cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Adapting to Change: Becoming a Learning Organization as a Relief and Development Agency

Disaster areas and developing economies put great demands on relief and development personnel to adapt efficiently to fast-changing conditions. We draw on experiences at Mercy Corps and the literature on learning organizations, adaptive expertise, and communities of practice to identify five systemic tensions that need to be balanced when designing effective learning solutions: (1) employees' desire to learn versus the pressures of the job, (2) investing in strategic learning initiatives versus the need to keep organizational operating costs low, (3) formal learning versus informal learning, (4) maintaining flexibility within a local context versus organization-wide standards that create efficiency and accountability, and (5) people versus technology. We offer examples of possible solutions to the individual and organizational learning challenge in relief and development organizations.
Solution-Processable White-Light-Emitting Hybrid Semiconductor Bulk Materials with High Photoluminescence Quantum Efficiency

Glowing white: Bulk hybrid semiconductor materials built from periodic nanostructured 2D layers of ZnS emit bright white light. Their emission intensity, quantum efficiency, and color quality can be systematically tuned by varying the composition of both the inorganic and organic components. The materials show great promise as a new type of single-phase white-light-emitting phosphors.
In Vitro Antibacterial Activities of Platelet Microbicidal Protein and Neutrophil Defensin against Staphylococcus aureus Are Influenced by Antibiotics Differing in Mechanism of Action

Thrombin-induced platelet microbicidal protein-1 (tPMP-1) and human neutrophil defensin-1 (HNP-1) are small, cationic antimicrobial peptides. These peptides exert potent in vitro microbicidal activity against a broad spectrum of human pathogens, including Staphylococcus aureus. Evidence suggests that tPMP-1 and HNP-1 target and disrupt the bacterial membrane. However, it is not yet clear whether membrane disruption itself is sufficient to kill the bacterium or whether subsequent, presumably intracellular, events are also involved in killing. We investigated the staphylocidal activities of tPMP-1 and HNP-1 in the presence or absence of pretreatment with antibiotics that differ in their mechanisms of action. The staphylocidal effects of tPMP-1 and HNP-1 on control cells (no antibiotic pretreatment) were rapid and concentration dependent. Pretreatment of S. aureus with either penicillin or vancomycin (bacterial cell wall synthesis inhibitors) significantly enhanced the anti-S. aureus effects of tPMP-1 compared with the effects against the respective control cells over the entire tPMP-1 concentration range tested (P < 0.05). Similarly, S. aureus cells pretreated with these antibiotics were more susceptible to HNP-1 than control cells, although the difference in the effects against cells that received penicillin pretreatment did not reach statistical significance (P < 0.05 for cells that received vancomycin pretreatment versus effects against control cells). Studies with isogenic pairs of strains with normal or deficient autolytic enzyme activities demonstrated that enhancement of S. aureus killing by cationic peptides and cell wall-active agents could not be ascribed to a predominant role of autolytic enzyme activation. Pretreatment of S. aureus cells with tetracycline, a 30S ribosomal subunit inhibitor, significantly decreased the staphylocidal effect of tPMP-1 over a wide peptide concentration range (0.16 to 1.25 μg/ml) (P < 0.05). Furthermore, pretreatment with novobiocin (an inhibitor of bacterial DNA gyrase subunit B) and with azithromycin, quinupristin, or dalfopristin (50S ribosomal subunit protein synthesis inhibitors) essentially blocked the S. aureus killing resulting from exposure to tPMP-1 or HNP-1 at most concentrations compared with the effects against the respective control cells (P < 0.05 for a tPMP-1 concentration range of 0.31 to 1.25 μg/ml and for an HNP-1 concentration range of 6.25 to 50 μg/ml). These findings suggest that tPMP-1 and HNP-1 exert anti-S. aureus activities through mechanisms involving both the cell membrane and intracellular targets.
Allergic rhinitis and impairment issues in schoolchildren: a consensus report.

SUMMARYBackground: Allergic rhinitis (AR) can have a substantial negative impact on children. Most notably, it can impede learning during the school-age years. Other consequences include adverse behavioral and psychosocial effects, poor quality of life, and potential impact on serious comorbidities, such as asthma.Consensus panel: In February 2004, in a conference sponsored by Aventis Pharmaceuticals, a multidisciplinary group convened to review relevant clinical data for the purposes of developing consensus recommendations for the management of AR in children. The consensus panel consisted of academic, school health, and medical providers, who were identified based on previous work and publications.Consensus findings: The focus of discussions was to assess the degree of impact of AR in schoolchildren and, based on this information, to determine how to improve screening, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment, to help ensure quality of life and maximal school performance in this population. The group consid...
Crustal construction and magma chamber properties along the Eastern Lau Spreading Center

