cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Binding of ferric enterobactin by the Escherichia coli periplasmic protein FepB.

The periplasmic protein FepB of Escherichia coli is a component of the ferric enterobactin transport system. We overexpressed and purified the binding protein 23-fold from periplasmic extracts by ammonium sulfate precipitation and chromatographic methods, with a yield of 20%, to a final specific activity of 15,500 pmol of ferric enterobactin bound/mg. Periplasmic fluid from cells overexpressing the binding protein adsorbed catecholate ferric siderophores with high affinity: in a gel filtration chromatography assay the Kd of the ferric enterobactin-FepB binding reaction was approximately 135 nM. Intrinsic fluorescence measurements of binding by the purified protein, which were more accurate, showed higher affinity for both ferric enterobactin (Kd = 30 nM) and ferric enantioenterobactin (Kd = 15 nM), the left-handed stereoisomer of the natural E. coli siderophore. Purified FepB also adsorbed the apo-siderophore, enterobactin, with comparable affinity (Kd = 60 nM) but did not bind ferric agrobactin. Polyclonal rabbit antisera and mouse monoclonal antibodies raised against nearly homogeneous preparations of FepB specifically recognized it in solid-phase immunoassays. These sera enabled the measurement of the FepB concentration in vivo when expressed from the chromosome (4,000 copies/cell) or from multicopy plasmids (>100,000 copies/cell). Overexpression of the binding protein did not enhance the overall affinity or rate of ferric enterobactin transport, supporting the conclusion that the rate-limiting step of ferric siderophore uptake through the cell envelope is passage through the outer membrane.
An association between mothers' speech clarity and infants' speech discrimination skills

The quality of speech directed towards infants may play an important role in infants’ language development. However, few studies have examined the link between the two. We examined the correlation between maternal speech clarity and infant speech perception performance in two groups of Mandarin-speaking mother‐infant pairs. Maternal speech clarity was assessed using the degree of expansion of the vowel space, a measure previously shown to reflect the intelligibility of words and sentences. Speech discrimination in the infants (6‐8 and 10‐12-month-olds) was measured using a head-turn task. The results show that mothers’ vowel space area is significantly correlated with infants’ speech discrimination performance. Socioeconomic data from both parents show that the result cannot be attributed to parental socioeconomic factors. This study is correlational and therefore a causal relationship cannot be firmly established. However, the results are consistent with the view that maternal speech clarity directly affects infants’ early language learning.
Intrinsic Stress and Structure in Mixed Composition thin films

Intrinsic stress and microstructure of mixed composition films were investigated for several material systems useful in the IR wavelength range. Stress in coevaporated mixed films (analog) deviated from a linear dependence on composition, while in discrete alternating films (digital) it varied linearly with composition. For MgF2-Ge and CeF3-Ge, analog film stress was small and compressive over a large range of intermediate compositions despite the fact that the constituent materials had high tensile stress. The stress behavior correlated with changes in the microstructure. Low stress compositions were observed to correspond to enhanced grain size in the mixed film. These results have significant implications for the design of gradient-index thin-film structures.
Scanning electron microscope examination of JA2 propellant samples exposed to plasma radiation

Some plasma-exposed samples of transparent (graphite-free) JA2 propellant were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was found that the plasma-exposed surface of these samples was covered with humps or bubble-like structures. When the samples were cryogenically split, the interior was found to contain numerous open cracks and voids; in a very few cases where the split actually went through a hump/bubble, cracks/voids were found immediately under the hump, suggesting a cause and effect relationship. The inside surfaces of the cracks and voids appeared in some cases to be either (a) smooth and undulating, or (b) about as would be expected if the two sides of the crack had been simply pulled apart; or (c) rough and/or debris-covered. In some type (c) cases they appeared to have been initially rough or debris-covered but to have been at least partially smoothed, possibly by processes involving heat, liquefaction and thermal decomposition. These observations seem consistent with an interpretation involving subsurface penetration of the propellant sample by visible and infrared (IR) radiation; this radiation then might cause cracks as a result of uneven expansion due to heating and/or internal gasification due to photochemical and/or thermal decomposition, particularly at sites of small patches of unplasticized nitrocellulose (NC) fibers. If these changes also included liquefaction or melting, with or without decomposition, this would also help to understand the smoothing process. In any case, these results suggest that interaction of plasma radiation with the sample is a significant effect. An end-exposed grain of standard, semitransparent JA2 was also examined; in this case the cracks were oriented differently; they extended from holes in the surface into the interior in a direction perpendicular to the surface and parallel to the direction of extrusion.
Seasonal variation of serum lipids in the Vervet monkey

