cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluation on the lead pollution in a large-scale enterprise manufacturing lead accumulators,2001-2012

Objective To analyze the dynamic blood lead levels in workers exposed to lead fume and dust in a large-scale enterprise manufacturing lead accumulators during the past 12 years,and evaluate the effect of prevention on occupational lead poisoning.Methods The on-site occupational health investigation was conducted to understand the manufacture process and basic occupational health situation.The lead fume(dust) concentration at workplace were detected by the flame atomic absorption spectrometry(FAAS) and the blood lead level of workers was detected by the graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry(GFAAS).The results were evaluated according to GBZ 2.1-2007 and GBZ 37-2002,respectively.Results The range of time-weighted average concentration of lead dust was 0.002-3.105 mg / m3 and its median was 0.047 mg / m3,the range of qualified rate was 45.0%-83.3%,and the average qualified rate was 61.7%(187 /303).While the range of time-weighted average concentration of the lead fume was 0.002-2.523 mg / m3and its median was 0.039 mg / m3,the range of qualified rate was 20.0% 100%,and the average qualified rate was 49.0%(73 /149) since the lead accumulator manufacturer put into production(2001-2012).The qualified rates of lead fume and dust were 31.8%-88.9% and the average qualified rate was 57.7%(260 /452).The differences of qualified rates in different years were statistically significant(P 0.01).The qualified rate of lead fume(dust) rose from 31.8% in 2002 to 88.9% in 2011.A total of 7 893 workers had regular occupational health examination in the past 12 years.The range of blood lead concentration was 0.080-4.213 μmol / L and the average was(1.098 ± 0.464) μmol/L.The blood lead content of men(1.131 ±0.440 μmol/L) was higher than that of women(0.727 ± 0.340 μmol / L)(P 0.01).The mean blood lead levels of workers showed a significant downtrend with the growth of years(R =-0.755,P 0.01).The constituent ratios of different blood lead levels of 1.9,1.9-2.9,and 2.9 μmol / L in workers were 94.83%,4.78%,and 0.39%,respectively.The concentrations of blood lead in workers were classified as 1.9 μmol / L(normal rank) and ≥1.9(higher rank) to conduct the Chi-square test.The differences between two ranks of blood lead levels in different years were statistically significant(P 0.01).The blood lead level of exposed workers at rank of 1.9 μmol / L was up to 100.00% in 2012 from 80.99% in 2001.Seven workers were diagnosed with chronic occupational lead poisoning,including 5 mild and 2 moderate cases.Conclusion The concentration of lead fume(dust) and the blood lead level of exposed workers declined year by year since enterprise starting manufacturing the lead accumulators.The exceeding standard rate of blood lead and incidence rate of chronic occupational lead poisoning were low.The effect of prevention on chronic occupational lead poisoning was remarkable.
Efficacy contrast between stratagem and bromadiolone against rodent

Objective To evaluate the efficacy of stratagem and bromadiolone against rodent and select one kind rodenticide which was more safety and higher efficacy.Methods Selecting two communities and having experiments for testing the efficacy of stratagem and bromadiolone against rodent.Results The killing rate of 0.008% stratagem and 0.005% bromadiolone were 89.25% and 83.06% for ten days,92.56% and 86.88% for 15 days.Conclusion Stratagem and bromadiolone were of high efficacy,low toxicity and good palatability.The difference of killing rodent efficacy between stratagem and bromadiolone was not evident.
The size of emerging and host-seeking Aedes aegypti and the relation of size to blood-feeding success in the field

The average wing length of Aedes aegypti females collected as pupae was 2.47 mm, which was significantly smaller than the 2.64 mm average wing length of the host-seeking females collected in the field. The average wing length of nulliparous host-seeking females was 2.62 mm, which was significantly smaller than the 2.76 mm wing length of parous host-seeking females. Thus, small Ae. aegypti females exhibited reduced blood-feeding success and, most likely, reduced survival when compared with large adults.
Exploring the Intricacies of Weak Interactions in Metal–Metal Bonds Using an Unsymmetrical Carbonyl Precursor and a Triple-Bonded W26+ Paddlewheel

Stepwise reaction of W(CO)6 with tetramethylated bicyclic guanidinate ligands, characterized by a central C(N)3 unit joining two fused six-membered rings with CH2CMe2CH2 units spanning two of the nitrogen atoms, allowed isolation of W2(μ-CO)2(μ-TMhpp)2(η2-TMhpp)2, 1, a precursor of W2(TMhpp)4Cl2 (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2013, 135, 17889; TMhpp = [(CH2CMe2CH2)2(C(N)3)]). Subsequent heating of 1 followed by reaction with TlPF6 generates [W2(TMhpp)4](PF6)2, 2. Compound 1 has an edge-sharing bioctahedral (ESBO) arrangement with a W2(μ-CO)24+ core having semibridging carbonyl groups, while 2 has a paddlewheel structure with a W26+ core spanned by four tetramethyl-substituted bicyclic guanidinate ligands. This compound also has hexafluorophosphate anions along the metal–metal bond that are nestled within methylene groups with the aid of a network of weak C–H···F interactions that prevent a close approach of the fluorine atoms to the dimetal unit. Theoretical computations were carried out on ditungsten model complexes...
The role of aberrations in the relative illumination of a lens system

