cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Stability of the screw pinch with Hall current

The stability of the screw pinch is investigated taking into account the presence of Hall current in Ohm's law. The dispersion relation is obtained as the exact solution of the characteristic value equations governing the general perturbations. It is found that the Hall current has no effect on the hydromagnetic stability of the screw pinch.
The Best of Both Worlds: A Hybrid Statistics Course

This study compares students' performance and attitudes in a hybrid (blend of online and face-to-face) model of Elementary Statistics and a traditional (face-to-face) model of the same course. Perf...
Design Fees, the State of the Profession, and a Time for Corrective Action

Abstract: There has been considerable consternation over the years about the disintegration of the status of civil engineers, as well as significant distress over the profitability of engineering firms in view of a continuing decline in the compensation of civil engineers relative to other professionals. This paper studies the impact of government agencies’ use of outdated percentage of construction fee schedules for determination of professional compensation. Research has found that, due to the application of stagnant fee curves without adjustment for the effects of inflation on project costs, fees over the last several decades have dropped on the order of 20% or more. Prior to the early 1970s, fee curves published by the professional societies were regularly updated to reflect inflationary trends in project costs. However, since that time, few government agencies have adopted any meaningful deviation from the fee curves of the pre-Justice Department antitrust settlement with the professional societies. ...
System-Aware Cyber Security

In this paper we outline the need for a new systems engineering architecturally focused approach for addressing the growing threats of debilitating cyber attacks: System-Aware Security. This novel security architecture resides at the application layer and is based on smart reusable system security services. We layout an initial vision for this architectural formulation and show how it can potentially enhance the security of systems by complementing the traditional perimeter security model. In addition, we outline an ongoing research activity involving the development of an initial application for a specific System-Aware Security architecture embedded in a command and control system. The architecture includes three interactive situational adapting smart reusable security services: data continuity checking, configuration hopping, and honey pots. Finally, we describe how these services could be converted into reusable design patterns to stimulate reuse in additional systems.
Myocardial ischaemia inhibits mitochondrial metabolism of 4-hydroxy-trans-2-nonenal

Myocardial ischaemia is associated with the generation of lipid peroxidation products such as HNE (4-hydroxy-trans-2-nonenal); however, the processes that predispose the ischaemic heart to toxicity by HNE and related species are not well understood. In the present study, we examined HNE metabolism in isolated aerobic and ischaemic rat hearts. In aerobic hearts, the reagent [3H]HNE was glutathiolated, oxidized to [3H]4-hydroxynonenoic acid, and reduced to [3H]1,4-dihydroxynonene. In ischaemic hearts, [3H]4-hydroxynonenoic acid formation was inhibited and higher levels of [3H]1,4-dihydroxynonene and [3H]GS-HNE (glutathione conjugate of HNE) were generated. Metabolism of [3H]HNE to [3H]4-hydroxynonenoic acid was restored upon reperfusion. Reperfused hearts were more efficient at metabolizing HNE than non-ischaemic hearts. Ischaemia increased the myocardial levels of endogenous HNE and 1,4-dihydroxynonene, but not 4-hydroxynonenoic acid. Isolated cardiac mitochondria metabolized [3H]HNE primarily to [3H]4-hydroxynonenoic acid and minimally to [3H]1,4-dihydroxynonene and [3H]GS-HNE. Moreover, [3H]4-hydroxynonenoic acid was extruded from mitochondria, whereas other [3H]HNE metabolites were retained in the matrix. Mitochondria isolated from ischaemic hearts were found to contain 2-fold higher levels of protein-bound HNE than the cytosol, as well as increased [3H]GS-HNE and [3H]1,4-dihydroxynonene, but not [3H]4-hydroxynonenoic acid. Mitochondrial HNE oxidation was inhibited at an NAD+/NADH ratio of 0.4 (equivalent to the ischaemic heart) and restored at an NAD+/NADH ratio of 8.6 (equivalent to the reperfused heart). These results suggest that HNE metabolism is inhibited during myocardial ischaemia owing to NAD+ depletion. This decrease in mitochondrial metabolism of lipid peroxidation products and the inability of the mitochondria to extrude HNE metabolites could contribute to myocardial ischaemia/reperfusion injury.
Inhibition of Lipid A Biosynthesis as the Primary Mechanism of CHIR-090 Antibiotic Activity in Escherichia coli†

