximal gradient updates of weights in a dual space, which is linked together with the primal space using a Legendre transform involving the gradient of a strongly convex function. Mirror descent RL can be viewed as a proximal TD algorithm using Bregman divergence as the distance generating function. We present a new class of regularized proximal-gradient based TD methods, which combine feature selection through sparse L1 regularization and basis adaptation. Experimental results are provided to illustrate and validate the approach.
A Multi-Technique Source Localization Approach of “Tactile” Lasers in Peri-Personal Space

In an event-related potential (ERP) experiment, laser dots were either projected onto a table such that they appeared in a participant's peripheral field of view (FOV) or they were projected onto t...
The Tradition Renewed

The limit on all talk of obligation within Leviathan is such as to raise the question of whether Leviathan is an account of justice or of any moral practices at all. Or so I have argued. And I have noted how various commentators have in their different ways both noticed the limit and alluded to the question that I think it raises. But this is not at all to suggest that in their attempts to explain, justify or advocate what they take to be moral practices, moral and political philosophers have put aside the sort of account of justice or morality to be found in Leviathan. On the contrary, John Rawls’ influential A Theory of Justice is, I think, sufficient evidence that the conception of moral practices at the heart of Leviathan continues to play a central role in contemporary political and moral philosophy.1 Rawls himself might well balk at the suggestion that in many of its essentials his theory amounts to Leviathan in modern dress. But that is what I mean to suggest in the present chapter; for what I want ultimately to suggest is that the importance of the politicization of morality lies in the fact that it represents a constant tendency in moral and political philosophy, a tendency not limited to any particular time in the history of philosophy nor confined to any particular style of philosophizing.
Effects of deposition temperature on the electrical properties of Ti/SiC Schottky barrier diodes

Ti Schottky contacts were deposited on n-type 4H-SiC at different temperatures ranging from 28 oC to 900 oC using a magnetron sputtering deposition system to fabricate Schottky barrier diodes. Post deposition annealing at 500 oC for up to 60 hours in vacuum was carried to further improve the contact properties. Optimum barrier height of 1.13 eV and ideality factor of 1.04 was obtained in contacts deposited at 200 oC and annealed for 60 hours. Under a reverse voltage bias of 400 V, the average leakage current on these set of diodes was 6.6 x 10-8 A. Based on the x-ray diffraction analysis, TiC, Ti5Si3 and Ti3SiC2 were formed at the Ti/SiC interface. These results could be beneficial to improving the performance of 4H-SiC Schottky diodes for high power and high temperature applications.
Aggressive electrolyte poisons and multifunctional fluids comprised of diols and diamines for emergency shutdown of lithium-ion batteries

Abstract Electrolyte poisons comprised of diols and diamines are investigated for the intended function of exacerbating internal resistance in lithium-ion batteries upon short circuit failure, to quickly arrest uncontrolled joule heat generation in the earliest stages. The competing dynamics of powerful short circuit currents and electrolyte poisoning interactions are evaluated via simultaneous nail penetration and poison injection of LIR2450 format LiCoO2/graphite 120 mAh coin cells. To forcibly increase electrolyte impedance, diols serve to hinder charge-carrying ion mobility by raising solution viscosity, while diamines disrupt solvent permittivity by rapidly polymerizing the ethylene carbonate solvent. Diamines demonstrate great potency, and are suitable for integration into battery cells within chemically-inert, breakable containers, rigged for release upon mechanical activation. Mixtures of 1,2-ethanediol and 1,2-ethanediamine show synergistic poisoning effects, decreasing peak temperature accrued by 70% when introduced simultaneously upon nail penetration. With the innate presence and abundance of diols and diamines in electric vehicle heat exchangers, they may be employed for multifunctional applications.
Cancer Among Women Treated in the Veterans Affairs Healthcare System

