cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Molecular simulation studies of CO2 adsorption by carbon model compounds for carbon capture and sequestration applications

Effects of oxygen-containing surface functionalities on the adsorption of mixtures including CO(2)/CH(4), CO(2)/N(2), and CO(2)/H(2)O have been investigated in the current work. Together with Bader charge analysis, electronic structure calculations have provided the initial framework comprising both the geometry and corresponding charge information required to carry out statistical-based molecular simulations. The adsorption isotherms and selectivity of CO(2) from CO(2)/N(2), CO(2)/CH(4), and CO(2)/H(2)O gas mixtures were determined by grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations at temperature/pressure conditions relevant to carbon capture and sequestration applications. The interactions between the surfaces with induced polarity and nonpolar/polar molecules have been investigated. It has been observed that, due to the induced polarity of the surface functionalization, the selectivity of CO(2) over CH(4) increases from approximately 2 to higher than 5, and the selectivity of CO(2) over N(2) increases from approximately 5 to 20, especially in the low-pressure regime. However, water vapor will always preferentially adsorb over CO(2) in carbon-based systems containing oxygen functionalized surfaces at conditions relevant to carbon capture application. Molecular simulation results indicate that the surface chemistry in micropores is tunable thereby influencing the selectivity for enhanced uptake of CO(2).
Copper River Channel Migration and its Effects on the Copper River Highway

The Copper River in southcentral Alaska drains an area of more than 62,700 square kilometers. Near its mouth, it flows into a large alluvial plain known as the Copper River Delta. The banks and streambeds of the Copper River Delta are readily erodible and thus channels constantly scour and migrate. The Copper River Highway traverses this dynamic and complex network of braided channels via 11 bridges. Over the last decade, several of these bridges and the highway have sustained serious damage from high flows in excess of 12,000 cubic meters per second and channel instability. Scour monitoring, LIDAR data, bathymetry, hydrologic data, and hydrodynamic modeling are being used to investigate the cause and timing of the channel migration and future impacts to the highway and its bridges. The distribution of flow through these bridges was relatively stable until the mid 1990s. In 1991, up to 68 percent of the Copper River flowed through 3 bridges on the western side of the Delta. In 2004, these same bridges conveyed only 8 percent of the flow while 90 percent of the overall discharge flowed through 3 bridges on the eastern side of the delta. Migration of the river across the delta and redistribution of discharge has resulted in streambed scour at the bridges, overtopping of the road during high flows, prolonged highway closures, and formation of new channels through forests. Scour monitoring equipment and channel soundings at the eastern bridges have recorded up to 13.4 meters of fill at one bridge and 7.3 meters of scour at another bridge. The scour and fill are the product of the overall redistribution of flow and local channel migration at the bridges. A combination of LIDAR and aerial photography taken at various times from 1950 to the present indicate that the channel migration from west to east begins immediately downstream of where the river splits from a single channel to numerous braids. Longterm delta evolution would result in periodic channel migration back and forth across the delta, and in south-central Alaska, tectonics and isostatic adjustments may affect geomorphic processes. The immediate cause of the channel migration could be the result of natural adjustments following large floods in 1981, 1995, and 2006, or the result of channel formation during ice jams. Current observations indicate the eastern channels are becoming more established and will continue to threaten sections of the highway and several bridge crossings.
Development of arthritis, periarthritis and periostitis in rats given adjuvants.

Summary and ConclusionsA reproducible generalized or focal arthritis, synovitis, periostitis and tendonitis has been induced in rats by intracutaneous injections of a Freund-type adjuvant which was...
A derivation of prediction intervals for gamma regression

ABSTRACTGamma regression (GR) is a member of generalized liner models and often used when the phenomenon under study is skewed and the mean is proportional to the standard deviation. It can find applications in several areas such as life-testing problems, forecasting cancer incidences, weather extremes and quality control. Also it is a natural candidate when modelling the variance and it has been increasingly used over the past decade. When appropriate, studies encouraged its use over log transformation, Lewis et al. [Examples of designed experiments with nonnormal responses. J Qual Technol. 2001;33:265–278] and Hardin and Hilbe [Generalized linear models and extensions, 2nd ed. Stata Press; 2007]. Diagnostic tools and various inferential procedures such as confidence intervals and hypothesis testing were developed for GR models. An exception is prediction intervals for a future value of the process understudy. They are rarely discussed despite of its apparent importance for a practitioner. In this study ...
Analysis on epidemiological characteristics of bacillary dysentery in Jinhua City,Zhejiang Province in 2007-2012

