cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A novel approach for estimating ecosystem production and respiration in estuaries: Application to the oligohaline and mesohaline Hudson River

Most estimates of metabolism in estuaries are based on water samples incubated in bottles. Such approaches may severely underestimate rates of both gross primary production (GPP) and respiration for a variety of reasons, including reduced turbulence, unnatural light fields, respiration of 14 C-labeled organic matter, and altered grazer communities. These problems may be particularly intense in turbid and deeply mixed estuaries. The measurement of metabolism from in situ changes in dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration over a diel time period offers a potential solution to these problems, but complicated patterns of water advection and mixing in estuaries have limited the use of such open-water approaches. Here, we describe a method of using diel changes in oxygen concentrations in the oligohaline and mesohaline Hudson River estuary to estimate GPP, whole-ecosystem respiration (ER), and net ecosystem production (NEP). For this approach, concentrations of DO at any given time for several stations are described as a function of salinity and depth, providing a surface in the three-dimensional space of oxygen, depth, and salinity. The change in this ‘‘response surface’’ for oxygen over time, once corrected for atmospheric exchange, allows the estimation of metabolism rates. The regression procedures used allow an estimate of the standard error associated with the metabolism measures. For the mesohaline Hudson River estuary, these standard errors are reasonably small. Similarly, any potential errors associated with the estimation of atmospheric exchange in oxygen are small for the Hudson. The technique should be useful for estimating GPP, NEP, and ER in other partially mixed estuaries without the biases associated with incubations in bottles.
Applications of fuzzy logic in the estimation of power electronic waveforms

The application of fuzzy logic in the estimation of power electronic waveforms is explored. The distorted line current waves in a triac light dimmer and three-phase diode rectifier feeding an inverter-machine load have been taken into consideration, and fuzzy logic has been applied to estimate the RMS current, fundamental RMS current, displacement factor, and power factor. Two methods have been considered in the estimation, i.e., a fuzzy rule-based approach and a fuzzy relational or Sugeno's approach. The results of the estimation have been compared with the actual values, and indicate good accuracy. The fuzzy estimation has the advantages of fast response, multiple outputs from the single premise of a rule, and immunity of noise and drift in the sensors of the two estimation methods, the relational approach has fewer rules, gives better accuracy, and the algorithm development is less laborious. >
Investigation of the performance limits of III-V double-gate n-MOSFETs

The performance limits of ultra-thin body double-gated (DG) III-V channel MOSFETs are presented in this paper. An analytical ballistic model including all the valleys (Gamma-, X- and L-), was used to simulate the source to drain current. The band-to-band tunneling (BTBT) limited off currents, including both the direct and the indirect components, were simulated using TAURUStrade. Our results show that at significantly high gate fields, the current in the III-V materials is largely carried in the heavier L-valleys than the lighter Gamma-valleys, due to the low density of states (DOS) in the Gamma, similar to current conduction in Ge. Moreover, these high mobility materials like InAs, InSb and Ge suffer from excessive BTBT which seriously limits device performance. Large bandgap III-V materials like GaAs exhibit best performance due to an ideal combination of low conductivity effective electron mass and a large bandgap
Temperature and carrier-density dependence of Auger and radiative recombination in nitride optoelectronic devices

Nitride light-emitting diodes are a promising solution for efficient solid-state lighting, but their performance at high power is affected by the efficiency-droop problem. Previous experimental and theoretical work has identified Auger recombination, a three-particle nonradiative carrier recombination mechanism, as the likely cause of the droop. In this work, we use first-principles calculations to elucidate the dependence of the radiative and Auger recombination rates on temperature, carrier density and quantum-well confinement. Our calculated data for the temperature dependence of the recombination coefficients are in good agreement with experiment and provide further validation on the role of Auger recombination in the efficiency reduction. Polarization fields and phase-space filling negatively impact device efficiency because they increase the operating carrier density at a given current density and increase the fraction of carriers lost to Auger recombination.
Excessive Homoplasy in an Evolutionarily Constrained Protein

The evolution of monomorphic proteins among closely related species has not been examined in detail. To investigate this phenomenon, the glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (Gpdh) locus was sequence in a broad range of Drosophila species. Although purifying selection to remove amino acid variation is the dominant force in the evolution of Gpdh, some replacements have occurred. The sequences were compared in the context of the phylogeny of the genus, revealing a high proportion of amino acid parallelism and reversal (homoplasy) at four sites. The level of homoplasy is significantly greater than that seen in other proteins for which multiple sequences are available, showing that Gpdh is strongly constrained by both the number of amino acid differences and the types of changes allowed. These four sites evolve at a much higher rate than do the other variable positions in the protein, accounting for half of the interspecific amino acid replacements. However, unlike typical hypervariable sites, where multiple changes to several different amino acids are seen, evolutionary 'flip-flopping' between two amino acid states defines this new class of hypervariable site.
nEASE: a method for gene ontology subclassification of high-throughput gene expression data.