Abstract Background: The Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare system is a high-volume provider of cancer care. Women are the fastest growing patient population using VA healthcare services. Quantifying the types of cancers diagnosed among women in the VA is a critical step toward identifying needed healthcare resources for women Veterans with cancer. Materials and Methods: We obtained data from the VA Central Cancer Registry for cancers newly diagnosed in calendar year 2010. Our analysis was limited to women diagnosed with invasive cancers (e.g., stages I-IV) between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2010, in the VA healthcare system. We evaluated frequency distributions of incident cancer diagnoses by primary anatomical site, race, and geographic region. For commonly occurring cancers, we reported distribution by stage. Results: We identified 1,330 women diagnosed with invasive cancer in the VA healthcare system in 2010. The most commonly diagnosed cancer among women Veterans was breast (30%), followed by ca...
Advanced Wire Bonding Technology: Materials, Methods, and Testing

Wire bonding is by far the most dominate form of first-level chip connection. Around 85 % of the world’s electronic product is wire bonded representing over 15 trillion wire bonds on an annual basis. This chapter focuses on the basic techniques of wire bonding along with the materials, structures, and methods which enable its implementation. The emphasis is placed on ball bonding (thermosonic bonding) using both copper and gold bonding wire. Discussion of bonding machine parameters and various wire bond test methods are presented. Basic wire bond experimental studies are presented in some detail for two major purposes: (1) to highlight some of the key results of the experiments, and (2) to serve as a model for other researchers to either emulate or use as a starting point in their own wire bond investigations. Materials are fundamental to the reliability of wire bonding and where possible the author explores the major materials and material systems in some detail. Overall the chapter provides a frame work for the basic understanding of wire bonding for people new to the field as well as enough detailed information for the advanced practitioner.
Narrow Peaks near η ′ ( 958 )

It is pointed out that recent evidence for sharp mesonic peaks near the ${\ensuremath{\eta}}^{\ensuremath{'}}(958)$ may lend support to a theory proposed some years back that the broken nonchiral $\mathrm{SU}(2)\ensuremath{\bigotimes}\mathrm{SU}(2)$ symmetry is relevant to classification of hadronic states.
China-Pakistan Economic Corridor: A Perspective from Pakistan

AbstractThe framework of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor CPEC envisions an intrinsic regional development goal. It promises connectivity across the length and breadth of the region and its periphe...
Bacterial communities in the digester bed and liquid effluent of a microflush composting toilet system

Lack of access to clean water and sanitation is a major factor impacting public health in communities worldwide. To address this, the S-Lab at Providence College and the Global Sustainable Aid Project developed a microflush composting toilet system to isolate and treat human waste. Solid waste is composted within a filter-digester bed via an aerobic process involving microbes and invertebrates. Liquid waste may be sanitized by solar disinfection (SODIS) or slow sand filtration (SSF). Here, we used 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing of samples from a scaled-down test version of the system to better understand the bacterial component of the toilet system. Immediately after fecal matter was deposited in the test system, the bacterial community of the filter-digester bed at the site of deposition resembled that of the human gut at both the phylum and genus level, which was expected. Genus-level analysis of filter-digester bed samples collected over the next 30 days from the site of deposition showed reduced or undetectable levels of fecal-associated taxa, with the exception of Clostridium XI, which persisted at low abundance throughout the sampling period. Starting with the sample collected on day 4, the bacterial community of the filter-digester bed at the site of deposition was dominated by bacterial taxa commonly associated with environmental sources, reflecting a major shift in bacterial community composition. These data support the toilet system's capacity for processing solid human waste. We also analyzed how SODIS and SSF sanitization methods affected the bacterial community composition of liquid effluent collected on day 15 from the test system. Untreated and treated liquid effluent samples were dominated by Proteobacteria. At the genus level, the bacterial community of the untreated effluent included taxa commonly associated with environmental sources. In the SODIS-treated effluent, these genera increased in abundance, whereas in the SSF-treated effluent, they were greatly reduced or undetectable. By analyzing operational taxonomic units that were unclassified at the genus level, we observed that SSF appears to introduce new taxa into the treated effluent, likely from the biological film of microbes and small animals that constitutes the key element of SSF. These data will inform continued development of liquid waste handling strategies for the toilet system. Using the test system as an indicator of the performance of the full-scale version, we have shown the effectiveness of the microflush composting toilet system for containing and eliminating gut-associated bacteria, thereby improving sanitation and contributing to better public health in rural and peri-urban communities.
Death and the Schools: A Psychological Plan of Action