The deacetylation of UDP-3-O-[(R)-3-hydroxymyristoyl]-N-acetylglucosamine (UDP-3-O-acyl-GlcNAc) by LpxC is the committed reaction of lipid A biosynthesis. CHIR-090, a novel N-aroyl-l-threonine hydroxamic acid, is a potent, slow, tight-binding inhibitor of the LpxC deacetylase from the hyperthermophile Aquifex aeolicus, and it has excellent antibiotic activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli, as judged by disk diffusion assays. We now report that CHIR-090 is also a two-step slow, tight-binding inhibitor of E. coli LpxC with Ki = 4.0 nM, Ki* = 0.5 nM, k5 = 1.9 min-1, and k6 = 0.18 min-1. CHIR-090 at low nanomolar levels inhibits LpxC orthologues from diverse Gram-negative pathogens, including P. aeruginosa, Neisseria meningitidis, and Helicobacter pylori. In contrast, CHIR-090 is a relatively weak competitive and conventional inhibitor (lacking slow, tight-binding kinetics) of LpxC from Rhizobium leguminosarum (Ki = 340 nM), a Gram-negative plant endosymbiont that is resistant to this compound. The KM (4.8 microM) and the kcat (1.7 s-1) of R. leguminosarum LpxC with UDP-3-O-[(R)-3-hydroxymyristoyl]-N-acetylglucosamine as the substrate are similar to values reported for E. coli LpxC. R. leguminosarum LpxC therefore provides a useful control for validating LpxC as the primary target of CHIR-090 in vivo. An E. coli construct in which the chromosomal lpxC gene is replaced by R. leguminosarum lpxC is resistant to CHIR-090 up to 100 microg/mL, or 400 times above the minimal inhibitory concentration for wild-type E. coli. Given its relatively broad spectrum and potency against diverse Gram-negative pathogens, CHIR-090 is an excellent lead for the further development of new antibiotics targeting the lipid A pathway.
High-speed implementation of Smith-Waterman algorithm for DNA sequence scanning in VLSI

In this paper, a novel pipelined algorithm is applied in the hardware implementation of Smith-Waterman algorithm. The proposed algorithm can cut down the computation time from O(m+n) to O(m+n/J), where J is the pipeline level, m and n are the lengths of the query sequence and subject sequence respectively. It's obvious that if the length of subject sequence is much larger than the query sequence, i.e., n>>m, the computation of scanning protein sequences will be speeded up by a factor of J.
Predictors of cardiac patients' psychophysiological responses to caregiving.

Patients who are hospitalized for treatment of cardiac problems are at risk from life-threatening cardiovascular changes related to autonomic nervous system (ANS) arousal. Physical care during hospitalization can increase ANS arousal, yet caregiving is an essential feature of patient treatment. The purpose of this study was to identify the degree to which a patient’s vulnerability to sensory stimuli, perceptions of previous caregiving and stressful events during hospitalization may contribute to ANS arousal during caregiving. Fifty-nine patients, who were hospitalized for treatment of coronary artery or valvular disease, received a standardized protocol designed to simulate aspects of physical caregiving. Heart rate, incidence of arrhythmias, blood pressure and state anxiety were measured during the protocol to determine ANS arousal. Regression analyses provided evidence that sensory vulnerability was the most consistent predictor across all indices of arousal during caregiving. Previous caregiving experiences that were perceived as ‘negative’ by the patient also contributed to higher blood pressure and anxiety. Stressful hospital events involving the family predicted higher blood pressure during caregiving.
SPECIES RICHNESS–PRODUCTIVITY RELATIONSHIP FOR SMALL MAMMALS ALONG A DESERT–GRASSLAND CONTINUUM: DIFFERENTIAL RESPONSES OF FUNCTIONAL GROUPS

We used published data to calculate small-mammal species richness at 43 sites in North America to examine the response of species richness to increasing primary productivity. We estimated species richness for the entire community and for each of 4 functional groups (insectivore, granivore, herbivore, and omnivore). Total richness exhibited a significant unimodal relationship to increasing amounts of annual precipitation and was driven by granivores; this functional group exhibited the most pronounced decline in richness with high precipitation. We suggest that the decline in granivore richness is due to increased litter associated with increased productivity.
Affect in Human-Robot Interaction

Abstract : More and more, robots are expected to interact with humans in a social, easily understandable manner, which presupposes effective use of robot affect. This chapter provides a brief overview of research advances into this important aspect of human-robot interaction.
A Risk Assessment Perspective On the Neurobehavioral Toxicity of Endocrine Disruptors

Agents that alter the functional properties of endocrine systems pervade the environment. Their full implications for public health and ecological integrity, however, may not be captured by labels such as "disruptor" because their actions ramify in so many directions. The process by which we describe and evaluate such actions, risk assessment, is also the means by which society judges their significance. It determines the allocation of resources to their investigation and, potentially, control. A full, formal, risk assessment endeavor, in the detail applied to cancer evaluation, still awaits application to endocrine disruptors, however. It will not be as transparent a process because, unlike the conventional risk model based on carcinogens, identification of a chemical as an endocrine disruptor, as is true of neurobehavioral toxicants in general, will not trigger a virtually automatic sequence of policy steps. The primary distinction between cancer and endocrine disruptors and neurotoxicants is the plethora of possible endpoints by which toxicity can be expressed. Cancer is a unitary index. Adverse consequences flowing from exposure to endocrine disruptors can take an almost infinite variety of forms, including neurobehavioral outcomes. In their most troubling manifestations, these emerge as disorders of early development. They can range from deviant patterns of male copulatory behavior to impaired cognitive function. Each of these indices, in turn, exhibits multiple dimensions. Moreover, some aftermaths, as with cancer, might emerge only after long latencies. Different stages of the life cycle following developmental exposure will manifest different outcomes as a consequence. Some adverse effects may arise for the first time in advanced age because it is a period of declining compensatory margins. These multiple facets of neurobehavioral toxicity, and, by extension, their coupling to endocrine disruptors, imply a risk assessment process that corresponds, in many ways, to the global views adopted by ecotoxicologists.
Radiative lifetimes of even- and odd-parity levels in Sc i and Sc ii