Summary: High-throughput technologies can identify genes whose expression profiles correlate with specific phenotypes; however, placing these genes into a biological context remains challenging. To help address this issue, we developed nested Expression Analysis Systematic Explorer (nEASE). nEASE complements traditional gene ontology enrichment approaches by determining statistically enriched gene ontology subterms within a list of genes based on co-annotation. Here, we overview an open-source software version of the nEASE algorithm. nEASE can be used either stand-alone or as part of a pathway discovery pipeline.
Sub-micron metallic electrothermal actuators

The scaling down of electromechanical devices from micrometer scales to nano scales is of great interest. This paper presents fabrication and characterization of sub-micron high aspect ratio metallic electrothermal actuators using a combination of electron beam lithography and electroplating techniques. A 1.2 µm thick SU-8 layer was used as a sacrificial layer and a 1 µm thick electron beam lithography-processed polymethyl methacrylate resist was used to form 3:1 aspect ratio sub-micron (minimum feature size of 350 nm) electroplated nickel electrothermal actuators. Such sub-micron electrothermal actuators were characterized by a nanomanipulator system in a scanning electron microscopy system. Electro-thermo-mechanical finite element analysis (FEA) of the actuator using ANSYS was carried out and the FEA results were in good agreement with the measured results. Displacements at the tip of the actuator of 370 nm were reproducibly observed with the applied voltages of 145 mV. This work can be applied to realize more sophisticated nano actuators which can manipulate sub-micron scale objects. (Some figures in this article are in colour only in the electronic version)
Homogeneous and heterogeneous free radical polymerizations in environmentally responsible supercritical carbon dioxide

Fluoropolymers are used in many technologically demanding applications because of their balance of high-performance properties. A significant impediment to the synthesis of variants of commercially available amorphous fluoropolymers is their general insolubility in most solvents except chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). The environmental concerns about CFCs can be circumvented by preparing these technologically important materials in supercritical fluids (SCFs). The homogeneous solution homo- and copolymerization of highly fluorinated acrylic, styrenic and olefinic monomers in supercritical carbon dioxide using free radical methods will be discussed [Science, 257, 945 (1992)]. Detailed decomposition rates and efficiency factors will be presented for azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) in supercritical carbon dioxide and will be compared to conventional liquid solvents [Macromolecules, 26, 2663 (1993)]. Additionally, viscosities of polymer solutions in supercritical CO2 have been measured using a high pressure, falling cylinder viscometer. The results show that the polymer solution viscosities in supercritical CO2 are an order of magnitude lower than with the same polymers in conventional organic solvents. The results from these homogeneous solution polymerization studies has allowed us to also consider heterogeneous polymerizations in a carbon dioxide continuous phase. Conventional emulsion polymerizations of unsaturated monomers are performed in either aqueous or organic dispersion media with addition of surface active agents (surfactants) to stabilize the colloidal dispersion that forms. With free radical initiators that are preferentially soluble in the continuous phase, high rates of polymerization and high molar mass polymers can be obtained simultaneously. Herein we describe an environmentally responsible alternative to aqueous and organic dispersing media for emulsion polymerizations which utilizes supercritical carbon dioxide, in conjunction with molecularly engineered free radical initiators and amphiphilic molecules that are specifically designed to be interfacially active in CO2. Conventional lipophilic monomers, exemplified by methyl methacrylate and styrene, can be polymerized heterogeneously using a fluorinated azo-initiator in supercritical CO2 in the presence of added surfactant to form stable emulsions that result in submicron size particles. Detailed surfactant and initiator syntheses and phase behavior will also be discussed.
Environmental and genetic pathways between early pubertal timing and dieting in adolescence: distinguishing between objective and subjective timing

Background Early pubertal timing in girls is associated with elevated risk for dieting and eating pathology. The relative importance of biological versus socio-environmental mechanisms in explaining this association remains unclear. Moreover, these mechanisms may differ between objective measures of pubertal development and girls' subjective perceptions of their own maturation. Method The sample comprised 924 sister pairs from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Objective pubertal timing (menarcheal age), girls' perceptions of pubertal status and timing relative to peers, dieting and disordered eating behaviors were assessed during a series of confidential in-home interviews. Results Behavioral genetic models indicated that common genetic influences accounted for the association between early menarcheal age and increased risk for dieting in adolescence. In contrast, girls' subjective perceptions of their timing relative to peers were associated with dieting through an environmental pathway. Overall, subjective and objective measures of pubertal timing accounted for 12% of the variance in dieting. Conclusions Genetic differences in menarcheal age increase risk for dieting among adolescent girls, while girls' perceptions of their maturation represent an environmentally mediated risk.
Use of the PP phase to study the earthquake source

The space-time history of the rupture process of a large earthquake can be determined from directivity analysis of source time functions deconvolved from long-period P waves. However, such analysis requires a good azimuthal distribution of stations, which is often difficult to obtain. We have developed a method for deconvolution of long-period PP waves which is useful for a distance range of 70 o - 123 o and 145 o - 165 o, thus increasing both the available data and the ray parameter aper- ture. The PP waveform is Hilbert transformed to remove the effect of the PP caustic and then deconvolved in the time do-
Contact de-electrification of electrostatically charged polymers.

