cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Two-Layer Stratified Flow past a Valley

AbstractObservations and models of nocturnal katabatic winds indicate strong low-level stability with much weaker stability aloft. When such winds encounter an embedded depression in an otherwise smooth sloping plane, the flow responds in a manner that is largely describable by the inviscid fluid dynamics of stratified flow. Building on earlier work, the present study presents a series of numerical simulations based on the simplest nontrivial idealization relevant to the observations: the height-independent flow of a two-layer stratified fluid past a two-dimensional valley. Stratified flow past a valley has received much less attention than the related problem of stratified flow past a hill. Hence, the present paper gives a detailed review of existing theory and fills a few gaps along the way. The theory is used as an interpretive guide to an extensive set of numerical simulations. The solutions exhibit a variety of behaviors that depend on the nondimensional input parameters. These behaviors range from c...
Longitudinal wearable tremor measurement system with activity recognition algorithms for upper limb tremor

Assessments of tremor characteristics by movement disorder physicians are usually done at single time points in clinic settings, so that the description of the tremor does not take into account the dependence of the tremor on specific behavioral situations. Moreover, treatment-induced changes in tremor or behavior cannot be quantitatively tracked for extended periods of time. We developed a wearable tremor measurement system with tremor and activity recognition algorithms for long-term upper limb behavior tracking, to characterize tremor characteristics and treatment effects in their daily lives. In this pilot study, we collected sensor data of arm movement from three healthy participants using a wrist device that included a 3-axis accelerometer and a 3-axis gyroscope, and classified tremor and activities within scenario tasks which resembled real life situations. Our results show that the system was able to classify the tremor and activities with 89.71% and 74.48% accuracies during the scenario tasks. From this results, we expect to expand our tremor and activity measurement in longer time period.
Silicone breast implant rupture: a review

Silicone breast implants have been in use for nearly 6 decades. In this time they have undergone significant changes in design and use. They have been subject to intense scrutiny with regard to safety and efficacy, including an almost 10 years moratorium on their use. The current generations of implants have been followed via the manufacturer’s Core studies in order to obtain long term data regarding safety and complications. The results of the more recent studies are compiled in this review. Rupture rates are initially very low and begin to increase after 6–8 years of implantation. Implant rupture may be detected by physical exam, ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The majority of silicone implant ruptures are clinically undetectable. Symptomatic patients may present with capsular contracture, breast lumps or changes in breast shape. The most common cause of implant rupture is instrument damage during placement. Implant rupture may be confined to the peri-prosthetic capsule or may extravasate into the breast tissue. Patients with ruptured implants have been studied closely and the consensus of the literature states there are no health risks associated with implant rupture. Symptomatic patients with ruptured implants should be offered the choice of observation, or explantation and capsulectomy with or without replacement.
Late Parana-Pampean

relative time period: Follows the Early Parana-Pampean tradition and precedes the historic period.
The Orphic Physics of Early Modern Eloquence

Since its first appearance in the poetry of early Greece, the myth of Orpheus has helped to conceptualize the hidden process whereby eloquent language persuades or otherwise produces belief by making a strong impression on its audiences. The earliest tales of Orpheus emphasize the preternatural force of artful language, endowing Orpheus’s song with the power to move animals, trees, and stones.1 In Roman versions of the myth, including those contained in Virgil’s Georgics and Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Orpheus descends into the underworld in order to win back his dead wife Eurydice. He uses his song to persuade the gods of Hades to release his bride, only to lose her a second time when he disobeys their command and gazes back as they depart the underworld. In his grief Orpheus renounces all women, promising to love only boys, and his mournful song draws trees, beasts, and stones to follow him. Yet despite the power of his song, Orpheus is torn apart by a howling band of Bacchae in revenge for his disdain. Dismemberment, however, does not quiet his voice, and Orpheus’s severed head and lyre continue to sing as they float down the Hebrus to the island of Lesbos, where Apollo protects the head from the bite of a snake and gives it the power of prophecy. Virgil and Ovid thus emphasize the magical force of artful language, but they also highlight the impotence of Orpheus’s song (he fails to rescue Eurydice and is eventually torn to pieces). In the Metamorphoses, Orpheus is killed, as Joseph Ortiz explains, because he cannot ‘move’ the Bacchantes (in illo tempore primum /inrita dicentem nec quicquam voce moventem) and so cannot deflect stones being thrown at him.2
Is what you see what you get? A content analysis of the indicative nature of self-regulated comic book covers and their content