Objective To explore the incidence regularity and epidemiological features of bacillary dysentery in Jinhua City,Zhejiang Province from 2007to 2012so as to provide a scientific basis for formulating its prevention and control strategies and measures. Methods The method of descriptive epidemiology was used to analyze the epidemic data of bacillary dysentery in Jinhua City during 2007-2012. Results The incidence rates of bacillary dysentery in Jinhua City during 2007-2012floated between 30.14/100,000and 7.89/100,000,with an average incidence rate of 18.96/100,000.The peak of the yearly epidemic occurred mainly between June and October,accounting for 61.03% of the total cases reported during the six years.The top two average annual incidence rates in both males and females occurred in the groups aged below 12 months or 1-4years.Scattered children accounted for the largest proportion,with a ratio of 37.03%.And the sex ratio was 1. 33:1.The isolated Shigella was sensitive to ciprofloxacin,norfloxacin and ceftriaxone,but resistant to ampicillin,cefazolin,compound SMZ,gentamicin and doxycycline,and the resistant rates were all over 89%. Conclusions The incidence rates of bacillary dysentery in Jinhua City during 2007-2012show the trend of gradual decrease.Children and students should be the key groups for bacillary dysentery prevention and control.The problems of antimicrobial resistance and multi-drug resistance in Shigellas species are severe;thus it is important to strengthen the surveillance of drug resistance of Shigella.
Research on Sampling Value Interface module for Digital Protection devices

In digital protection,sampling methods changed by self-AD samples for indirect communication.This paper analyzes new requirements caused by shift to the protection of research and development of sampling value interface module.Though establishing sampling value models,analyzes its mapping and synchronization sampling techniques.At last software and hardware structure of sampling unit module based on large FPGA and SPORT technology is introduced.The module can apply to different types of digital protection according to appliance needs and multiple configurations
Constitutive Expression of GATA4 Dramatically Increases the Cardiogenic Potential of D3 Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells

The transcription factor GATA binding protein 4 (GATA4) is a vital regulator of cardiac programming that acts by inducing the expression of many different genes involved in cardiomyogenesis. Here we generated a D3 mouse embryonic stem cell line that constitutively expresses high levels of GATA4 and show that these cells have dramatically increased cardiogenic potential compared to an eGFP-expressing control cell line. Embryoid bodies (EB) derived from the D3-GATA4 line displayed increased levels of cardiac gene expression and showed more abundant cardiomyocyte differentiation than control eGFP EB. These cells and two additional lines expressing lower levels of GATA4 provide a platform to screen previously untested cardiac genes and gene combinations for their ability to further increase the efficiency of cardiomyocyte differentiation beyond that achieved by transgenic GATA4 alone. Non-integrative delivery of identified gene combinations will aid in the production of differentiated cells for the treatment of ischemic cardiomyopathy.
Mate Preferences in Social Cognitive Context: When Environmental and Personal Change Leads to Predictable Cross-Cultural Variation

As is common for many men, Shakespeare was idealising a woman. The search for an ideal partner was not only critical for Shakespeare — it is, by evolutionary standards, the central goal for all male and female life forms (Buss, 1985;Darwin, 1859;Vandenberg, 1972). Anthropological and psychological evidence continues to document the features women seek in a male partner (Symons, 1979), but for the purposes of this chapter we primarily focus on the features men seek in a female partner. The ideal feminine form has been characterised by painters and sculptors for as long as paintings and sculptures have existed (e.g., see Zollner & Nathan, 2003) and Shakespeare is, of course, hardly the first writer to try a verbal description.
A Multi-Input Multiplier Unit Suitable for DSP Algorithm Implementations

Implementation of digital signal processing (DSP) algorithms in hardware, such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), requires a large number of multipliers. In this paper, we introduce a new multi-input Canonical Signed Digit (CSD) multiplier unit, which requires fewer shift/add/subtract operations and less CSD number conversion overhead; as a result, we can greatly reduce the power consumption and area requirements in the hardware implementation of DSP algorithms. Furthermore, because all the products are produced simultaneously, the multiplication speed and thus the throughput are improved. The developed multi-input multiplier unit is applied to implement digital filters with non-fixed filter coefficients, such as adaptive filters. The implementation cost of these digital filters can be further reduced by limiting the wordlength of the input signal with little or no sacrifice to the filter performance, which is confirmed by our simulation results. The proposed multiplier unit can also be applied to other DSP algorithms, such as digital filter banks or matrix and vector multiplications.
The Inferior Turbinate in Rhinoplasty

There is controversy regarding optimum treatment of the hypertrophied inferior turbinate. Patients undergoing rhinoplasty will likely need treatment of bony hypertrophy as well as possibly soft tissue hypertrophy. Although inferior turbinate hypertrophy is a heterogeneous entity, future studies should standardize outcome measures and compare treatment methods with rigorous clinical trials.
Pharmacokinetics of Escalating Doses of Oral Psilocybin in Healthy Adults.