The contact electrification of insulating organic polymers is still incompletely understood, in part because multiple fundamental mechanisms may contribute to the movement of charge. This study describes a mechanism previously unreported in the context of contact electrification: that is, “contact de-electrification”, a process in which polymers charged to the same polarity discharge on contact. Both positively charged polymeric beads, e.g., polyamide 6/6 (Nylon) and polyoxymethylene (Delrin), and negatively charged polymeric beads, e.g., polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon) and polyamide-imide (Torlon), discharge when the like-charged beads are brought into contact. The beads (both with charges of ∼±20 μC/m2, or ∼100 charges/μm2) discharge on contact regardless of whether they are made of the same material, or of different materials. Discharge is rapid: discharge of flat slabs of like-charged Nylon and Teflon pieces is completed on a single contact (∼3 s). The charge lost from the polymers during contact de-...
The novel antiepileptic drug carisbamate (RWJ 333369) is effective in inhibiting spontaneous recurrent seizure discharges and blocking sustained repetitive firing in cultured hippocampal neurons

Summary This study was initiated to investigate effects of the novel neuromodulator carisbamate (RWJ 333369) in the hippocampal neuronal culture model of status epilepticus and spontaneous epileptiform discharges. Whole-cell current clamp techniques were used to determine the effects of carisbamate on spontaneous recurrent epileptiform discharges (SREDs, in vitro epilepsy), depolarization-induced sustained repetitive firing (SRF) and low Mg 2+ -induced continuous high frequency spiking (in vitro status epilepticus). This in vitro model is an important tool to study the effects of anticonvulsant drugs (AEDs) on SREDs that occur for the life of the neurons in culture. Carisbamate dose dependently blocked the expression and reoccurrence of SREDs. The ED 50 value for its antiepileptic effect was 58.75±2.43μM. Inhibition of SRF is considered a common attribute of many AEDs. Carisbamate (100μM) significantly decreased SRF in hippocampal neurons. All these effects of carisbamate were reversed during a 5 to 30min drug washout period. When exposed to low Mg 2+ medium cultured hippocampal neurons exhibit high frequency spiking. This form of in vitro status epilepticus is not effectively blocked by conventional AEDs that are known to be effective in treating status epilepticus in humans. Carisbamate, like phenytoin and phenobarbital, had little or no effect on low Mg 2+ -induced continuous high frequency spiking. These results characterize the effects of carisbamate in the hippocampal neuronal culture model of epileptiform discharges and suggest that the ability of carisbamate to inhibit depolarization-induced SRF may account in part for some of it's anticonvulsant effect.
Harnessing Technology to Improve Formative Assessment of Student Conceptions in STEM: Forging a National Network

Concept inventories, consisting of multiple-choice questions designed around common student misconceptions, are designed to reveal student thinking. However, students often have complex, heterogeneous ideas about scientific concepts. Constructed-response assessments, in which students must create their own answer, may better reveal students’ thinking, but are time- and resource-intensive to evaluate. This report describes the initial meeting of a National Science Foundation–funded cross-institutional collaboration of interdisciplinary science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education researchers interested in exploring the use of automated text analysis to evaluate constructed-response assessments. Participants at the meeting shared existing work on lexical analysis and concept inventories, participated in technology demonstrations and workshops, and discussed research goals. We are seeking interested collaborators to join our research community.
Multiple activities contribute to Pc2 E3 function

Pc2 is a polycomb protein, which has SUMO E3 activity for the corepressors CtBP and CtBP2. Here we demonstrate that, in vivo, Pc2 adapter function contributes to enhancement of CtBP sumoylation. Mutation of the CtBP binding site on Pc2 abolishes E3 activity toward CtBP. However, a carboxyl-terminal fragment of Pc2 that recruits both Ubc9 and CtBP lacks E3 activity. We identify a second domain, which, when coexpressed with the carboxyl-terminal adapter region, restores E3 function. In vitro, this domain has E3 activity in isolation, suggesting that it is a functional domain, and that adapter function is required to selectively corecruit E2 and substrate in vivo. These results demonstrate the presence of two domains in Pc2 that contribute to full in vivo E3 activity, and suggest that SUMO E3s are more than simple platforms to which E2 and substrate bind.
Is Frequentist Testing Vulnerable to the Base-Rate Fallacy?*