Abstract The L-SCAN active-source seismic tomography experiment maps the crustal structure and magmatic system along a 120-km-long section of the back-arc Eastern Lau Spreading Center (ELSC), where the ridge undergoes abrupt changes in morphology and composition associated with increasing proximity to the Tofua volcanic arc. Using this dataset, we picked ~197,000 P-wave travel times from 57 seismic airgun lines recorded at 83 ocean bottom seismograph stations, and inverted for a 3-D P-wave velocity image. The seismic images reveal a prominent, but narrow, seismic low velocity volume (LVV) located beneath all surveyed ridge segments, consistent with the high temperatures and melt of a crustal magmatic system. Crustal magmatic systems thus underlie spreading axes even where previous seismic reflection surveys did not detect magma lens reflectors, accounting for the heat source of high-temperature hydrothermal vents in these areas. The top of the LVV closely follows the ridge axis and steps across three overlapping spreading centers. As the offset of the overlap increases, the LVV becomes increasingly discontinuous across the ridge limbs. Surprisingly, the LVV is as much as twice as wide, but deeper, in the northern part of the ridge system where the crust is thinner, as compared to the LVV beneath the southern segments, where the crust is relatively thicker. The width of the LVV may be modulated by the degree of deep hydrothermal activity or temporal variations in melt supply, and thus may not correlate directly with the average melt flux as indicated by crustal thickness. Over the past 4 Myr, the location of the ridge has swept across different mantle compositional domains, and the crust produced at the ridge formed a zoned pattern. The interpretation is that thick, highly porous, volcanic layers with felsic compositions cap regions of thick crust; thinner volcanic layers of basaltic composition cap regions of thinner crust. The zonal pattern indicates that the influence of slab-derived water on crustal construction has substantially decreased over time.
Link between ridge subduction and gold mineralization in southern Alaska

40 Ar/ 39 Ar geochronology reveals that turbidite-hosted gold deposits in the southern Alaska accretionary prism are the same age as nearby near-trench plutons. These early Tertiary plutons and gold lodes formed above a slab window during subduction of an oceanic spreading center. Ridge subduction is a previously unrecognized tectonic process for the generation of lode gold.
Mechanism of an ATP-independent Protein Disaggregase I. STRUCTURE OF A MEMBRANE PROTEIN AGGREGATE REVEALS A MECHANISM OF RECOGNITION BY ITS CHAPERONE

Protein aggregation is detrimental to the maintenance of proper protein homeostasis in all cells. To overcome this problem, cells have evolved a network of molecular chaperones to prevent protein aggregation and even reverse existing protein aggregates. The most extensively studied disaggregase systems are ATP-driven macromolecular machines. Recently, we reported an alternative disaggregase system in which the 38-kDa subunit of chloroplast signal recognition particle (cpSRP43) efficiently reverses the aggregation of its substrates, the light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b-binding (LHC) proteins, in the absence of external energy input. To understand the molecular mechanism of this novel activity, here we used biophysical and biochemical methods to characterize the structure and nature of LHC protein aggregates. We show that LHC proteins form micellar, disc-shaped aggregates that are kinetically stable and detergent-resistant. Despite the nonamyloidal nature, the LHC aggregates have a defined global organization, displaying the chaperone recognition motif on its solvent-accessible surface. These findings suggest an attractive mechanism for recognition of the LHC aggregate by cpSRP43 and provide important constraints to define the capability of this chaperone.
Special Needs of the Learning Disabled College Student: Implications for Interventions Through Peer Support Groups

The use of peer support groups is proposed as an effective intervention for dealing with personal and academic needs of college students who have learning disabilities.
A permutation test to identify important attributes for linking crimes of serial offenders

The modus operandi (MO) of a crime describes the unique characteristics that an offender imparts to it. Although in some instances, a serial offender's behavior is circumstantial, some MO behaviors may be consistent from one crime to the next. By investigating these behaviors, similar crimes can be linked to the same individual, but some attributes describing a crime may be more important for linking than others. Two strategies have historically been used to link crimes. One relies on expert criminal judgment, which may require manually sifting through thousands of crime records. In the second, similar attributes are grouped, and logistic regression is applied to coarse frequency summaries of those groupings. In this work, we introduce an intuitive statistical permutation test for assessing the importance of individual attributes in linking crimes, and we show how the results can be used to weight each one's importance to link crimes. By using the serial offenses of four sets of residential burglaries and six sets of robberies identified in Tempe, Arizona, the test is illustrated, and differences among attribute importance of these two types of crimes are highlighted. We demonstrate greater success in linking crimes when the test results are incorporated into a linking analysis. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd
Microwave Performance of an Optically Controlled AIGaAs/GaAs High Electron Mobility Transistor and GaAs MESFET