Several factors impact the light irradiance and relative illumination produced by a lens system at its image plane. In addition to the cosine-fourth-power radiometric law, image and pupil aberrations, and light vignetting also count. In this paper, we use an irradiance transport equation to derive a closed form solution that provides insight into how individual aberration terms affect the light irradiance and relative illumination. The theoretical results are in agreement with real ray tracing.
Volar Distal Radius Plating

This chapter details essential steps of performing a volar distal radius plating internal fixation to treat displaced extra-articular or intra-articular distal radius factures. Dissection is carried down until the radial fracture is exposed and fully visualized; the fracture is reduced through traction followed by provisional fixation with a K-wire. Final fixation is achieved placing a volar distal radius locking plate. Indications, essential steps, postoperative care, possible complications, operative dictation, and references are included.
W obronie uniformitaryzmu

The practice of science rests on the assumption of dependable regularity in the behavior of the physical world. It presumes that the world has an investigable causal structure and that scientific experimentation, observation, and theorizing provide a reliable pathway to its discernment. This much is not in dispute. What is in dispute is what warrants the metaphysical and methodological assumption — essential to the heuristic utility of science — that nature is uniform in such a way that the present can serve as a key to both the past and the future. This article focuses on the metaphysical foundation and justification for uniformitarian assumptions about nature and argues that they are inconsistent with both metaphysical and methodological naturalism.
2016 Maurice Wilkes Award Given to Timothy Sherwood

This column discusses the ACM SIGARCH Maurice Wilkes Award, which is given annually to an early-career researcher for an outstanding contribution to computer architecture. The 2016 award was given to Timothy Sherwood.
Neurolysis with Amniotic Membrane Nerve Wrapping for Treatment of Secondary Wartenberg Syndrome: A Preliminary Report.

Background: Entrapment of the superficial sensory branch of the radial nerve (SRN) commonly results in debilitating pain of the dorsoradial wrist. Symptom relief following SRN neurolysis is often incomplete or temporary due to recurrent perineural scarring. Methods: We performed a retrospective review with prospective follow-up of all patients with SRN neuropathy who were treated with neurolysis and nerve wrapping using an amnion-based allograft adhesion barrier over a one-year interval. Measured outcomes included pain rated by Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Quick Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (QuickDASH) functional outcome scores. Results: Three females satisfied inclusion. At mean follow-up of 28.9 months, all three patients exhibited improved pain (mean VAS change −4.7 ± 0.6), function (mean QuickDASH change −40 ± 5), and subjective satisfaction. No adverse events or reactions to the implanted tissue occurred. Conclusions: SRN entrapment neuropathy was safely and effectively treated with neurolysis and amnion nerve wrapping in this small series. Use of this technique for perineural scar prevention warrants additional study in larger groups of patients and in other upper extremity entrapment neuropathies.
Using Data and the Human Touch: Evaluating the NYC Inter-Agency Campaign to Reduce Chronic Absenteeism

Following a 2008 report that documented the extent of chronic absenteeism in New York City's schools, the city organized an interagency task force to develop and implement a citywide effort to redu...
The Construction of Social Competencies through Talk

What counts as social competency? How are social competencies constructed in and through the everyday talk among members of a social group? These questions guide the discussion of the conceptualization of social competency that follows. The discussion begins with an historical overview of the general concept of competence across time and disciplines and then proceeds to an exploration of current perspectives to illustrate the complexity in defining this construct.
StereoTrack: 180-degree Low-cost Acoustic Positional Tracking for Mobile VR Platforms

Positional tracking ensures high presence in Virtual Reality (VR). Though mobile VR has a large potential to bring VR to the masses, enabling positional tracking on mobile VR platforms has been a challenge. Existing implementations often rely on computer vision or require special sensors and are often computationally intensive, resulting in a low frame rate and reduced battery life. We present StereoTrack; a 180° positional tracking method using acoustic sensing which has a low computational overhead, and is minimalistic in terms of required hardware (a pair of speakers); which may allow for large scale adoption. A number of studies evaluate Stereo-Track in terms of precision, accuracy, and effect on overall latency. We test the feasibility of StereoTrack in the context of two games that demonstrate its potential to enhance existing mobile VR interaction options.
Rootstock performance in the 2009 NC-140 peach trial across 11 states.