This article calls into question the charge that frequentist testing is susceptible to the base-rate fallacy. It is argued that the apparent similarity between examples like the Harvard Medical School test and frequentist testing is highly misleading. A closer scrutiny reveals that such examples have none of the basic features of a proper frequentist test, such as legitimate data, hypotheses, test statistics, and sampling distributions. Indeed, the relevant error probabilities are replaced with the false positive/negative rates that constitute deductive calculations based on known probabilities among events. As a result, the ampliative dimension of frequentist induction—learning from data about the underlying data-generating mechanism—is missing.
Longevity and Reproduction of Codling Moths Irradiated with Cobalt-60 or Cesium-137

Adult Laspeyresia pomonella (L.) were treated with Cobalt-50 (Yakima, Washington) and Cesium-137 (Vincennes, Indiana) at levels of 10, 15, 25, and 40 krad and evaluated by 5 criteria, male longevity, female longevity, mating, oviposition, and egg hatch. When a sterilizing dose of 25 krad was given to males only, the effects of cobalt on mating and egg hatch were significantly different from the effects of cesium; however, at a dose of 40 had, only the frequency of mating on the basis of the 5 criteria was significantly different. The mating Combinations (treated × untreated insects) and the doses significantly affected the moths compared with the untreated controls, regardless of source. Also, though some of the differences in the responses were real between the 2 sources and locations, the trends were similar, and both types of treatments effectively sterilized the adult codling moth.
Declines in American Adults’ Religious Participation and Beliefs, 1972-2014:

Previous research found declines in Americans’ religious affiliation but few changes in religious beliefs and practices. By 2014, however, markedly fewer Americans participated in religious activit...
Guidance, Control and Navigation for Aerospace Systems: Charles Stark Draper's influence on a Personal Perspective

A vehicle health monitoring system based on analytical redundancy, is developed for automated passenger vehicles. A residual generator and a residual processor are designed together to detect and identify actuator and sensor faults of the Buick LeSabre rapidly. The residual generator includes fault detection filters and parity equations. It uses the control commands and sensor measurements to generate the residuals, which have a unique static pattern in response to each fault. Then, the residual processor interrogates the residuals by matching them to one of several known patterns. It computes the probability of each hypothesis conditioned on the history of residuals. The fault detection latency is reduced by integrating the design of the residual generator and the residual processor. The vehicle health monitoring system is evaluated in real-time on a Buick LeSabre. The vehicle sensor and actuator faults are simulated artificially by the computer or created manually by the driver. In one experiment, a real intermittent sensor fault occurred and was immediately detected and identified. The real-time evaluation demonstrates that the vehicle health monitoring system can detect and identify actuator and sensor faults under various disturbances and uncertainties with almost minimal detection latency.
Television-Viewing Habits and Parent-Observed Behaviors of Third-Grade Children

It was believed that data on behavioral concomitants of television viewing applicable to a specific locality might be more useful to the parents, educators, program sponsors, and television station operators in that area than data from other regions or experimental settings. The present investigation assessed the relationship between television viewing habits and observed behaviors of third-grade children as perceived by their parents. A 20% stratified random sample of third graders ( N = 6 3 ) was selected from four elementary schools. Eighry-seven percent had both parents or guard~ans living in the home, while the remaining 13% had one parent or guardian residing in the home. One or both parents or guardians was interviewed via a survey questionnaire of items about their children's television viewing habits. The results indicated that the children watched a median of 2.5 hr. of television programming per day, including school days, weekends, and vacations. Thirty-three percent of the parents reported that they monitored all of their children's television viewing, 37% replied that they monitored most of what their children watched, 24% said that they did some monitoring, while the remaining 6% engaged in no monitoring at all. Parents were asked to name those television program which their children watched. The types of program viewed in order of decreasing percentages were: cartoons 79, situational comedies 73, educational programming 38, dramatic series 38, police and crime drama 37, variety shows 32, sports 32, specials, documentaries and nature shows 29. Parents were asked: W h a t are the behaviors related to specific TV programs that are observed in rhe children? The widely varying responses fell into two main categories: 71% reported that their children imitated the viewed characters (mimicry, the use of slang and accents, singing, and dancing) and 22% said that their children had gained knowledge, learned vocabulary and terminology, and/or had their interest in various subjects sparked as a result of watching television. Parents were asked to express their degree of satisfaction or dissatisfaction with television programming for children. The responses and percentages for this item were as follows: very satisfied 3, satisfied 52, indifferent, i.e., neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, 11, dissatisfied 29, very dissatisfied 3. When asked what they would like to see changed in television programming, 33% of the respondents indicated that they would prefer to see less emphasis on sex and violence, less offensive language, and fewer police and crime shows. Thirty percent of the parents replied that they would like to see more educational, cultural, and documentary programming for children. Twenty-two percent said that they would enjoy more family and children's shows. Of those interviewed 65% said that they believed parents should assume most of the responsibility for the programming their children watch.
The Role of the Myofilaments in the Relaxation of Cardiac Myocardium

ii DEDICATION v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS vi VITA viii LIST OF FIGURES xiv LIST OF TABLES xvi LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS xvii CHAPTERS
Analysis of death cases of antiretroviral treatment patients in Jiangsu Province during 2005-2011

