cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Facial Trauma Simulation Course for Evaluation and Treatment of Facial Fractures

ImportanceTraditional facial trauma laboratories are used for teaching basic concepts of fracture reduction and hardware manipulation. Facial trauma simulation laboratories allow training physician...
A Gaussian Approximation Approach for Value of Information Analysis

Most decisions are associated with uncertainty. Value of information (VOI) analysis quantifies the opportunity loss associated with choosing a suboptimal intervention based on current imperfect information. VOI can inform the value of collecting additional information, resource allocation, research prioritization, and future research designs. However, in practice, VOI remains underused due to many conceptual and computational challenges associated with its application. Expected value of sample information (EVSI) is rooted in Bayesian statistical decision theory and measures the value of information from a finite sample. The past few years have witnessed a dramatic growth in computationally efficient methods to calculate EVSI, including metamodeling. However, little research has been done to simplify the experimental data collection step inherent to all EVSI computations, especially for correlated model parameters. This article proposes a general Gaussian approximation (GA) of the traditional Bayesian updating approach based on the original work by Raiffa and Schlaifer to compute EVSI. The proposed approach uses a single probabilistic sensitivity analysis (PSA) data set and involves 2 steps: 1) a linear metamodel step to compute the EVSI on the preposterior distributions and 2) a GA step to compute the preposterior distribution of the parameters of interest. The proposed approach is efficient and can be applied for a wide range of data collection designs involving multiple non-Gaussian parameters and unbalanced study designs. Our approach is particularly useful when the parameters of an economic evaluation are correlated or interact.
Cultural evolutionary theory: How culture evolves and why it matters

Human cultural traits—behaviors, ideas, and technologies that can be learned from other individuals—can exhibit complex patterns of transmission and evolution, and researchers have developed theoretical models, both verbal and mathematical, to facilitate our understanding of these patterns. Many of the first quantitative models of cultural evolution were modified from existing concepts in theoretical population genetics because cultural evolution has many parallels with, as well as clear differences from, genetic evolution. Furthermore, cultural and genetic evolution can interact with one another and influence both transmission and selection. This interaction requires theoretical treatments of gene–culture coevolution and dual inheritance, in addition to purely cultural evolution. In addition, cultural evolutionary theory is a natural component of studies in demography, human ecology, and many other disciplines. Here, we review the core concepts in cultural evolutionary theory as they pertain to the extension of biology through culture, focusing on cultural evolutionary applications in population genetics, ecology, and demography. For each of these disciplines, we review the theoretical literature and highlight relevant empirical studies. We also discuss the societal implications of the study of cultural evolution and of the interactions of humans with one another and with their environment.
Wood Moisture and the Environment

In order to understand the interaction of wood with the water in the atmosphere, it is necessary to consider first some of the basic properties of water itself. In this chapter some of the important characteristics of water such as its phases, vapor pressure, relative vapor pressure or activity, and the effect of temperature on these parameters, will be treated. These are the particular properties of water which are important to describe qualitatively the general interaction of wood and water. In later chapters, other characteristics of water appropriate to the topics covered in the particular chapter will be discussed.
USE OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL MODELS OF CONGENITAL HEART DEFECTS TO ENHANCE RESIDENT EDUCATION

Applications of three-dimensional (3D) printed models in medicine include pre-procedure planning, patient education and clinical training. The ability to reproduce complex anatomy as a tangible 3D printed model can be particularly useful for understanding congenital heart defects (CHD). We
Fine-tuning of oxygen vacancy and interstitial concentrations in La1.85Ce0.15CuO4+δ by electrical bias

Abstract Defects present in oxide materials are well known to strongly impact transport properties, as well as interfacial reaction kinetics, such as oxygen exchange with the atmosphere. Most commonly, oxygen defect concentrations, or equivalently oxygen nonstoichiometry, are set in a given material by controlling the external oxygen partial pressure and temperature. This approach, however, is limited by the range of oxygen partial pressures readily experimentally achievable and the time it takes to reach equilibrium. In this study, we instead rapidly fine-tune oxygen defect concentrations in promising rare earth cuprate (RE2CuO4: RE = rare earth) SOFC cathode materials by controlling the electrical potential applied across a YSZ supporting electrolyte. We then monitor the induced oxygen nonstoichiometry variations by in-situ measurement of chemical capacitance. These layered perovskites, that incorporate both oxygen interstitials and vacancies, show promise as SOFC cathodes. In this study, we attempt to correlate the changing defect and transport properties with the measured area-specific-resistance, or equivalently the surface oxygen exchange coefficient. Success is also demonstrated in measuring in-plane film conductivity over a wide range of effective oxygen partial pressure, with the results agreeing with predictions from appropriate defect models.
Pediatric and Gynecologic Rates of Documentation of Last Menstrual Period in Female Adolescents.