From 14 to 18 Prunus rootstocks budded with ‘Redhaven’ peach were planted at 16 locations in North America in 2009. Seven-year performance from 12 remaining locations in 11 states showed that significant differences among rootstocks and sites were found for survival, root suckers, growth, bloom date, fruit maturity date, fruit size, cumulative yield, and yield efficiency. Survival was highest for peach seedling rootstocks at all locations. In contrast, survival of non-peach species and hybrid rootstocks was poor to fair in Missouri (winter cold, wet feet conditions) and Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina due to bacterial canker. Krymsk®1, Krymsk®86, Penta, Controller(TM) 5 and Mirobac (a.k.a. Replantpac or Rootpac®R) were the most susceptible to tree death from Pseudomonas syringae canker in the four southeastern states. Overall, Imperial California had the lowest survival followed by Fortuna and Krymsk®1. Rootstock suckering was excessive on Prunus americana seedlings with lesser suckering noted on, Mirobac, Krymsk®1 and Penta. Largest trees were three Prunus × almond hybrids (Viking, Atlas, Brights Hybrid #5) and Guardian®. Fruit size varied with location and crop load (i.e., some rootstocks had few fruit). Atlas produced the largest fruit and Fortuna the smallest fruit across all sites. Cumulative yields were highest in the peach rootstocks such as Guardian®, Lovell and KV010127 and on Atlas. The lowest yields were from plum hybrids and plum species. Cumulative yield efficiency was higher on the non-peach rootstocks, but these rootstocks also produced trees much smaller than the peach and almond hybrid cultivars. The clonal P. persica rootstocks HBOK 10 (Controller(TM) 8) and HBOK 32 (Controller(TM) 7) appeared to be the most promising of the size-controlling rootstocks tested. These data suggest there was no demonstrated advantage to increase yield ha-1 by using clonal interspecific Prunus hybrids for peach production under current cultural practices. However, on higher pH soils in Colorado and Utah, peach seedlings were not the superior rootstocks for production so continuing evaluation of non-peach rootstocks is warranted.
Plasmonic Nanoantennas for Enhanced Midwave and Longwave Infrared Imaging.

Conversion of plane waves to surface waves prior to detection allows key advantages in changes to the architecture of the detector pixels in a focal plane array. We have integrated subwavelength patterned metal nanoantennas with various detector materials to incorporate these advantages: midwave infrared indium gallium arsenide antimonide detectors and longwave infrared graphene detectors. Nanoantennas offer a means to make infrared detectors much thinner by converting incoming plane waves to more tightly bound and concentrated surface waves. Thinner architectures reduce both dark current and crosstalk for improved performance. For graphene detectors, which are only one or two atomic layers thick, such field concentration is a necessity for usable device performance, as single pass plane wave absorption is insufficient. Using III-V detector material, we reduced thickness by over an order of magnitude compared to traditional devices. We will discuss Sandia’s motivation for these devices, which go beyond simple improvement in traditional performance metrics. The simulation methodology and design rules will be discussed in detail. We will also offer an overview of the fabrication processes required to make these subwavelength structures on at times complex underlying devices based on III-V detector material or graphene on silicon or silicon carbide. Finally, we will present our latest infrared detector characterization results for both III-V and graphene structures.
Prophylactic Inferior Vena Cava Filters Prior to Bariatric Surgery: Insights From the National Inpatient Sample.

Abstract Objectives The aim of this study was to determine in-hospital mortality, post-surgical thromboembolic events, and health care costs associated with the placement of prophylactic inferior vena cava filters (IVCFs) prior to bariatric surgery. Background The role of prophylactic IVCFs prior to bariatric surgery is controversial, and the nationwide clinical outcomes associated with this practice are unknown. Methods This observational study used the National Inpatient Sample database to identify obese patients who underwent bariatric surgery from January 2005 to September 2015. Using propensity score matching, outcomes associated with patients receiving prophylactic IVCFs prior to their bariatric surgery were compared with those among patients who did not receive IVCFs. Results A total of 258,480 patients underwent bariatric surgery, of whom 1,047 (0.41%) had prophylactic IVCFs implanted. Patients with prophylactic IVCFs compared with those without IVCFs had a significantly higher rate of the combined endpoint of in-hospital mortality or pulmonary embolism (1.4% vs. 0.4%; odds ratio: 3.75; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.25 to 11.30; p = 0.019). Additionally, prophylactic IVCFs were associated with higher rates of lower extremity or caval deep vein thrombosis (1.8% vs. 0.3%; odds ratio: 6.33; 95% CI: 1.87 to 21.4; p Conclusions In this nationwide observational study, prophylactic IVCF implantation prior to bariatric surgery was associated with worse clinical outcomes and increased health care resource utilization.
Self-reported alcohol use in the cystic fibrosis community.

Abstract Introduction Excessive alcohol use (EAU), a harmful pattern of drinking that includes binge drinking and heavy use, occurs in 25% (binge) and 6% (heavy use) of the US population, respectively. Little is known about alcohol use in individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF). The objective of this investigation is to examine alcohol consumption patterns in individuals with CF using a health survey administered from a social media platform. Methods Individuals with CF, 18 years of age or older, were recruited for participation through social media and internet-based platforms. Results 1135 individuals initially participated in the survey and 84% (n = 952) were eligible and completed the survey. Of the respondents, 77% (n = 729) currently consume alcohol, 18% (n = 171) formerly consumed alcohol, and 5% (n = 52) never consumed alcohol. Amongst the people with CF who currently consume alcohol, 54% (N = 391) met criteria for EAU. Thirty percent of current drinkers experienced symptoms of harmful alcohol use. Of those who met criteria for EAU, 7% wore oxygen, 6% had a lung transplant, 10% had liver disease and 32% had diabetes. Those with EAU reported more hospitalizations than those without EAU [244 (62%) vs 182 (54%), p = .034]. Characteristics associated with EAU after multivariable adjustment included younger age, unmarried status, male gender and younger age at initiation of drinking. Conclusion EAU is occurring at a much higher proportion in individuals with CF. A substantial percentage of CF individuals with EAU also have medical co-morbidities. Screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment for EAU in CF clinics is warranted.
KMT2C/D COMPASS complex-associated diseases [K CD COM-ADs]: an emerging class of congenital regulopathies