Psilocybin is a psychedelic tryptamine that has shown promise in recent clinical trials for the treatment of depression and substance use disorders. This open-label study of the pharmacokinetics of psilocybin was performed to describe the pharmacokinetics and safety profile of psilocybin in sequential, escalating oral doses of 0.3, 0.45, and 0.6 mg/kg in 12 healthy adults. Eligible healthy adults received 6–8 h of preparatory counseling in anticipation of the first dose of psilocybin. The escalating oral psilocybin doses were administered at approximately monthly intervals in a controlled setting and subjects were monitored for 24 h. Blood and urine samples were collected over 24 h and assayed by a validated liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) assay for psilocybin and psilocin, the active metabolite. The pharmacokinetics of psilocin were determined using both compartmental (NONMEM) and noncompartmental (WinNonlin) methods. No psilocybin was found in plasma or urine, and renal clearance of intact psilocin accounted for less than 2% of the total clearance. The pharmacokinetics of psilocin were linear within the twofold range of doses, and the elimination half-life of psilocin was 3 h (standard deviation 1.1). An extended elimination phase in some subjects suggests hydrolysis of the psilocin glucuronide metabolite. Variation in psilocin clearance was not predicted by body weight, and no serious adverse events occurred in the subjects studied. The small amount of psilocin renally excreted suggests that no dose reduction is needed for subjects with mild–moderate renal impairment. Simulation of fixed doses using the pharmacokinetic parameters suggest that an oral dose of 25 mg should approximate the drug exposure of a 0.3 mg/kg oral dose of psilocybin. Although doses of 0.6 mg/kg are in excess of likely therapeutic doses, no serious physical or psychological events occurred during or within 30 days of any dose. NCT02163707.
Awareness Without Re-Exploitation: Empowering Approaches to Sharing the Message About Human Trafficking

ABSTRACTHuman trafficking is a very real and devastating form of abuse and exploitation that affects women, men, and children from all walks of life. Within the last two decades, media personnel, multidisciplinary professionals, and concerned citizens alike have taken note of this social-justice issue. Due to such increased interest, an unprecedented number of people are engaged in awareness efforts that claim to combat human trafficking. While most involved in such efforts are well intentioned, few are intentional. Acts of awareness undertaken by allies are often harmful to the very victims and survivors they are declaring need to be “rescued.” In the name of anti-trafficking awareness, survivors are frequently re-exploited. Rather than being recognized or compensated as experts and leaders in the anti-trafficking movement, survivors are taken advantage of in the pursuit of a story that has emotional pull. Thus, in response to the increasing rates of re-exploitation of survivors who are asked to share th...
A photoactivatable light tracer

The development of experimental protocols to probe quantitatively electromagnetic radiation propagating through microscaled objects is essential to unravel the fundamental factors controlling the ability of microoptical elements to transmit light and, hence, guide their design and fabrication. The results obtained in our study demonstrate that the photochemical and photophysical properties of photoactivatable fluorophores together with the sectioning capability of confocal laser-scanning microscopy (CLSM) are particularly valuable in this context. Specifically, the introduction of a photoactivatable borondipyrromethene (BODIPY) fluorophore, which can interconvert between two emissive states with resolved fluorescence upon exposure to activating illumination, inside microscaled poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) pyramids permits the three-dimensional visualization of the light propagating within these objects. The fluorescence of either one of the two states of this compound appeared predominantly within a cylindrical volume along the main axis of each pyramid with a monotonic intensity increase in the base-to-tip direction. The predominant localization of light at the pyramid core and the resulting four-fold enhancement at the pyramid tip enables photochemical transformations with spatial control. The resolved fluorescence of the two interconvertible states allows, once again, the direct visualization of the restricted volumes, in which the photochemical conversions occur. These results suggest that photoactivatable fluorophores can be optimal chemical probes to trace propagating light in microoptics and provide definitive experimental evidence of the light-guiding and light-enhancing capabilities of these particular pyramidal PDMS objects.
Biology of Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells

The accumulation of highly immunosuppressive myeloid cells known as myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) is one of the immunological hallmarks of cancer. MDSCs are a heterogeneous population of bone marrow-derived immature myeloid cells that accumulate in the blood, peripheral lymphoid organs, and tumor tissues, which correlates with a poor clinical outcome in cancer patients. The main feature of MDSCs is their ability to suppress antitumor responses leading to tumor progression. Thus, MDSCs represent an attractive therapeutic target to enhance antitumor responses in cancer.
Prognostic factors influencing survival in small bowel neuroendocrine tumors with liver metastasis.

e15688Background: Management of liver metastasis in patients with small bowel neuroendocrine tumors (SBNET) remains unclear. Complete surgical resection improves long term survival however factors ...
Rapid detection and characterization of postpasteurization contaminants in pasteurized fluid milk