Time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence on atomic and ionic beams is used to measure radiative lifetimes for 77 odd- and even-parity levels of Sc i and Sc ii. Time-of-flight selection of slow scandium atoms is demonstrated to minimize a systematic error in long lifetimes, an error that arises because atoms escape from the observing region before radiating. High-lying even-parity levels in Sc i and Sc ii are excited by using two-step laser excitation.
A design for a fault-tolerant, distributed implementation of Linda

A distributed implementation of a parallel system is of interest because it can provide an economical source of concurrency, can be scaled easily to match the needs of particular computations, and can be fault-tolerant. A design is described for such an implementation for the Linda parallel programming system, in which processes share a memory called the tuple space. Fault tolerance is achieved by replication: by having more than one copy of the tuple space, some replicas can provide information when others are not accessible due to failures. The replication technique takes advantage of the semantics of Linda so that processes encounter little delay in accessing the tuple space. In addition to providing an efficient implementation for Linda, the study extends work on replication techniques by showing what can be done when semantics are taken into account. >
Distal Biceps Brachii Tendon Repairs A Single-Incision Technique Using a Cortical Button With Interference Screw Versus a Double-Incision Technique Using Suture Fixation Through Bone Tunnels

Background:Distal biceps brachii tendon repairs performed with a tension slide technique using a cortical button (CB) and interference screw are stronger than those based on suture fixation through bone tunnels (BTs) in biomechanical studies. However, clinical comparison of these 2 techniques is lacking in the literature.Purpose:To perform a clinical comparison of the single-incision CB and double-incision BT techniques.Study Design:Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.Methods:Distal biceps tendon ruptures repaired through either the single-incision CB or double-incision BT technique were retrospectively identified at a single institution. Patients >1 year out from surgery were assessed for range of motion, strength, and complications, and they completed a DASH questionnaire (Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand).Results:Patients in the CB group (n = 20) were older (52 ± 9.5 vs 43.7 ± 8.7 years; P = .008), had a shorter interval from surgery to evaluation (17.7 ± 5 vs 30.8 ± 16.5 months; P = .001), a...
ENZYMES IN ONTOGENESIS (ORTHOPTERA): XIII. ACTIVATION OF PROTYROSINASE AND THE OXIDATION OF ASCORBIC ACID

1. Protyrosinase from the egg of the grasshopper, Melanoplus differentialis, can be activated by excess sodium oleate or Aerosol. 2. The 3:4 quinone products of the reaction of activated protyrosinase with tyramine or tyrosine will oxidize ascorbic acid to dehydroascorbic acid. 3. The velocity of this latter oxidation of ascorbic acid increases with the amount of tyramine or tyrosine. 4. The oxidation of ascorbic acid by the tyramine-tyrosinase reaction delays the time of appearance of a red color associated with an indole quinone intermediary product in the formation of melanin. 5. Protyrosinase, in itself, and in the presence of tyrosinase substrates does not bring about the oxidation of ascorbic acid. 6. A naturally occurring substrate in a preparation of protyrosinase, sufficient to cause the oxidation of ascorbic acid, can be removed by dialysis against a 0.9 per cent sodium chloride solution. 7. Dialysis against such a solution does not change the properties of protyrosinase; the inactive enzyme must still be activated before it will catalyze the oxidation of tyramine or tyrosine. 8. When the natural substrate, tyrosine, or tyramine is absent, activation of protyrosinase does not result in the oxidation of ascorbic acid.
The effects of oral glucosamine on joint health: is a change in research approach needed?

Summary Objective Oral glucosamine (GlcN) has been widely studied for its potential therapeutic benefits in alleviating the pain and disability of osteoarthritis (OA). Its popularity has grown despite ongoing controversy regarding its effectiveness vs placebo in clinical trials, and lack of information regarding possible mechanisms of action. Here, we review the state of knowledge concerning the biology of GlcN as it relates to OA, and discuss a framework for future research directions. Methods An editorial "narrative" review of peer-reviewed publications is organized into four topics (1) Chemistry and pharmacokinetics of GlcN salts (2) Biological effects of GlcN salts in vitro (3) Therapeutic effects of GlcN salts in animal models of OA and (4) GlcN salts in the treatment of clinical OA. Results Data reporting potent pleiotropic activities of GlcN in in vitro cell and explant cultures are discussed in the context of the established pharmacokinetic data in humans and animals. The available clinical trial data are discussed to place the patient in the context of controlled research on disease management. Conclusions Future research to determine therapeutic mechanisms of GlcN salt preparations will require use of standardized and clinically relevant in vitro assay systems and in vivo animal models for testing, as well as development of new outcome measures for inflammation and pain pathways in human OA.
Root colonization pattern of Glomus epigaeum in nine host species