Abstract Seasonal variation of serum lipids has been observed in man, primates and other species. We are presenting data on serum lipid variation in Vervet monkeys ( Cercopithecus aethiops ). The monkeys (54 males, 33 females) were fed control diets (commercial pellets, fruit, vegetables) and data were pooled and grouped by season. Data having been obtained in South Africa, the seasons were: summer (December, January, February); fall (March, April, May); winter (June, July, August); and spring (September, October, November). Data presented are based on multiple samplings. Total serum cholesterol (mg/dl) and β-lipoprotein cholesterol (mg/dl) varied significantly with season, peak values being observed in the fall months. Triglyceride and α-lipoprotein cholesterol levels showed seasonal variation which was not statistically significant. However, when data were analyzed by weight group ( 5.4 kg) only triglyceride and a-lipoprotein levels varied significantly with season. Significant interactions between diet, sex, weight, and season have also been observed. These observations can be used in planning future studies.
A preliminary design for a Tau-Charm Factory

A Tau-Charm Factory (/spl tau/cF) with a luminosity of 10/sup 33//cm/sup 2//s has been studied to determine the parameters and feasibility of such a facility. We have primarily looked at a system with a circumference of around 380 m, monochromatic optics, superconducting RF, distributed vacuum pumping and electrostatic bunch separation at the single interaction point. A candidate lattice has been developed and we have begun to determine the specifications of magnets and other components.
Diagnostic for a high-repetition rate electron photo-gun and first measurements

The APEX electron source at LBNL combines the high-repetition-rate with the high beam brightness typical of photoguns, delivering low emittance electron pulses at MHz frequency. Proving the high beam quality of the beam is an essential step for the success of the experiment, opening the doors of the high average power to brightness-hungry applications as X-Ray FELs, MHz ultrafast electron diffraction etc.. As first step, a complete characterization of the beam parameters is foreseen at the Gun beam energy of 750 keV. Diagnostics for low and high current measurements have been installed and tested, and measurements of cathode lifetime and thermal emittance in a RF environment with mA current performed. The recent installation of a double slit system, a deflecting cavity and a high precision spectrometer, allow the exploration of the full 6D phase space. Here we discuss the present layout of the machine and future upgrades, showing the latest results at low and high repetition rate, together with the tools and techniques used.
An introduction to verification and validation of simulation models

Model verification and validation are defined, and why model verification and validation are important is discussed. The three approaches to deciding model validity are described. A graphical paradigm that shows how verification and validation are related to the model development process and a flowchart that shows how verification and validation is part of the model development process are presented and discussed. A recommended procedure for verification and validation is given.
Host-virus interactions in the Pacific white shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei

Infectious myonecrosis virus (IMNV) causes significant economic losses in farmed shrimp, where associated mortality in ponds can reach 70%. To explore host-pathogen interactions, a next generation sequencing approach using lymphoid organ tissue from IMNV-infected shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei, was conducted. Preliminary deep sequencing assembly showed that there were at least an additional 639 base pairs (bp) at the 5’ terminus and 23 bp at the 3’ terminus as compared to the original description of the genome (7561 bp). Reverse transcriptase PCR and Northern blot analysis confirmed the presence of novel sequence. Using 5’ Rapid Amplification of cDNA Ends (RACE), 4 additional nucleotides were discovered; 3’ RACE confirmed the presence of 22, rather than 23 bp of additional
Effectiveness of Jet-Grout Columns for Mitigation of Liquefaction During Earthquakes

The 1999 Kocaeli Earthquake (M=7.4) caused significant damage along Izmit Bay. We investigated the performance of improved soil sites in the region. An important site was Carrefour Shopping Center which is underlain by soft clays, silts, and liquefiable sands. Jet-grout columns had been installed to reduce static settlements and prevent liquefaction. Post-earthquake inspections showed the grouting to be effective in reducing damage. Dynamic finite element analyses were used to model the reinforced ground at the site. Surprisingly, the results suggest that the columns did not reduce seismic shear stresses and strains in the soil mass. Column effectiveness was more related to vertical support that prevented settlements. Our findings imply that design methods that assume composite shear behavior for columnar-reinforced ground can greatly overestimate the actual level of improvement.
80.8-km BOSSNET SPECTS O-CDMA Field Trial Using Subpicosecond Pulses and a Fully Integrated, Compact AWG-Based Encoder/Decoder

We successfully demonstrate a spectral phase-encoded time-spreading (SPECTS) optical code-division multiple-access (O-CDMA) field trial on an 80.8-km link within the Boston-South Network (BOSSNET) using a fully-integrated, polarization-independent arrayed-waveguide grating (AWG)-based encoder/decoder. The subpicosecond pulse source is based on an ultrastable optical frequency comb generator employing dispersion-decreasing fiber. A novel tunable dispersion-slope compensator enables the use of subpicosecond pulses without extensive characterization of the field-deployed fiber. Bit-error rate (BER) and Ethernet traffic statistics are presented.
Clinical Significance of Monitoring Anterior Fontanel Pressure in Sick Neonates and Infants

