cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Discrimination between human T and B lymphocytes and monocytes by computer analysis of digitized data from scanning microphotometry. I. Chromatin distribution patterns

Digitized images of Feulgen-stained normal human B and T lymphocytes and monocytes were analyzed by computer and microphotometry. The algorithms assessed the chromatin distribution patterns. A substantial number of parameters descriptive of the chromatin distributions were found to show statistically highly significant differences between B and T cells and monocytes. Although the effects of a number of biologic variables, such as cell cycle phase and immune stimulation, need to be carefully evaluated, the preliminary results indicate potential for automatic classification and subclassification of human B and T lymphocytes in normal and disease states.
The Friends of Job and the Task of Biblical Theology

Biblical theology, like the friends of Job, has been devoted to the task of justifying the ways of God to humanity. We should learn from the book of Job that God does not need or appreciate such ju...
Screening and prevention of ovarian cancer

Use of oral contraceptive pills (OCPs) has been associated with a significant reduction in the risk of ovarian cancer.
Becoming God: Cycles of Rebirth and Resurrection in Their Eyes Were Watching God

This paper reexamines African-American writer and anthropologist Zora Neale Hurston’s presentation of the self in Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937), generally considered one of the most important African-American novels of the twentieth century. Originally criticized by Hurston’s contemporaries as a retrograde folk portrait of African-American life, Their Eyes presents the oral narrative of Hurston’s protagonist, Janie, a woman surrounded by natural and social cycles. Building on the novel’s allusive title and the convergent Biblical and folkloric frameworks of the work, I trace the evolving concept of “God” throughout the novel as external forces continually shape and reshape Janie’s world for her, questioning whether she can retain any individual agency navigating through these cyclical, predetermined pathways. The redefined vision of the individual that emerges from this reading counters the criticism of Hurston’s contemporaries, as Janie herself assumes the role of “God” at the novel’s conclusion and gains the power to create her own cycles, free from external control. I thus argue that the novel transcends its supposed function as a depiction of the African-American self to make a broader, humanistic claim for the power of the individual, not contingent on social distinctions.
Calliope: a portable stage for co-creative storytelling

In this paper, we introduce Calliope, a portable paper-based platform for interactive story making that allows physical editing of shared digital media at a distance. The system is composed of a network of creation stations that seamlessly blend analog and digital media and documents the creative process with no need to interact directly with a computer. The system enables the use of any object to be used as material for creation. This offers opportunities of collaboration to peers who's expertise might not be in the same medium.
The music of war: Seven World War 1 composers and their experience of combat

The effect of World War 1 military service on composers has been neglected in comparison with poets and artists. This article describes the wartime service of Arthur Bliss, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Ivor Gurney, EJ Moeran, Gordon Jacob, Patrick Hadley, and Maurice Ravel. The relationship between experiences of combat and the psychological health of these men is examined, with consideration being given to predisposition and possible causative influences of military service on their later careers, examined from individual and societal perspectives.
Nuclear receptors outside the nucleus: extranuclear signalling by steroid receptors

Steroid hormone receptors mediate numerous crucial biological processes and are classically thought to function as transcriptional regulators in the nucleus. However, it has been known for more than 50 years that steroids evoke rapid responses in many organs that cannot be explained by gene regulation. Mounting evidence indicates that most steroid receptors in fact exist in extranuclear cellular pools, including at the plasma membrane. This latter pool, when engaged by a steroid ligand, rapidly activates signals that affect various aspects of cellular biology. Research into the mechanisms of signalling instigated by extranuclear steroid receptor pools and how this extranuclear signalling is integrated with responses elicited by nuclear receptor pools provides novel understanding of steroid hormone signalling and its roles in health and disease.
Feedback Effect of Stock Prices on Fundamental Values: Price Manipulation and Herding with Rational Expectations

In this paper, we attribute a resource allocation role to stock prices. When informed investors possess private information important to a firm's investment decision, they need to transmit it to the firm manager. A natural way to achieve this is by trading in a way that allows the manager to infer their information. However, when their trading patterns affect firm investments, there is an incentive to generate the pattern the manager responds to. For instance, if managers respond favorably to a string of price increases, later investors have an incentive to manipulate prices by buying shares (after observing earlier investors buying) even with unfavorable information. In most models of rational expectations, such price manipulation results in trading losses and can be supported only by imposing market incompleteness or restricted participation. However, with a feedback effect, just giving investors positive inventory leads to potential herding as investors can recoup their trading loss through the value increase of their inventory. Also, price manipulation is value increasing since informed investors generate investment-affecting patterns only when the resulting investment is desirable. However, since prices are martingales, herding in trades does not translate into serial correlation of returns and momentum based profits.
Valve-Sparing Aortic Root Replacement in Pediatric Patients: Lessons Learned Over Two Decades