Microbial spoilage of pasteurized fluid milk is typically due to either (1) postpasteurization contamination (PPC) with psychrotolerant gram-negative bacteria (predominantly Pseudomonas) or (2) growth of psychrotolerant sporeformers (e.g., Paenibacillus) that have the ability to survive pasteurization when present as spores in raw milk, and to subsequently grow at refrigeration temperatures. While fluid milk quality has improved over the last several decades, continued reduction of PPC is hampered by the lack of rapid, sensitive, and specific methods that allow for detection of PPC in fluid milk, with fluid milk processors still often using time-consuming methods (e.g., Moseley keeping quality test). The goal of this project was to utilize a set of commercial fluid milk samples that are characterized by a mixture of samples with PPC due to psychrotolerant gram-negative bacteria and samples with presence and growth of psychrotolerant sporeforming bacteria to evaluate different approaches for rapid detection of PPC. Comprehensive microbiological shelf-life characterization of 105 pasteurized fluid milk samples obtained from 20 dairy processing plants showed that 60/105 samples reached bacterial counts >20,000 cfu/mL over the shelf-life due to PPC with gram-negative bacteria. Among these 60 samples with evidence of gram-negative PPC spoilage over the shelf-life, 100% (60/60) showed evidence of contamination with noncoliform, non-Enterobacteriaceae (EB) gram-negative bacteria (e.g., Pseudomonas), 20% (12/60) showed evidence of contamination with coliforms, and 7% (4/60) showed evidence of contamination with noncoliform EB. Among the remaining 45 samples, 28 showed levels of gram-positive bacteria above 20,000 cfu/mL and the remaining 17 samples did not exceed 20,000 cfu/mL over the shelf-life. Evaluation of the same set of 105 samples using 6 different approaches {all possible combinations of 2 different enrichment protocols (13°C or 21°C for 18 h) and 3 different plating media [crystal violet tetrazolium agar, EB Petrifilm (3M, St. Paul, MN), and Coliform Petrifilm]} showed that enrichment at 21°C for 18 h, followed by plating on crystal violet tetrazolium agar provided for the most sensitive, accelerated detection of samples that reached >20,000 cfu/mL due to PPC with psychrotolerant gram-negatives (70% sensitivity). These results show that tests still required and traditionally used in the dairy industry (e.g., coliform testing) are not suitable for monitoring for PPC. Rather, approaches that allow for detection of all gram-negative bacteria are essential for improved detection of PPC in fluid milk.
Time and Spatial Series

Time series occur naturally in a wide range of practices. For example, the opening price of a certain stock at the New York Stock Exchange, the monthly rainfall total of a certain region, and the CD4+ cell count over time of an individual infected with the HIV virus may all be viewed as time series.
Trans-Activation of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Promoter by Heterologous Virus Infection

In infected cells, HIV replication is regulated at least by three virus encoded proteins. The product of tat gene is a positive transcriptional regulator, the product of rev gene regulates the transport of viral mRNA encoding the structural proteins from the nucleus to the cytoplasm while the products of the nef gene may have a negative regulatory effect. However, the transcriptional activity of the promoter (LTR) can also be stimulated by various extracellular stimuli such as mitogens, cytokines and differentiation factors, or by infection with several heterologous viruses including the herpesviruses that often accompany HIV infection in AIDS patients. The molecular mechanism by which the herpesviruses enhance the transcriptional activity of HIV-LTR is not clear. However, it was shown that activation is mediated by the products of herpesvirus immediate early (IE) genes and probably proceeds through stimulation of cellular transcriptional factors such as NF-кB. The activity of HIV-LTR can be down-regulated by methylation, which is accompanied by the reduced capacity of this region to bind the trans-activating nuclear protein. The stimulation of methylated HIV-LTR expression by HSV-1 infection seems to involve hypomethylation, while tat-mediated trans-activation occurs without an apparent change in LTR methylation.
Establishing a Diagnostic Technique for Coelomocentesis in the Long-Spined Sea Urchin Diadema antillarum

Coelomic fluid aspiration has been utilized in echinoderms in research and clinical settings. Detailed procedural descriptions for coelomic fluid sampling in sea urchins (class Echinoidea) are lacking, and samples are prone to contamination. The objectives of this study were to (1) standardize a technique for coelomic fluid collection in long-spined sea urchin Diadema antillarum that optimizes the diagnostic quality of the sample utilizing diagnostic imaging, (2) identify coelomic fluid bacterial isolates (using Biolog GEN III MicroLog and 16s rDNA sequencing), and (3) compare positive cultures to animal weight, holding time prior to sampling, water temperature, and gross fluid appearance. Seventy Diadema antillarum from the Florida Keys collected in two groups (March and September 2015) were utilized. Positive cultures for bacterial contamination were identified in 5% and 44%, respectively, of animals in the sampling groups. Vibrio spp. was the predominant genus identified. Positive cultures were more frequent in the group with smaller-sized animals, increased holding times, and elevated water temperatures. Deviation from clear-pink gross coelomic fluid appearance did not reliably predict bacterial contamination. A standardized technique for coelomocentesis was defined. The use of the proposed coelomocentesis methodology may facilitate improved health evaluations of sea urchins and may be applicable to research, conservation efforts, and disease investigations.
A 15.2-ENOB 5-kHz BW 4.5- $\mu$ W Chopped CT $\Delta\Sigma$ -ADC for Artifact-Tolerant Neural Recording Front Ends