Abstract Study Objective The American Academy of Pediatrics and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have identified the menstrual cycle as essential in assessing overall health of adolescent girls. Menses should be considered a “vital sign” and documentation of last menstrual period (LMP) is recommended at every patient encounter. The aim of this study was to estimate and compare LMP documentation among adolescent and pediatric health care providers. Design, Setting, and Participants A retrospective cohort study identified a random sample of 50 female patients seen in the general pediatrics (PEDS), adolescent medicine (AM), and pediatric and adolescent gynecology (PAG) ambulatory clinics at Phoenix Children's Hospital between January 1, 2016 and March 31, 2016. Interventions and Main Outcome Measures Rates of LMP documentation were compared between clinics using the Pearson χ2 test. Multivariable logistic regression analyses quantified the association of clinic and LMP documentation, with adjustments for visit reason, provider gender, and age at presentation. Results Rates of LMP documentation were 100% for adolescent gynecologists, but significantly lower for general pediatricians (14%) and AM (60%) providers (P Conclusion Adolescent gynecologists document LMP routinely. In contrast, LMP documentation rates in AM, and especially in PEDS, were significantly lower. Quality improvement methods such as incorporation of an LMP section into the vitals portion of an electronic medical record could help improve rates of compliance.
Modeling the effect of electric vehicle adoption on pedestrian traffic safety: An agent-based approach

Abstract When operated at low speeds, electric and hybrid vehicles have created pedestrian safety concerns in congested areas of various city centers, because these vehicles have relatively silent engines compared to those of internal combustion engine vehicles, resulting in safety issues for pedestrians and cyclists due to the lack of engine noise to warn them of an oncoming electric or hybrid vehicle. However, the driver behavior characteristics have also been considered in many studies, and the high end-prices of electric vehicles indicate that electric vehicle drivers tend to have a higher prosperity index and are more likely to receive a better education, making them more alert while driving and more likely to obey traffic rules. In this paper, the positive and negative factors associated with electric vehicle adoption and the subsequent effects on pedestrian traffic safety are investigated using an agent-based modeling approach, in which a traffic micro-simulation of a real intersection is simulated in 3D using AnyLogic software. First, the interacting agents and dynamic parameters are defined in the agent-based model. Next, a 3D intersection environment is created to integrate the agent-based model into a visual simulation, where the simulation records the number of near-crashes occurring in certain pedestrian crossings throughout the virtual time duration of a year. A sensitivity analysis is also carried out with 9000 subsequent simulations performed in a supercomputer to account for the variation in dynamic parameters (ambient sound level, vehicle sound level, and ambient illumination). According to the analysis, electric vehicles have a 30% higher pedestrian traffic safety risk than internal combustion engine vehicles under high ambient sound levels. At low ambient sound levels, however, electric vehicles have only a 10% higher safety risk for pedestrians. Low levels of ambient illumination also increase the number of pedestrians involved in near-crashes for both electric vehicles and combustion engine vehicles.
Structural Features of Barrier Membranes

Most cell membranes are surprisingly permeable to water and small uncharged solutes. This property is a consequence of both the fluid and anisotropic nature of the phospholipid bilayer. Water molecules are able to partition into the proximal region of the hydrocarbon core and then diffuse across the bilayer before dissolving in the aqueous environment on the other side. While this ‘solubility-diffusion’ hypothesis is well accepted, the mechanism of diffusion of water molecules across the bilayer is still a matter of intense speculation. One model hypothesises the existence of “mobile kinks” which initially provide a free volume space for a water molecule to occupy, and which then translocates the water molecule by virtue of consecutive trans-gauche isomerisations along the length of the acyl chain, combined with lateral diffusion of the phospholipid within the bilayer. The mobile kink is in effect a self-propagating “hole” which carries the water molecule across the membrane (Haines and Liebovitch, 1994). Another model (Deamer and Bramhall, 1986) postulates the presence of transient defects at the water/bilayer interface which allows a “strand” of water, perhaps only several molecules long, to penetrate into the bilayer. Individual water molecules then break off and can be translocated across the bilayer by virtue of further defects which arise from thermal fluctuations. While the precise mechanism may not be known, the functional consequences of high membrane permeability are that water and solutes will equilibrate across membranes in response to simple osmotic or concentration gradients.
Unbiased Estimation for the Contextual Effect of Duration of Adolescent Height Growth on Adulthood Obesity and Health Outcomes via Hierarchical Linear and Nonlinear Models