Objective To determine causes of death and influence factors by analyzing death cases data of people with HIV/AIDS.Methods National anti-retroviral therapy database along with laboratory detection were utilized to collect information of dead HIV/AIDS cases post-therapy during 2005-2011.All data were entered into EXCEL database and analyzed by software SPSS17.0.Results There were 168 death cases and the gender ratio was 2.57:1.The proportion of aged over 40 years was 64.8%;55.4% cases were infected by heterosexual.Main causes of death were AIDS related diseases,which accounted for 85.1% of all cases.Ninety six of 168 cases(57.1%) were treated less than 6 months.Those who with more CD4 T cell counts were less likely to be dead and early stage death cases were decreased as well.Conclusion Main causes of death among HIV/AIDS cases were AIDS related diseases.An earlier treatment would decrease the death rate.
Mature Cell Activation

Cell-based therapies are increasingly considered to be a potential treatment option for peripheral artery disease. Recently, there has been heightened interest in the concept of mature-cell activation to augment the efficacy of cell therapy. This is a novel concept in the field of cardiovascular regenerative medicine and provides hopes to build on the promising results seen in two clinical trials. Both clinical trials studied MultiGeneAngio which is a novel cell-based product that has undergone successful ex vivo modification to express certain growth factors necessary for angiogenesis. Although these trials were able to document the safety profile of this cell-based therapy, additional trials will be necessary to demonstrate the efficacy of this novel therapy.
UniPass: design and evaluation of a smart device-based password manager for visually impaired users

Visually impaired users face various challenges in web authentication. We designed UniPass, an accessible password manager for visually impaired users based on a smart device. To evaluate UniPass, we tested and compared UniPass with two commercial password managers: LastPass, a popular password manager and StrongPass, a smart device-based password manager. Our study results of ten users, six blind and four with low vision, suggest that password managers are a promising authentication approach for visually impaired users. Participants using UniPass had the highest task completion rate and took the shortest time to complete an authentication related task. Furthermore, the majority (seven out of ten) of our participants preferred UniPass over LastPass and StrongPass.
New Directions in Classic Maya Household Archaeology

Over the past two decades, household studies have coalesced into a recognized subfield within archaeology. Despite this relatively short history, household archaeologists are now taking a leading role in epistemological shifts that are placing people and their practices and differences at the center of archaeological interpretations of the past, rather than subsuming these into the “noise” of passive and depersonalized depictions of ancient social systems. As Maya archaeologists have played a critical role in the development of household archaeology, examining recent trends in Maya household research provides a perspective on the directions of both Maya studies and household archaeology more generally. This article explores three interrelated trends: (1) understanding ordinary people; (2) understanding social diversity among households; (3) understanding households in articulation with the broder social universe. Through a discussion of these three trends, this review uses Classic Maya household archaeology as a case study to illustrate how household research has led to the development of theoretically rich and empirically substantive understandings of an ancient society, which repeople the past and foreground the active roles of and structural constraints on ancient people.
Trauma Resuscitation Evaluation Times and Correlating Human Patient Simulation Training Differences-What is the Standard?

ABSTRACTBackground: Rapid effective trauma resuscitations (TRs) decrease patient morbidity and mortality. Few studies have evaluated TR care times. Effective time goals and superior human patient simulator (HPS) training can improve patient survivability. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to compare live TR to HPS resuscitation times to determine mean incremental resuscitation times and ascertain if simulation was educationally equivalent. The study was conducted at San Antonio Military Medical Center, Department of Defense Level I trauma center. Design and Methods: This was a prospective observational study measuring incremental step times by trauma teams during trauma and simulation patient resuscitations. Trauma and simulation patient arms had 60 patients for statistical significance. Participants included Emergency Medicine residents and Physician Assistant residents as the trauma team leader. Results: The trauma patient arm revealed a mean evaluation time of 10:33 and simulation arm 10:23. Co...
Moving beyond disease-focused decision making: understanding competing risks to personalize lung cancer treatment for older adults

Every year in the United States alone over 500,000 adults age 65 years and older undergo high-risk surgery. For many of these procedures, including lung resection, annual volume is increasing (1).
How do Single-Cell Properties Influence the Collective Mechanical Behavior of Confluent Tissues?