The intracranial pressure was monitored via the anterior fontanel, using a noninvasive technique, in 78 acutely ill, 39 normal term, and 6 normal preterm infants. In normal term and preterm infants the anterior fontanel pressure (AFP) was 10.2 +/- 0.4 and 9.5 +/- 0.8 cm H2O, respectively. Infants with hyaline membrane disease had elevated pressure (13.3 +/- 0.6 cm H2O), which was higher than that of normal preterm infants. Following an episode of intracranial hemorrhage in four infants, the AFP increased to 26.2 +/- 2.5 cm H2O. Elevated pressure was noted in infants with meconium aspiration syndrome (24.1 +/- 1.8 cm H2O); the pressure decreased during the phase of recovery (15.6 +/- 3.5 cm H2O). Elevated pressure was noted in infants with meningitis and hydrocephalus. Repeated measurements helped to diagnose shunt obstruction in an infant with hydrocephalus.
Chaos meets quantum mechanics: Possible nonlinear vindication of Einstein's arguments: Paradoxes of the Copenhagen Interpretation: Nonlinear Parallels: Essays and Commentaries

This paper was submitted as an invited paper resulting from the “Understanding Complex Systems” conference held at the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign, May 2005.
Confidentiality and Sharing Information When Adolescents Are Seriously Ill

When adolescents are seriously ill with life-limiting conditions, ideally they should receive the best available care that is tailored to their preferences about how to spend the time they have remaining. Communication with adolescent patients about their conditions and possibilities for care-as well as communication from them about their responses and needs-is essential to achieving these goals. Current laws about the medical records of adolescents, coupled with the current state of development of adolescent electronic medical records, do not serve this communication well. On the one hand, parents may block communication to their children about decisions they control. On the other hand, adolescents may be discouraged from seeking care or from sharing information out of fear that their legitimate privacy concerns will not be respected.
Effect of Colchicine on Eosinophil Count in the Hypophysectomized Rat.

Summary1. Colchicine injected into normal male rats caused a 70% decrease in circulating eosinophils. Hypophysectomized rats similarly injected with colchicine showed a 50% diminution. 2. Saline injections in normal rats caused a 49% decrease in eosinophils, while in hypophysectomized rats there was an increase of 81%. 3. The eosinopenic response to colchicine appears, in the main, to be due to a direct adrenal stimulation or to a direct peripheral effect.
Attitude Changes Toward Foreign Products

This article uses the experimental approach to discuss the possible influence of various communication media on the foreign product image of the American consumer.
Is it Time to Jump off the Sustainability Bandwagon

Almost thirty years after its initial use in the Brundtland Report, the concept of “sustainability” has become ubiquitous within business, with virtually every company division across a broad range of industries developing “sustainable” models and practices. While the original Brundtland idea of sustainable development has the potential to do much good in guiding business practice, this potential is being undermined by the systematic misuse, misunderstanding, and flawed application of the concept in many business settings. Under the guise of sustainability, business is being asked to do both less than and more than what should be required by a commitment to sustainable development. As a result, serious ethical and practical questions go unanswered, questions that must be addressed before sustainability can become a meaningful business strategy. This address situates sustainable business within its original context of sustainable development and argues against attempts to convert sustainability either into a narrow concept of risk management or into a broad concept of social responsibility. It then lays out a sustainability research agenda that helps us understand how to create businesses that can meet present and future needs without jeopardizing future generations via the destruction of the biosphere.
Hope and Despair: Extension Agents in a Young Democracy

The nation of South Africa during this critical transition period of economic growth and poverty alleviation provides an intriguing case study of the importance of coordination between government, civil society and the community for sustainable service delivery. The determination of extension agents to facilitate the success of the young democracy is thwarted by numerous field and institutional challenges that others observed and documented while the status quo remained. This paper provides a rare insight into a new discourse of extension as paragons of citizenship, patriotism, and nationalism. Properly approached, extension service can help unlock the service delivery cul-de-sac.
CEV Airbag Landing System Modeling

The dynamic analysis of impact attenuation airbag landing systems is studied. An experimental airbag test program is presented where the objectives were analytical model validation and airbag performance demonstration. Airbag systems are currently under consideration for the impact attenuation of earth landing for the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle. The purpose of the system is to limit landing loads and provide stability, to protect the crew and to allow vehicle reuse. An important element of the airbag system design process is accurate modeling of the proposed configuration to determine if the resulting performance meets requirements. An explicit dynamic finite element analysis model is presented. Once all the post processing of the experimental data is complete, the time history data from the dynamic analysis models will be compared with this measurement data from the test program. Some preliminary checks have yielded good correlation with the experiment. ILC Dover is in competition for the potential airbag landing system design and fabrication work of the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle. This ongoing competition prevents the disclosure of the detailed result magnitudes at this time.
Victim Impact Testimony and Pennsylvania's Parole Decision Making Process: A Pilot Study*:

While several states now permit victim participation in the parole process, little research exists concerning the extent, nature, and consequences of such involvement. During Fall 1991, the authors...
Igneous rock-forming minerals

After three short sections on common elemental abundances in the Earthâ€™s crust, the recalculation of mineral formulas from their chemical analyses, and the application of triangular (ternary) diagrams to the depiction of the chemistry of minerals, we start the systematic descriptions of igneous rock-forming minerals. We chose 29 of these as the most representative, of which 19 are silicates, 6 are oxides, 3 are sulfides, and 1 is a phosphate. Section 7.5 is the first mineral entry of the systematic description of igneous rock-forming minerals that follow. You must read these descriptions to become familiar with the most common minerals; their composition, structure, and physical properties; and their uses in the present-day commercial world. Reading the mineral description in this text while handling one or several specimens of the same mineral in the laboratory that accompanies your course is the best way to familiarize yourself with the mineralâ€™s properties. Minerals that are common constituents of sedimentary and metamorphic rocks and of vein deposits are presented after the origin of igneous rocks and their classification, in Chapters 8 and 9.
The Cascade of Care in Chronic Hepatitis B

The worldwide burden of chronic hepatitis B infection is substantial, and immigration practices make this infection a relevant problem for low endemic countries as well. The prevalence of chronic hepatitis B infection is underreported, as many infected patients remain unidentified, due to large deficiencies in hepatitis B awareness and screening. Lack of engagement and retention in care leave many treatment-eligible patients untreated and result in missed opportunities for hepatocellular carcinoma prevention and screening. Interventions need to be addressed at the level of the patient within the community, the medical provider, and the health-care system, including education of patients and providers and facilitating the affordability of health care. Culturally appropriate community-based outreach programs and utilization of information technology are examples of these endeavors.
A Corpus of Wikipedia Discussions: Over the Years, with Topic, Power and Gender Labels

In order to gain a deep understanding of how social context manifests in interactions, we need data that represents interactions from a large community of people over a long period of time, capturing different aspects of social context. In this paper, we present a large corpus of Wikipedia Talk page discussions that are collected from a broad range of topics, containing discussions that happened over a period of 15 years. The dataset contains 166,322 discussion threads, across 1236 articles/topics that span 15 different topic categories or domains. The dataset also captures whether the post is made by an registered user or not, and whether he/she was an administrator at the time of making the post. It also captures the Wikipedia age of editors in terms of number of months spent as an editor, as well as their gender. This corpus will be a valuable resource to investigate a variety of computational sociolinguistics research questions regarding online social interactions.
Novel Measurement of Intradiscal Pressure in Underbody Blast Simulation

Underbody Blast (UBB) events subject vehicle occupants to large accelerations that often result in severe lumbar spine injury. Little knowledge exists on the intervertebral disc response during high-rate vertical accelerative loading. To address this gap, the current study investigates intradiscal pressures under UBB loading utilizing biomechanical testing from: 1) isolated Post Mortem Human Surrogate (PMHS) lumbar spine motion segments (LMS) in a custom-designed drop tower fixture; and 2) whole body (WHBO) PMHS in a custom-designed Vertically Accelerated Load Transfer System. During testing, intradiscal pressures were comparable between the LMS and WHBO tests, with non-fracture cases producing higher average peak pressures than fractured tests. Additionally, WHBO testing demonstrated that upper body posture can influence lumbar pressure responses. The current study evaluates lumbar intradiscal pressure transduction as it relates to vertebral fracture in both component and whole body experiments.Copyright © 2016 by ASME
Language, Literacy, and the Saintly Body: Cistercian Reading Practices and the Life of Lutgard of Aywières (1182–1246)

Many years before the death of Lutgard of Aywieres (1182–1246), a thirteenth-century Cistercian nun renowned for her asceticism and visionary insight, Thomas of Cantimpre (ca. 1200–ca. 1270) approached a group of nuns and lay brothers to arrange for the disposal of her relics should she die during his absence. Thomas—a Dominican preacher and theologian who penned a hagiography of Lutgard in addition to several other holy women of the mid-thirteenth century Low Countries—wanted her hand as “a sacred memorial” (sacram memoriam). The abbess Hadewijch agreed to his request. Repeating a medieval misogynistic commonplace, Thomas then wrote that “since it is women's nature to be unable to keep secrets. . . the nuns told Lutgard how I had ordered her hand to be cut off.”
TRPA1 ion channel stimulation enhances cardiomyocyte contractile function via a CaMKII-dependent pathway