This paper presents for the first time extensive experimental results which show the light-induced voltage, the increase in the drain current, the RF gain, and the change in the microwave scattering parameters of an AIGaAs/GaAs high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) under optical illumination of photon energy equal to or greater than the semiconductor band gap. From the de-embedded device scattering parameters, the change in the small-signal, lumped-element equivalent circuit model is computed. These results are compared and contrasted with those of a GaAs MESFET. Lastly, three potential applications of an optically controlled AIGaAs/GaAs HEMT are demonstrated: microwave amplifier gain control, detection, and mixing with an optically coupled local oscillator signal. Preliminary experiments on the optical control of a monolithic GaAs distributed amplifier are also presented. Measurements on a HEMT show that the tight-induced voltage is 0.57 V and the increase in the drain current is 5 mA under 1.7 mW optical power at 0.83 µm. Further, the increase in magnitude of S/sub 21/ with illumination ranges from 0.5 to 2.0 dB as V/sub gs/ takes discrete values between -0.5 and -0.95 V. However, the phase of S/sub 21/ is insensitive to optical illumination. The HEMT as a photodetector has an external quantum efficiency greater than 500 percent and a dark noise current of 27 pA//spl radic/Hz. Lastly, computations show that the response speed of the HEMT to an intensity-modulated optical signal is on the order of 11 ps.
A Strategy for Dimensional Percolation in Sheared Nanorod Dispersions

As the aspect ratio of a unit (here, a stiff high-aspect-ratio rod) increases, the tendency increases for ensembles of these units to form hierarchical structures on scales quite removed from that of the single unit (particles). This is due in large part to geometrical packing considerations (based on excluded volume analysis) arising from the non-spherical shape. Nematic ordering of rod ensembles [1] is one illustration of this phenomenon, and percolation of rod or platelet inclusions is another. It happens that for thin rods, equilibrium percolation of isotropic distributions occurs well below the nematic transition. The introduction of a flow-induced distribution function leads one out of the highly studied domain of universal scaling laws for equilibrium, isotropic percolation thresholds. For materials processing applications, one is compelled to explore the impact of volume fraction of particles beyond the threshold of any desirable percolation-induced property transition and ascertain the role of anisotropy on macroscopic property tensors. This is required for practical applications in order to avoid statistical fluctuations across the preferred side of the threshold.
Effects of Valproic Acid Coadministration on Plasma Efavirenz and Lopinavir Concentrations in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Infected Adults

Valproic acid (VPA) has the potential to benefit patients suffering from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated cognitive impairment. The purpose of this study was to determine if VPA affects the plasma concentration of efavirenz (EFV) or lopinavir. HIV type 1 (HIV-1)-infected patients receiving EFV or lopinavir-ritonavir (LPV/r) had 9 or 10 blood samples drawn over 8 to 24 h of a dosing interval at steady state before and after receiving 250 mg of VPA twice daily for 7 days. VPA blood samples drawn before (C0) and 8 h after the morning dose (8 h) were compared to blood samples from a group of HIV-1-infected subjects who were taking either combined nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors alone or had discontinued antiretroviral therapy. Pharmacokinetic parameters were calculated by noncompartmental analysis, and tests of bioequivalence were based on 90% confidence intervals (CIs) for ratios or differences. The geometric mean ratio (GMR) (90% CI) of the areas under the concentration-time curve from 0 to 24 h (AUC0-24s) of EFV (n = 11) with and without VPA was 1.00 (0.85, 1.17). The GMR (90% CI) of the AUC0-8s of LPV (n = 8) with and without VPA was 1.38 (0.98, 1.94). The differences (90% CI) in mean C0 and 8-h VPA concentrations versus the control (n = 11) were −1.0 (−9.4, 7.4) μg/ml and −2.1 (−11.1, 6.9) μg/ml for EFV (n = 10) and −5.0 (−13.2, 3.3) μg/ml and −6.7 (−17.6, 4.2) μg/ml for LPV/r (n = 11), respectively. EFV administration alone is bioequivalent to EFV and VPA coadministration. LPV concentrations tended to be higher when the drug was combined with VPA. Results of VPA comparisons fail to raise concern that coadministration with EFV or LPV/r will significantly influence trough concentrations of VPA.
Assessing Scenario Probabilities Via Interactive Goal Programming

An interactive goal programming approach for assessing scenario probabilities used in long-range forecasting and decision analysis is developed and illustrated using a small numerical example. The method only requires marginal event probability and ordinal or interval first-order conditional probability assessments of a limited number of events constituting the scenarios and guarantees the consistency of the assessments in terms of the laws of probability calculus.
Origin of muscle satellite cells in the Xenopus embryo

We have studied the origin of muscle satellite cells in embryos of Xenopus laevis. Fate mapping at the open neural plate stage was carried out using orthotopic grafts from transgenic embryos expressing GFP. This shows that most satellite cells originate from the dorsolateral plate rather than from the paraxial mesoderm. Specification studies were made by isolation of explants from the paraxial and dorsolateral regions of neurulae and these also indicated that the satellite cell progenitors arise from the dorsolateral plate. Muscle satellite cells express Pax7, but overexpression of Pax7 in blastomeres of whole embryos that populate the myogenic areas does not induce the formation of additional satellite cells. Moreover, a dominant-negative construct, Pax7EnR, does not reduce satellite cell formation. Neither Pax7 nor other myogenic transcription factor genes will induce satellite cell formation in animal caps treated with FGF. However, BMP RNA or protein will do so, both for FGF-treated animal caps and for paraxial neurula explants. Conversely, the induction of Noggin in dorsolateral explants from HGEM-Noggin transgenic neurulae will block formation of satellite cells, showing that BMP signaling is required in vivo for satellite cell formation. We conclude that satellite cell progenitors are initially specified in the dorsal part of the lateral plate mesoderm and later become incorporated into the myotomes. The initial specification occurs at the neurula stage and depends on the ventral-to-dorsal BMP gradient in the early embryo.
"Beyond "BIO2010": Celebration and Opportunities" at the Intersection of Mathematics and Biology.