Biological tissues involved in important processes such as embryonic development, lung function, wound healing, and cancer progression have recently been shown, via a systematic analysis of tissue mechanics and cell displacement statistics, to be close to a disordered liquid-to-solid or “jamming” transition. We expect these jamming transitions to be very important for biological function. For example, due to collective effects, cell migration is greatly reduced in solid-like tissues and enhanced in fluid-like tissues. Therefore, we would like to know how cells might regulate properties such as expression of cell-cell adhesion molecules and myosin activity in order to change the macroscopic properties of the tissue as a whole. I will discuss a new theoretical framework that predicts how the jamming transition is governed by single-cell mechanics and persistent cell motility. I will discuss how our a priori theoretical predictions with no fit parameters are precisely realized in cell cultures from human patients with asthma, and discuss how these ideas might also be applied in heterogeneous cell populations to understand processes in embryonic development and cancer progression.
Philanthropic Foundations’ Social Agendas and the Field of Higher Education

Today there are approximately 68,000 private independent foundations that contribute less than 3 % of the total annual revenue to the field of higher education. These groups aspire to use their patronage to transform and reform the structure and practices of higher education, such that their vision for American society takes hold. Since society is once again in an era of mega-foundation activity, this synthesis considers the evidence describing how private foundations have pursued their social agendas to shape the field of higher education.
Coordination of pincer grasp and transport after mechanical perturbation of the index finger

A current debate concerning the neural control of prehension centers on the question of whether the digits in a pincer grasp are controlled individually or together. Employing a novel approach that...
Performance evaluation of MIMO channel prediction algorithms using measurements

Abstract Knowledge of future channel conditions can increase the performance of many types of wireless systems. This is especially true for radio channels with multiple transmit and receive antennas, i.e. Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) systems. This paper investigates the performance of several prediction schemes for MIMO channels using both simulations and measurements. It is found that in scenarios with few scattering clusters corresponding to outdoor scenarios, a significant performance gain is possible. Using a MIMO AR predictor, the prediction horizon almost doubles compared to the corresponding SISO AR predictor. However, for indoor scenarios, prediction algorithms that exploit the special structure of the MIMO radio channel arc needed.
Clinical Features and Outcomes of Plasmacytoma in the United States: Analysis Using the National Cancer Data Base

Abstract Introduction Plasmacytomas comprise approximately 3% of all plasma cell malignancies. There is a paucity of large studies assessing clinical features and outcomes of this relatively uncommon disease. Our objective was to describe the patterns of clinical presentation and survival of plasmacytomas using the National Cancer Data Base (NCDB). Methods This is a retrospective study of patients with histologically confirmed diagnosis of plasmacytoma from 2000-2011 using International Classification of Diseases for Oncology version 3 (ICD-0-3) code: 9930. Patients who had bone marrow involvement were excluded from the analysis. Plasmacytomas were grouped into two broad categories: extramedullary plasmacytoma (P-EM) and bone plasmacytoma (P-bone) based on their anatomical locations. Overall survival was analyzed using Kaplan-Meier estimates. Results A total of 6,939 patients were included in the study (median age 64 years; range 18-90 years). Approximately 62% of these patients were males and 46% patients were ≥ 70 years. Racial/ethnic distribution of the disease was as follows: 76% Whites, 13% Blacks, 7% Hispanics, and 4% others. The anatomical distribution and survival of patients is depicted in the Table. P-EM comprised 30% of the patients, with remaining 70% presenting as P-bone. Among P-EM, most common sites of presentation were upper aero-digestive tract (41%) and connective/soft tissue (20%). After a median follow up of 65 months, the overall survival of P-EM was significantly better than P-bone (113 vs. 78 months; Figure). Based on outcomes, we can categorize the P-EM patients into 3 groups: good (median overall survival > 120 months: upper aero-digestive tract, lymph nodes, endocrine and digestive system), intermediate (median overall survival 90-120 months: nervous system, eye/orbit, pulmonary), and poor (median overall survival Conclusions This is the largest registry-based study on plasmacytoma in the United States. Plasmacytomas have varied clinical presentation, along with significantly different survival based on sites of presentation, race, sex, and treatment facility. Our study results point toward important differences in disease biology based on location and may aid in assessing prognosis for planning treatment. Table. Anatomical distribution and median overall survival of plasmacytomas. Download : Download high-res image (183KB) Download : Download full-size image Download : Download high-res image (127KB) Download : Download full-size image Disclosures Kumar: Noxxon Pharma: Consultancy, Research Funding; Kesios: Consultancy; Skyline: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Onyx: Consultancy, Research Funding; BMS: Consultancy; Array BioPharma: Consultancy, Research Funding; Sanofi: Consultancy, Research Funding; Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding; Millennium: Consultancy, Research Funding; Glycomimetics: Consultancy; AbbVie: Research Funding; Janssen: Consultancy, Research Funding.
A cyclic allocation model for the inventory-modulated capacitated location problem

ABSTRACTHard capacity constraints have been used for decades in facility location modelling and planning. However, such constraints are unrealistic as a variety of operational tools can be used to extend capacity in the short term. To address this, the Inventory-Modulated Capacitated Location Problem (IMCLP) uses inventory as a method of mitigating the hard capacity constraints, but enforces single sourcing. In this paper, we examine a cyclic, day-specific allocation approach to assigning demand sites to processing facilities in the IMCLP. This enables the model to develop a day-of-the-week allocation policy that considers day-to-day variations in the daily processing capacity levels of a set of candidate processing facilities and/or systematic day-to-day demand variations. We demonstrate that allowing demands at a particular site to be allocated to multiple processing facilities in such a manner can be a cost-effective operational tool.
Activation barriers for methylation of DNA bases by dimethyl sulfate