Implantable closed-loop neural stimulation is desirable for clinical translation and basic neuroscience research. Neural stimulation generates large artifacts at the recording sites, which saturate existing recording front ends. This paper presents a low-power continuous-time delta-sigma analog to digital converter (ADC), which along with an 8 $\times $ gain capacitively-coupled chopper instrumentation amplifier (CCIA), realizes a front end that can digitize neural signals from 1 Hz to 5 kHz in the presence of 200-mVpp differential artifacts and 700-mVpp common-mode (CM) artifacts. A modified loop-filter is used in the ADC along with new linearization techniques to significantly reduce power consumption. Fabricated in 40-nm CMOS, the ADC occupies an area of 0.053 mm2, consumes 4.5 $\mu \text{W}$ from a 1.2-V supply, has an input impedance of 20 $\text{M}\Omega $ and bandwidth (BW) of 5 kHz, and achieves a peak signal to noise and distortion ratio (SNDR) of 93.5 dB for a 1.77- $\text{V}_{\mathrm {pp}}$ differential input at 1 kHz. The ADC’s figure of merit (FOM) (using SNDR) is 184 dB, which is 6 dB higher than the state of the art in high-resolution ADCs. The complete front end occupies an area of 0.113 mm2, consumes 7.3 $\mu \text{W}$ from a 1.2-V supply, has a dc input impedance of 1.5 $\text{G}\Omega $ , input-referred noise of 6.35 $\mu \text{V}_{\mathrm {rms}}$ in 1 Hz–5 kHz, and total harmonic distortion of −81 dB for a 200-mVpp input at 1 kHz, and is immune to 700-mVpp CM interference. Compared to front ends intended for closed-loop neural recording, this paper improves the linear input range by 2 $\times $ , the signal BW by 10 $\times $ , the dynamic range by 12.6 dB, the FOM by 12.4 dB and remains immune to large CM interference while maintaining comparable power, area, and noise performance.
Restorative Rhythms: drumming as healing

Thirty people who were either in treatment, or in remission, from cancer and their caregivers participated in a therapeutic drumming clinic called Restorative Rhythms. As music has been proposed as a significant way to reduce stress and stimulate feelings of happiness and empowerment, it is therefore a valuable tool for coping with illnesses like cancer. Because people who are diagnosed with cancer often have trouble expressing their emotions, music can be used as an accessible channel for this necessary release. In addition to the inability to express internalized emotions derivative of the diagnosis or due to the requirements of the treatment regimen, patients often lose their sense of agency; creative expression like therapeutic drumming can help them regain their autonomy. This social, creative environment became a means to express the emotions participants were otherwise having trouble expressing, as well as a positive outlet for coming to terms with their “new normal” through music.
Ending the LDP Hegemony: Party Cooperation in Japan. By Ray Christensen. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2000. 228p. $52.00 cloth, $27.95 paper.

The Japanese party system has been in flux in recent years. In 1993, two groups defected from the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and joined with the opposition to form a broadly based coalition government. A year later, the LDP regained power by creating a coalition government with its ideological opponent, the Japan Socialist Party (JSP). Both events shocked virtually everyone at the time. The LDP had been in power for so long-almost 40 years-that it seemed almost inconceivable that it could lose power. For just as long, the JSP had been the main opposition. By the 2000 election, a dozen parties had come and gone, the JSP's strength dropped to a very small fraction of what it was a decade earlier, and the LDP had to turn to various coalition partners to maintain its control of government. All this is quite puzzling to even close watchers of Japanese politics, because party politics, especially the role of opposition parties, has been a relatively understudied area. For those who want to make sense of how these events came to pass, Ray Christensen's Ending the LDP Hegemony will be very helpful.
Real-world continuous physiologic monitoring in paediatric cardiomyopathy patients: a safety and feasibility study

Chronic disease management may be improved with the integration of mobile technologies capable of real-world physiologic monitoring. We performed a prospective, single-centre, pilot study to assess the feasibility of a consumer-based activity monitor use in outpatient management of adolescent cardiomyopathy patients. During the 3-month study period, the activity monitor was worn consistently and provided detailed physiologic and activity data with no adverse events related to the device use. Survey data revealed that the majority of subjects approve of these technologies becoming integrated into routine clinical care. Ongoing study is in need to define optimal disease management for this complex patient population in the age of consumer-driven healthcare.
New Paradigms of Pilus Assembly Mechanisms in Gram-Positive Actinobacteria

Adhesive pili in Gram-positive bacteria represent a variety of extracellular multiprotein polymers that mediate bacterial colonization of specific host tissues and associated pathogenesis. Pili are assembled in two distinct but coupled steps, an orderly crosslinking of pilin monomers and subsequent anchoring of the polymer to peptidoglycan, catalyzed by two transpeptidase enzymes - the pilus-specific sortase and the housekeeping sortase. Here, we review this biphasic assembly mechanism based on studies of two prototypical models, the heterotrimeric pili in Corynebacterium diphtheriae and the heterodimeric pili in Actinomyces oris, highlighting some newly emerged basic paradigms. The disparate mechanisms of protein ligation mediated by the pilus-specific sortase and the spatial positioning of adhesive pili on the cell surface modulated by the housekeeping sortase are among the notable highlights.
A Hybrid Intelligent Reflecting Surface with Graphene-based Control Elements for THz Communications