ABSTRACTThe comic book industry has a unique position since comic books are a form of media with no formal regulatory organisation to handle content management. Some publishers have adopted rating systems that are presented on their comics’ covers, while others have not. This study examines how representative comic book covers are of the content found within the inside pages of their issues from publishers that have no formal rating system. Given that comic books have evolved to include content targeted towards children and adults the question raised by the researchers is whether or not some form of content regulation is needed due to the potential of children being exposed to mature content. This study analysed the covers and contents of comic books from five different publishers that did not place any ratings on their comics. Findings suggest that the content on the covers of comic books was not indicative of their inside content in the majority of cases. In all of those cases, less mature content was f...
Reader Expectation and the Ethnic Rhetorics: The Problem of the Passing Subaltern in Who Would Have Thought It?

Mrs. Norval… hoped…Lola might be now all black or all white, no matter which, only not with those ugly white spots. - Who Would Have Thought It? 1872 (78) But these snowy, equable and smooth spots … sometimes occur amongst our own people. I have myself had the opportunity of observing two instances of this kind… The skin of each was brownish, studded here and there with very white spots of different sizes. - “Mulattos” The Anthropological Treatises of Johann Friedrich Blumenbach, 1865 (220) As illustrated by these two excerpts, the “mixed blood” provoked in Johann Friedrich Blumenbach, as it does in Marfa Amparo Ruiz de Burton9s Mrs. Norval, a kind of tension, a sometimes explicit, often insidious fear of racial unreadability and its implications for white domination.
Race and ethnicity have significant influence on fractional exhaled nitric oxide.

Abstract Background Race and ethnicity have been shown to influence fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO). There is a need to investigate cutoff points for different races and ethnicities to improve clinical application. Objective To investigate cutoff points for different races and ethnicities by analyzing the FeNO data collected by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2007 to 2012. Methods This study included 23,433 participants. After excluding participants with confounding factors, 11,084 participants were eligible for data analysis. Based on age and the probability of having allergic airway inflammation, participants were divided into 4 groups. The geometric mean and 5th, 50th, and 95th percentiles of FeNO in Hispanic, white, black, and other races were analyzed in all groups. Results Compared with white participants, the geometric mean for FeNO in black participants was 36% to 41% higher in children and 5% to 8% higher in adults. Hispanic children had significantly higher FeNO values (14% to 19%) compared with non-Hispanic white children; however, those differences were not significant in adults. Other races had significantly higher FeNO values in children (24–54%) and adults (9–29%) compared with white participants. Further, for normal healthy black children, the 95th percentile was 40.2 parts per billion (ppb), which is significantly higher than the cutoff point recommended by current guidelines. Conclusion Although there are significant differences in FeNO values among races and ethnicities, the current cutoff point at 50 ppb is sufficient to separate healthy from asthmatic populations in adults. However, for black children, we suggest increasing the cutoff point from 35 to 40 ppb to avoid unnecessary diagnosis and treatment.
Learning to monitor and regulate collective thinking processes