Abstract The S N 2 transition states of the methylation reaction of DNA bases with dimethyl sulfate were examined employing DFT/ M06-2X/6-31+G ∗ and DFT/B3LYP-D3/6-311+G (2df, 2p) levels of theory. Solvation effects were examined using the conductor-like polarizable continuum model (CPCM). Calculation results and feedback from electrostatic potential maps show that in water, charge separation lowers the activation barriers relative to the gas phase for the reactions at N7 of guanine, N3 of adenine and cytosine. Also, the reaction at the O 6 site of guanine is governed by steric interference and exhibits a higher activation barrier in water.
Draft Genome Sequence of Pseudomonas fluorescens Strain ITEM 17298, Associated with Cheese Spoilage.

ABSTRACT Pseudomonas fluorescens is a genetically and phenotypically heterogeneous species that is often reported as a spoiler of fresh foods, but it has recently been implicated in clinical infection. In this study, we sequenced the genome of P. fluorescens strain ITEM 17298, isolated from mozzarella cheese and able to cause several alterations under cold storage.
Fahr’s Disease: A Differential to Be Considered for Various Neuropsychiatric Presentations

Fahr’s disease, also known as familial idiopathic basal ganglia calcification, is a neurodegenerative disorder affecting cerebral microvessels, mainly the basal ganglia, and presenting with diverse neuropsychiatric manifestations. It is considered to be mainly hereditary, with autosomal dominant inheritance. In light of its various presentations and incomplete penetrance, Fahr’s disease is known to be underestimated and underdiagnosed. Here, an early-onset case of Fahr’s disease is presented mainly with pure psychiatric symptoms. Given the diversity of the presenting symptoms, and variations in the age of onset, further investigation of organic etiologies in patients presenting with neuropsychiatric symptoms, family members of patients with Fahr’s disease, and patients with unexplained cerebral calcification is recommended.
Virtual surgical planning and three-dimensional printing in multidisciplinary oncologic chest wall resection and reconstruction: A case report.

Abstract Introduction Primary sarcomas of the sternum are extremely rare and present the surgical teams involved with unique challenges. Historically, local muscle flaps have been utilized to reconstruct the resulting defect. However, when the resulting oncologic defect is larger than anticipated, local tissues have been radiated, or when preservation of chest wall muscles is necessary to optimize function, local reconstructive options are unsuitable. Presentation of case Virtual surgical planning (VSP) and in house three-dimensional (3D) printing provides the platform for improved understanding of the anatomy of complex tumours, communication amongst surgeons, and meticulous pre-operative planning. We present the novel use of this technology in the multidisciplinary surgical care of a 35 year old male with primary sarcoma of the sternum. Emphasis on minimizing morbidity, maintaining function of chest wall muscles, and preservation of the internal mammary vessels for microvascular anastomosis are discussed. Discussion While the majority of patients at our institution receive local or regional flaps for reconstruction of thoracic defects, advances in microvascular surgery allow the reconstructive surgeon the latitude to choose other flap options if necessary. VSP and 3D printing allowed the surgical team involved to utilize free tissue transfer to reconstruct the defect with free tissue transfer from the thigh. Perseveration of the internal mammary vessels was paramount during tumor extirpation. Conclusion Virtual surgical planning and rapid prototyping is a useful adjunct to standard imaging in complex chest wall resection and reconstruction.
1631c Recent changes to the acgih hand activity level tlv

The ACGIH Hand Activity Level (HAL) Threshold Limit Value (TLV) is a risk assessment tool designed to protect workers, who perform repetitive hand exertions for 4 or more hours per day, from distal upper extremity disorders. Recent large, longitudinal studies, provide strong evidence that repetitive forceful hand exertions increase risk for occupational wrist tendinosis and carpal tunnel syndrome.1,2,3 In the Harris-Adamson study,3 forceful hand exertions (e.g., >9N pinch or >45N power grip force) and the%time performing forceful hand work increased risk. Based on these and psychophysics studies,4 hand exertions should be considered in risk assessment models if they are above 10% of posture specific strength. In addition, in these large studies, the prior HAL TLV action limit (0.56) was not sufficiently protective5 and, therefore, has been revised. The name of this TLV was changed to Hand Activity (HA) TLV. Other changes to the TLV will also be presented. References . Harris C, Eisen E, Goldberg R, et al. Workplace and individual factors in wrist tendinosis among blue-collar workers: The San Francisco study. Scand J Work Environ Health2011;37(2):86–98. . Bonfiglioli R, Mattioli S, Armstrong T, et al. Validation of the ACGIH TLV for hand activity in the OCTOPUS cohort: A two-year longitudinal study of carpal tunnel syndrome. Scand J Work Environ Health2013;39:155–63. . Harris-Adamson C, Eisen EA, Kapellusch J, et al. Biomechanical risk factors for carpal tunnel syndrome: A pooled study of 2474 workers. Occup & Environ Medicine2015;72:33–41. . Potvin JR. Predicting maximum acceptable efforts for repetitive tasks an equation based on duty cycle. Human Factors2012;54(2):175–188. . Kapellusch JM, Gerr F, Malloy EJ, et al. Exposure-response relationships for the ACGIH TLV for hand activity level: Results from a pooled data study of carpal tunnel syndrome. Scand J Work Environ Health2014;40:610–20.
Spontaneous urinary extravasation.