Valve-sparing aortic root replacement has been utilized in children with aneurysms of the proximal aorta as a valid alternative to composite mechanical or biologic prostheses. While the majority of pediatric patients with aortic root aneurysms have various forms of connective tissue disorders, other diagnostic groups have emerged, such as patients with various forms of congenital heart disease and non-syndromic thoracic aortic aneurysms. We present our experience with valve-sparing procedures in pediatric patients, highlighting the technical aspects of the operation as well as some of the pitfalls and complications we have encountered over the last two decades.
Measurement of Ion Diffusivity in Intervertebral Disc Using a Two-Point Electrical Conductivity Approach

The intervertebral disc (IVD) is an avascular structure, relying on diffusion for cellular nutrition. Therefore, understanding transport in IVD tissue is important for elucidating mechanisms and pathways of nutritional supply to the disc. Here, a new two-point electrical conductivity approach to measuring the diffusivity of ions in IVD tissues was developed. In order to test the reliability of this method, the Cl− ion diffusivity in bovine annulus fibrosus (AF) and nucleus pulposus (NP) tissues was determined. For AF, the Cl− ion diffusivity was measured as 7.56 ± 2.12 x 10− 10 m2/sec (n=15), while that in NP was 1.03 ± 0.16 x 10− 9 m2/sec (n=15). Results found here are in agreement with those in the literature for ion diffusion in IVD tissues, indicating this new method can reliably measure ion diffusivity in IVD tissues.
Induction of CFTR gene expression by 1,25(OH) 2 vitamin D 3 , 25OH vitamin D 3 , and vitamin D 3 in cultured human airway epithelial cells and in mouse airways.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene, which often leads to protein misfolding and no CFTR surface localization. This then leads to chronic airway infections, inflammation, and tissue damage. Although vitamin D has been explored as a therapy to treat CF due to its antimicrobial-inducing and anti-inflammatory properties, the effect of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1α,25(OH)2D3) on CFTR directly has not been studied. We treated cultured healthy and diseased bronchial epithelial cells (BEC) with 10nM 1α,25(OH)2D3 for 6 and 24h and found that 1α,25(OH)2D3 increases both mRNA and protein CFTR levels using RT-qPCR, flow cytometry and fluorescence immunohistochemistry. Treatment of CF cells with 10nM 1α,25(OH)2D3 led to an increase in both total and surface CFTR expression, suggesting 1α,25(OH)2D3 could be used to increase properly localized CFTR in airway cells. To determine if BEC could convert the more clinically relevant cholecalciferol to 25OHD3, cultured non-CF and CF BECs were treated with a range of cholecalciferol concentrations, and 25OHD3 levels were quantified by ELISA. We found that 25OHD3 levels increased in a concentration-dependent manner. Treatment of BEC with 10μM cholecalciferol led to increases in both CYP24A1 and CFTR mRNA levels, even when added to the apical surface of cells grown in an air-liquid interface, suggesting that topical administration of vitamin D could be used therapeutically. To demonstrate this in vivo, we intranasally delivered 1μM 1α,25(OH)2D3 into mice. After 6h, we observed induction of both Cyp24A1 and CFTR expression in the tracheas of treated mice. The major findings of this study are that vitamin D can be converted to the active form when topically administered to the airway, and this could be used to increase CFTR levels in patients with CF. This could potentially be useful as an adjunctive therapy, together with newly developed CF treatments.
Nausea and vomiting during high-dose interleukin-2 (HD IL-2) therapy.

e20661 Background: Nausea and vomiting (N/V) are two common side effects during HD IL-2 therapy. They may be severe enough to cause electrolyte imbalances or lead to missed doses, which may comprom...
Factors That Increase the Risk of Infection After Elbow Arthroscopy: Analysis of Patient Demographics, Medical Comorbidities, and Steroid Injections in 2,704 Medicare Patients.

Purpose To use a national database to determine (1) the incidence of joint infection after elbow arthroscopy, (2) identify independent patient-related risk factors for infection, and (3) determine the influence of concomitant intra-articular corticosteroid injection on infection risk. Methods The 100% Medicare Standard Analytic Files were queried to identify patients who underwent elbow arthroscopy from 2005 to 2012. Postoperative elbow infections occurring within 6 months of surgery were identified using both International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision codes for postoperative infection and Current Procedural Terminology codes for the surgical treatment of a postoperative infection. Patients were excluded if their initial arthroscopic procedure was performed for infection. A multivariate binomial logistic regression analysis was then used to evaluate patient-related risk factors for postoperative infection. Results Of the 2,704 elbow arthroscopy cases identified, 42 (1.55%) developed a postoperative infection. The annual incidence of infections did not increase significantly over the course of the study ( P = .374). A number of patient demographics and medical comorbidities significantly increased the risk of infection. The most notable factors included age ≥ 65 years (odds ratio [OR] 2.38, P = .006), body mass index > 40 (OR 1.97, P = .024), tobacco usage (OR 1.80, P = .046), alcohol usage (OR 4.01, P P = .015), inflammatory arthritis (OR 2.81, P P = .015), and intra-articular corticosteroid injection at the time of arthroscopy (OR 2.79, P = .006). Conclusions The annual number of elbow arthroscopies performed in the United States has increased steadily; however, the postoperative infection rate remained consistently low at 1.55%. There are a number of patient-specific risk factors that increase this risk with OR ranging from 1.97 to 4.01. Similarly, patients who receive an intra-articular corticosteroid injection at the time of surgery are nearly 3 times (OR 2.79) more likely to develop a postoperative infection. Level of Evidence Level III, case-control study.
Can a reinforcement learning agent practice before it starts learning