UNBIASED ESTIMATION FOR THE CONTEXTAL EFFECT OF DURATION OF ADOLESCENT HEIGHT GROWTH ON ADULTHOOD OBESITY AND HEALTH OUTCOMES VIA HIERARCHICAL LINEAR AND NONLINEAR MODELS By Robert John Carrico A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment to the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University, 2012 Major Director: Yongyun Shin, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Biostatistics This dissertation has multiple aims in studying hierarchical linear models in biomedical data analysis. In Chapter 1, the novel idea of studying the durations of adolescent growth spurts as a predictor of adulthood obesity is defined, established, and illustrated. The concept of contextual effects modeling is introduced in this first section as we study secular trend of adulthood obesity and how this trend is mitigated by the durations of individual adolescent growth spurts and the secular average length of adolescent growth spurts. It is found that individuals with longer periods of fast height growth in adolescence are more prone to having favorable BMI profiles in adulthood. In Chapter 2 we study the estimation of contextual effects in a hierarchical generalized linear model (HGLM). We simulate data and study the effects using the higher level group sample mean as the estimate for the true mean versus using an Empirical Bayes (EB) approach (Shin and Raudenbush 2010). We study this comparison for logistic, probit, log-linear, ordinal and nominal regression models. We find that in general the EB estimate lends a parameter estimate much closer to the true value, except for cases with very small variability in the upper level, where it is a more complicated situation and there is likely no need for contextual effects analysis. In Chapter 3 the HGLM studies are made clearer with large-scale simulations. These large scale simulations are shown for logistic regression and probit regression models for binary outcome data. With repetition we are able to establish coverage percentages of the confidence intervals of the true contextual effect. Coverage percentages show the percentage of simulations that have confidence intervals containing the true parameter values. Results confirm observations from the preliminary simulations in the previous section of this paper, and an accompanying example of adulthood hypertension shows how these results can be used in an application. 1 Chapter 1 The Effect of the Duration of Adolescent Height Growth on Adulthood Obesity Outcomes 1.
Issues in Specifying Planning Horizons for Production Planning within CIM Environments

The development of production plans for the CIM hierarchy directs the firm’s manufacturing activities over an extended time horizon. All of the subordinate CIM functions (e.g. production scheduling, material and capacity requirements planning, purchasing, and others) are impacted by this plan. The first step in the development of a production plan is the specification of an appropriate planning horizon--a complex task that is plagued with numerous uncertainties. To address this task, this paper views the production planning problem as a two-point boundary value problem where boundary conditions must be specified at both the beginning and at the end of the planning horizon. A difficulty arises in the specification of the ending boundary conditions since they are generally unknown. Furthermore, an incorrect specification can have a significant, perhaps detrimental, effect upon the quality of the developed plan. An additional requirement for the planning horizon is that it be of suitable duration to permit an effective integration of production planning with the other CIM functions.
Organization and Use of This Guide

This guide is organized in chapters that address specific aspects of grant writing or individual sections of applications. Each chapter covers concepts that are important to writing an effective application, and explores how to approach them as a writer. Where relevant, the chapters end with a list of common errors, and discussions of how to avoid these pitfalls.
Interpolation-Based Animation

Interpolation finds many uses in computer animation. The most straightforward use is in interpolating object transformations by specifying a series of transformations at specific times (keys) that are to be interpolated. Interpolating the shape of an object is also an important animation technique. Global deformations are transformation matrices whose values are nonlinear functions of the interpolating parameter and can manipulate the shape of an object beyond simple nonuniform scale. Various techniques to interpolate geometric shape information in a controlled way are presented. One way is to directly interpolate vertex positions among several object definitions. These shapes are referred to as blend shapes. Free form deformation (FFD) is a popular way to change the shape of an object by embedding its vertices in space that is then manipulated. Lastly, 2D image interpolation, commonly referred to as morphing, is presented.
Toxic RNA in Pathogenesis of Human Neuromuscular Disorders

In the past decade, substantial progress has been made in our understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of microsatellite expansion disorders. Some of these diseases, such as myotonic dystrophy, fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome, spinocerebellar ataxias 8, 10, 12 and Huntington’s disease-like 2, are caused by an increased number of tri-, tetra- or pentanucleotide repeats in noncoding regions of the mutated genes. An RNA gain-of-function mechanism has been proposed to explain how mutations in noncoding fragments of genes lead to a disease phenotype. A number of studies demonstrated that RNA molecules harboring long repeating sequences affect the metabolism of other RNAs via deregulation of RNA processing proteins. This chapter presents the current status of knowledge related to mechanisms of pathogenesis, involvement of RNA structures and specific RNA binding proteins in seven neurodegenerative diseases associated with an RNA gain-of-function mechanism. Potential therapeutic strategies directed towards toxic RNAs are also reviewed.
Cleft Palate in a Chinchilla (Chinchilla lanigera)