Rationale: Transient receptor potential channels of the ankyrin subtype-1 (TRPA1) are non-selective cation channels that show high permeability to calcium. Previous studies from our laboratory have...
Safety Effect of Diverging Diamond Interchanges on Adjacent Roadway Facilities

Recent evidence has shown that the diverging diamond interchange (DDI) design improves the safety of the ramp terminals and the overall safety of the interchange. What is still not known is the safety effect that a DDI has on adjacent intersections and the speed-change lanes (SCLs) at freeway entrances and exits. This study addressed this void by examining DDI installations in Missouri. The early and many DDI implementations in Missouri provided a rich data set with which to conduct this study. Twelve major signalized intersections adjacent to the DDI ramp terminals were examined. Thirty-two SCL facilities, 16 freeway entrances, and 16 exits from 11 DDI sites also were examined. A manual review was done to assign 4,073 crash reports to corresponding facilities. The empirical Bayes (EB) method was used to estimate the safety effect of the DDI on adjacent facilities. No evidence showed that the DDI design had any effect, positive or negative, on the crashes that occurred at the entrance or exit SCLs. After ...
Twenty Years of Social Studies Textbook Content Analysis: Still "Decidedly Disappointing"?.

ABSTRACTIn an article published in 1993, Rahima Wade reviewed the quality of social studies textbook content analyses published in three major social studies journals between 1982 and 1992. She concluded that the quality of this research was disappointing. Borrowing and refining Wade's methods, this article presents the findings of a review of all 29 textbook content analyses published in the same journals between 1994 and 2016 to see whether textbook content analysis research has improved during the past two decades. The results indicate that the quality of this research has improved little: many studies were unclear in their sampling strategies, validity and reliability of coding variables, and data collection and analysis procedures. The methodological limitations rendered their substantive findings questionable. This article concludes with recommendations for textbook researchers to explicate their data collection and analysis processes and make their results more useful to social studies teaching and...
Fitting Wavelength Dispersive Spectra with the NIST/NIH DTSA Program

Labar has shown that relative x-ray line intensities within an x-ray family are important for both qualitative and quantitative microprobe analysis(1). However, the measurement of many of these relative intensities is difficult due to peak overlaps. X rays generated in solid materials by the electron beam in an electron probe microanalyzer may be measured either by an energy dispersive spectrometer or by a wavelength dispersive spectrometer. Although the EDS spectrum can contain all of the x-ray energies from zero to the energy of the electron beam, only a relatively small number of channels in the spectrum may be from the particular characteristic x-ray line of interest. The detector electronics broaden the line into a Gaussian-shaped peak whose width is so broad that in many cases it will overlap other x-ray peaks from the same element or other elements in the specimen. A WDS uses a diffracting crystal to separate the x rays by wavelength according to Bragg’s Law: $$n\lambda = 2d \sin \theta$$ (16.1) where n is the order of the diffraction, X, is the x-ray wavelength, d is the crystal spacing and θ is the diffraction angle. The WDS, therefore, measures only one wavelength at a time (actually, because of crystal imperfections, a narrow band of wavelengths, approximately 10 eV in width for a LiF crystal) and must be mechanically scanned as a function of θ to obtain a spectrum of the x-ray line of interest. Since all of the WDS measurements are from the peak of interest, no time is wasted measuring x rays outside of the peak, and a significantly larger number of x rays are counted than with the EDS. In addition, because the pulse width for WDS is less than 1.ts, as compared to 10–50.ts for EDS, the electron beam current may be increased to obtain an even higher count with the WDS. At high beam currents, the EDS system dead time becomes so high that the EDS may shut off entirely. There are, therefore, two principal benefits of using a WDS for measuring x-ray peaks: first, the superior peak resolution for separating overlapped peaks, and second, the much higher number of x rays counted in the peak of interest. This double benefit should significantly increase the statistical accuracy of the measurements as was demonstrated by Fiori.(2)
Commodity price comovement and financial speculation: The case of cotton

Recent booms and busts in commodity prices have generated concerns that financial speculation causes excessive commodity-price comovement, driving prices away from levels implied by supply and demand under rational expectations. We develop a structural vector autoregression model of a commodity futures market and use it to explain two recent spikes in cotton prices. In doing so, we make two contributions to the literature on commodity price dynamics. First, we estimate the extent to which cotton price booms and busts can be attributed to comovement with other commodities. Finding such comovement would be necessary but would not be sufficient evidence to establish that broad-based financial speculation drives commodity prices. Second, after controlling for aggregate demand and comovement, we develop a new method to point identify shocks to precautionary demand for cotton separately from shocks to current supply and demand. To do so, we use differences in volatility across time implied by the rational expectations competitive storage model. We find limited evidence that financial speculation caused cotton prices to spike in 2008 or 2011. We conclude that the 2008 price spike was driven mostly by precautionary demand for cotton, and the 2011 spike was caused by a net supply shortfall.
The Economics of Online Dating: A Course in Economic Modeling.