Death comes more often to schools than we like to think. Whether it be the death of a grandparent, parent, sibling, schoolmate, friend, or teacher, it is virtually impossible for a school to go for...
Collecting design knowledge through voice notes

We introduce KnoCap, a tool that we are developing to collect design knowledge from conversations. It is well-known that design meetings create knowledge, not all of which is typically captured. KnoCap addresses this problem by relying on Echo buttons for designers to indicate when important knowledge is being talked about, so that that knowledge is captured as a voice note that can be played at a future time. In this paper, we motivate our work, present KnoCap's features, and discuss where we want to take KnoCap so it is not just useful in capturing knowledge, but also relaying it when so needed.
Menu Items with Maximum Quantities of Nutrients

This chapter lists the menu items with maximum quantities of nutrients, such as proteins, sugar, fat, saturated fat, polysaturated fat, cholesterol, sodium, vitamin A, vitamin C, thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B6, calcium, iron, zinc, potassium, and dietary fiber.
Situationism and Moral Responsibility: Free Will in Fragments

Many prominent accounts of free will and moral responsibility make use of the idea that agents can be responsive to reasons. Call such theories "Reasons" accounts. This chapter considers the tenability of Reasons accounts in light of situationist social psychology and, to a lesser extent, the automaticity literature. The first half of the chapter argues that Reasons accounts are genuinely threatened by results in contemporary psychology. The second half argues that these threats can largely be met, but that doing so requires abandoning a suite of familiar assumptions and expectations about responsible agency and Reasons accounts in particular. The chapter goes on to advance a new account of responsible agency that accommodates a variety of worries about situationism and automaticity.
Child Feelings of Safety in Residential Care: The Supporting Role of Adult-Child Relationships

ABSTRACTFor children in residential care, safety and supportive relationships, particularly with direct care staff, are critical to recovery, growth, and development. The association between childr...
A research strategy to ignite the science of outdoor recreation on public lands

To respond to changing demands for outdoor experiences on public lands, managers and researchers specializing in outdoor recreation and tourism are calling for a shift in the way we think about, study, and manage recreation. New and updated conceptual frameworks and management tools are needed to guide agency decision-makers as they face complex and dynamic outdoor recreation management challenges. This article introduces a research strategy that seeks to align management needs with actionable research on sustainable recreation and tourism. We describe eight Research Focus Areas (RFAs) proposed in the strategy. These RFAs were identified and developed through a collaborative process involving researchers and practitioners from government, academia, industry, and non-profit sectors. We emphasize the importance of interdisciplinary, interagency collaboration to solve modern challenges in outdoor recreation management from the site to landscape scale. Subscribe to JPRA
The Final Girl in the Red Dress: Ways of Moving in the Resident Evil Films

This chapter looks at the Resident Evil films, which according to Rybin perform a fascinating variation on the Final Girl trope in contemporary action-horror cinema. It shows how the character of Alice may be placed in the lineage of Final Girls initially identified by Carol J. Clover in her landmark work of feminist scholarship on the horror film. While Alice shares some traits with the earlier character types identified by Clover, such as courage and intelligence, the character also introduces intriguing modifications into the figure, including maturity and physical athleticism. The chapter also explores the relationship between the Final Girl trope and the concepts of narrative knowledge and cinematic space at play in the Resident Evil films.
Manual Based Treatments

Treatment manuals were first developed in the 1950s and quickly became an important tool, allowing for the objective and replicable definition of a given psychological approach. Manuals greatly enhanced the rigor of treatment research studies, and they also provided an effective way to communicate treatment strategies to clients and clinicians at large. There are now dozens of manuals available, representing a range of problem areas and theoretical approaches. Although manuals have many advantages when compared to unstructured treatments, they have faced criticism from some practitioners. Nevertheless, manuals will continue to play an important role in psychological treatment in the future.
Use of alpha interferon for the treatment of relapse of chronic myelogenous leukemia in chronic phase after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation

Eighteen patients with relapse of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) were treated with recombinant human alpha 2a interferon (IFN). Relapse was defined as greater than 90% metaphases containing the Philadelphia chromosome (Ph) and hematologic abnormalities consistent with chronic-phase (CP) CML. There were 11 males and seven females, with a median age of 38 years (range, 3 to 55). Three patients relapsed after second BMT. Only one patient had received T-cell-depleted marrow initially. The initial IFN dose of 3 x 10(6) U/m2/d was escalated to the maximum tolerated dose or to a maximum of 6 x 10(6) U/m2/d. IFN controlled the white blood cell (WBC) counts in 14 of 16 patients who had abnormal counts, and in all six patients with an elevated platelet count. Six patients (33%) have had a complete disappearance of the Ph and two have had a partial response (less than 35% Ph+ metaphases). One patient has a decrease in Ph+ metaphases after 9 months of IFN. Five patients had no significant cytogenetic response after 9 to 12 months, and four developed clinical accelerated phase or blast crisis after 3 to 6 months on therapy. Of four patients with a sex marker, the Ph- population was of donor origin in three and of host origin in one. Clonal cytogenetic abnormalities other than Ph were present in 13 patients and did not predict for lack of response to IFN. IFN is effective in suppressing the Ph clone in some patients who relapse with CML after allogeneic BMT and controls the blood counts in the majority.
Abstract P199: Sleep Health Varies By Immigration Status And Acculturation Level In Women: Results From The American Heart Association Go Red For Women Strategically Focused Research Network

Introduction: The Healthy Immigrant Effect refers to the phenomenon that recent immigrants are on average healthier than their native-born counterparts. Greater immigrant acculturation to the US ha...
Efficient Seed Volume Measurement Framework

Modern seed breeding programs require the ability to analyze seeds efficiently to be useful. Even simple measures such as volume and density can be challenging to compute efficiently with modest equipment. Accurately measuring seed volume becomes a highly under-constrained problem. Multiple images from different perspectives are required.This paper presents an efficient and affordable 3D single seed volume measurement system to extract image contours and compute volumes using a modified volume carving method in a controlled lab environment. The framework is constructed with a turntable, a stepper motor controlled by an Arduino microcontroller, three orthogonal cameras, and camera control via a modest computer used for data acquisition and processing. For testing, images are captured using only a side camera from different angles by rotating the turntable. Then, the framework processes the multiple images in parallel and reconstructs 3D seed objects to calculate the volume based on the voxel numbers. The proposed framework: (1) generates single seed 3D geometries for visualization, (2) calculates precise seed volumes within seconds, and (3) achieves less than a 3% error rate on a reference ceramic sphere.
African American Head Start Teachers’ Approaches to Police Play in the Era of Black Lives Matter:

Background:Scholars in the fields of early childhood education (ECE) and multicultural education have argued that preschools are key sites in which children learn about race and racism. However, th...
Rethinking attentional reset: Task sets determine the boundaries of adaptive control.

Adaptive control processes that minimise distraction often operate in a context-specific manner. For example, they may minimise distraction from irrelevant conversations during a lecture but not in...
"We need to bring them out from the shadows:" A qualitative study of safety net physician leaders' perspectives on caregivers.

Objective To explore physician leaders' perspectives on processes and priorities for engaging with caregivers in their clinical practices as well as within their safety net health systems. Methods We conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with primary care physicians in care management leadership at three California safety net health systems. Interviews explored physicians' experiences managing medically and socially complex patients with caregivers. Using thematic analysis, two qualitative researchers independently analyzed interview transcripts and established consensus with the broader research team through iterative input to derive major themes. Results Fifteen physicians completed interviews. Nine participants were women, 8 were White and 10 reported Spanish language proficiency. Participant interviews generated six major themes: challenges uncovering caregiver identities, recognizing variation in caregivers' roles, adapting visit communication strategies to include caregivers, engaging caregivers in patient care, and caring for the caregiver. Conclusions Engaging caregivers is challenging given the limited recognition of caregiver involvement in patient care by health systems. Adapting visit communication to include caregivers requires bridging language and literacy barriers. Practice implications Developing mechanisms to enable the consistent identification of patients' caregivers, facilitate ongoing communication with caregivers, and extend support for them could improve outcomes for vulnerable patients and their families.
Aji and Goldenfeld Reply