Abstract A 5-month-old female chinchilla (Chinchilla lanigera) was evaluated for failure to thrive, difficulty drinking, and respiratory signs. Physical examination demonstrated a thin body condition score, purulent nasal and ocular discharge, and an abnormal facial appearance. Endoscope-guided oral examination and computed tomography (CT) scan demonstrated a cleft soft palate, absent nasal turbinates, and bilateral otitis media. The animal was euthanized and necropsy confirmed the diagnosis of palatoschisis (cleft palate) of the soft palate. Other relevant postmortem findings included otitis media, interna, and externa, bony bullae proliferative changes, absent nasal turbinates and rhinosinusitis. Congenital abnormalities are rarely reported in chinchillas. While cleft palates have been reported in many other domestic animals, there are no published reports of this condition in chinchillas to the best of the authors’ knowledge.
PQ-CNN: Accelerating Product Quantized Convolutional Neural Network on FPGA

This work presents an efficient CNN computation framework on FPGA, which utilizes Product Quantization (PQ). Compared to other compression methods, PQ has larger compression ratios and, furthermore, it alleviates the irregularity problem. However, its algorithmic benefits do not translate to system performance gains because of: 1) a large codebook that diminishes the compression ratio; 2) large numbers of look-up operations that are inefficient on CPU and GPU architectures. In this work, to address these problems, we first provide an analytical model to guide our design and find a dilemma for selecting PQ parameters. Then, we propose a software/hardware method to tackle these issues. We present a complete framework to optimally implement PQ-CNN on FPGA. According to our experimental results, we can achieve 140 Tops equivalent throughput, 475 Gops/w energy efficiency and with less than 0.5% accuracy degradation.
Frustration(s) and the Ice Rule: From Natural Materials to the Deliberate Design of Exotic Behaviors

The ice rule has a long, interesting history, one that proved most influential to thermodynamics, physical chemistry, statistical mechanics, magnetism, material science, and soft matter. First introduced to solve the mystery of the residual entropy in water ice, it has motivated an entire set of exactly solvable problems in statistical mechanics and applied mathematics. It was then recognized in exotic magnets at low temperature, and designed in new artificial frustrated systems, both magnetic and colloidal. As new classes of artificial ice rule materials are being presented, dedicated geometries are proposed to generate new, exotic collective behaviors, often not found in natural systems. There, a deeper understanding of the origin of the ice rule from different forms of frustration can be exploited for design of unusual phases.
Humanae Vitae and Its Ecclesial Consequences

This article explores the ecclesial consequences of Humanae Vitae in relation to four seminal contributions of Vatican II: (1) a renewed appreciation for the sensus fidelium; (2) the theological re...
Urbanization, education, and the politics of space on the Tibetan Plateau

This article provides an introduction to a special collection of five articles showcasing the work of rising scholars in the geography and anthropology of Tibetan regions in China (Eveline Washul, ...
Differences in Postoperative Morbidity among Obese Patients Undergoing Abdominal Versus Laparoscopic Hysterectomy for Benign Indications.

ABSTRACT Study Objective To analyze the interaction between the route of hysterectomy for benign disease and postoperative morbidity among patients stratified by body mass index (BMI) and to test for a dose-dependent relationship between obesity severity and postoperative morbidity. Design A retrospective cohort study. Patients Benign hysterectomy cases were abstracted from the American College of Surgeons National Safety and Quality Improvement Program from 2005 to 2016. Cancer and prolapse surgeries were excluded by corresponding International Classification of Diseases and Current Procedural Terminology codes. Interventions Laparoscopic hysterectomy. Measurements and Main Results Associations between BMI, route of surgery, and categoric patient variables were examined using the chi-square test. Associations of BMI, route of surgery, and continuous patient variables were examined using 1-way analysis of variance. Associations of the route of surgery with binary outcomes were examined within BMI categories using the chi-square or Fisher exact test. Logistic regression and interaction tests were used for final outcomes of interest. There were 159 025 patients in the collected sample. Patients who underwent an abdominal hysterectomy had higher odds of composite morbidity if they were obese; the adjusted odds were 17% higher for class 1 obesity, 55% higher for class 2 obesity, and 163% higher for class 3 obesity. An abdominal hysterectomy was associated with worse postoperative outcomes when compared with a laparoscopic hysterectomy (p Conclusion BMI directly impacts postoperative morbidity for both abdominal and laparoscopic hysterectomies although the effect is more pronounced after an abdominal hysterectomy. Roughly 40% of women undergoing a hysterectomy in the United States are obese. These data should motivate surgeons to consider ways to medically and surgically optimize patients, including weight reduction before hysterectomy and choosing a laparoscopic approach whenever possible to lower the risk of postoperative morbidity.
Optical components based on multi-refractive-index metamaterials