The type 2 lysine methyltransferases KMT2C and KMT2D are large, enzymatically active scaffold proteins that form the core of nuclear regulatory structures known as KMT2C/D COMPASS complexes (complex of proteins associating with Set1). These evolutionarily conserved proteins regulate DNA promoter and enhancer elements, modulating the activity of diverse cell types critical for embryonic morphogenesis, central nervous system development, and post-natal survival. KMT2C/D COMPASS complexes and their binding partners enhance active gene expression of specific loci via the targeted modification of histone-3 tail residues, in general promoting active euchromatic conformations. Over the last 20 years, mutations in five key COMPASS complex genes have been linked to three human congenital syndromes: Kabuki syndrome (type 1 [KMT2D] and 2 [KDM6A]), Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome (type 1 [CBP] and 2 [EP300]), and Kleefstra syndrome type 2 (KMT2C). Here, we review the composition and biochemical function of the KMT2 complexes. The specific cellular and embryonic roles of the KMT2C/D COMPASS complex are highlight with a focus on clinically relevant mechanisms sensitive to haploinsufficiency. The phenotypic similarities and differences between the members of this new family of disorders are outlined and emerging therapeutic strategies are detailed.
Formin-like 1 mediates effector T cell trafficking to inflammatory sites to enable T cell-mediated autoimmunity.

Lymphocyte migration is essential for the function of the adaptive immune system, and regulation of T cell entry into tissues is an effective therapy in autoimmune diseases. Little is known about the specific role of cytoskeletal effectors that mediate mechanical forces and morphological changes essential for migration in complex environments. We developed a new Formin-like-1 (FMNL1) knock-out mouse model and determined that the cytoskeletal effector FMNL1 is selectively required for effector T cell trafficking to inflamed tissues, without affecting naive T cell entry into secondary lymphoid organs. Here, we identify a FMNL1-dependent mechanism of actin polymerization at the back of the cell that enables migration of the rigid lymphocyte nucleus through restrictive barriers. Furthermore, FMNL1-deficiency impairs the ability of self-reactive effector T cells to induce autoimmune disease. Overall, our data suggest that FMNL1 may be a potential therapeutic target to specifically modulate T cell trafficking to inflammatory sites.
FASTHash: FPGA-Based High Throughput Parallel Hash Table

Hash table is a fundamental data structure that provides efficient data store and access. It is a key component in AI applications which rely on building a model of the environment using observations and performing lookups on the model for newer observations. In this work, we develop FASTHash, a “truly” high throughput parallel hash table implementation using FPGA on-chip SRAM. Contrary to state-of-the-art hash table implementations on CPU, GPU, and FPGA, the parallelism in our design is data independent, allowing us to support p parallel queries (\(p>1\)) per clock cycle via p processing engines (PEs) in the worst case. Our novel data organization and query flow techniques allow full utilization of abundant low latency on-chip SRAM and enable conflict free concurrent insertions. Our hash table ensures relaxed eventual consistency - inserts from a PE are visible to all PEs with some latency. We provide theoretical worst case bound on the number of erroneous queries (true negative search, duplicate inserts) due to relaxed eventual consistency. We customize our design to implement both static and dynamic hash tables on state-of-the-art FPGA devices. Our implementations are scalable to 16 PEs and support throughput as high as 5360 million operations per second with PEs running at 335 MHz for static hashing and 4480 million operations per second with PEs running at 280 MHz for dynamic hashing. They outperform state-of-the-art implementations by 5.7x and 8.7x respectively.
Hospital Readmission After Climbing-Related Injury in the United States.

Introduction Rock climbing and mountaineering may result in injury requiring hospital admission. Readmission frequency after climbing-related injury is unknown. The aim of this study was to assess readmission frequency, morbidity, and mortality after admission for climbing-related injury. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of the 2012 to 2014 national readmission database, a nationally representative sample of all hospitalized patients. Rock climbing, mountain climbing, and wall climbing injuries were identified using International Classification of Diseases-Ninth Revision-Clinical Modification codes (E004.0). Outcomes evaluated included readmission frequency, morbidity, mortality, inpatient admission, and costs. Adjusted analyses accounting for survey methodology were performed. Data are presented as mean±SD. Results A weighted-estimate 1324 inpatient admissions were associated with a climbing-related injury. Most patients were aged 18 to 44 y (64%), and 68% (n=896) were male. Isolated extremity injures were more common than other injuries (49%, n=645). Sixty-five percent (n=856) underwent a major operative procedure. Less than 1% of all climbing-related visits resulted in death. Within 6 mo of the index hospitalization, 2% (n=23) of the patients had at least 1 readmission, with a time to readmission of 9.9±6.6 (95% CI 4.5–15.4) d. Only female sex was associated with increased odds of readmission (odds ratio=5.5; 95% CI 1.5–20.1; P=0.01). Conclusions There is a very low frequency of readmissions after being admitted to the hospital for climbing-related injury. A considerable opportunity to describe the long-term burden of climbing-related injury exists, and further research should be done to assess injury burden treated in the outpatient setting.
A Pandemic within a Pandemic - Intimate Partner Violence during Covid-19.