Terahertz (THz)-band (0.1-10 THz) communication is envisioned as a key wireless technology to fulfill the demand for increasing data rates and to accommodate denser networks. The THz-band, however, suffers from very high propagation losses further aggravated by the presence of obstacles in common scenarios, that behave as opaque barriers at THz frequencies. Engineering non-line-of-sight (NLoS) communication links with-smart reflectarrays is one possible method of overcoming the complex THz communication model. However, existing reflectarray designs at lower frequencies cannot be simply repurposed due to the operating failure of the traditional control elements at THz frequencies. In this direction, the use of 2D nanomaterials, such as graphene, to design tuning elements and integrate these into THz reflectarrays is being explored. This paper presents a novel graphene-based tuning element for continuous phase control of the reflecting element, in situ. The fundamental radiating element is designed to have high reflection efficiency and tunability by leveraging the properties of metals and graphene, respectively. First, the working principle and design of the proposed tuning element, comprised of a graphene-based plasmonic waveguide, is described and explained. Second, the trade-offs in the design of the hybrid tunable reflecting element, resulting from the integration of the tuning element with a metallic patch, are exhaustively studied. After discussing the integration of multiple reflecting elements in a reflectarray, the ability to perform complete continuous dynamic beamforming is presented.
Smart energy harvesting performance of photovoltaic roof assemblies in Canadian climate

In Canada, the solar electricity sector is growing rapidly. Much of this success is based on the growth of the Ontario solar market where more than 99% of Canada’s solar electricity is generated. O...
Evasão na EAD: perspectivas de prevenção

The digital culture has demanded differentiated forms of knowledge and reflection in the higher courses, since the digital transition is traverted by relations of power-knowing that intervenes on the language and human perception, which has demanded restructurings And the bared access to EaD courses. From This perspective, the right of all to education cannot succumb to the facilitation of courses offered, under penalty of not overcoming the barrier of ignorance, conformism and being a sham. In view of this, we seek to discuss and analyze how higher education can contribute to the creative discussion about the illnesses caused by EaD and the problem of evasion. In The contemporary scenario, the hermeneutical look proposes to understand the challenge of EaD, problematizing the trends and conjectures of the phenomenon of evasion, considering the high rates of evasion in the courses of EaD and the co-responsibility of the institutions. The results indicate that it is necessary to create forms of access to EaD and also to stay and acknowledge the other in this field, through the culture of dialogue and motivation, which provides the basis for institutional/communicational management, through sensitivity, Affectivity, empathy (facing apathy) and collaborative formations projects in knowledge networks.
Employing load and irradiance profiles for the allocation of PV arrays with inverter reactive power and battery storage in distribution networks–A fast comprehensive QSTS technique

Abstract The paper presents a novel computationally efficient Quasi-Static-Time-Series (QSTS) approach for the sizing and sitting of photovoltaic arrays in a distribution network, which uses historical hourly demand and irradiance data. Additionally, the proposed approach combines a battery energy storage system (BESS) with the PV array for smoothing the array output and integrates inverter reactive power control for voltage support. An optimized search method based on the combined Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm-II and Fuzzy Decision-Making Tool (NSGAII/FDMT) is employed for the sizing and sitting problem along with three objectives: (a) minimization of total cost; (b) minimization of distribution network power losses; and (c) maximization of system security. The distribution network-PV array-BESS system along with its control functions is solved in hourly steps for a yearly 8760-h horizon obtaining an accurate estimate of the system performance. In order to decrease execution time, a robust formulation of the direct power flow method is developed in the paper yielding a fast 8760-solution algorithm. The performance of the proposed method is tested through different case studies on a modified IEEE 123-bus and 33-bus radial distribution systems. The results demonstrate that detailed system analysis using historical data produces more efficient options than conventional methods based on system analysis at peak load only.
Hypomethylation mediates genetic association with the major histocompatibility complex genes in Sjögren's syndrome.

Differential methylation of immune genes has been a consistent theme observed in Sjogren's syndrome (SS) in CD4+ T cells, CD19+ B cells, whole blood, and labial salivary glands (LSGs). Multiple studies have found associations supporting genetic control of DNA methylation in SS, which in the absence of reverse causation, has positive implications for the potential of epigenetic therapy. However, a formal study of the causal relationship between genetic variation, DNA methylation, and disease status is lacking. We performed a causal mediation analysis of DNA methylation as a mediator of nearby genetic association with SS using LSGs and genotype data collected from 131 female members of the Sjogren's International Collaborative Clinical Alliance registry, comprising of 64 SS cases and 67 non-cases. Bumphunter was used to first identify differentially-methylated regions (DMRs), then the causal inference test (CIT) was applied to identify DMRs mediating the association of nearby methylation quantitative trait loci (MeQTL) with SS. Bumphunter discovered 215 DMRs, with the majority located in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) on chromosome 6p21.3. Consistent with previous findings, regions hypomethylated in SS cases were enriched for gene sets associated with immune processes. Using the CIT, we observed a total of 19 DMR-MeQTL pairs that exhibited strong evidence for a causal mediation relationship. Close to half of these DMRs reside in the MHC and their corresponding meQTLs are in the region spanning the HLA-DQA1, HLA-DQB1, and HLA-DQA2 loci. The risk of SS conferred by these corresponding MeQTLs in the MHC was further substantiated by previous genome-wide association study results, with modest evidence for independent effects. By validating the presence of causal mediation, our findings suggest both genetic and epigenetic factors contribute to disease susceptibility, and inform the development of targeted epigenetic modification as a therapeutic approach for SS.
Iron robbery by intracellular pathogen via bacterial effector-induced ferritinophagy.