We studied optical components (lenses, prisms, Fabry–Perot-type etalons) comprising a metamaterial-like medium that cannot be described by a single set of refractive-index values, even for a fixed frequency, vacuum wavevector, and polarization. The metastructure that we explored is a periodic stack of dissimilar metal-clad waveguides with a subwavelength width and spacing, which guide light at different phase velocities. From the ray-optics perspective, this multi-refractive-index 'metamaterial' (MRIM) can be viewed as a spatial superposition of multiple homogeneous materials, each of which can be engineered independently. Using full-wave simulations, we demonstrate several optical components based on MRIMs, including triangular prisms that deflect light to multiple angles, lenses with multiple focal points, and multi-index Fabry–Perot etalons with an enhanced density of resonant modes. We also analytically derive the Fresnel-like reflection, transmission, and 'swapping' coefficients at the interfaces between MRIMs and conventional materials, which enable the design of MRIM-based optical structures.
Toxicity of Asbestos and Glass Fibers for Rat Tracheal Epithelial Cells in Culture

Our laboratory has been interested for many years in the experimental exploration of the etiology and pathogenesis of lung cancer. One of the persisting enigmas in this field is the carcinogenicity of asbestos fibers; we do not understand the mechanism of fiber carcinogenicity nor do we know why asbestos seemingly is the primary etiological agent in the induction of pleural mesothelioma while it appears to act mostly as a cocarcinogen in the induction of bronchogenic carcinoma. It is known that the combination of tobacco smoke and asbestos exposure leads to an enormously high incidence in bronchogenic carcinoma (Selikoff and Lee 1978); while the lung cancer incidence in nonsmoking asbestos workers is comparatively low. However, it is unclear what role asbestos plays in asbestos workers who smoke; it may act primarily as an initiator, or as a promoter, or in some other function related to the persistance of tobacco smoke carcinogems in the target tissue.
Scapegoat, Crusader, Forgotten Man: Press Coverage of Curt Flood’s Fight Against Baseball’s Reserve Clause

In December 1969, St. Louis Cardinals center fielder Curt Flood refused a trade to the Philadelphia Phillies and instead elected to sue Major League Baseball, challenging baseball’s control over its players as determined by the century-old reserve clause. As sports historians have sought to recover Flood’s contribution, they have charged, without providing much evidence, that the press pilloried Flood and demeaned his efforts. This paper examines press coverage of Flood in five publications central to Flood’s suit and determines that, while some sportswriters did belittle Flood and portray him as a scapegoat, the majority of writers and papers studied here supported his effort to modify the reserve clause. Flood failed, and by the time he did the press unfortunately had forgotten him and neglected his personal sacrifice. The press continued, however, to push for the reserve clause’s demise. Flood’s challenge forced a public examination of the reserve clause – in the courts and in the press – that congealed players and convinced sportswriters that baseball should loosen its grip.
The Many Kinds Of Objects That Technoscientific Objects Are

Technoscientific objects are penetrating ever more profoundly into the socio-ecological systems that shape the contemporary lifeworld in ways that have brought about widely celebrated benefits, and also many kinds of risks for human health, the environment and society. There are many kinds of technoscientific objects, such as physical, chemical or biological objects that are outcomes of technical/experimental/instrumental interventions made in the course of research conducted in such areas as computer science, biotechnology, nanotechnology, neurosciences, geo-engineering, synthetic biology and artificial intelligence. Moreover, every technoscientific object is itself an object of many kinds, not only an object whose genesis, functioning and effective use are well understood in areas like these, but also a social, economic, ecological and cultural object; and, for each kind that the object is, there are associated specific causal mechanisms whose operations, when triggered in the course of using it in the lifeworld, may lead to effects on and risks for human lives, social arrangements and the environment (Section 1). I will illustrate these claims as they apply to the exemplary technoscientific objects, transgenics (GMOs) used in agriculture (Section 2). Then (Section 3), generalizing the discussion about transgenics, I will argue that appraising the value and legitimacy of introducing and using technoscientific objects adequately requires being informed by the results of scientific investigation that take into account all the kinds of things that they are, and (to the extent possible) all the causal mechanisms from which the effects and risks of using them may arise.Keywords: Technoscientific objects, transgenics, ecological and social responsibility.
Impact of Inlet Closures on Surge Response in New Jersey Back Bays