A reinforcement learning (RL) agent needs a fair amount of experience to find a near-optimal policy. Transfer learning has been investigated as a means to reduce the amount of experience required. Transfer learning, however, requires another similar reinforcement learning task as a transfer source, which can also be costly in the amount of experience required. In this research, we examine the possible “practice” approach that transfers knowledge from a non-RL task to a target RL task to avoid the expensive data sampling. We analyze how practice captures the distributions of state and action spaces in an environment. For this, we develop a novel learning approach that acquires important samples from practice and then applies them to a target RL task without changing learned bases. Results show an improved learning efficiency through practice in classical benchmark problems and limitations in OpenAI Gym problems.
Monitoring Streambed Scour/Deposition Under nonideal Temperature Signal and Flood Conditions

Streambed erosion and deposition are fundamental geomorphic processes in riverbeds, and monitoring their evolution is important for ecological system management and in-stream infrastructure stability. Previous research showed proof of concept that analysis of paired temperature signals of stream and pore waters can simultaneously provide monitoring scour and deposition, stream sediment thermal regime, and seepage velocity information. However, it did not address challenges often associated with natural systems, including non-ideal temperature variations (low amplitude, non-sinusoidal signal and vertical thermal gradients) and natural flooding conditions on monitoring scour and deposition processes over time. Here, we addressed this knowledge gap by testing the proposed thermal scour-deposition chain (TSDC) methodology, with laboratory experiments to test the impact of non-ideal temperature signals under a range of seepage velocities and with a field application during a pulse flood. Both analyses showed excellent match between surveyed and temperature-derived bed elevation changes even under very low temperature signal amplitudes (less than 1°C), non-ideal signal shape (sawtooth shape) and strong and changing vertical thermal gradients (4°C/m). Root mean square errors on predicting the change in streambed elevations were comparable with the median grain size of the streambed sediment. Future research should focus on improved techniques for temperature signal phase and amplitude extractions, as well as TSDC applications over long periods spanning entire hydrographs.
SNRK (Sucrose Nonfermenting 1-Related Kinase) Promotes Angiogenesis In Vivo.

Objective— Snf1 (sucrose nonfermenting 1)-related kinase (SNRK) is a novel member of the AMPK (AMP-activated protein kinase)-related superfamily that is activated in the process of angiogenesis. Currently, little is known about the function of SNRK in angiogenesis in the physiological and pathological condition. Approach and Results— In this study, in Snrk global heterozygous knockout mice, retina angiogenesis and neovessel formation after hindlimb ischemia were suppressed. Consistently, mice with endothelial cell (EC)-specific Snrk deletion exhibited impaired retina angiogenesis, and delayed perfusion recovery and exacerbated muscle apoptosis in ischemic hindlimbs, compared with those of littermate wide-type mice. Endothelial SNRK expression was increased in the extremity vessel samples from nonischemic human. In ECs cultured in hypoxic conditions, HIF1α (hypoxia inducible factor 1α) bound to the SNRK promoter to upregulate SNRK expression. In the nuclei of hypoxic ECs, SNRK complexed with SP1 (specificity protein 1), and together, they bound to an SP1-binding motif in the ITGB1 (β1 integrin) promoter, resulting in enhanced ITGB1 expression and promoted EC migration. Furthermore, SNRK or SP1 deficiency in ECs ameliorated hypoxia-induced ITGB1 expression and, consequently, inhibited EC migration and angiogenesis. Conclusions— Taken together, our data have revealed that SNRK/SP1-ITGB1 signaling axis promotes angiogenesis in vivo.
Exploration of underwater life with an acoustically controlled soft robotic fish

Closeup exploration of underwater life requires new forms of interaction, using biomimetic creatures that are capable of agile swimming maneuvers, equipped with cameras, and supported by remote human operation. Current robotic prototypes do not provide adequate platforms for studying marine life in their natural habitats. This work presents the design, fabrication, control, and oceanic testing of a soft robotic fish that can swim in three dimensions to continuously record the aquatic life it is following or engaging. Using a miniaturized acoustic communication module, a diver can direct the fish by sending commands such as speed, turning angle, and dynamic vertical diving. This work builds on previous generations of robotic fish that were restricted to one plane in shallow water and lacked remote control. Experimental results gathered from tests along coral reefs in the Pacific Ocean show that the robotic fish can successfully navigate around aquatic life at depths ranging from 0 to 18 meters. Furthermore, our robotic fish exhibits a lifelike undulating tail motion enabled by a soft robotic actuator design that can potentially facilitate a more natural integration into the ocean environment. We believe that our study advances beyond what is currently achievable using traditional thruster-based and tethered autonomous underwater vehicles, demonstrating methods that can be used in the future for studying the interactions of aquatic life and ocean dynamics.
Impact and Reception of a Required 4-Week Palliative Medicine Rotation.