Iron is essential for survival and proliferation of Ehrlichia chaffeensis, an obligatory intracellular bacterium that causes an emerging zoonosis, human monocytic ehrlichiosis. However, how Ehrlichia acquires iron in the host cells is poorly understood. Here, we found that native and recombinant (cloned into the Ehrlichia genome) Ehrlichia translocated factor-3 (Etf-3), a previously predicted effector of the Ehrlichia type IV secretion system (T4SS), is secreted into the host cell cytoplasm. Secreted Etf-3 directly bound ferritin light chain with high affinity and induced ferritinophagy by recruiting NCOA4, a cargo receptor that mediates ferritinophagy, a selective form of autophagy, and LC3, an autophagosome biogenesis protein. Etf-3−induced ferritinophagy caused ferritin degradation and significantly increased the labile cellular iron pool, which feeds Ehrlichia. Indeed, an increase in cellular ferritin by ferric ammonium citrate or overexpression of Etf-3 or NCOA4 enhanced Ehrlichia proliferation, whereas knockdown of Etf-3 in Ehrlichia via transfection with a plasmid encoding an Etf-3 antisense peptide nucleic acid inhibited Ehrlichia proliferation. Excessive ferritinophagy induces the generation of toxic reactive oxygen species (ROS), which could presumably kill both Ehrlichia and host cells. However, during Ehrlichia proliferation, we observed concomitant up-regulation of Ehrlichia Fe-superoxide dismutase, which is an integral component of Ehrlichia T4SS operon, and increased mitochondrial Mn-superoxide dismutase by cosecreted T4SS effector Etf-1. Consequently, despite enhanced ferritinophagy, cellular ROS levels were reduced in Ehrlichia-infected cells compared with uninfected cells. Thus, Ehrlichia safely robs host cell iron sequestered in ferritin. Etf-3 is a unique example of a bacterial protein that induces ferritinophagy to facilitate pathogen iron capture.
Construction d'un montage de condensation de Bose-Einstein de rubidium et étude théorique d'un superfluide en rotation dans un anneau

Cette these decrit la construction d'une nouvelle experience de condensation de Bose-Einstein visant a obtenir un condensât de rubidium 87 et a le confiner dans un piege en anneau. Une premiere partie est consacree a la description du montage. Le design de l'enceinte a vide est presente, ainsi que le systeme laser qui comporte une nouvelle source basee sur le doublement de frequence d'un laser telecom. Le refroidissement des atomes dans ce montage se fait en deux parties. Un piege magneto optique 3D est charge -par un piege magneto-optique 2D dans une premiere partie de l'enceinte, puis les atomes ; sont transferes dans une petite cellule de verre dans laquelle a lieu le refroidissement evaporatif et la condensation. L'etape de transfert est assuree par le transport mecanique des bobines qui generent le champ magnetique de piegeage, et qui sont montees sur une platine de translation motorisee. Le piege final est un piege magnetique quadrupolaire bouche par un faisceau laser a 532 nm. Le montage permet d'obtenir 2 x 105 atomes de rubidium dans un condensât pur en une trentaine de secondes. La seconde partie traite de l'etude theorique d'un superfluide dans un anneau 2D au moyen de simulations numeriques. On y calcule d'abord la vitesse critique de rotation par l'etude du spectre des excitations de Bogolyubov du superfluide dans l'anneau, puis on utilise une simulation de l'equation de Gross-Pitaevskii pour etudier l'etablissement d'un courant permanent au moyen d'un potentiel en rotation, et la stabilite d'un tel courant en presence d'une barriere de potentiel.
Dilemmas of captivity

In 1953, in the forests of Sumatra, Indonesia, a five-year-old elephant, later named Shirley, was captured and sold to the Kelly–Miller Circus. As of this writing – fifty-seven years later – she is still alive. During her first twenty-five years in captivity, she was a circus performer. In 1975, while performing for the Lewis Brothers Circus, Shirley was attacked by another elephant, and her right back leg was severely broken and never properly healed. After performing for two more years, even with her badly injured leg, she was sold to the Louisiana Purchase Gardens and Zoo in Monroe, Louisiana where she remained for over two decades, chained by the hind leg, without other elephants. Shirley did have a compassionate human caregiver, Solomon James, who looked after her at the zoo for the next twenty-two years. Then, in 1999, it became clear that Shirley would do better living with other elephants and with space to roam, so the zoo retired Shirley to the Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee. There she would be able to spend the rest of her years roaming over hundreds of acres with other female Asian elephants. She was accompanied on her trip from Louisiana to Tennessee by her caregiver, Mr. James, and the event was videotaped for what would become an Emmy-award-winning documentary by Allison Argo entitled Urban Elephants . The scenes of James saying his farewell are unforgettable. As he gave Shirley her last hose bath, with tears in his eyes, he removed her ankle chain.
Permutation Invariant Upper and Lower Probabilities