In this paper, we propose a conceptual framework to guide the design of a computer-supported collaborative learning intervention to help students learn how to improve collaborative knowledge building discourse at the level of the small group. The framework focuses on scripting individual and collective regulatory processes following collaboration. Individuals are required to evaluate their team’s chat transcripts against rubrics to score discussion quality. These theoretically supported rubrics provide individuals with concrete examples of desired communication processes. After this individual assessment, the team is prompted to discuss their individual scores, identify strengths and weaknesses of their collaborative discourse processes, and select strategies to improve the quality of their collaborative discussion in a future discussion session. To evaluate our framework, we created a prototype of an online system and asked students to use it over ten weeks as part of five discussion sessions. Participants included 37 students, divided into 13 teams, from an undergraduate online course in information sciences. We used quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques to examine students’ collaborative processes over time, with teams as the main unit of analysis. All teams followed the same general activities, but there were two different conditions for scripting individual reflections that preceded the collective sense-making activity: one (Future-thinking) focused on pushing individuals to pay attention to advice on how to improve existing processes in future sessions and another (Evidence-Based) pushed individuals to pay closer attention to the chat transcripts to provide evidence for their group process scores. Our results suggest (1) use of the framework can help students’ monitor and regulate collaborative processes and improve collaborative discourse over time and (2) the Evidence-Based condition can help students engage in higher quality reflective analysis.
Dual origin of the right vertebral artery from the right common carotid and aberrant right subclavian arteries.

Abstract This report describes a case of duplicated origin of the right vertebral artery incidentally found in a young patient. Computed tomographic angiography and digital subtraction angiography showed a dominant branch derived from the right common carotid artery and an accessory branch that derived from the right subclavian artery, which aberrantly originated from the far left aortic arch, and adjoined the dominant branch at the C5 level. We discuss angiographic findings, clinical implications and embryological basis for this rare anomaly.
Quinine-Promoted, Enantioselective Boron-Tethered Diels–Alder Reaction by Anomeric Control of Transition State Conformation.

Diels–Alder reactions of tethered vinyl–metal species offer the opportunity to fashion highly functionalized diol intermediates for synthesis. We have developed the first enantioselective boron-tethered Diels–Alder reaction using quinine as a chiral promoter. Quinine recovery, enantioselectivity enhancement, and manipulation of the cyclohexene core are also investigated. DFT modeling calculations confirm the role of quinine as a bidentate ligand enhancing reaction rates. The enantioselectivity of the cycloaddition is proposed to originate from a boron-centered anomeric effect.
Blood Pressure in GDM

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are common medical complications and are also associated with insulin resistance during pregnancy. While physiologic mechanisms are not completely elucidated, hypertension and gestational diabetes (GDM) have overlapping etiologies and adverse effects on outcomes. Several treatment strategies aimed at normotension may be effective for reduction in perinatal morbidity, with some treatments more optimal in glucose intolerance than others.
METHODS TO VALIDATE TOOTH-SUPPORTING REGENERATIVE THERAPIES

In humans, microbially induced inflammatory periodontal diseases are the primary initiators that disrupt the functional and structural integrity of the periodontium (i.e., the alveolar bone, the periodontal ligament, and the cementum). The reestablishment of its original structure, properties, and function constitutes a significant challenge in the development of new therapies to regenerate tooth-supporting defects. Preclinical models represent an important in vivo tool to critically evaluate and analyze the key aspects of novel regenerative therapies, including (1) safety, (2) effectiveness, (3) practicality, and (4) functional and structural stability over time. Therefore, these models provide foundational data that supports the clinical validation and the development of novel innovative regenerative periodontal technologies. Steps are provided on the use of the root fenestration animal model for the proper evaluation of periodontal outcome measures using the following parameters: descriptive histology, histomorphometry, immunostaining techniques, three-dimensional imaging, electron microscopy, gene expression analyses, and safety assessments. These methods will prepare investigators and assist them in identifying the key end points that can then be adapted to later stage human clinical trials.
Model Studies of Cellular Excitation

A mathematical model of the cardiac ventricular cell is used to describe ionic currents and dynamic concentration changes during a normal action potential. The model is also used to study arrhythmogenic activity of the single cell including early afterdepolarizations, delayed afterdepolarizations and rhythmic (spontaneous and triggered) activity under various degrees of calcium overload.
Critical Factors in the Growth of Hyperdoped Germanium Microwires by Electrochemical Liquid–Liquid–Solid Method