Cialone, M.A. and Slusarczyk, G., 2020. Impact of inlet closures on surge response in New Jersey back bays. Journal of Coastal Research, 36(6), 1111–1120. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.The in-depth study presented in this paper includes numerical modeling and analysis of the effects of storm surge barriers (inlet closures) on water levels in the back bays of New Jersey during storm events. Eleven inlet closures were each numerically “closed” singularly and in combination with other inlet closures. Storm surge simulations were run with all 11 inlets “open” as a base condition and for each of the inlet singular closure and combination closure conditions. In this paper, four combinations of inlet barrier positions were selected to demonstrate the ability of surge barriers to potentially prevent surge propagation into the back bays of New Jersey, including: (1) the base condition (all inlets open); (2) closing one of the larger entrances, Barnegat Inlet; (3) all inlets closed except for a small inlet (Corson Inlet) and an extremely wide inlet entrance (Little Egg/Brigantine Inlet); and (4) all inlets closed. A comparison of maximum surge envelopes and water-level time series from simulations of 10 synthetic tropical storms with the inlets in these four configurations was made. Three of the largest bay systems, Barnegat Bay, Manahawkin Bay, and Little Egg Harbor, are the main focus of this paper. As expected, the greatest reduction in water level in the bays occurs when all inlets are closed with surge barriers. The average reduction in water level for the three bays mentioned above with all inlets closed is 0.70 m, with a maximum average reduction in Little Egg Harbor of 0.73 m. Simulations with only Barnegat Inlet closed show the greatest reduction in water level in the northern portion of Barnegat Bay, whereas surge can still propagate into the southern portion of the bay through Little Egg/Brigantine Inlet. However, storms with strong N-to-S wind can inhibit flow entering from the open inlet at Little Egg/Brigantine and therefore show the greatest reduction in maximum water level in the southern portion of Barnegat Bay for these conditions. With some inlets open and some closed, strong alongshore winds can also cause surge to become trapped behind adjacent inlet closures. This demonstrates the importance of considering multiple means of flow propagation into an embayment as well as the timing of implementing surge barriers to optimize surge protection.
Magnetic Shielding Concepts for Reaction Wheel Assembly on NASA Europa Clipper Spacecraft

Magnetic shielding concepts were investigated for the Reaction Wheel Assembly on the NASA Europa Clipper spacecraft. This investigation was performed in order to mitigate the magnetic incompatibility between the Reaction Wheel Assembly (RWA) and the two magnetically sensitive science instruments on the Europa Clipper spacecraft. Given the Reaction Wheel Assembly's mass and space design constraints, two magnetic shielding concepts were taken into consideration: (1) magnetic shielding of the internal magnet of the RWA Wheel Unit using Mu-metal material and (2) magnetic shielding of the entire RWA Wheel Unit using Metglas material.
Treatment for Fecal Incontinence: Neuromodulation

Sacral neuromodulation (SNM) has revolutionized the treatment of moderate-to-severe fecal incontinence by essentially providing relief without direct manipulation of the anal sphincter. The minimally invasive technique, potential long-term outcomes, and high safety profile makes it an attractive option for many patients. We explore the evolution, trends, and long-term outcomes in patients undergoing treatment with SNM.
Issue Publics and Cross-Cutting Political Views: Assessing the Mediating Effects of Motivations for Discussion on Exposure to Political Difference and the Contribution to Discussion Elaboration

The present research examines how issue public members contribute to citizen competence by understanding their exposure to cross-cutting political views through their political discussion. Built upon previous research on issue public members’ issue-relevant information seeking behaviors, this study finds that issue public members are more likely than nonmembers to expose themselves to cross-cutting political views both in an online and an offline context. The research further explores the motivations for discussion that affect issue public members’ exposure to cross-cutting political views. Results from structural equation modeling suggest that civic motivation for discussion triggers issue public members’ exposure to both online and offline cross-cutting political views, whereas social motivation does not. The analysis also reveals that civic motivation and the cross-cutting exposure in the offline context lead to discussion elaboration; however, social motivation and the online cross-cutting exposure do not exert the same effect on discussion elaboration. Limitations of this study and implications of the functioning of deliberative democracy are discussed.
CARBOHYDRATE NUTRITION AND SPORULATION OF ALLESCHERIA BOYDII

Cazin, John, Jr. (University of Iowa, Iowa City), and David W. Decker. Carbohydrate nutrition and sporulation of Allescheria boydii. J. Bacteriol. 88:1624-1628. 1964.-The influence of various carbohydrates on the growth and sporulation of Allescheria boydii was studied by incorporating the test substance in a medium consisting of the inorganic salts mixture contained in Czapek Dox medium with 2% agar. The data indicate that a wide variety of carbohydrates serve adequately as the sole source of carbon for A. boydii, and for its imperfect form, Monosporium apiospermum. Of those compounds tested, only raffinose and inulin were not assimilated by any of the organisms; one strain differed from all others tested in not being able to utilize sucrose. Of the ascigerous strains tested, those maintained in stock culture for a long period of time were able to grow somewhat more profusely on the various carbohydrates; recently isolated strains produced ascocarps in greater abundance. In contrast to reports appearing in the literature, these organisms are capable of assimilating mannitol, maltose, and lactose.
A colloidal quantum dot spectrometer