With this special edition of CBE-LSE, which focuses on connections between and integration of the biological and mathematical sciences, it is especially fitting that we report on an important symposium, Beyond BIO2010: Celebration and Opportunities,1 which was held at the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) in Washington, D.C. on May 21–22, 2010. This symposium was organized to assess what progress has been made in addressing the challenges and recommendations in the National Research Council's (NRC) report: BIO2010: Transforming Undergraduate Education for Future Research Biologists (NRC, 2003a ). Most of the presentations and posters at this event emphasized the increasing connections of the life and mathematical sciences in undergraduate education. The symposium was initiated by the U.S. National Committee to the International Union of Biological Sciences and was hosted by the National Academies' Board on Life Sciences.2
Range and Ecology of Helenium virginicum in the Missouri Ozarks

Abstract Helenium virginicum (Virginia sneezeweed) is a federally listed threatened herb found at unshaded sites in seasonally inundated ponds in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and in the Ozark Highlands of Missouri. In the Ozarks, one population of H. virginicum was discovered in the 1950s, though it was thought to be a hybrid of Helenium flexuosum and Helenium autumnale until genetics work resolved its identity in 2000. Since that time, it was the only known population outside of Virginia. In this study, we systematically identified potential H. virginicum habitat in the Ozarks by using topographic maps and aerial photographs and surveyed these areas for H. virginicum. Our objectives were to locate new populations of the plant and to better define its ecology in Missouri. By the end of the growing season of 2004, we had located 42 new populations of H. virginicum in the lower Missouri Ozarks—more populations than are currently known in the state of Virginia. The results of this study greatly expand t...
Preferentially longer survival of males than of females with untreated extrahepatic biliary atresia: correlations with time course of intrahepatic lesions and suggestion of possible ethnic influences.

Males with untreated or unsuccessfully treated extrahepatic biliary atresia show statistically significantly longer survival than females. Females show a greater degree of intrahepatic biliary ductular proliferation than males in the early phase of the process (to age -200 days) and greater duct regression and more rapid connective tissue proliferation than males from approximately 200 to 400 days. Females also show greater frequency of statistically significant hepatomegaly than males over the first year. The black and Hispanic patients in this series tended to show a less marked degree of bile ductule proliferation in the early phase of the process than other patients, but the numbers of such patients available for study were not enough for statistical significance. This point, and its possible clinical correlates, will require further analysis, as will possible biochemical explanations for the differences between males and females in the time course of the intrahepatic lesions of extrahepatic biliary a...
Impact of Organic Carbon on the Stability and Toxicity of Fresh and Stored Silver Nanoparticles

Studies investigating the impact of particle size and capping agents on nanosilver toxicity in pristine laboratory conditions are becoming available. However, the relative importance of known environmental mitigating factors for dissolved silver remains poorly characterized for nanosilver in context with existing predictive toxicity models. This study investigated the implications of freshly prepared versus stored 20 and 100 nm nanosilver stocks to freshwater zooplankton (Ceriodaphnia dubia) in presence and absence of dissolved organic carbon (DOC). Results indicated that while the acute toxicity of nanosilver decreased significantly with larger size and higher DOC, storage resulted in significant increases in toxicity and ion release. The most dramatic decrease in toxicity due to DOC was observed for the 20 nm particle (2.5–6.7 fold decrease), with more modest toxicity reductions observed for the 100 nm particle (2.0–2.4 fold) and dissolved silver (2.7–3.1 fold). While a surface area dosimetry presented ...
A6.44 Only BAFF mRNA, not BAFF protein level in blood, is associated with SLE activity over one year