Background and objectives Hospice and palliative medicine (HPM) is one of three Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education accredited clinical subspecialties available to family medicine graduates for fellowship training. Despite this, training is not currently a curriculum requirement. We have pioneered a required 4-week palliative medicine rotation into the curriculum. Methods Twenty-eight residents who completed the palliative medicine rotation across four classes were surveyed to assess how the rotation improved their level of comfort with providing end-of-life (EOL) care and to demonstrate the need of formal palliative medicine training. Wilcoxon signed ranks test was used to detect statistical differences between the mean level of comfort of residents pre- and postrotation with providing the basic skills needed to practice HPM. Results The HPM rotation significantly improved the residents' level of comfort in all areas of measured EOL care (Pl0.001). All residents surveyed strongly agreed that the rotation was valuable to their future and 100% of residents strongly agreed that an HPM rotation should be required. Conclusions Formal HPM training should be a required component in residency education and considerations should be given to the 4-week format. This rotation provides a model that can be implemented in other residency programs nationally. Implementation of this rotation may help close the enormous gap of patients not receiving quality EOL care.
The Effect of Concealed Handgun Carry Deregulation in Arizona on Crime in Tucson

In 2010, the Arizona legislature effectively deregulated concealed handgun carry in the state by passing Senate Bill (SB) 1108, which eliminated licensing and training requirements for concealed ca...
ENERGY CONSERVATION: A POLICY MODEL FOR THE UNITED STATES

Abstract This paper describes the use of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) for energy policy formulation. The desired scenario is to develop and prioritize conservation policies for the United States for three 5-year periods beginning in 1983. The three strategies considered are “Free Market” strategy, “Technical Fix” strategy, and “Government Intervention” strategy. The uniqueness of this approach is the explicit consideration of intangible factors such as social, political, environmental, and technological factors in determining the priorities of the recommended policies.
Prognostic indicators: useful for clinical care?

Do we really need another study looking at prognostic indicators of mortality of heart failure patients? After all, innumerable studies demonstrate the predictive importance of a slew of natriuretic peptides, inflammatory markers, and electrocardiographic parameters, not to mention countless
An Overview of Forest Management Planning and Information Management

Managing any complex operation requires planning. While this seems obvious enough, it is valuable to consider specifically why planning is important, especially in the context of the management of industrial forest plantations. Most importantly, plans specify what will be done, when, by whom, and for what purpose. The plan ensures that everyone within the organization knows what needs to be done, and it provides a basis for holding both the organization and the individuals within the organization accountable for what is accomplished. Plans should also be the basis for the allocation of scarce resources within an organization, so nearly everyone in the organization has a stake in the planning process. Furthermore, a plan communicates to external stakeholders, such as stockholders and the public, what the organization is doing, what it expects to do in the future, and why. Having a good plan and demonstrating that the plan can and will be implemented gives an organization credibility. Conversely, failing to plan, or having a plan but not following it, increases the likelihood of inefficiency, frustration, and a lack of credibility.
Transgenic models in the study of AIDS dementia complex.

A significant number of HIV-1 infected individuals develop central nervous system (CNS) complications which can include motor difficulties, behavioral abnormalities, and cognitive impairments. These symptoms can progress to nearly vegetative end stage clinical presentations of paralysis and severe dementia (see PRICE and PERRY 1994, for detailed review). Variably referred to as “AIDS dementia complex,” “HIV encephalopathy,” and “HIV-1 associated cognitive/motor complex,” this syndrome has been observed most often in the late stages of systemic HIV-1 infection. Nevertheless, the CNS is an early target of infection (Ho et al. 1985; Goudsmit et al. 1986; Marshall et al. 1988; Resnick et al. 1988; Appleman et al. 1988; Mcarthur et al. 1988; Elovaara et al. 1990). In pediatric patients, CNS disease occurs more frequently and its accompanying clinical syndrome has been termed “progressive encephalopathy” (for review, see PRICE and PERRY 1994). The transgenic models discussed in this chapter are pertinent to both pediatric and adult forms of HIV-1 -related brain damage.
Genetic divergence among populations of the Hawaiian duck, laysan duck, and mallard