Typically, vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizae (VAM) can be distinguished in mature pot cultures of Glomus epigaeum Daniels & Trappe [=Glomus versiforme (Daniels & Trappe) Berch] (older than 1 yr) (Daniels and Trappe, 1979) by staining in Trypan blue/lactophenol (Phillips and Hayman, 1970). In experiments of 3-5 months, however, root colonization frequently has been difficult or impossible to discern even where positive growth responses occurred (Daniels and Menge, 1981; Hetrick, unpublished). Though degree of root colonization is not well correlated with growth response (Mosse, 1972; Graham et al, 1982), some minimal level of root colonization must occur if growth responses are to be explained by or at? tributed to mycorrhizae. Thus, the failure to distinguish colonization by G. epi? gaeum in young plants has made it difficult to interpret results of research with this fungus. This study explores whether staining characteristics, pattern and morphology of mycorrhiza development differ among host species. Per cent colonization and morphology of nine hosts were compared: honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos L.), black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.), Kentucky coffeetree (Gymnocladus dioica L.), cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), soybean (Glycine max L. var. Essex), asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L. var. Mary Wash? ington), sudan grass [Sorghum sudanese (Piper) Staph.], corn (Zea mays L. var. O's Gold SX5500A), and tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. var. Tiny Tom). Seeds of black locust, honey locust, and Kentucky coffeetree were scarified in concentrated sulfuric acid for xh, 1 Vi, and 3 h, respectively, then rinsed in distilled water and allowed to germinate in steamed vermiculite. At various intervals thereafter, depending on germination time, the remaining hosts were planted in steamed vermiculite. When all seeds had germinated, nine replicate seedlings of each host were transplanted into 4x21 cm tubes (Ray Leach "Cone-tainer" Nursery, Canby, OR 97019) containing 165 g autoclaved 1:1 sand:soil mix. Inoculum of G. epigaeum was prepared by blending sporocarps in water until spores were dispersed (Daniels and Menge, 1981). Spores were counted using an eelworm counting cell (Daniels and Menge, 1981) and 200 spores in 5 ml water were pipetted onto the roots of each host plant as it was transplanted. Tubes were randomized to avoid shading effects on shorter hosts, and grown under sodium vapor lights in a 18-22 C greenhouse. Each host plant received 9.26 mg Peter's No-Phos Special (20-0-20) (A. H. Hummert Seed Co., St. Louis, MO 63103) fertilizer every 2 wk. After 8 wk, roots of each plant were washed, cleared in 10% KOH, stained in Trypan blue (Phillips and Hayman, 1970) and per cent coloni? zation (number of mm2 sections containing mycorrhizae) was determined on a
Women's health and health reform: implications of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

Purpose of reviewAn overview of provisions in the 2010 health reform legislation with implications for women's health and obstetrician-gynecologists.Recent findingsBetween now and 2014, provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) will expand access to health coverage, primary
Feasibility, acceptability and preliminary psychological benefits of mindfulness meditation training in a sample of men diagnosed with prostate cancer on active surveillance: results from a randomized controlled pilot trial.

Objective In a pilot randomized controlled trial, examine the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of an 8-week, mindfulness training program (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction) in a sample of men on active surveillance on important psychological outcomes including prostate cancer anxiety, uncertainty intolerance and posttraumatic growth. Methods Men were randomized to either mindfulness (n = 24) or an attention control arm (n = 19) and completed self-reported measures of prostate cancer anxiety, uncertainty intolerance, global quality of life, mindfulness and posttraumatic growth at baseline, 8 weeks, 6 months and 12 months. Results Participants in the mindfulness arm demonstrated significant decreases in prostate cancer anxiety and uncertainty intolerance, and significant increases in mindfulness, global mental health and posttraumatic growth. Participants in the control condition also demonstrated significant increases in mindfulness over time. Longitudinal increases in posttraumatic growth were significantly larger in the mindfulness arm than they were in the control arm. Conclusions While mindfulness training was found to be generally feasible and acceptable among participants who enrolled in the 8-week intervention as determined by completion rates and open-ended survey responses, the response rate between initial enrollment and the total number of men approached was lower than desired (47%). While larger sample sizes are necessary to examine the efficacy of mindfulness training on important psychological outcomes, in this pilot study posttraumatic growth was shown to significantly increase over time for men in the treatment group. Mindfulness training has the potential to help men cope more effectively with some of the stressors and uncertainties associated with active surveillance. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Antenatal and neonatal bacterial infections: pathogenesis, significance, and diagnosis.