Background B-cell–activating factor (BAFF; also known as B lymphocyte stimulator or BLyS) is a prominent factor in the selection and survival of B cells. BAFF has been demonstrated to be elevated in the blood of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients and is implicated in the pathogenesis of the disease. We have shown that BAFF gene expression level (mRNA) in whole blood associates with same day disease activity and predicts future activity in SLE patients. The concentration of the BAFF protein in serum has also been used as a marker of disease activity. In this study, we investigated the utility of BAFF mRNA versus protein level as a predictor of future global disease activity in SLE patients. Methods 292 patients (59% Caucasian, 34% African-American, 92% female, mean age 46 ± 12 years) were enrolled in a prospective observational study. At baseline, BAFF gene expression level was measured in peripheral blood RNA (PAXgene) using quantitative PCR. Serum BAFF (protein) levels were measured using the Rules Based Medicine platform. The number of visits per patient over the following year ranged from 1–9. Six patients had 1 visit, 46 patients had 2–3 visits, 159 patients had 4 visits, and 81 patients had more than 4 visits. P-values were calculated using generalised estimating equations as implemented in SAS 9.2. P-values were then adjusted for ethnicity. Results By two separate measures, PGA (physician global assessment) and SLEDAI, higher levels of measured BAFF mRNA were associated with higher levels of disease activity. The association with SLEDAI was stronger. Multiple measures of disease activity including proteinuria, anti-dsDNA antibodies and hypocomplementemia were also associated with higher levels of BAFF mRNA. This same association was NOT seen with the serum BAFF protein. Higher levels of BAFF protein were only associated with elevated anti-dsDNA antibodies, not global measures of disease activity. Conclusion BAFF mRNA at the baseline visit was strongly associated with global disease activity, urine protein/creatinine ≥0.5, serologies, and ESR over the next year. In contrast, BAFF protein level in the blood at baseline only correlated with anti-dsDNA over the next year. This study supports the use of BAFF mRNA level in peripheral blood rather than protein as a predictive biomarker of disease activity in SLE patients.
Necessary and Sufficient Conditions for Oscillations

(1983). Necessary and Sufficient Conditions for Oscillations. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 90, No. 9, pp. 637-640.
Effect of phospholipid fractions upon the coagulation defects in patients on long-term dicumarol therapy.

The coagulation defects of the blood of 30 patients after six months of dicumarol therapy have been studied. A preparation of brain or soybean phospholipids corrected the abnormal coagulation time and the thrombin generation test of patients on long-term dicumarol therapy. The deficiency in thromboplastin generation of these patients was not corrected.
Site inspection procedures and methods for evaluation of the quality management system of in vitro diagnostic regents

In this paper, the procedures, logos, methods, essentials as well as notable problems for inspecting the qualification management system of in vitro diagnostic regent manufactures are discussed, with aims of promoting inspector's practical level and consequentially ensuring the quality, standard and efficacy of the inspection.
Frankfurt cases: the fine-grained response revisited

Frankfurt cases are supposed to provide us with counterexamples to the principle of alternative possibilities. Among the most well known responses to these cases is what John Fischer has dubbed the flicker of freedom strategy. Here we revisit a version of this strategy, which we refer to as the fine-grained response. Although a number of philosophers, including some who are otherwise unsympathetic to Frankfurt’s argument, have dismissed the fine grained response, we believe there is a good deal to be said on its behalf. We argue, in particular, that reflection on certain cases involving omissions undermines the main objections to the response and also provides the groundwork for an argument in support of it.
Introduction to Ecosystem Science

This introduction briefly describes the book’s content. The book defines the ecosystem, describes the chief characteristics of ecosystems and the major tools used to analyze them, and presents major discoveries that scientists have made about ecosystems. It also lays out important questions for the future. And although the book is not specifically about ecosystem management, some management implications of ecosystem science are described.
Gradient-based design of actively-cooled microvascular composite panels

Abstract Recent advances in manufacturing based on sacrificial fiber or template techniques have allowed complex networks of microchannels to be embedded in microvascular composites. In the thermal application of interest, a novel battery packaging scheme for electric vehicles is considered where each battery is surrounded by microvascular composite panels for temperature regulation and structural protection. We use simplified thermal and hydraulics models validated against more complex 3D FLUENT simulations and experiments to obtain the surface temperature distribution of the panel and the pressure drops across the microchannels. We further eliminate the cost and complexity associated with mesh generation by applying the interface-enriched generalized finite element method (IGFEM), which allows a non-conforming mesh to capture the discontinuous temperature gradient across the microchannels. The IGFEM thermal solver is then combined with a gradient-based shape optimization scheme to obtain optimal designs of a set of branched microchannel networks. The design parameters are the channel control points, which define the shape of the network. We use the p-mean as a differentiable objective function in place of the maximum temperature. To obtain accurate gradients with respect to the design parameters efficiently, we perform a sensitivity analysis based on a recently developed adjoint method for IGFEM. Starting from many distinct configurations, we obtain the optimal designs for a wide range of network topologies. We also investigate the effect of the coolant flow rate on the optimal design.
Further evidence of early development of attention to dynamic facial emotions: Reply to Grossmann and Jessen