Allozymic variation at 20 gene loci was estimated for populations of the Laysan Duck (Anas laysanensis) and the Hawaiian Duck (A. wyvilliana) from the Hawaiian archipelago, as well as for Mallard populations (A. platyrhynchos) from Hawaii and North America. The Laysan Duck and Hawaiian Duck are endemic, have experienced severe bottlenecks, and are listed as endangered species. Alternative alleles are fixed at six loci for Mallards versus Hawaiian anatids (Hawaiian and Laysan ducks). In contrast, every allelic variant found in the Laysan Duck was present in the Hawaiian Duck (but not vice versa), suggesting the former is an offshoot of the latter. The genetic distance (Nei's D) between Laysan and Hawaiian ducks is less than 0.01, while that between both Hawaiian and Laysan ducks and Mallards is greater than 0.45. The allozymic evidence also suggests that there has been extensive hy- bridization between Mallards and Hawaiian Ducks on Oahu, with the near disappearance of Hawaiian Duck alleles. However, there is only slight evidence of Mallard genic introgression into the Hawaiian Duck population on Kauai. Finally, the allozymic data suggest that the Hawaiian Duck is a distinct species from the Mallard, but that little genetic divergence has occurred between Hawaiian and Laysan ducks. Received 25 July 1991, accepted 8 March 1992.
Adenosine mediates hypoxic induction of vascular endothelial growth factor in retinal pericytes and endothelial cells.

Purpose. To determine the mechanistic role for adenosine and adenosine receptors in the hypoxic induction of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in retinal microvascular cells. Methods. Bovine retinal capillary endothelial cells and microvascular pericytes were studied under normoxic (95% air, 5% CO 2 ) or hypoxic conditions (0% to 2% O 2 , 5% CO 2 , 93% to 95% N 2 ) using a variety of well-characterized adenosine and adenosine receptor agonists and antagonists. Vascular endothelial growth factor mRNA expression was evaluated by Northern blot analysis, VEGF protein levels were determined by Western blot analysis, and cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) accumulation was measured by radioimmunoassay. Results. Inhibitors of oxidative respiration increased VEGF mRNA 5 ± 3 times (P < 0.001) after 3 hours. Adenosine A 1 receptor (AIR) agonist N 6 -cyclopentyl-adenosine did not increase VEGF mRNA at AIR stimulatory concentrations ; however, adenosine As receptor (A 2 R) agonists DPMA, NECA, and CGS21680 increased VEGF mRNA in a dose-dependent manner with elevations of 2 ± 0.3 (P < 0.001), 2.3 ± 0.5 (P = 0.016), and 2 ± 0.2 (P = 0.002) times, respectively. A 2 R antagonist CSC and adenosine degradation by adenosine deaminase reduced hypoxic stimulation of VEGF mRNA 68% ± 18% (P = 0.038) and 37% ± 6% (P = 0.025), respectively, in a dose-dependent manner. A 1 R antagonists DPCPX and 8-PT had no significant effect. Hypoxia and NECA increased VEGF protein secretion 4.7 times, whereas CSC inhibited hypoxia-induced VEGF protein secretion by 96%. NECA and CGS21680 increased cAMP production within 10 minutes, and cAMP stimulation increased VEGF mRNA 4.8 ± 2.6 times (P = 0.034). CSC suppressed the hypoxic elevation of cAMP (P < 0.05). Inhibition of protein kinase A using H-89 reduced hypoxia-induced VEGF expression 61% ± 6.3% (P = 0.043) in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusions. These data suggest that the hypoxia-induced accumulation of adenosine stimulates VEGF gene expression through stimulation of adenosine A 2a , receptor and subsequent activation of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase A pathway in retinal vascular cells.
Can the artificial intelligence technique of reinforcement learning use continuously-monitored digital data to optimize treatment for weight loss?

Behavioral weight loss (WL) trials show that, on average, participants regain lost weight unless provided long-term, intensive—and thus costly—intervention. Optimization solutions have shown mixed success. The artificial intelligence principle of “reinforcement learning” (RL) offers a new and more sophisticated form of optimization in which the intensity of each individual’s intervention is continuously adjusted depending on patterns of response. In this pilot, we evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of a RL-based WL intervention, and whether optimization would achieve equivalent benefit at a reduced cost compared to a non-optimized intensive intervention. Participants (n = 52) completed a 1-month, group-based in-person behavioral WL intervention and then (in Phase II) were randomly assigned to receive 3 months of twice-weekly remote interventions that were non-optimized (NO; 10-min phone calls) or optimized (a combination of phone calls, text exchanges, and automated messages selected by an algorithm). The Individually-Optimized (IO) and Group-Optimized (GO) algorithms selected interventions based on past performance of each intervention for each participant, and for each group member that fit into a fixed amount of time (e.g., 1 h), respectively. Results indicated that the system was feasible to deploy and acceptable to participants and coaches. As hypothesized, we were able to achieve equivalent Phase II weight losses (NO = 4.42%, IO = 4.56%, GO = 4.39%) at roughly one-third the cost (1.73 and 1.77 coaching hours/participant for IO and GO, versus 4.38 for NO), indicating strong promise for a RL system approach to weight loss and maintenance.
Numerical study of heat transfer enhancement using vortex generator for thermal management of lithium ion battery