Bacterial infections may be acquired by the fetus in utero or immediately following birth. Group B streptococcus, E. coli, S. aureus , and N. gonorrhoeae pathogens are discussed, and special emphasis is given to the containment or prevention of nosocomial infectious outbreaks.
Algorithms for optimizing the ratio of submodular functions

We investigate a new optimization problem involving minimizing the Ratio of two Submodular (RS) functions. We argue that this problem occurs naturally in several real world applications. We then show the connection between this problem and several related problems including minimizing the difference between submodular functions (Iyer & Bilmes, 2012b; Narasimhan & Bilmes, 2005), and to submodular optimization subject to submodular constraints (Iyer & Bilmes, 2013). We show that RS optimization can be solved with bounded approximation factors. We also provide a hardness bound and show that our tightest algorithm matches the lower bound up to a log factor. Finally, we empirically demonstrate the performance and good scalability properties of our algorithms.
Dispersed Fluorescence Spectroscopy of Jet-Cooled Isobutoxy and 2-Methyl-1-butoxy Radicals.

We report dispersed fluorescence (DF) spectra of the isobutoxy and 2-methyl-1-butoxy radicals produced by photolysis of corresponding nitrites in supersonic jet expansion. Different vibrational structures have been observed in the DF spectra when different vibronic bands in the laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) spectra of each radical were pumped, which suggests that those vibronic bands be assigned to different conformers. Spectra simulated using calculated vibrational frequencies and Franck–Condon factors well reproduce the experimentally observed ones and support the assignment of the vibronic bands in the LIF spectra to the two lowest-energy conformers of each radical. DF spectra obtained by pumping the B ← X origin bands of the LIF spectra are dominated by CO stretch progressions because of the large difference in CO bond length between the ground (X) and the second excited (B) electronic states. Furthermore, with non-CO stretch bands pumped, the DF spectra are dominated by progressions of combina...
The Mountain Lands

Western society has become increasingly fascinated with mountains since the second half of the nineteenth century, yet this fascination with some of the world’s most dramatic landscapes has changed focus significantly over the last hundred years. The age of exploration and reconnaissance mapping is over, and with it the heroic age of mountaineering. However, the widespread realisation that the mountain lands form the physical, and often the political, framework of an ever-shrinking world, ensures that interest in them is not likely to diminish. The mountain lands have been pivotal to much research in the natural sciences. Most significantly, mountains are perceived as high energy landscapes in the sense that high altitude, steep slopes, water, freezing temperatures and gravity combine to ensure that landscape-forming processes operate much more rapidly than in low-energy environments (areas of subdued relief). This means that landscape developments occur relatively rapidly, and thus can be measured more accurately over a given period of time. This factor is offset, at least in part, by relative inaccessibility, ruggedness of terrain and inclement weather, which may limit time available for actual research in the field.
Assimilation of SMOS Retrievals in the Land Information System

The Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) satellite provides retrievals of soil moisture in roughly the upper 5 cm with a 30–50-km resolution and a mission accuracy requirement of 0.04 cm3/cm-3. These observations can be used to improve land surface model (LSM) soil moisture states through data assimilation (DA). In this paper, SMOS soil moisture retrievals are assimilated into the Noah LSM via an Ensemble Kalman Filter within the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Land Information System. Bias correction is implemented using cumulative distribution function (cdf) matching, with points aggregated by either land cover or soil type to reduce the sampling error in generating the cdfs. An experiment was run for the warm season of 2011 to test SMOS DA and to compare assimilation methods. Verification of soil moisture analyses in the 0–10-cm upper layer and the 0–1-m root zone was conducted using in situ measurements from several observing networks in central and southeastern United States. This experiment showed that SMOS DA significantly increased the anomaly correlation of Noah soil moisture with station measurements from 0.45 to 0.57 in the 0–10-cm layer. Time series at specific stations demonstrates the ability of SMOS DA to increase the dynamic range of soil moisture in a manner consistent with station measurements. Among the bias correction methods, the correction based on soil type performed best at bias reduction but also reduced correlations. The vegetation-based correction did not produce any significant differences compared with using a simple uniform correction curve.
Development of an ultrasonic nondestructive inspection method for impact damage detection in composite aircraft structures

High Energy Wide Area Blunt Impact (HEWABI) due to ground service equipment can often occur in aircraft structures causing major damages. These Wide Area Impact Damages (WAID) can affect the internal components of the structure, hence are usually not visible nor detectable by typical one-sided NDE techniques and can easily compromise the structural safety of the aircraft. In this study, the development of an NDI method is presented together with its application to impacted aircraft frames. The HEWABI from a typical ground service scenario has been previously tested and the desired type of damages have been generated, so that the aircraft panels could become representative study cases. The need of the aircraft industry for a rapid, ramp-friendly system to detect such WAID is here approached with guided ultrasonic waves (GUW) and a scanning tool that accesses the whole structure from the exterior side only. The wide coverage of the specimen provided by GUW has been coupled to a differential detection approach and is aided by an outlier statistical analysis to be able to inspect and detect faults in the challenging composite material and complex structure. The results will be presented and discussed with respect to the detection capability of the system and its response to the different damage types. Receiving Operating Characteristics curves (ROC) are also produced to quantify and assess the performance of the proposed method. Ongoing work is currently aimed at the penetration of the inner components of the structure, such as shear ties and C-frames, exploiting different frequency ranges and signal processing techniques. From the hardware and tool development side, different transducers and coupling methods, such as air-coupled transducers, are under investigation together with the design of a more suitable scanning technique.
The effect of an avatar's emotional expressions on players' fear reactions