This is a response to the comment by J. Lidmar on our work in Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 197003 (2001), cond-mat/0105622. We show explicitly that, contrary to the statements in the comment, our scaling analysis correctly reproduces the Josephson scaling relation and other known theoretical results, and explains the surprising results of dynamic Monte Carlo simulations in 3D for the vortex loop model. Our explanation, being based on identifying the correct relationship between real and Monte Carlo time, is not relevant for static Monte Carlo simulations, whose results do not need correction.
Hemodynamics of mitral insufficiency

Abstract A review of the characteristic changes in specific hemodynamic measurements attributable to mitral regurgitation introduces the presentation of clinical and experimental data which establish some major changes to be expected after mechanical correction of this lesion in animals and in patients. The effects of surgical repair of mitral insufficiency are evident in a reversal of nearly all observed parameters. The possible usefulness of analysis of transvalvular gradients as an index of the degree of regurgitation is suggested. Significant changes in the phases of the cardiac cycle and in measurements of “phasic flowgram” areas are presented and discussed with regard to their implications in explaining cardiac compensatory mechanisms in this disease. A method for estimating ventricular volume using serially recorded dye dilution curves is presented and its deficiencies are discussed. The possible significance of these measurements in relation to myocardial work is discussed. The significance of failure of end-diastolic pressure to fall and ventricular volume to decrease in some instances is discussed in connection with the elastic, properties of the ventricular myocardium. The following conclusions arc suggested: 1. (1) Mechanical correction of mitral regurgitation reverses nearly all the known changes in hemodynamic parameters. 2. (2) The major compensatory factor in mitral insufficiency is left ventricular dilatation. Improved ventricular contraction by virtue of dilatation seems unlikely. Ability of the myocardium to continue to function depends on its tolerance to distension without decrease in contractility. 3. (3) Mitral regurgitation results in a decrease of the useful work of the heart in the late stage of the disease. 4. (4) When overdilatation has gone beyond certain limits, dependent on inflammatory or mechanical damage to myocardial tissue, correction of the valvular lesion may aggravate the myocardial dysfunction by imposing an increased work load on the muscle. 5. (5) The evidence presented suggests that only by the selection of surgical candidates prior to the onset of irreversible (myocardial overdilatation) stages will lasting benefit be obtained from surgical corrective measures.
Principles of Electrocautery-Based Techniques

This discussion will focus on the technical aspects of electrosurgical techniques used in the surgical treatment of BPH. The core principle of electrosurgery is the application of electrical current to tissue results in heating of the tissue and desired effects on the tissue. The given effect on the tissue largely depends on the rate of temperature rise in tissue, which can be controlled by adjusting the settings of the electrosurgical generator. Tissue effects include cutting, coagulation, vaporization, desiccation, and fulguration. Monopolar techniques require a large dispersive pad located on the patient, while bipolar techniques feature both active and return electrodes built into the resectoscope. Bipolar resection can be carried out in a saline medium, which for all practical purposes removes the risks of TUR syndrome and dilutional hyponatremia observed with monopolar TURP.
Winning coalitions for climate policy

The gap is wide between the implications of climate science and the achievements of climate policy. Natural sciences tell us with increasing certainty that climate change is real, dangerous, and solvable; social sciences report that key constituencies largely support action. But current and planned policy remains weak and will allow a long-term increase in temperature of 3.6°C ( 1 ). How can we address the gap between science and policy? From the political successes of climate policy leaders, we identify key strategies for building winning coalitions for decarbonization of domestic economies. Green industrial policy provides direct incentives for growth of green industries, which builds political support for carbon regulation.
Digital background auto-calibration of DAC non-linearity in pipelined ADCs

In this paper, a digital background auto-calibration method that computes mismatch between the elements of the inter-stage multiplying-digital-to-analog converter (MDAC) as commonly employed in pipelined analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) and then applies a linearizing algorithm in the digital domain is described. The calibration does not interrupt the normal operation of the ADC and is performed periodically, thus inherently able to track changes in the operating conditions of the device, a major limitation of the one-time calibration approaches. This scheme requires an extra MDAC element and a reference element. The MDAC mismatch is digitized by the succeeding stages of the pipeline and subsequently digitally extracted. The accuracy of the calibration algorithm depends on the number of clock periods used for each calibration session. Longer sessions lead to better accuracy with the trade-off being additional digital circuitry. System simulation results demonstrative validity of the approach.