Abstract A numerical study of two types of vortex generator (VG) have been conducted to enhance heat transfer of cooling in the battery thermal management system. The thermal behaviour and cooling effects have been investigated to evaluate the heat transfer performance of two types of VG. Air flow model coupled with a pouch cell model is carried out in this study. The results show that both types of vortex generators can enhance heat transfer before VGs, but only delta winglet VG can still enhance local heat transfer after it due to more vortices generated that can mix cold and hot air flow between the top and bottom thermal layers completely. It is found that the heat transfer enhancement is due to bulk fluid mixing, boundary-layer modification and flow destabilization by VGs. The maximum temperature of pouch cell is also numerically investigated by a validated battery model. The result shows that the maximum temperature of a pouch cell can be decreased by both delta winglet and rectangular rib. For the discharging rate at 5C, it can be decreased by 10% and the local Nusselt number can be increased by 38% compared to the baseline scenario without any VGs.
System Identification and Closed-Loop Control of a Hydraulically Amplified Self-Healing Electrostatic (HASEL) Actuator

This paper describes a system identification method and the development of a closed-loop controller for a Hydraulically Amplified Self-healing ELectrostatic (HASEL) actuator. Our efforts focus on developing a reliable and consistent way to identify system models for these soft robotic actuators using high-speed videography based motion tracking. Utilizing a mass-spring-damper model we are able to accurately capture the behavior of a HASEL actuator. We use the resulting plant model to design a Proportional-Integral controller that demonstrates improved closed-loop tracking and steady-state error performance.
The influence of land cover and within-pool characteristics on larval, froglet, and adult wood frogs along a rural to suburban gradient

Urbanization is known to extirpate many species, but far less is known about how suburbanization may affect amphibian populations. We studied wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) to test the effects of site characteristics (within-pool conditions and land cover indicative of suburbanization within 1000 m) and larval morphology on newly emerged froglets and post-breeding males across a suburbanization gradient in 15 pools in greater Bangor, Maine, USA. We raised field-captured larvae in microcosms and examined froglet morphology and locomotor performance at emergence and one month post-emergence. Larval mass was positively correlated with 50% of froglet responses (survival, size, and locomotor performance) but was negatively associated with adult size. Among site characteristics, egg density had the most salient influence with negative effects on larval survival and morphology as well as on 11 of 14 froglet responses. Vegetation, hydrology, and suburban-associated cover near pools also influenced froglet performance, and hydrology and suburban-associated cover was associated with larger and smaller adult morphology. However the influence of suburban-associated cover on froglet performance and adult morphology was small compared to that of within-pool characteristics. Specifically, our findings support the idea that within-pool conditions experienced by larvae can influence terrestrial stages with potentially life-long consequences. Nevertheless, in suburban landscapes where there is evidence of population declines, it is likely that suburbanization has the greatest impact on populations via direct effects on terrestrial stages. We encourage planners to maintain high-quality habitat for aquatic and terrestrial stage wood frogs in suburbanizing landscapes to avoid extirpation.
ITGA2 as a potential nanotherapeutic target for glioblastoma

High grade gliomas, including glioblastoma (GBM), are the most common and deadly brain cancers in adults. Here, we performed a quantitative and unbiased screening of 70 cancer-related antigens using comparative flow cytometry and, for the first time, identified integrin alpha-2 (ITGA2) as a novel molecular target for GBM. In comparison to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a well-established GBM target, ITGA2 is significantly more expressed on human GBM cells and significantly less expressed on normal human glial cells. We also found that ITGA2 antibody blockade significantly impedes GBM cell migration but not GBM cell proliferation. To investigate the utility of ITGA2 as a therapeutic target in GBM, we designed and engineered an ITGA2 antibody-directed liposome that can selectively deliver doxorubicin, a standard-of-care chemotherapeutic agent, to GBM cells. This novel approach significantly improved antitumor efficacy. We also demonstrated that these ITGA2 antibody-directed liposomes can effectively breach the blood-brain tumor barrier (BBTB) in vitro via GBM-induced angiogenesis effects. These findings support further research into the use of ITGA2 as a novel nanotherapeutic target for GBM.
Design of a focused ultrasound transducer for histotripsy-thrombolytic combination therapy