This research aimed to demonstrate the effects of an avatar's emotional expressions on players' fear reactions during horror gameplay. In Study 1, we found that the emotional expressions of an avatar decreased fear reactions among players. This effect was mediated by avatar embodiment. More precisely, avatar emotional expressions lower avatar embodiment, which, in turn, positively predicts players' fear reactions. In Study 2, we replicated the findings of Study 1. In addition, we found that the effects observed in Study 1 were only present in interactive gameplaynot when players watched screen-captured footage of the game. In other words, we found evidence of a moderated mediation model in which interactivity moderates the effects of an avatar's emotional expressions on players' fear reactions through avatar embodiment. Game players' fear reactions are weakened by avatars' emotional expressions.Embodiment mediates the effect of an avatar's emotional expressions on players' fear reactions.Agency moderates this mediation effect of embodiment.Enactive gameplay experiences fundamentally differ from observational experiences.
Interreader Agreement of Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System Version 2 Using an In-Bore MRI-Guided Prostate Biopsy Cohort: A Single Institution's Initial Experience.

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this study is to determine the interobserver agreement of the Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System version 2 (PI-RADSv2) for diagnosing prostate cancer using in-bore MRI-guided prostate biopsy as the reference standard. MATERIALS AND METHODS. Fifty-nine patients underwent in-bore MRI-guided prostate biopsy between January 21, 2010, and August 21, 2013, and underwent diagnostic multiparametric MRI 6 months or less before biopsy. A single index lesion per patient was selected after retrospective review of MR images. Three fellowship-trained abdominal radiologists (with 1–11 years' experience) blinded to clinical information interpreted all studies according to PI-RADSv2. Interobserver agreement was assessed using Cohen kappa statistics. RESULTS. Thirty-eight lesions were in the peripheral zone and 21 were in the transition zone. Cancer was diagnosed in 26 patients (44%). Overall PI-RADS scores were higher for all biopsy-positive lesions (mean ± SD, 3.9 ± 1.1) than for biopsy-...
Acceptability and Feasibility of Using a Novel Geospatial Method to Measure Neighborhood Contexts and Mobility Among Transgender Women in New York City.

Abstract Purpose: To date, no studies utilizing global positioning system (GPS) technologies to measure mobility and environmental exposures have been conducted among a sample of transgender women ...
Laser‐Enabled Processing of Stretchable Electronics on a Hydrolytically Degradable Hydrogel

Degradable electronics represent a rapidly emerging field of science and technology with the potential to serve short-term medical implantation applications where the device disappears once its function is complete. Despite many efforts in developing new types of degradable electronics, many of such systems are nonelastic and incompatible with the dynamic motion of native soft/elastic biological tissues. Herein, a photo-crosslinkable hydrogel with integrated electronics that are highly stretchable and degradable in liquid environments is demonstrated. The fabrication process takes advantage of facile laser micromachining of conductive patterns directly onto the hydrogel under ambient conditions and permanent hydrogel-hydrogel bonding. The robustness and degradation rate of hydrogel and the laser-processed encapsulated stretchable circuits is systematically investigated in different solutions under various conditions. Biocompatibility tests with non-neoplastic cells (HMT 3522 S1) and cancer cells (T4-2 and MDA-MB-231) are performed in 2D and 3D cell culture systems to confirm instead of evaluate the safety of the hydrogel and its byproducts during degradation as well as the zinc metal used in this technology. As a proof of concept, a stretchable hydrogel-based device that can be used for remote/wireless delivery of thermal energy into the tissue in contact with the hydrogel is fabricated.
5 Art and Science of DNA Vaccines

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the various aspects of DNA vaccines. It also discusses the basic materials and methods involved in preparing and administering DNA vaccines. The preparation of Escherichia coli -derived plasmid DNA expression vectors utilizes standard molecular biology reagents. The gene of interest, or fragment, can be generated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Wolff demonstrated the expression of proteins in situ after the administration of plasmid DNA containing the genes encoding those proteins. In some cases, it may be desirable to include only the coding region from the ATG to the termination codon. Sequence verify at least three clones using primers 30–50 bp from the restriction site so that bases within the vector can be read, as well as 150–200 bases within the gene. In this way, the orientation and quality of the PCR-generated gene can be assessed. For the characterization of plasmid DNA vectors prior to immunization of animals, expression can be assessed by transient transfection in vitro and immunoblot analysis. A crude estimation of relative vaccine efficacy can be made by comparing relative expression levels of a particular antigen in vitro .
Some Aspects on the Biochemistry of Growth Hormone