A Pandemic within a Pandemic Stay-at-home orders imposed during Covid-19 have left many victims of intimate partner violence trapped with their abusers and unable to safely connect with services. C...
Quantifying Community Resilience Based on Fluctuations in Visits to Point-of-Interest from Digital Trace Data

This study aims to quantify community resilience based on fluctuations in the visits to various Point-of-Interest (POIs) locations. Visit to POIs is an essential indicator of human activities and captures the combined effects of perturbations in people lifestyles, built environment conditions, and businesses status. The study utilized digital trace data of unique visits to POIs in the context of the 2017 Hurricane Harvey in Houston (Texas, USA) to examine spatial patterns of impact and total recovery effort and utilized these measures to quantify community resilience. The results showed that certain POI categories such as building materials and supplies dealers and grocery stores were the most resilient elements of the community compared to the other POI categories. On the other hand, categories such as medical facilities and entertainment were found to have lower resilience values. This result suggests that these categories were either not essential for community recovery or that the community was not able to access these services at normal levels immediately after the hurricane. In addition, the spatial analyses revealed that many areas in the community with lower levels of resilience experienced extensive flooding. However, some areas with low resilience were not flooded extensively, suggesting that spatial reach of the impacts goes beyond flooded areas. The results demonstrate the importance of the approach proposed in our study. While this study focused on Houston and only analysed one natural hazard, the approach can be applied to other communities and disaster contexts. Applying this approach, emergency managers and public officials can efficiently monitor the patterns of disaster impacts and recovery across different spatial areas and POI categories and also identify POI categories and areas of their community that need to be prioritized for resource allocation.
Braid representation of the shallow water acoustic channel to interpret temporal evolution of multipath arrivals

We present a morphological representation of the underwater acoustic channel that employs geometric braids to gain real-time knowledge of the dominant multipath activity. The key idea is to incorporate braid manifolds in tandem with non-convex mixed norm optimization techniques to track the temporal evolution of multipath arrivals. Specifically, we focus on channel braids that manifest as rapidly fluctuating high-energy taps in the delay spread as well as the delay-Doppler scattering function. Multiple braids can also be topologically combined using braid operations to interpret oceanic phenomena such as caustics and surface wave focusing, among others. We present techniques for adaptively updating the channel braids and their overlap patterns to reflect the temporal evolution of the shallow water acoustic channel. We evaluate the performance of proposed morphological channel estimation technique in terms of the normalized prediction error and computational time. Results based on numerical channel simulations based on diverse oceanic and experimental conditions as well as experimental field data from the SPACE08 experiment will be presented.
Is This Science? Students’ Experiences of Failure Make a Research-Based Course Feel Authentic

In a mixed-methods study with students in course-based undergraduate research experience (CURE) and inquiry courses, student perceptions of authentic research elements in their courses were measure...
Order, Disorder, and Transitions in Decorated AKLT States on Bethe Lattices

Returning to one of the original generalizations of the AKLT state, we extend prior analysis on the Bethe lattice (or Cayley tree) to a variant with a series of $n$ spin-1 decorations placed on each edge. The recurrence relations derived for this system demonstrate that such systems are critical for coordination numbers $z=3^{n+1}$, demonstrating order for greater and disorder for lesser coordination number. We then generalize further, effectively interpolating between systems with different values of $n$, using two realizations, one isotropic under local $SU(2)$ transformations and one anisotropic. Exact analysis of these recurrence relations allows us to deduce the location and behavior of order-disorder phase transitions for $z>4$.
Simulating Early Clinical Experiences With Surgical Procedures in the Anatomy Laboratory.