The author discusses the development of a unique course, The Economics of Online Dating. The course is an upper-level undergraduate course that combines intensive discussion, peer review, and econo...
Damasio’s Error: The Politics of Biological Determinism After Freud

The central argument of this chapter is that neuroscientists like Antonio Damasio rely on an underlying theory of evolution that is full of unrecognized political assumptions and effects. As a prime example of neuroliberalism, Damasio’s Descartes’ Error attempts to naturalize a theory of nature, which is itself in part a product of political ideology and social negotiation. Although he does point to non-biological aspects of the human mind, we shall see that his formulations of consciousness represent a pre-psychoanalytic understanding of subjectivity. Moreover, his focus on survival and adaptation offers a new form of social Darwinism that is determined by a neoliberal emphasis on competitive conformity.
The Millennial model: in search of measurable pools and transformations for modeling soil carbon in the new century

Soil organic carbon (SOC) can be defined by measurable chemical and physical pools, such as mineral-associated carbon, carbon physically entrapped in aggregates, dissolved carbon, and fragments of plant detritus. Yet, most soil models use conceptual rather than measurable SOC pools. What would the traditional pool-based soil model look like if it were built today, reflecting the latest understanding of biological, chemical, and physical transformations in soils? We propose a conceptual model—the Millennial model—that defines pools as measurable entities. First, we discuss relevant pool definitions conceptually and in terms of the measurements that can be used to quantify pool size, formation, and destabilization. Then, we develop a numerical model following the Millennial model conceptual framework to evaluate against the Century model, a widely-used standard for estimating SOC stocks across space and through time. The Millennial model predicts qualitatively similar changes in total SOC in response to single factor perturbations when compared to Century, but different responses to multiple factor perturbations. We review important conceptual and behavioral differences between the Millennial and Century modeling approaches, and the field and lab measurements needed to constrain parameter values. We propose the Millennial model as a simple but comprehensive framework to model SOC pools and guide measurements for further model development.
Chronic circadian advance shifts abolish melatonin secretion for days in rats.

Abstract Melatonin deficiency has been proposed to underlie higher risks for cardiovascular and several other diseases in humans experiencing prolonged shiftwork. However, melatonin secretion has not been monitored longitudinally during consecutive shifts of the light:dark (LD) cycles in the same individuals (animals or humans) and the extent of melatonin deficiency is unknown in individuals experiencing consecutive LD shifts. We investigated the effect of consecutive LD shifts on melatonin secretion in adult F344 rats using continuous online pineal-microdialysis. The rats were entrained to the 12 h:12 h LD cycle before the shifts. The LD cycle was then advanced (n=5) or delayed (n=4) for six hours every four days for four consecutive times. The rats exhibited marked asymmetry in response to delay or advance LD shifts. While rats exposed to the repeated LD delay shifts always exhibited melatonin secretion throughout the entire periods, repeated LD advance shifts suppressed nocturnal melatonin secretion for several consecutive days in the middle of the 3-week period. Moreover, melatonin offset after LD delay and melatonin onset after LD advance determined the rate of circadian pacemaker reentrainment. Additionally, melatonin offset was phase locked at the new dark/light junctions for days following LD advance. These data demonstrate that chronic LD shifts are deleterious to melatonin rhythms, and that this effect is much more pronounced during advance shifts. These data may enhance our understanding of impact of LD shifts on our circadian timing system and benefit better design of shiftwork schedules to avoid melatonin disruption.
Reversing age-associated arterial dysfunction: insight from preclinical models

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain the leading causes of death in the United States, and advancing age is a primary risk factor. Impaired endothelium-dependent dilation and increased stiffening ...
Chronic Frontal Sinusitis

Management of chronic frontal sinusitis can be challenging due to the complicated anatomic relationships in the anterior skull base. Frontal sinus surgery itself is one of the most common causes of iatrogenic or refractory frontal sinus disease requiring revision surgery. Frontal sinus disease usually results from obstruction of the frontal recess (drainage pathway) rather than an intrinsic problem with the frontal sinus itself. The often variable drainage pathway of the frontal recess resembles an hourglass with the internal frontal sinus ostium being the neck of the hourglass. A simple nasofrontal “duct” does not exist. Proper diagnostic evaluation of the frontal sinus includes a fine-cut CT scan (including coronal and sagittal views) and a well-decongested nasal endoscopy using angled nasal endoscopes. The spectrum of microorganisms typically found in chronic frontal sinusitis is different from that of acute frontal sinusitis. Medical management with a prolonged course of antibiotics, frequently coupled with systemic corticosteroids, is the first line of therapy for chronic frontal sinusitis. In the absence of impending complications, surgery of the frontal sinuses is generally reserved for patients with symptomatic disease that has failed to respond to adequate medical therapy. Endoscopic frontal sinusotomy is the current standard of care for frontal sinus surgery, supplemented by extended endoscopic techniques or external approaches as needed for complex anatomy or tumors. Meticulous postoperative care is an important element for ensuring long-term patency of the frontal sinus outflow tract following endoscopic surgery. External approaches to the frontal sinus are very rarely utilized in the primary surgical management of inflammatory frontal sinus disease. The complications associated with untreated chronic frontal sinusitis are associated with superimposed acute infections and include orbital and intracranial infections.
Deep Learning-Based Obstacle Detection and Classification With Portable Uncalibrated Patterned Light