In 1921, Evans and Long (1) injected a saline extract of anterior lobes of bovine pituitaries into normal rats and the growth of these animals was accelerated. Later experiments by Smith in 1927 (2) showed that the growth of hypophysectomized rats was resumed on administration of the same anterior pituitary extract. Thus, the existence of growth- promoting activities in these extracts was indicated. In 1944, Li and Evans reported the isolation of a protein from bovine pituitary extracts with a molecular weight of 44,250 in solutions of pH 6.64-7.00 and an isoelectric point of pH 6.85 having growth-promoting activity in hypophysectomized rats and devoid of other pituitary hormone activities (3,4). The protein was identified as the growth hormone (GH) of bovine pituitary gland or bGH.
Volunteers for Execution: Directions for Further Research into Grief, Culpability, and Legal Structures

About 11% of those executed in the United States are death-sentenced prisoners who sought their own execution. These prisoners are commonly called “volunteers,” and they succeed in hastening execution by waiving their right to appeal their conviction and sentence. Certain interpretations dominate. Those who oppose a condemned prisoner’s request for execution often cite the prisoner’s history of mental instability and frame the prisoner’s decision as a product of suicidal depression. Related to this narrative is one that links death row conditions to the prisoner’s decision to hasten death. Conditions, in this account, contribute to the decision to abandon appeals by wearing the prisoner down to the point that he loses the will to live, or by contributing to “death row syndrome,” an evolving (and controversial) psychiatric diagnosis describing a mental condition that some prisoners develop as a result of living under a death sentence in highly socially isolating and stark conditions of confinement. Other narratives focus on ideas of rational choice and personal autonomy. This account emphasizes prisoners’ desire to control their own destiny and the civic virtue of respecting autonomy and choice, even for the least among us. The empirical support for these explanations is sparse, and this article emerges from a larger effort to test the hypothesis that prisoners who seek execution resemble those who take their own lives in prison. The prison suicide literature has identified certain characteristics — such as race, sex, age, mental illness, and prison conditions — as increasing the risk of suicide behind bars. My research on Texas volunteers generally suggests many, but not all, of those traits characterize that volunteer population as well. This article focuses on findings that point to areas for future research not only on volunteers but also on larger questions of processes of hopelessness and culpability among criminal offenders, and how the criminal justice system may influence life-ending decisions.
Utility of Covalent Labeling Mass Spectrometry Data in Protein Structure Prediction with Rosetta

Covalent labeling mass spectrometry experiments are growing in popularity and provide important information regarding protein structure. Information obtained from these experiments correlates with residue solvent exposure within the protein in solution. However, it is impossible to determine protein structure from covalent labeling data alone. Incorporation of sparse covalent labeling data into the protein structure prediction software Rosetta has been shown to improve protein tertiary structure prediction. Here, covalent labeling techniques were analyzed computationally to provide insight into what labeling data is needed to optimize tertiary protein structure prediction in Rosetta. We have successfully implemented a new scoring functionality that provides improved predictions. We developed two new covalent labeling based score terms that use a "cone"-based neighbor count to quantify the relative solvent exposure of each amino acid. To test our method, we used a set of 20 proteins with structures deposited in the Protein Data Bank. Decoy model sets were generated for each of these 20 proteins, and the normalized covalent labeling score versus RMSD distributions were evaluated. On the basis of these distributions, we have determined an optimal subset of residues to use when performing covalent labeling experiments in order to maximize the structure prediction capabilities of the covalent labeling data. We also investigated how much false negative and false positive data can be tolerated without meaningfully impacting protein structure prediction. Using these new covalent labeling score terms, protein models were rescored and the resulting models improved by 3.9 A RMSD on average. New models were also generated using Rosetta's AbinitioRelax program under the guidance of covalent labeling information, and improvement in model quality was observed.
Re-look After Laparoscopic Resection

The ability to re-establish pneumoperitoneum at the termination of a laparoscopic colon resection allows a surgeon to look for bleeding, confirm the satisfactory performance of an anastomosis, and evaluate for the presence of a retained foreign body after an instrument or sponge count suggests an error, without enlarging an incision or converting to an open incision operation. Techniques described in this chapter permit the ready recreation of pneumoperitoneum without an incision being enlarged.
Progress in the Design of Polyoxovanadate-Alkoxides as Charge Carriers for Nonaqueous Redox Flow Batteries

Innovation in the development of electrochemical energy storage methods is essential if these technologies are to meet the variable needs of the electrical grid. Nonaqueous redox flow batteries rep...
A Facile Synthesis of Cyclononatripyrroles

A facile synthesis of a functionalized cyclononatripyrrole derivative is described. It involves the iodine-catalyzed cyclotrimerization of ethyl 3,3-dimethyl-5,7-dihydro[1,3]dioxepino[5,6-c]pyrrole-6-carboxylate in methanol. The product obtained in this way exists solely in the crown conformation typical of cyclononatripyrroles. However, in contrast to previously reported compounds of this class, it possesses three labile methoxymethyl arms that can be further functionalized under acidic conditions.
Heavy Metals, Iron, and Arsenic in Water and Sediment from a Cold Spring in Southwest Ohio