Background There is evidence to suggest that early exposure to clinical experiences could bolster a medical student's education and prepare them to tackle the problem-based learning encountered during clinical rotations. We hypothesized that incorporating common surgical procedures into the gross anatomy laboratory during preclinical years would enhance the anatomical learning experience for students. The incorporation of these procedures would not be disruptive to the normal conduct of the anatomy laboratory, nor result in exorbitant costs. Objectives The goal of a more integrated curriculum is to better enable medical students by providing them a unique learning experience, so that they may more readily recall the knowledge needed to deal with the complex problems of clinical work. Recognizing the importance of this concept, we have incorporated multiple common clinical procedures into our anatomy curriculum as a pilot program. Methods Seven common surgical procedures, including intraosseous needle insertion, venous cut-down, chest tube insertion, surgical cricothyroidotomy, core needle liver biopsy, appendectomy, and hysterectomy, were taught as a part of this study. Video instructions on each of the surgical procedures were provided before each corresponding laboratory. Surveys were distributed to study participants to measure their satisfaction with the procedures and whether or not it was disruptive to the allotted laboratory time. Results Both students and faculty who were sampled in the study reported that they were satisfied with the procedures (96.5% and 100%, respectively), that the procedures did not interfere with laboratory times (96% and 100%), and that the procedures facilitated clinical learning (98% and 100%). Conclusion This study demonstrated that providing a novel surgical teaching program to medical students was beneficial to their education and non-disruptive to the conventional anatomy curriculum. This exercise further facilitates osteopathic education by demonstrating how structure and function organize surgical practice. The integration of Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Auburn Campus's (VCOM-AC's) surgical procedures into other medical school anatomy courses can yield more prepared and confident students as they venture into their clinical rotations.
Knockout of c-Cbl slows EGFR endocytic trafficking and enhances EGFR signaling despite incompletely blocking receptor ubiquitylation.

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) activity is necessary and sufficient for corneal epithelial homeostasis. However, the addition of exogenous Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) does not reliably restore the corneal epithelium when wounded. This is likely due to high levels of endogenous EGF in tear fluid as well as desensitization of the EGFR following ligand stimulation. We hypothesize that preventing receptor downregulation is an alternative mechanism to enhance EGFR signaling and promote the restoration of compromised corneas. Ligand-dependent EGFR ubiquitylation is associated with the targeted degradation of the receptor. In this manuscript, we determine whether knockout of c-Cbl, an E3 ubiquitin ligase that ubiquitylates the EGFR, is sufficient to prolong EGFR phosphorylation and sustain signaling. Using CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing, we generated immortalized human corneal epithelial (hTCEpi) cells lacking c-Cbl. Knockout (KO) cells expressed the other E3 ligases at the same levels as the control cells, indicating other E3 ligases were not up-regulated. As compared to the control cells, EGF-stimulated EGFR ubiquitylation was reduced in KO cells, but not completely abolished. Similarly, EGF:EGFR trafficking was slowed, with a 35% decrease in the rate of endocytosis and a twofold increase in the receptor half-life. This resulted in a twofold increase in the magnitude of EGFR phosphorylation, with no change in duration. Conversely, Mitogen Activating Protein Kinase (MAPK) phosphorylation did not increase in magnitude but was sustained for 2-3 h as compared to control cells. We propose antagonizing c-Cbl will partially alter receptor ubiquitylation and endocytic trafficking but this is sufficient to enhance downstream signaling.
Political technical communication and ideographic communication design in a pre-digital congressional campaign

Building on the work of technical communication scholars concerned with social justice and electoral politics, this article examines the Coray for Congress (1994) campaign as a case study to argue ...
On-demand Command and Control of ASTERIA with Cloud-based Ground Station Services

ASTERIA (Arcsecond Space Telescope Enabling Research in Astrophysics) was a 6-unit CubeSat technology demonstration mission that deployed from the International Space Station on November 20th, 2017. After successfully completing its 90-day primary mission that demonstrated arcsecond-level line-of-sight pointing and focal plane thermal stability for exoplanet detection, it entered an extended mission performing onboard software demonstrations to mature technology both in space and on the ground. One of the technologies was a completely cloud-based ground system leveraging Amazon Web Services (AWS) Ground Station service. Announced in November 2018 and launched in May 2019, AWS Ground Station is a fully managed ground station service that aims to reduce the overhead associated with developing and maintaining ground system infrastructure throughout the mission lifecycle. AWS Ground Station makes available the suite of features required for any ground system in support of low-Earth orbit (LEO) and medium-Earth Orbit (MEO) satellite operations on-demand and without setting up or maintaining long-term contracts. Charges are incurred on a per-minute basis for antenna usage during scheduled tracks. Support is available for S-band uplink and downlink, along with X-band narrowband and wideband downlink. Missions that use the service may reserve tracks with any licensed AWS Ground Station antennas located across each service region and have direct access to any AWS services in support of mission operations. The cloud-based architecture built around the AWS Ground Station service greatly enhanced ASTERIA mission operations by enabling end-to-end pass automation, on-demand contact scheduling and contingency planning, along with more efficient data downlink through station availability and station-to-station handovers. It incorporated open-source software, particularly NASA's AMMOS Instrument Toolkit (AIT) and Open Mission Control Technologies (OpenMCT), along with the AWS application programming interfaces (API) to the Ground Station, Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) and Simple Storage Service (S3) services. After showcasing operability in August 2019, the team continued using and improving this novel ground system architecture until the end of mission in December 2019. This paper describes the cloud-based ground system, how it was designed, tested, and evaluated with an in-orbit spacecraft, the operational capabilities that it enabled, along with lessons learned and recommendations for future missions.
Who Manages Household Finances in Couples? The Role of Relative Income and Gender