Chronic thrombus components are resistant to removal by current interventional techniques and can act as thrombogenic sources. Histotripsy is a focused ultrasound therapy that utilizes the mechanical activity of bubble clouds to liquefy target tissues. In vitro experiments have demonstrated histotripsy provides enhancement of the thrombolytic agent recombinant tissue plasminogen activator in a retracted clot model representative of chronic thrombus. Although these in vitro results are promising, further refinement of the acoustic source is necessary for in vivo studies and clinical translation. To define the source parameters for use in vivo, a design study was conducted with transcutaneous exposure of porcine and human iliofemoral deep venous thrombosis (DVT) as the target. Design parameters were selected to confine the focus, and thus bubble activity, within the femoral vein of DVT patients. Furthermore, the therapy array accommodates the placement of a confocal diagnostic linear array for image guidance. Based on the design criteria, a 1.5-MHz elliptical source with 6-cm focal length and a focal gain of 70 was selected. Details of the design, fabrication, and characterization the source will be presented, as well as the means by which bubble activity is initiated.
Experimental and Predictive Description of the Morphology of Wet-Spun Fibers

The prediction of the morphology of wet-spun fibers has so far been only possible by complex and experimentally-intensive approaches that include the construction of ternary phase diagrams. Ultimately, however, the available models give approximate information. Here we propose an alternative predictive approach that uses design principles based on the combination of (1) Relative Energy Difference (RED) of Hansen solubility and, (2) a kinetic parameter ‘T’ that considers mass transfer effects. Such model is applied and experimentally validated for a priori determination of the diameter and internal morphology of wet-spun fibers. Remarkably, only three variables relevant to wet-spinning are needed, namely, the choice of polymer, solvent, and non-solvent types. A combination of systems are tested and the morphology of the obtained fibers determined via electron microscopy. Aspects related to demixing, internal specific surface area (BET) and layer formation on the fibers are described qualitatively. The faci...
Safety and efficacy of venous ablation in octogenarians

Abstract Objective Venous ablation (VA) is the recommended treatment of superficial venous insufficiency affecting the lower extremities. The safety and efficacy of the procedure in octogenarians have not been well studied. We postulate that VA in octogenarians is as safe and effective as in younger age groups. Methods A retrospective single-center review of consecutive patients undergoing VA using radiofrequency in an outpatient office was performed. Patients, imaging, and procedural characteristics were reviewed from the medical records. A telephone survey inquiring about intensity of symptoms on a numeric rating scale of 0 to 10 before and after treatment was conducted. Patients were divided into three groups based on age: Results There were 362 patients who underwent 627 VAs in 512 legs. Octogenarians constituted 9.4% of the patient population and were more likely to have cardiovascular comorbidities. Octogenarians were significantly more likely to have advanced venous disease as determined by the Clinical, Etiology, Anatomy, and Pathophysiology classification compared with younger patients (P = .005). On ultrasound, younger patients had significantly larger vein diameters (P = .04) and longer reflux times (P Conclusions Octogenarians treated with VA present at a more advanced clinical stage compared with younger patients but have less severe ultrasound findings. VA is safe and effective in all age groups. Age should not be used to deny patients VA.
The Collaborative Cross Graphical Genome

The mouse reference is one of the most widely used and accurately assembled mammalian genomes, and is the foundation for a wide range of bioinformatics and genetics tools. However, it represents the genomic organization of a single inbred mouse strain. Recently, inexpensive and fast genome sequencing has enabled the assembly of other common mouse strains at a quality approaching that of the reference. However, using these alternative assemblies in standard genomics analysis pipelines presents significant challenges. It has been suggested that a pangenome reference assembly, which incorporates multiple genomes into a single representation, are the path forward, but there are few standards for, or instances of practical pangenome representations suitable for large eukaryotic genomes. We present a pragmatic graph-based pangenome representation as a genomic resource for the widely-used recombinant-inbred mouse genetic reference population known as the Collaborative Cross (CC) and its eight founder genomes. Our pangenome representation leverages existing standards for genomic sequence representations with backward-compatible extensions to describe graph topology and genome-specific annotations along paths. It packs 83 mouse genomes (8 founders + 75 CC strains) into a single graph representation that captures important notions relating genomes such as identity-by-descent and highly variable genomic regions. The introduction of special anchor nodes with sequence content provides a valid coordinate framework that divides large eukaryotic genomes into homologous segments and addresses most of the graph-based position reference issues. Parallel edges between anchors place variants within a context that facilitates orthogonal genome comparison and visualization. Furthermore, our graph structure allows annotations to be placed in multiple genomic contexts and simplifies their maintenance as the assembly improves. The CC reference pangenome provides an open framework for new tool chain development and analysis.
How to Avoid Common Problems with Leaf Wetness Sensor Installation and Maintenance

Leaf wetness duration is an essential input in disease prediction models and decision support systems in Florida and elsewhere. Incorrect installation or lack of regular maintenance of leaf wetness sensors may lead to errors in plant disease risk monitoring and negative impacts on yield. This 7-page publication provides detailed guidelines for the proper installation and maintenance of leaf wetness sensors and describes the most common problems found in field installations as well as potential solutions. Written by T. B. Onofre, C. W. Fraisse, N. A. Peres, and J. McNair, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, February 2020.
José María Gil-Robles: leader of the Catholic Right during the Spanish Second Republic: by Manuel Álvarez Tardío, Portland, Sussex Academic Press, 2018, 191 pp., £65.00 (hardcover), ISBN 9781845199036