Abstract Concentrations of iron, lead, arsenic, manganese, zinc, and cadmium in the water and sediment of the Yellow Spring, an artesian spring in a Southwest Ohio nature preserve, were measured. D...
Latent Cardiogenic Potential in Endocardium and Hemogenic Endothelium Revealed in the Absence of Scl/tal1

Abstract Abstract 2362 The endothelium in embryonic and extraembryonic hematopoietic tissues has the capacity to generate hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HS/PC). However, it is unknown how this unique endothelium is specified. Microarray analysis of endothelial cells from hematopoietic tissues of embryos deficient for the bHLH transcription factor Scl/tal1 revealed that Scl establishes a robust hematopoietic transcriptional program in the endothelium. Surprisingly, lack of Scl also induced an unexpected fate switching of the prospective hemogenic endothelium to the cardiac lineage. Scl deficient embryos displayed a dramatic upregulation of cardiac transcription factors and structural proteins within the yolk sac vasculature, resulting in the generation of spontaneously beating cardiomyocytes. Ectopic cardiac potential in Scl deficient embryos arose from endothelial-derived CD31+Pdgfrα+ cardiogenic progenitor cells (CPCs), which were present in all sites of HS/PC generation. Analysis of Runx1-deficient embryos revealed, that although Runx1 acts downstream of Scl during the emergence of definitive HS/PCs, it is not required for the suppression of the cardiac fate in the endothelium. The only wild type tissue that contained CD31+Pdgfrα+ putative CPCs was the heart, and this population was greatly expanded in Scl deficient embryos. Strikingly, endocardium in Scl−/− hearts also activated a robust cardiomyogenic transcriptional program and generated Troponin T+ cardiomyocytes both in vivo and in vitro. Although CD31+Pdgfrα+ CPCs from wild type hearts did not generate readily beating cells in culture, they produced cells expressing endothelial, smooth muscle and cardiomyocyte specific genes, implying multipotentiality of this novel CPC population. Furthermore, CD31+Pdgfrα+ CPCs were greatly reduced in Isl1−/− hearts, which fail to generate functional, multipotential CPCs. Lineage tracing using VE-cadherin Cre Rosa-YFP mouse strain demonstrated that, in addition to generating HS/PCs in hematopoietic tissues, endothelial cells are also the cell of origin for CD31+Pdgfrα+ CPCs in the heart. Together, these data suggest a broader role for embryonic endothelium as a potential source of tissue-specific stem and progenitor cells and implicate Scl/tal1 as an important regulator of endothelial fate choice. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Neurocritical Care: Bench to Bedside (Eds. Claude Hemphill, Michael James) Integrating and Using Big Data in Neurocritical Care

The critical care environment drives huge volumes of data, and clinicians are tasked with quickly processing this data and responding to it urgently. The neurocritical care environment increasingly involves EEG, multimodal intracranial monitoring, and complex imaging which preclude comprehensive human synthesis, and requires new concepts to integrate data into clinical care. By definition, Big Data is data that cannot be handled using traditional infrastructures and is characterized by the volume, variety, velocity, and variability of the data being produced. Big Data in the neurocritical care unit requires rethinking of data storage infrastructures and the development of tools and analytics to drive advancements in the field. Preprocessing, feature extraction, statistical inference, and analytic tools are required in order to achieve the primary goals of Big Data for clinical use: description, prediction, and prescription. Barriers to its use at bedside include a lack of infrastructure development within the healthcare industry, lack of standardization of data inputs, and ultimately existential and scientific concerns about the outputs that result from the use of tools such as artificial intelligence. However, as implied by the fundamental theorem of biomedical informatics, physicians remain central to the development and utility of Big Data to improve patient care.
Chapter 9 – Special Photography Situations

This chapter covers a wide variety of specialized photography which expands upon the traditional photographic documentation of crime scenes and the evidence within them. Written by experts in their subject matter, these sections include: Aerial photography: Specific issues are exposure variables, controlling the motion/vibration of the aircraft so that blur is avoided, and additional safety procedures. Autopsy photography: This section provides the knowledge of autopsy photography standards, common techniques, and tips for special procedures. Bloodstain pattern photography: This is best done when the photographer has had some basic bloodstain pattern analysis training. This section provides examples of such images that need to be captured. Photography from Drones: This section points out the capabilities of drones and highlights the new issues surrounding the images produced by drones. Firearms trajectory photography: Evidence recorded and collected at the scene can support conclusions regarding the types and numbers of firearms involved, the kinds and classifications of ammunition used, and the directions and angles of bullet travel. Surveillance photography: Techniques covered include those required to capture recognizable images of a suspect from a distance in both daytime and nighttime situations. Underwater photography: Issues include additional safety concerns, understanding how water affects both exposure and colors, and managing the “scatter” and “backscatter” caused by particulates suspended in the water. Vehicular crash photography: Many times done by specialized units, recommendations for successful crash scene photography are completely comprehensively covered here.