Managing financial matters is an important household task that is often left up to one partner. These decisions tend to be managed by men often based on factors unrelated to financial knowledge or skills. Many studies in sociology and, more recently, economics point to gender norms related to relative income as an important factor in the division of labor. Using unique panel data from the Survey of Consumer Payment Choice (SCPC), this study examines how relative income and the gender prescription that "a man should earn more than a woman" influence financial decision-making. We find that partners who earn more are more likely to be responsible regardless of gender. Households with low measured financial literacy and low household income are more likely to rely on relative income to decide who will manage finances. Finally, we find evidence that financial outcomes are not influenced by a division of labor based on relative income.
Loss of TBK1 activity leads to TDP-43 proteinopathy through lysosomal dysfunction in human motor neurons

Abstract Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by motor neuron loss accompanied by cytoplasmic localization of TDP-43 proteins and their insoluble accumulations. Haploinsufficiency of TBK1 has been found to associate with or cause ALS. However, the cell-autonomous mechanisms by which reduced TBK1 activity contributes to human motor neuron pathology remain elusive. Here, we generated a human cellular model harboring loss-of-function mutations of TBK1 by gene editing and found that TBK1 deficiency was sufficient to cause TDP-43 pathology in human motor neurons. In addition to its functions in autophagy, we found that TBK1 interacted with endosomes and was required for normal endosomal maturation and subsequent lysosomal acidification. Surprisingly, TDP-43 pathology resulted more from the dysfunctional endo-lysosomal pathway than the previously recognized autophagy inhibition mechanism. Restoring TBK1 levels ameliorated lysosomal dysfunction and TDP-43 pathology and maintained normal motor neuron homeostasis. Notably, using patient-derived motor neurons, we found that haploinsufficiency of TBK1 sensitized neurons to lysosomal stress, and chemical regulators of endosomal maturation rescued the neurodegenerative process. Together, our results revealed the mechanism of TBK1 in maintaining TDP-43 and motor neuron homeostasis and suggested that modulating endosomal maturation was able to rescue neurodegenerative disease phenotypes caused by TBK1 deficiency.
Complementation of the interferon alpha response in resistant cells by expression of the cloned subunit of the interferon alpha receptor. A central role of this subunit in interferon alpha signaling.

Abstract A subunit of the interferon alpha receptor (IFN alpha R) that confers biologic response to and specific "binding" for IFN alpha 8 has recently been cloned. We have explored the biological consequences of expressing the cloned IFN alpha R subunit in human cells resistant to IFN alpha and in mouse cell lines nonresponsive to human IFN alpha. The expression of the cloned IFN alpha R subunit in the human IFN alpha-resistant K-562 cell line restored sensitivity to the antiviral effect of not only IFN alpha 8 but also IFN alpha 2 and IFN alpha Con1. In mouse L-929 cells the expression of the cloned receptor subunit markedly increased antiviral sensitivity to human type I IFNs. In either human K-562 or mouse L-929 cells these effects were observed without a detectable increase in the binding for any of the subtypes of IFN alpha tested. We propose that the cloned IFN alpha R subunit functions as a transducer subunit for the IFN alpha R. This concept is supported by the finding that the cloned receptor protein, when it is expressed in Cos cells, has an M(r) of 75 kDa, which is different from the main IFN alpha-binding proteins, the alpha and beta subunits of the IFN alpha R. This report also suggests that alterations at the receptor level could be involved in IFN alpha resistance in some cell lines.
Charon Message-Passing Toolkit for Scientific Computations

Charon is a library, callable from C and Fortran, that aids the conversion of structured-grid legacy codes--such as those used in the numerical computation of fluid flows--into parallel, high-performance codes. Key are functions that define distributed arrays, that map between distributed and non-distributed arrays, and that allow easy specification of common communications on structured grids. The library is based on the widely accepted MPI message passing standard. We present an overview of the functionality of Charon, and some representative results.
Cutting Edge: Role of Osteopontin and Integrin αv in T Cell–Mediated Anti-Inflammatory Responses in Endotoxemia

The immune system is equipped with mechanisms that downregulate hyperinflammation to avoid collateral damage. We demonstrated recently that unprimed T cells downregulate macrophage TNF production through direct interaction with macrophages in the spleen during LPS endotoxemia. How T cell migration toward macrophages occurs upon LPS injection is still not clear. In this study, we demonstrate that secreted osteopontin (sOPN) plays a role in the T cell migration to initiate the suppression of hyperinflammation during endotoxemia. Osteopontin levels in splenic macrophages were upregulated 2 h after LPS treatment, whereas T cell migration toward macrophages was observed 3 h after treatment. Neutralization of sOPN and blockade of its receptor, integrin αv, significantly inhibited CD4(+) T cell migration and increased susceptibility to endotoxemia. Our study demonstrates that the sOPN/integrin αv axis, which induces T cell chemotaxis toward macrophages, is critical for suppressing hyperinflammation during the first 3 h of endotoxemia.
Improving sub‐daily strain estimates using GPS measurements

[1] We present an improved GPS analysis strategy that reduces the noise level of GPS-based sub-daily strain measurements by a factor of ~5 or more and improves sub-daily resolution of positions and baseline estimates by a factor of ~2–5. These improvements are accomplished by reducing the key sources of error due to diurnal effects from path delays caused by reflections and refractions of the GPS signal near the receiver (multipath), and from tropospheric delays. Errors due to poorly determined tropospheric path delays are mitigated by using the tropospheric parameters estimated in static positioning runs as fixed values. The multipath effects are treated as periodic errors and are mitigated by a modified sidereal filter applied to the phase prior to processing. This combination of path error modeling results in sub-daily strain resolution on the order of ~0.1μstrain for a ~100 km baseline.
Mentorship: a feminist critique of current research.