Factors that affect crystalline growth of germanium (Ge) micro- and nanowires by the electrochemical liquid–liquid solid (ec-LLS) method in water have been identified. Alloys of gallium and indium (Ga1–xInx) were used as liquid metal microdroplet electrodes in ec-LLS to determine whether the resultant conductivity of as-grown Ge could be strongly modulated by adjusting the fraction of Ga. Current–potential measurements on individual microwires were performed as a function of alloy composition. All alloys of Ga and In yielded Ge microwires with low resistivity and showed evidence of metal incorporation beyond the solubility limit (i.e., hyperdoping). The observed Ge crystal growth rates were insensitive to the alloy composition. In contrast, lowering the concentration of GeO2 dissolved in solution and/or increasing the density of droplets noticeably slowed down the microwire growth rate. Cumulatively, these data help define what parameters should be useful in refining the ec-LLS method to produce materials...
Turning Forbidden Transitions into Dominant Transitions: Towards Efficient Sources of Entangled Light

We demonstrate that using phonon-polaritons in thin (quasi-2D) polar dielectrics, it is possible to turn forbidden transitions into dominant transitions, allowing for emitters of entangled light with quantum efficiencies exceeding 90%.
Introduction: What a Girl Needs …

The chapter introduces the reader to the Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) movement in the Global South as part of the wider global movement to challenge the silence, secrecy, and shame surrounding this biological process. Through two illustrative stories captured during my research, I preview the conceptual framework that interrogates how MHM frames both problems and solutions associated with girls as menstruators. I aim to show how through the eyes of MHM, risks associated with menstruation are often exaggerated, based on inadequate research and often invoking Western tropes of precarious girlhood in need of rescue. The solutions that follow, I argue, focus too narrowly on getting girls access to commercial menstrual products. These “technological fixes” accommodate the menstrual mandate by helping girls develop their “good” bodies.
Retention characteristics of a nonvolatile latch utilizing a ferroelectric transistor

Abstract This paper presents retention characteristics and design recommendations for a nonvolatile latch circuit based on a ferroelectric field-effect transistor. In the design, the use of a ferroelectric transistor in a resistive load inverter allows tuning of the circuit for each ferroelectric transistor size. An estimate of the retention time, due to the unique polarization properties of the ferroelectric layer at the gate, is provided for each transistor size. Data collected for three transistor sizes display the possibility of retaining a stored value beyond a 10-year period, with various size transistors indicating 13–38-year retention periods. Switching the ferroelectric layer polarization between two distinct states by applying either negative or positive poling voltages to the gate of the ferroelectric transistor is explored. Experimental results are presented for each transistor, and detailed retention predictions are shown by measured and extrapolated data. Design parameter recommendations are made for optimization of the retention time of the circuit depending on the transistor size.
Hydrodynamic versus Surface Interaction Impacts of Roughness in Closing the Gap between Favorable and Unfavorable Colloid Transport Conditions

Recent experiments revealed that roughness decreases the gap in colloid attachment between favorable (repulsion absent) and unfavorable (repulsion present) conditions through a combination of hydrodynamic slip and surface interactions with asperities. Hydrodynamic slip was calibrated to experimentally observed tangential colloid velocities, demonstrating that slip length was equal to maximum asperity relief, thereby providing a functional relationship between slip and roughness metrics. Incorporation of the slip length in mechanistic particle trajectory simulations yielded the observed modest decrease in attachment over rough surfaces under favorable conditions, with the observed decreased attachment being due to reduced colloid delivery rather than decreased attraction. Cumulative interactions with multiple asperities acting within the zone of colloid-surface interaction were unable to produce the observed dramatic increased attachment and decreased reversibility with increased roughness under unfavorable conditions, necessitating inclusion of nanoscale attractive heterogeneity that was inferred to have codeveloped with roughness. Simulated attachment matched experimental observations when the spatial frequency of larger heterodomains (nanoscale zones of attraction) increased disproportionately relative to smaller heterodomains as roughness increased, whereas attachment was insensitive to asperity properties, including the number of interactions per asperity and asperity height; colloid detachment simulations were highly sensitive to these parameters. These cumulative findings reveal that hydrodynamic slip moderately decreases colloid bulk delivery, nanoscale heterogeneity dramatically enhances colloid attachment, and multiple interactions among asperities decrease detachment from rough surfaces.
Representation of vertical atmospheric structures by radio occultation observations in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere: Comparison to high-resolution radiosonde profiles