Abstract Adults exhibit enhanced attention to negative emotions like fear, which is thought to be an adaptive reaction to emotional information. Previous research, mostly conducted with static faces, suggests that infants exhibit an attentional bias toward fearful faces only at around 7 months of age. In a recent study (Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 2016, Vol. 147, pp. 100–110), we found that 5-month-olds also exhibit heightened attention to fear when tested with dynamic face videos. This indication of an earlier development of an attention bias to fear raises questions about developmental mechanisms that have been proposed to underlie this function. However, Grossmann and Jessen (Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 2016, Vol. 153, pp. 149–154) argued that this result may have been due to differences in the amount of movement in the videos rather than a response to emotional information. To examine this possibility, we tested a new sample of 5-month-olds exactly as in the original study (Heck, Hock, White, Jubran, & Bhatt, 2016) but with inverted faces. We found that the fear bias seen in our study was no longer apparent with inverted faces. Therefore, it is likely that infants’ enhanced attention to fear in our study was indeed a response to emotions rather than a reaction to arbitrary low-level stimulus features. This finding indicates enhanced attention to fear at 5 months and underscores the need to find mechanisms that engender the development of emotion knowledge early in life.
Ultrasonic mechanical relaxation imaging

Ultrasonic mechanical relaxation (UMR) imaging is proposed as a research tool for visualizing viscoelastic properties of tumors. Soft tissues behave mechanically as water-based polymers, similar to gelatin, with time-varying viscoelastic properties that depend on the chemical environment; e.g., acidic conditions alter the polymer-fiber surface charge density that determines cross-linking. We hypothesize that changes in the tumor microenvironment can be imaged using UMR methods. UMR techniques include elastic strain and viscous creep relaxation images produced by applying and holding a step-stress stimulus while recording RF echo frames at a high rate. Local displacements estimated from motion occurring between frames in the echo sequence yield strain images whose contrast is weighted by the viscous relaxation parameters. The relaxation parameters are estimated and mapped for each pixel using the strain time series to produce parametric UMR images. UMR images in gelatin suggest it is possible to explore the microenvironments of living tumors, where the viscoelastic properties are influenced by the changes in pO/sub 2/, pH, and collagen density that predict metastatic potential and resistance to treatment.
Airborne lidar remote sensing applications in non-forested short stature environments: a review

Lidar (light detection and ranging) remote sensing technology provides promising tools for 3D characterization of the earth’s surface. In ecosystem studies, lidar derived structural parameters relating to vegetation and terrain have been extensively used in many applications and are rapidly expanding. Yet, most of the lidar applications have focused on tall, woody vegetation in forested environments and less research attention is given to non-forest, short stature vegetation dominated ecosystems. Similar to the lidar developments in forestry, novel methodological approaches and algorithm developments will be necessary to improve estimates of structural and biophysical properties (i.e. biomass and carbon storage) in non-forested short stature environments. Under changing climate scenarios, the latter is particularly useful to improve our understanding of their future role as terrestrial carbon sinks. In an attempt to identify research gaps in airborne lidar remote sensing application in short stature vegetation studies, in this review article we provide a comprehensive overview on the current state of airborne lidar applications. Our focus is mainly on the levels of accuracies and errors reported, as well as the potentials and limitations of the methods applied in these studies. We also provide insights into future research needs and applications in these environments.
A Profile of Rural African American Lesbian Elders: Meeting Their Needs

Elderly African American lesbians in rural society represent diversity across numerous demographic characteristic and social positions that require specific responses to their needs. The population must address issues related to age, race/ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation. In this chapter a trans-disciplinary examination of issues relevant to this population is examined. In order to do so, a profile of elderly African American lesbians is presented. Additional information is presented on the concepts of feminism and womanism, the construct of positive marginality, characteristics of rural society and how African American women and lesbians exist in such a context, cultural homophobia in the black community, and racism in the white gay community. Psychosocial adjustment considers the intersection of sexual orientation, age, and race statuses. Finally, healthcare, education, and public policy issues are examined with respect to elder African American lesbians.
Impact of prior melphalan exposure on stem cell collection in light chain amyloidosis

Use of melphalan in multiple myeloma was observed to have a deleterious effect on stem cell collection in older studies. There is limited data on the impact of melphalan in light chain (AL) amyloidosis, especially in the plerixafor era. We retrospectively evaluated stem cell mobilization in 610 patients with AL amyloidosis, of which 79 had prior exposure to melphalan, 167 to other chemotherapeutics, while 364 had no chemotherapy exposure. Collection of CD34+ stem cells × 106/kg was lower in the melphalan group. Median total yields in the melphalan, non-melphalan, and no chemotherapy groups were 5.5, 7.7, and 7.8, respectively; p 150 mg (median: three cycles) resulting in lower yields. Therefore, duration of melphalan exposure prior to stem cell collection should be limited, ideally, not exceeding more than two cycles of treatment.
Development of a modular computer-aided process planning (CAPP) system for additive-subtractive hybrid manufacturing of pockets, holes, and flat surfaces