Reciprocal professional nurse relationships called mentorships have been researched over the last decade from the perspective of coming to know that they are, why they work and what they bring to each of the participants. 'Knowing' always has its limitations, since we, the inquirers, are only able to come to understand through the ways we have been shown to ask questions or where to ask them. If the personal is political, then nurses who explore mentorship/protege relationships or any other area in nursing practice or education, must become aware of the unconscious biases which affect our choices in research. From a feminist perspective, each of us must decide, at least, to explore alternate ways of 'knowing' through the use of methodologies which engage women's lived experiences in a context which allows for stories to be shared and not reported. This paper is an opportunity to explore historical concepts, current needs for mutual support and the environmental and contextual experiences which may be fertile soil for new ways to understand how we can authentically bring meaning to each other wherever we work or study.
Methods for the determination of water in polymers

Abstract Water may be “weakly” or “strongly” bound to other substances by physical or chemical forces. Knowledge of the amount of water and the type of bonding in polymeric materials is very important in control of many polymerization processes and in the physical behavior of the polymer. Hundreds of methods have been proposed for the determination of water in concentrations ranging from p.p.b. to high percentages. Some are direct; others require preliminary concentration or chemical reaction. The most useful methods of analysis for water in polymers are based on chemical, spectroscopic, gravimetric, thermal, electrical, and physical techniques. Chemical methods are represented by Karl Fischer titration, acylation, and nitride reactions. Infrared, nuclear magnetic resonance, and mass spectrometry are the principal spectroscopic approaches. Other useful methods include direct weight loss, thermogravimetry, differential thermal analysis, thermal evolution analysis, dielectric constant, conductance, coulometry, chromatography, azeotropic distillation, piezoelectric, manometric, and volumetric procedures. Recent developments are described with emphasis on applications of these techniques.
Achieving realistic performance and decison-making capabilities in computer-generated air forces

For a computer-generated force (CGF) system to be useful in training environments, it must be able to operate at multiple skill levels, exhibit competency at assigned missions, and comply with current doctrine. Because of the rapid rate of change in distributed interactive simulation (DIS) and the expanding set of performance objectives for any computer- generated force, the system must also be modifiable at reasonable cost and incorporate mechanisms for learning. Therefore, CGF applications must have adaptable decision mechanisms and behaviors and perform automated incorporation of past reasoning and experience into its decision process. The CGF must also possess multiple skill levels for classes of entities, gracefully degrade its reasoning capability in response to system stress, possess an expandable modular knowledge structure, and perform adaptive mission planning. Furthermore, correctly performing individual entity behaviors is not sufficient. Issues related to complex inter-entity behavioral interactions, such as the need to maintain formation and share information, must also be considered. The CGF must also be able to acceptably respond to unforeseen circumstances and be able to make decisions in spite of uncertain information. Because of the need for increased complexity in the virtual battlespace, the CGF should exhibit complex, realistic behavior patterns within the battlespace. To achieve these necessary capabilities, an extensible software architecture, an expandable knowledge base, and an adaptable decision making mechanism are required. Our lab has addressed these issues in detail. The resulting DIS-compliant system is called the automated wingman (AW). The AW is based on fuzzy logic, the common object database (CODB) software architecture, and a hierarchical knowledge structure. We describe the techniques we used to enable us to make progress toward a CGF entity that satisfies the requirements presented above. We present our design and implementation of an adaptable decision making mechanism that uses multi-layered, fuzzy logic controlled situational analysis. Because our research indicates that fuzzy logic can perform poorly under certain circumstances, we combine fuzzy logic inferencing with adversarial game tree techniques for decision making in strategic and tactical engagements. We describe the approach we employed to achieve this fusion. We also describe the automated wingman's system architecture and knowledge base architecture.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Gemini near-infrared imager on-instrument wavefront sensor gimbal tilt stage

We present a high-resolution gimbal mirror mechanism which will perform the beam steering for the on-instrument wavefront sensor section of the Gemini near-IR imager. In turn, the wavefront sensor will generate correction signals for the tip-tilt and fast-focus secondary mirror. Preliminary testing of the current version of the gimbal assembly has revealed positive result when operated at room temperature, but demonstrated hysterisis problems at cryogenic temperatures. Described in this paper are the specifications, design and performance characteristics, and integration of the gimbal mechanism with the rest of the wavefront sensor system.