In 1933, at the age of 34, Jose Maria Gil-Robles founded Spain’s first mass and modern right-wing party, the CEDA (Confederacion Espanola de las Derechas Autonomas). The new party and its leader ma...
Near Misses in Slot Machine Gambling Developed Through Generalization of Total Wins

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the development of the near miss effect in slot machine gambling as a product of stimulus generalization from total wins. The study was conducted across two experiments. Twelve college students participated in the first experiment, which demonstrated that greater post-reinforcement pauses followed losing outcomes that were formally similar to total wins, relative to losing outcomes that were formally dissimilar [F (5, 7) = 5.24, p = .025] along a generalization gradient (R 2 = .96). Additionally, 11 out of 12 participants showed greater response latencies following near-misses than following total wins. Thirteen college students participated in the second experiment, which demonstrated that symbols that more saliently indicated a loss resulted in lower response latencies than functionally equivalent but visually dissimilar losing symbols [F (3, 10) = 15.50, p = .01]. A generalization gradient was observed across winning symbols (R 2 = .98), and an inverse of the gradient observed across winning symbols was observed across symbols that were the least formally similar (R 2 = .69). The present study replicates and extends previous research on near misses in slot machine gambling, and provides discussion around the clinical utility of such findings on the prevention of problem gambling.
A First Course in String Theory: Electromagnetic fields on D-branes

We now begin a study of D-branes that carry electric or magnetic fields on their world-volume. Open strings couple to these electromagnetic fields at their endpoints. Using the tools of T-duality we show that a D-brane with an electric field is physically equivalent to a moving D-brane with no electric field. The constraint that a D-brane cannot move faster than light implies that the strength of an electric field cannot exceed a certain maximum value. We also show that a D p -brane with a magnetic field is T-duality equivalent to a tilted D( p − 1)-brane with no magnetic field. Alternatively, the magnetic field on the D p -brane can be thought of as being created by a distribution of dissolved D( p − 2)-branes. Maxwell fields coupling to open strings Among the quantum states of open strings attached to a D-brane we found photon states with polarizations and momentum along the D-brane directions. We thus deduced that a Maxwell field lives on the world-volume of a D-brane. The existence of this Maxwell field was in fact necessary to preserve the gauge invariance of the term that couples the Kalb–Ramond field to the string in the presence of a D-brane. We also learned that the endpoints of open strings carry Maxwell charge. Since any D-brane has a Maxwell field, it is physically reasonable to expect that background electromagnetic fields can exist: there may be electric or magnetic fields that permeate the D-brane.
Using PM2.5 lanthanoid elements and nonparametric wind regression to track petroleum refinery FCC emissions

A long term air quality study is being conducted in Roxana, Illinois, USA, at the fenceline of a petroleum refinery. Measurements include 1-in-6 day 24-hour integrated ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) speciation following the Chemical Speciation Network (CSN) sampling and analysis protocols. Lanthanoid elements, some of which are tracers of fluidized-bed catalytic cracker (FCC) emissions, are also measured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) after extraction from PM2.5 using hot block-assisted acid digestion. Lanthanoid recoveries of 80-90% were obtained for two ambient particulate matter standard reference materials (NIST SRM 1648a and 2783). Ambient PM2.5 La patterns could be explained by a two-source model representing resuspended soil and FCC emissions with enhanced La/Ce ratios when impacted by the refinery. Nonparametric wind regression demonstrates that when the monitoring station was upwind of the refinery the mean La/Ce ratio is consistent with soil and when the monitoring station is downwind of the refinery the mean ratio is more than four times higher for bearings that corresponds to maximum impacts. Source apportionment modeling using EPA UNMIX and EPA PMF could not reliably apportion PM2.5 mass to the FCC emissions. However, the weight of evidence is that such contributions are small with no large episodes observed for the 164 samples analyzed. This study demonstrates the applicability of a hot block-assisted digestion protocol for the extraction of lanthanoid elements as well as insights obtained from long-term monitoring data including wind direction-based analyses.
Lysine Deficiency and Voluntary Exercise in the Albino Rat

The relationship between low dietary protein and voluntary wheel running was investigated by feeding weanling male white rats a natural diet deficient in lysine, by bioassay criterion. Lysine deficient rats ran more than those pair-fed or ad libitum fed the same diet with lysine added. Body composition of active and inactive rats on the three dietary regimens was compared. Of the carcass components, total and percent protein reduction correlated most strongly with running. Control animals matched in growth to the lysine deficient rats showed hyperactivity earlier, but to the same extent as the lysine deficient rats.