Autonomous navigation and obstacle avoidance systems are critically relevant and important for visually impaired people, assisted driving applications, and autonomous robots. Even though there has been significant amount of work on obstacle detection and avoidance using LiDAR and camera data, there has not been much effort focusing on providing a lightweight, cost conscious, energy efficient, reliable, and portable solution for the visually impaired. We propose a new method for autonomous obstacle detection and classification, which incorporates a different and novel type of sensor, namely, patterned light field, with camera. The proposed device is small in size, easily carried, as well as low cost. The grid, projected by the patterned light source, is apparent and differentiable as the sensing system is hand carried in natural indoor and outdoor environments over and toward different types of obstacles. Our proposed approach exploits these patterns, without calibration, by employing deep learning techniques, including a convolutional neural network-based classification on individual frames. We further refine our approach by smoothing the frame-based classifications over multiple frames using long short-term memory units. The proposed method provides very promising results with overall detection and classification accuracies of 98.37% for the binary case as well as 95.97% and 92.62% for two different multi-class scenarios. These results represent the average number of sequences correctly detected and classified and were obtained on a sequence-based analysis of over 120 sequences from four different users.
The load dependence of muscle’s force-velocity curve is modulated by alternative myosin converter domains

The hyperbolic shape of the muscle force-velocity relationship (FVR) is characteristic of all muscle fiber types. The degree of curvature of the hyperbola varies between muscle fiber types and is t...
Antero-Posterior Cephalometric Analysis of the Craniofacial Complex in the Prader-Willi Syndrome

Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS) is a multisystem disorder with characteristic clinical features including hypotonia, hypogonadism, insatiable appetite, truncal obesity, mild mental deficiency, short stature, small hands and feet, and facial dysmorphology. The typical facies are described as a combination of the following features: almond-shaped palpebral fissures which may be upslanting, long narrow face, downturned mouth, and thin upper lip (Cassidy, 1984).
Chapter 58 – Pharmacogenomics

Central to the practice of anesthesiology is the goal of safety and maximal efficacy for every individual patient. Genetics can influence drug metabolism, drug transport, and drug response target of action of drugs used in the anesthetic practice. This chapter provides a primer for those new to the concepts of pharmacogenomics and the historical role that anesthesia has played in the development of the field of pharmacogenomics/genetics. The majority of the chapter looks at pharmacologic classes of medications used in the anesthetic practice and the current role of pharmacogenetics in the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of commonly used anesthetic and analgesic drugs. Finally, the area of pharmacogenetics continues to evolve, and we cite examples where polymorphisms may influence the selection of perioperative medications to provide the safest and most efficacious care for each patient.
Synthetic biology for natural product drug production and engineering

Abstract Natural products continue to provide privileged scaffolds for drug discovery. However, challenges in supply and structure diversification can limit development. Here, we discuss recent (2017–2020) examples of synthetic biology approaches used to address challenges in supply and contribute to structure diversification of selected plant and bacterial natural products. Our examples include plant terpenoids, alkaloids, and lignans and bacterial polyketides, nonribosomal peptides, and ribosomally synthesized and posttranslationally modified peptides.
Effectiveness of Class Activities in Collaborative Learning Environment in Construction Education

Class activities play an important role in both of student learning and building relationships among class participants. Many of construction management programs implement various class activities in their classes. This paper presents the quantitative analysis of various class activities in a statics class in a construction management from students' perspective. In this study, there are about 12 class activities which are performed in and outside of class by all class participants. Each activity was evaluated in terms of its impact on four areas of class environment, building relationships between an instructor and students, between students, and student learning. This paper addresses the most preferred activities in terms of four areas. Based on descriptive statistics, various class activities have a huge influence on four areas and any activities related to student learning and building relationships are highly preferred. With respect to students' final course grades, there are clear differences in preference of class activities between different groups of final grades. This information will be useful for the practitioners in managing and improving student learning and class environment through various class activities.
Partial DP-coloring of graphs

Abstract In 1980, Albertson and Berman introduced partial coloring. In 2000, Albertson, Grossman, and Haas introduced partial list coloring. Here, we initiate the study of partial coloring for an insightful generalization of list coloring introduced in 2015 by Dvořak and Postle, DP-coloring (or correspondence coloring). We consider the DP-coloring analogue of the Partial List Coloring Conjecture, which generalizes a natural bound for partial coloring. We show that while this partial DP-coloring conjecture does not hold, several results on partial list coloring can be extended to partial DP-coloring. We also study partial DP-coloring of the join of a graph with a complete graph, and we present several interesting open questions.
Do Women's Coping Responses to Unwanted Pursuit Behaviors Reduce Future Victimization? A Prospective Exploration.