Additive manufacturing (AM) can significantly reduce the development time for small batch parts or parts with complicated geometries. However, the accuracy of most metal AM processes requires parts to be subjected to secondary processing (typically machining) in order to obtain requisite tolerances. Process plan development for hybrid manufacturing, which is defined for the following as additive manufacturing followed by subtractive multi-axis computer numerical control (CNC) machining, typically takes weeks rather than hours or days. This paper outlines a feature-based advanced hybrid manufacturing process planning system (FAH-PS) that uses feature-specific geometric, tolerance, and material data inputs to generate four-automated process plans based on user-specified feature precedence for hybrid manufacturing. FAH-PS currently has the capability to identify manufacturing processes for critical pockets, flat surfaces, and hole features. Additional plans generated by FAH-PS minimize tool changes, orientation changes, etc., to improve process times. FAH-PS is modular and extensible to allow for additional feature types, materials, tool sizes, and/or optimization strategies to be included in future versions. A case study, using a custom patient-specific bone plate, demonstrated system capabilities and processing time reductions as compared to the current manual process planning for hybrid manufacturing methodologies. Using the generated FAH-PS process plan resulted in a 35% reduction in machining time from the current hybrid manufacturing strategy. Imploring a strategy of minimizing tool and orientation changes generated a process plan that demonstrated that even further improvements were possible.
Gain-of-function mutations in the gene encoding the tyrosine phosphatase SHP2 induce hydrocephalus in a catalytically dependent manner

Catalytically activating mutations in Ptpn11, which encodes the protein tyrosine phosphatase SHP2, cause 50% of Noonan syndrome (NS) cases, whereas inactivating mutations in Ptpn11 are responsible for nearly all cases of the similar, but distinct, developmental disorder Noonan syndrome with multiple lentigines (NSML; formerly called LEOPARD syndrome). However, both types of disease mutations are gain-of-function mutations because they cause SHP2 to constitutively adopt an open conformation. We found that the catalytic activity of SHP2 was required for the pathogenic effects of gain-of-function, disease-associated mutations on the development of hydrocephalus in the mouse. Targeted pan-neuronal knockin of a Ptpn11 allele encoding the active SHP2 E76K mutant resulted in hydrocephalus due to aberrant development of ependymal cells and their cilia. These pathogenic effects of the E76K mutation were suppressed by the additional mutation C459S, which abolished the catalytic activity of SHP2. Moreover, ependymal cells in NSML mice bearing the inactive SHP2 mutant Y279C were also unaffected. Mechanistically, the SHP2 E76K mutant induced developmental defects in ependymal cells by enhancing dephosphorylation and inhibition of the transcription activator STAT3. Whereas STAT3 activity was reduced in Ptpn11E76K/+ cells, the activities of the kinases ERK and AKT were enhanced, and neural cell-specific Stat3 knockout mice also manifested developmental defects in ependymal cells and cilia. These genetic and biochemical data demonstrate a catalytic-dependent role of SHP2 gain-of-function disease mutants in the pathogenesis of hydrocephalus.
A Treatment-Based Algorithm for the Management of Type-II SLAP Tears.

Background The management of Type-II superior labral tears (SLAP) of the shoulder remains a controversial topic. Treatment ranges from non-operative management to surgical management including SLAP repair, biceps tenotomy, and biceps tenodesis. An optimal treatment algorithm has yet to reach universal acceptance. Objective The goal of this paper was to provide a treatment algorithm for the management of Type-II SLAP tears based on current literature and expert opinion. Method Current literature was reviewed and expert opinion was reported to develop a comprehensive treatment protocol for patients based on age, activity level, and pathology. Results Operative management of type-II SLAP tears yields good to excellent outcomes when proper indications are followed. Biceps tenodesis may produce more reliable pain relief and functional improvement when compared to primary SLAP repair in patients over the age of 40. Conclusion When non-operative management of Type-II SLAP tears fails, operative management yields good to excellent outcomes in most patients. Primary SLAP repair should be performed in patients under the age of 40 with no evidence of proximal biceps pathology, while biceps tenodesis can provide consistent pain relief and return to activity in patients over the age of 40 or with significant proximal biceps pathology. Tenotomy should be reserved for elderly or low demand individuals.
Finsler Structures and Wave Propagation

We discuss connections between the study of wave propagation for general classes of hyperbolic PDEs (beyond the “standard wave equation”) and aspects of Finsler geometry. In particular, we investigate how understanding of the behavior of differential operators (and pseudodifferential operators) arising in such study can enhance one's understanding of Finsler geometry. We also discuss a problem in harmonic analysis motivated by a construction of Katok in Finsler geometry, which gives rise to an interesting variant of the Pinsky phenomenon, for pointwise Fourier inversion.
Untouchable Instrument "Peller-Min".