Spectroscopy is carried out in almost every field of science, whenever light interacts with matter. Although sophisticated instruments with impressive performance characteristics are available, much effort continues to be invested in the development of miniaturized, cheap and easy-to-use systems. Current microspectrometer designs mostly use interference filters and interferometric optics that limit their photon efficiency, resolution and spectral range. Here we show that many of these limitations can be overcome by replacing interferometric optics with a two-dimensional absorptive filter array composed of colloidal quantum dots. Instead of measuring different bands of a spectrum individually after introducing temporal or spatial separations with gratings or interference-based narrowband filters, a colloidal quantum dot spectrometer measures a light spectrum based on the wavelength multiplexing principle: multiple spectral bands are encoded and detected simultaneously with one filter and one detector, respectively, with the array format allowing the process to be efficiently repeated many times using different filters with different encoding so that sufficient information is obtained to enable computational reconstruction of the target spectrum. We illustrate the performance of such a quantum dot microspectrometer, made from 195 different types of quantum dots with absorption features that cover a spectral range of 300 nanometres, by measuring shifts in spectral peak positions as small as one nanometre. Given this performance, demonstrable avenues for further improvement, the ease with which quantum dots can be processed and integrated, and their numerous finely tuneable bandgaps that cover a broad spectral range, we expect that quantum dot microspectrometers will be useful in applications where minimizing size, weight, cost and complexity of the spectrometer are critical.
An infrastructure for scalable parallel multidimensional analysis

Multidimensional analysis in online analytical processing (OLAP), and scientific and statistical databases (SSDB) use operations requiring summary information on multidimensional data sets. Most common are aggregate operations along one or more dimensions of numerical data values and/or on hierarchies defined on them. Simultaneous calculation of multidimensional aggregates are provided by the Data Cube operator. This is computed only partially if the number of dimensions is large. Queries may either be answered from a materialized cube or calculated on the fly. The multidimensionality of the underlying problem can be represented both in relational and multidimensional databases, the latter being a better fit when query performance is the criteria for judgement. Relational databases are scalable in size for OLAP and multidimensional analysis and efforts are on to make their performance acceptable. On the other hand multidimensional databases provide good performance for such queries, although they are not very scalable. We address scalability in multidimensional systems for analysis in SSDB and OLAP applications. We describe our system PARSIMONY-Parallel and Scalable Infrastructure for Multidimensional Online analytical processing. Sparsity of data sets is handled by using chunks to store data as a sparse set using a bit encoded sparse structure. Chunks provide a multidimensional index structure for efficient dimension oriented data accesses. Operations within and between chunks are a combination of relational and multidimensional operations depending on whether the chunk is sparse or dense. Performance results for high dimensional data sets on a distributed memory parallel machine (IBM SP-2) show good speedup and scalability.
Genetic Differences in the Duration of the Lymphocyte Heat Shock Response in Mice

Lymphocytes from adult mice bearing a known difference in genetic susceptibility to teratogen-induced exencephaly (SWV/SD, and DBA/2J) were evaluated for changes in protein synthesis following an in vivo heat treatment. Particular attention was paid to changes indicative of the heat shock response, a highly conserved response to environmental insult consisting of induction of a few, highly conserved proteins with simultaneous decreases in normal protein synthesis. The duration of heat shock protein induction in lymphocytes was found to be increased by 1 hr in the teratogen-sensitive SWV/SD strain as compared to the resistant DBA/2J strain. Densitometric analysis revealed a significant decrease in the relative synthesis of at least two non-heat shock proteins (36 kD and 45 kD) in the SWV/SD lymphocytes as compared to DBA/2J cells. The increased sensitivity of protein synthesis to hyperthermia in the SWV/SD lymphocytes were lost in the F1 progeny of reciprocal crosses between SWV/SD and DBA/2J mouse strains. Sensitivity to hyperthermia-induced exencephaly is recessive to resistance in these crosses. The relationship between altered protein synthesis and teratogen susceptibility is discussed.
Charting the Territory: The Small College Dean.