We characterize upper probabilities that are invariant with respect to permutations. A one-to-one relationship is established between generalized upper probabilities, upper probabilities and 2-alternating upper probabilities and certain classes of point functions. In particular, 2-alternating upper probabilities, which are ubiquitous in the statistical robustness literature, are given a simple interpretation. We also show that undominated invariant generalized upper probabilities do not exist.
Can tolerance traits impose selection on herbivores

Plant tolerance reduces the fitness consequences of herbivore and natural enemy damage, while resistance reduces the amount of damage suffered. In contrast to resistance, tolerance is often assumed to not affect herbivore performance and evolution. Evidence from the literature, however, suggests that it is possible for plant tolerance to affect herbivore performance and evolution, and potentially plant–herbivore coevolution. First, for cases when genetic correlations between resistance and tolerance are due to pleiotropy, the genes and loci for tolerance and resistance are the same, and as such both traits will affect herbivore performance directly. Second, it is possible that the physiological basis and mechanisms of plant tolerance – for example, changes in plant physiology and resource allocation – directly alter herbivore fitness characters. In this paper, I review the evidence for these potential effects of plant tolerance on herbivore performance, and suggest straightforward experiments to evaluate these possibilities. More generally, I propose that this untested assumption is constraining our view of plant–herbivore coevolution.
Modification of Driver Behavior by Use of Novel Roadway Delineation Systems

The paper describes the results of a study that has as its major objective the modification of driver behavior on high accident horizontal curves through the use of novel delineation systems. Delineation systems are systems of roadway markers that provide the driver with information about the path and demands of the road. A delineation system includes the following elements: (1) delineator type, (2) delineator characteristics such as size, shape, color, message content, and type of reflective material, and (3) delineator system geometry which includes the number of delineators, height of placement, and lateral placement from the road's edge. An extremely large number of different delineation systems can be obtained by changing any of the elements of the delineation system. This research studied three types of delineators: (1) post delineators, (2) raised pavement markers, and (3) transverse stripe pavement markings. Several variations of delineator geometry and delineator characteristics were studied. The hypothesis that was tested was that delineators could be arranged into systems that induce perceptual illusions in drivers concerning a curve's speed and path requirements. The mismatch between actual demands and perceptual demands would result in reduced speeds and lateral placement variability. The research consisted of several phases: (1) static and dynamic psychophysical laboratory testing in a simulated environment, (2) field testing using jury techniques, (3) field testing of road users, and (4) exploratory testing using an instrumented vehicle to collect eye movement and control data. Early phases of the research focused on reducing the large numbers of possible delineation systems to a candidate set of systems that could be evaluated in a field setting. Five different delineations systems were installed at different field sites and evaluated. The conclusion of the study was that delineation systems could be used to modify driver behavior on high accident rural curves in a positive way. Language: en
Imbalance of power: A case study of a middle school mixed-gender engineering team

This paper presents a mixed methods case study of a middle school mixed-gender team participating in an after-school environmental engineering workshop. The curriculum was part of a STEM program in which youth were engaged in a studio approach to design-based engineering. Data includes video of a girl-boy team working together (both 6th graders) tasked with creating a working model of a solar car. Additional data was provided through interview transcripts of the girl and boy, along with pre- and posttest results of their learning of key scientific concepts. Discourse and observational analyses based on videotape documentation reveal power imbalances in the working relationship of the pair favoring the boy. These imbalances are most apparent in the amount of time that each spends handling the engineering equipment and in the nature of the dialogue, which is characterized in large part by directives rather than by constructive collaboration. These imbalances appear to reflect longstanding societal gender norms and may provide clues as to how females may feel excluded from engineering activities and why so few females enter the field of engineering. Recommendations for facilitation, instructional designs, and assessments are made with the goal of fostering equitable and harmonious mixed-gender collaborations in engineering activities.
A serine/proline-rich protein is fused to HRX in t(4;11) acute leukemias

Translocations involving chromosome band 11q23 in acute leukemias have recently been shown to involve the HRX gene that codes for a protein with significant similarity to Drosophila trithorax. HRX gene alterations are consistently observed in t(4;11) (q21;q23)-carrying leukemias and cell lines by Southern blot analyses and are accompanied by HRX transcripts of anomalous size on Northern blots. HRX-homologous cDNAs were isolated from a library prepared from t(4;11)-carrying acute leukemia cells. cDNAs representative of transcription products from the derivative 11 chromosome were shown to contain HRX sequences fused to sequences derived from chromosome band 4q21. Fragments of the latter were used to clone and analyze cDNAs for wild-type 4q21 transcripts that predicted a 140-Kd basic protein (named FEL) that is rich in prolines, serines, and charged amino acids. FEL contains guanosine triphosphate-binding and nuclear localization consensus sequences and uses one of two possible 5' exons encoding the first 12 or 5 amino acids. After t(4;11) translocations, 913 C-terminal amino acids of FEL are fused in frame to the N-terminal portion of HRX containing its minor groove DNA binding motifs. These features are similar to predicted t(11;19) fusion proteins, suggesting that HRX consistently contributes a novel DNA-binding motif to at least two different chimeric proteins in acute leukemias.