AbstractThe diagnosis and management of 12 patients with spontaneous non-traumatic urinary extravasation are described. It Is important to distinguish extravasation of the fornical backflow type from that owing to frank rupture of the diseased renal pelvis. Most cases of the former variety are caused by calculous ureteral obstruction and can be managed conservatively. Surgical Intervention Is Indicated for the latter variety (frank rupture) and is based on the requirements Imposed by the patient’s clinical condition, the persistence of obstruction or extravasation, or the presence of complications of extravasation such as urinoma or abscess.
Synchrotron radiation from an accelerating light pulse

Synchrotron radiation—namely, electromagnetic radiation produced by charges moving in a curved path—is regularly generated at large-scale facilities where giga–electron volt electrons move along kilometer-long circular paths. We use a metasurface to bend light and demonstrate synchrotron radiation produced by a subpicosecond pulse, which moves along a circular arc of radius 100 micrometers inside a nonlinear crystal. The emitted radiation, in the terahertz frequency range, results from the nonlinear polarization induced by the pulse. The generation of synchrotron radiation from a pulse revolving about a circular trajectory holds promise for the development of on-chip terahertz sources.
Nanoscale photoacoustic tomography for label-free super-resolution imaging: simulation study.

The erratum corrects an error in the article, “Nanoscale photoacoustic tomography for label-free super-resolution imaging: simulation study,” by P. Samant et al.
Penicillin Trunk Injection Affects Bacterial Community Structure in Citrus Trees

Huanglongbing (HLB), caused by Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), an uncultured α-proteobacterium, is the most destructive disease of citrus trees worldwide. In previous studies, trunk injections of penicillin reduced CLas titers and HLB symptoms in citrus. However, antibiotic effects on the whole plant microbial community, which include effects on taxa that interact with CLas, have not yet been addressed. In this study, we investigated the effects of penicillin injection (0, 1000, and 6000 mg L−1) on rhizospheric and endophytic bacterial communities of grapefruit trees in field and greenhouse experiments through culture-independent high-throughput sequencing. DNA extractions from petioles and roots were subjected to 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing, and reads were clustered by sequence similarity into operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Principal coordinates analysis based on weighted-UniFrac distances did not reveal differences in bacterial communities among treatments in any of the sample sources. However, pairwise linear discriminant analysis indicated significant differences in relative abundance of some taxa (including CLas) among treatments. Network analysis showed that penicillin produced major changes in root bacterial community structure by affecting interspecific microbial associations. This study provides new knowledge of the effect of antimicrobial treatments on interspecific relationships in citrus microbial communities.
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction With Hamstring Autograft: A Matched Cohort Comparison of the All-Inside and Complete Tibial Tunnel Techniques.

Background:Surgical reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of the most common orthopaedic procedures, with an estimated 100,000 to 175,000 procedures performed annually. Rece...
Improving the adhesion of glass/polypropylene (glass-PP) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) surfaces by open air plasma treatment

Abstract The objective of this study was to investigate the bonding between glass reinforced polypropylene (glass-PP) and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) surfaces. As glass-PP and HDPE surfaces possess low surface energy inherently, atmospheric plasma treatment enhances the adhesion characteristics between the surfaces by increasing their surface energies. Both the materials were subjected to atmospheric/air plasma by varying parameters such as plasma intensity and number of treatments. Optimal plasma treatment conditions were determined based on the bond strength of the materials. Various characterization techniques such as FTIR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy), SEM (scanning electron microscopy), DSC (differential scanning calorimetry) and surface energy determination via wettability inks, were employed to understand the surface modification following plasma treatment. Furthermore, the effect of plasma treatment on glass-PP surface versus a neat polypropylene (neat PP) surface was characterized to understand and establish a baseline. Improvement in bond strength of glass-PP-HDPE panels was observed, GΙc (Mode 1 interlaminar fracture toughness) value of glass-PP- HDPE panels increased from 0.1 N/mm to 5.5 N/mm (after plasma treatment) whereas, the GΙc value of neat PP- HDPE panels increased from 0.4 N/mm to 2.8 N/mm (after plasma treatment). Enhancement in the surface energy of glass-PP and HDPE surfaces was observed, surface energy of glass-PP increased from 28 mN/m to 58 mN/m and the surface energy of HDPE surface increased from 28 mN/m to 72 mN/m.