This chapter defines the small college setting and addresses the historical and current importance of understanding the work of the small college dean.
Differential Effects of Lysophosphatidic Acid and Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-Bisphosphate on Actin Dynamics by Direct Association with the Actin-binding Protein Villin

We have previously reported that the epithelial cell-specific actin-binding protein villin directly associates with phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) through three binding sites that overlap with actin-binding sites in villin. As a result, association of villin with PIP2 in hibits actin depolymerization and enhances actin cross-linking by villin. In this study, we demonstrate that these three PIP2-binding sites also bind the more hydrophilic phospholipid, lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) but with a higher affinity than PIP2 (dissociation constant (Kd) of 22 μm versus 39.5 μm for PIP2). More interestingly, unlike PIP2, the association of villin with LPA inhibits all actin regulatory functions of villin. In addition, unlike PIP2, LPA dramatically stimulates the tyrosine phosphorylation of villin by c-Src kinase. These studies suggest that in cells, selective interaction of villin with either PIP2 or LPA could have dramatically different outcomes on actin reorganization as well as phospholipid-regulated cell signaling. These studies provide a novel regulatory mechanism for phospholipid-induced changes in the microfilament structure and cell function and suggest that LPA could be an intracellular regulator of the actin cytoskeleton.
Reexamination of the Optical Gamma Ray Decay in T 229 h

Optical measurements of a clean, $2\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{C}$ ${}^{233}\mathrm{U}$ sample were made to verify light emission from gamma ray decay of the first excited nuclear level in ${}^{229}\mathrm{Th}$. The results showed that the light observed in earlier studies was likely to be caused by alpha-particle induced fluorescence of air. In vacuo, no light emission was discernable. The ${}^{229}\mathrm{Th}$ system, therefore, does not appear to provide the level of access for studying atomic-nuclear interactions suggested by the previous measurements.
Enhance computer networks learning with hands-on mobile device based labware (abstract only)

Digital mobile devices, such as smart phones, have become an essential part of daily lives for the young generation, especially college students. The rapid growth of wireless and mobile technologies results in a huge demand on qualified professionals in this area. More and more schools started teaching wireless and mobile networking, but how to provide students with hands-on practice experience is still a challenge. The networking capabilities of smart mobile devices make it a perfect instructional tool for networking related course teaching. In this study, we have designed and developed a labware with Android smart phones that focuses on teaching and learning of fundamental data communications and networking concepts by making use of the mobile nature of smart phones and mobile devices. The goal of this labware is to provide students with hands-on experience with mobile devices to better understand networking concepts such as different layers of TCP/IP protocol, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and a wide range of networking methodologies/implementations in a easy-adoptable, affordable, and effective way.
Comparative inhibition of enzymes of human erythrocytes and plasma in vitro by agricultural chemicals.

Farm workers generally are exposed to a combination of synthetic agricultural chemicals and natural products while working in the fields. These biologically active compounds control infestation of tobacco by insects, and plant growth. We have investigated, in vitro the effects of acephate (AP), cadmium (Cd), methamidophos (MAP), maleic hydrazide (MH), and nicotine (NI) on the activities of the erythrocyte enzymes δ-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase (ALAD), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and plasma cholinesterase (CHE). ALAD, SOD, and plasma CHE were assayed, using aminolevulinic acid, pyrogallol, or butyryl thiocholine as substrates, respectively. Different concentrations of the above chemicals were used to obtain minimum and maximum inhibition of the enzymes, and for the development of inhibition dose response curves. These curves were used to determine the concentration of each chemical required to inhibit 50% of enzyme activity (I50). The I50 concentrations of various chemicals for each enzyme were determined in mM for ALAD: AP=95.5, Cd=1.4×10−3, MH=2.8, MAP=7.1, NI=60.8; for SOD: AP=1.2, Cd=0.8×10−7, MH=0.04, MAP=0.42, NI=0.81; for CHE: AP=5.6, Cd=18.8×10−5, MAP=18.4×10−4; CHE was not inhibited by MH and NI. Our data indicate that AP inhibited both SOD and CHE to a maximum of 91 and 87%, while MH inhibited both SOD and ALAD to a maximum 78 and 90%. However, SOD was the enzyme that was most sensitive to all the agricultural-chemicals tested in this study. The inhibition of these enzymes will enable the development of a sensitive biomarker and the assessment of long term health risks in farm workers.
What is a Warning and When Will it Work

The term warning is applied to a variety of stimuli. From a safety standpoint, the most appropriate definition of warning ties it to any information that has the potential to change behavior and prevent accidents. The results of an extensive literature review suggest that warnings are unlikely to be effective unless a series of conditions are met. The failure of many intended warnings, including most on-product warning labels, to reduce accidents reflects the difficulty of overcoming the problems inherent in their use.
Localization for random Schrödinger operators with correlated potentials

We prove localization at high disorder or low energy for lattice Schrodinger operators with random potentials whose values at different lattice sites are correlated over large distances. The class of admissible random potentials for our multiscale analysis includes potentials with a stationary Gaussian distribution whose covariance functionC(x,y) decays as |x−y|−θ, where θ>0 can be arbitrarily small, and potentials whose probability distribution is a completely analytical Gibbs measure. The result for Gaussian potentials depends on a multivariable form of Nelson's best possible hypercontractive estimate.