This paper is a report on the development of a new musical instrument in which the main concept is "Untouchable". The key concept of this instrument is "sound generation by body gesture (both hands)" and "sound generation by kneading with hands". The new composition project had completed as the premiere of a new work “controllable untouchableness” with this new instrument in December 2009.
Disclosure Risk Evaluation for Fully Synthetic Categorical Data

We present an approach for evaluating disclosure risks for fully synthetic categorical data. The basic idea is to compute probability distributions of unknown confidential data values given the synthetic data and assumptions about intruder knowledge. We use a “worst-case” scenario of an intruder knowing all but one of the records in the confidential data. To create the synthetic data, we use a Dirichlet process mixture of products of multinomial distributions, which is a Bayesian version of a latent class model. In addition to generating synthetic data with high utility, the likelihood function admits simple and convenient approximations to the disclosure risk probabilities via importance sampling. We illustrate the disclosure risk computations by synthesizing a subset of data from the American Community Survey.
Parallel Numerical Integration on a P2P/Grid Computing Environment

This paper presents a preliminary study of using MCMS-powered P2P technology to conduct parallel integrations which has been widely used in applied mathematics, sciences and engineering. In this study, we designed a system which allow migrate numerical integrations in a P2P/Grid based environment. The system’s client responses for a job scheduling, domain decomposition, and a data communications, while the system’ servers response for computations. The detailed proposed parallelism, system configuration, implementation and programming are presented. This study serves as the initiative of using distributed computing technology for solving large-scale scientific computing problems.
Does cobblestone appearance on bronchoscopy suggest gastro-oesophageal reflux disease?

Background: Tracheal cobblestoning has been associated with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (Carr M.M. et al. The Laryngosope 2000: 110; 1560-1562), but is it a useful diagnostic finding in children with gastro-oesophageal reflux related respiratory conditions? Aims: To determine how sensitive and specific tracheal cobblestone appearance is for gastro-oesophageal reflux disease. Methods: A retrospective case control study was performed using 6 months of elective flexible bronchoscopy findings (February to July 2017) from Sheffield Children’s Hospital. Cases and controls were children under 18 years who had bronchoscopy and pH study on the same day. Cases had a De Meester score of >14.72 (positive for reflux (Lupu V.V. et al. Medicine 2016: 95; 26)) and controls had a De Meester score of Results: 18 cases and 14 controls were identified. Cobblestone appearance on flexible bronchoscopy had a sensitivity of 16% and a specificity of 78% for DeMeester score >14.72 (See table). Conclusions: Tracheal cobblestone appearance has a poor sensitivity but good specificity for gastro-oesophageal reflux as defined by a De Meester score>14.72.
Experimental and thermodynamic study of aerosol explosions in a 36 L apparatus

Abstract Explosions involving vapor-liquid mixtures have a tragic history in the chemical industry. Numerous incidents such as the Buncefield explosion and the Flixborough disaster have demonstrated the importance of investigating the mechanism and consequence of aerosol explosions. ASTM D3065-01 presents two standard test methods, the flame projection and closed drum tests, for the flammability of aerosol products. The flame projection method involves the spraying of aerosol directly into an open flame to measure whether the aerosol can be ignited. The closed drum test requires the spraying of aerosol directly into a closed drum containing an open flame. The flame projection and closed drum tests in this ASTM standard, are not adopted widely due to the lack of quantification. Motivated by this consideration, this study proposes a test method to quantitatively investigate the flammable hazard and consequence assessment of aerosol explosions. The proposed method has the potential to surpass the existing go/no-go standard test method through an approach quantifying the aerosol hazard. The first stage of the procedure was to characterize the aerosol cloud properties, such as droplet size distribution and concentration. The second stage was to ignite the aerosol cloud in a closed vessel to measure the maximum explosion pressure (Pmax) and the explosibility characteristics (Ka). These parameters can be considered a thermodynamic and kinetic assessment of the explosion, respectively and are critical when designing a venting system. In this experimental study, Pmax and Ka were determined for a range of equivalence ratios for n-octane and n-dodecane. The experimental results were compared to a thermodynamic model, which estimates Pmax, revealing evaporation was the controlling step during the aerosol combustion process. A thin flame and three-zone model were investigated to model the rate of pressure rise during the aerosol explosion. In addition, this study of n-octane and n-dodecane has demonstrated that liquids can be ignited below their flashpoint when they are in aerosol form. It also shows that the aerosol lower flammable limits (LFL) are lower than the corresponding gas vapors.
Safety and Efficacy of Percutaneous Ventricular Assist Device Exclusion; a Review of Ten Cases

Purpose Surgical explantation of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) is associated with risks of peri-operative complications. In this report, we aim to examine feasibility of percutaneous LVAD exclusion as an alternative to surgical LVAD explantation. Methods Retrospective review of institutional LVAD implants between 2011 to 2018 was performed; 3 patients underwent percutaneous LVAD exclusion. Subsequently, systematic review of all reported cases of percutaneous LVAD exclusion published in Pubmed/Medline from 2011 to 2018 was performed; 7 cases were identified. Results The percutaneous technique consisted of using Amplatz Vascular plug in proximal (average size: 16±3mm) and distal (average size: 16±3mm) portions of the outflow graft in our patients; graft occlusion was confirmed by injecting contrast and observing for reflux into the left ventricular cavity. Post procedure, the driveline was excised and the open end was closed with Gore-Tex. The percutaneous closure of outflow graft was successful in all patients with no peri-procedural complications. Table 1 details our experience and review of available cases. Conclusion Percutaneous LVAD exclusion is a minimally invasive, safe and an effective alternative to surgical LVAD explantation in select group of patients.