While some studies have assessed perceptions of the effectiveness of coping responses to unwanted pursuit behavior (UPB) victimization, there is limited research assessing the prospective effective...
Mn-stabilized austenitic steel strengthened by nano-scale β-NiAl (B2), FCC-Cu, and carbides via ICME design

Abstract An integrated computational materials engineering (ICME) approach was used to design a fully Austenitic, Mn-stabilized steel strengthened by three nano-scale precipitate phases: β-NiAl, FCC-Cu, and M23C6 carbides. Thermo-Calc was used to predict the effects of Ni, Al, and Cu additions on phase stability in a Fe–17.7Mn–4.7Cr–0.48C (wt.%) base Austenitic composition. These predictions were verified experimentally by (1) synthesizing alloys of this Austenitic base alloy modified with Cu, Ni+Al, or Cu+Ni+Al, (2) measuring the mechanical properties by microindentation, and (3) characterizing the nano-scale microstructures by atom probe tomography (APT). After ageing at 580°C, selected based on Thermo-Calc modeling, only minor hardening was observed in samples modified with either Cu or Ni+Al. However, the alloy with combined additions of Cu together with Ni+Al exhibited significant hardening (490 HV, corresponding to an estimated σy ≈ 1200 MPa), which was attributed to the formation of FCC-Cu and β-NiAl nano-precipitates.
A blame narrative approach to apologetic crisis management: The serial apologiae of United Airlines

Abstract Using the crisis faced by United Airlines in 2017 when the air carrier forcibly removed Dr. David Dao from a flight, this paper uses a blame narrative perspective to focus on the apologetic efforts of CEO Oscar Munoz in his multiple attempts to resolve the public relations crisis faced by the airline. In so doing, it shows that because Munoz and United initially resisted taking responsibly, the airline perpetuated the crisis by issuing multiple apologiae. This was due to the fact that its first narrative denied responsibility and shifted blame, and only when the airline proffered a narrative that took responsibility and apologized did it meet stakeholder expectations-and subsequently resolve the crisis. As such, this paper argues that future directions in apologia studies should focus less on message strategies and instead seek to uncover the broad narratives, blame and otherwise, that inhere in this form of discourse.
Minimally Invasive Uro-Oncology

Despite advances in minimally invasive surgery and the increasing adoption of such techniques in pediatric urology, there remains a paucity of data or evidence-based recommendations for its use for pediatric or adolescent urologic oncology. However, there are a number of malignancies managed by urologic surgeons which have surgical indications that may be reasonably approached by minimally invasive surgery. There exist published reports of various adrenal (neuroblastoma), renal (Wilms tumor and renal cell carcinoma), testicular (germ cell tumor), and paratesticular (rhabdomyosarcoma) malignancies in children which have been managed with laparoscopy or robotic-assisted laparoscopy. Also, childhood prostate and bladder tumors, such as rhabdomyosarcoma, are routinely approached initially by endoscopy. The history of endoscopy and laparoscopy in pediatric urologic oncology provides a foundation for its current indications. In this chapter we will review the surgical techniques (including patient positioning, port placement, and selection of surgical instrumentation) and suggestions for approaching pediatric and adolescent urologic malignancies with minimally invasive surgery.
The strategic content of island constraints

This issue of Working Papers in Linguistics is a slightly modified version of Alexander Grosu's Ph.D. dissertation from The Ohio State University (submitted to the Graduate School in August, 1972).
Brief Report: A Pilot Study of Parent–Child Biobehavioral Synchrony in Autism Spectrum Disorder

The theory of biobehavioral synchrony proposes that the predictive power of parent-child attunement likely lies in the manner with which behaviors are aligned with relevant biological processes. Symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may challenge the formation of behavioral and physiological synchrony, but maintenance of such parent-child attunement could prove beneficial. The present study is the first to examine parent-child physiological synchrony in ASD. Parent and child electrodermal activity (EDA) was measured continuously during naturalistic free play. Parent-child EDA synchrony (positive covariation) was positively correlated with observed parent-child emotional attunement. Hierarchical linear modeling revealed that child ASD symptoms moderated the association between parent EDA and child EDA, such that EDA synchrony was stronger for children with lower ASD symptom levels.