AbstractGlobal positioning system (GPS) radio occultation (RO) is capable of retrieving vertical profiles of atmospheric parameters with high resolution (<100 m), which can be achieved in spherical...
Do hospitals with electronic health records have lower costs? A systematic review and meta-analysis

The electronic health record (EHR) recently emerged as a new tool for delivering care to patients in hospitals. Cost savings due to EHR adoption were projected from reduced length of stays from str...
Evolution of the submarine–subaerial edifice of Bogoslof volcano, Alaska, during its 2016–2017 eruption based on analysis of satellite imagery

The 2016–2017 eruption of Bogoslof volcano involved at least 70 detected eruptive events between mid-December 2016 and August 30, 2017. Acquisition of high-resolution satellite imagery throughout the duration of the eruptive period allowed us to document and map the various morphologic changes that occurred on the subaerial part of Bogoslof Island. The emplacement of pyroclastic-flow and surge deposits caused the island to increase in area by about 1.5 km2. The dominant volcanic landforms of the eruption were a series of tuff rings emplaced around various submarine vents. Many of the tuff rings were mantled with surface dunes and impressive amounts of ballistic ejecta, likely derived from erupting magma bodies or previously emplaced submarine lava domes. Debris-flow deposits and surface channels extending over tuff ring surfaces apparent in multiple satellite images are evidence for explosive ejection of seawater. In most cases, erupting vents were initially submarine or began at subaerial lava domes and were largely flooded by seawater suggesting that water-magma ratios were likely high. Under such conditions where water is abundant, eruptive products typically reflect a high degree of water involvement and are dominated by the formation of wet tephra jets and flows and associated deposits typically consist of fine ash and lapilli, contain accretionary lapilli and ash aggregates, and usually form tuff cones and mounds. We observed none of these features in our analysis of satellite data or during our examination of eruptive deposits on Bogoslof Island in 2018. On the contrary, the dominant landform associated with the Bogoslof eruption was tuff rings. The development of tuff rings and surface dunes are commonly associated with the formation of pyroclastic base surges that are by comparison emplaced relatively dry. Dry base surge deposits can be generated from phreatomagmatic explosions involving superheated steam. It is possible that shallow submarine, magma–wet sediment interactions were a characteristic and possibly a dominant eruptive process of the 2016–2017 Bogoslof eruption.
An Endoplasmic Reticulum CREC Family Protein Regulates the Egress Proteolytic Cascade in Malaria Parasites.

ABSTRACT The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is thought to play an essential role during egress of malaria parasites because the ER is assumed to be required for biogenesis and secretion of egress-related organelles. However, no proteins localized to the parasite ER have been shown to play a role in egress of malaria parasites. In this study, we generated conditional mutants of the Plasmodium falciparumendoplasmic reticulum-resident calcium-binding protein (PfERC), a member of the CREC family. Knockdown of the PfERC gene showed that this gene is essential for asexual growth of P. falciparum. Analysis of the intraerythrocytic life cycle revealed that PfERC is essential for parasite egress but is not required for protein trafficking or calcium storage. We found that PfERC knockdown prevents the rupture of the parasitophorous vacuole membrane. This is because PfERC knockdown inhibited the proteolytic maturation of the subtilisin-like serine protease SUB1. Using double mutant parasites, we showed that PfERC is required for the proteolytic maturation of the essential aspartic protease plasmepsin X, which is required for SUB1 cleavage. Further, we showed that processing of substrates downstream of the proteolytic cascade is inhibited by PfERC knockdown. Thus, these data establish that the ER-resident CREC family protein PfERC is a key early regulator of the egress proteolytic cascade of malaria parasites. IMPORTANCE The divergent eukaryotic parasites that cause malaria grow and divide within a vacuole inside a host cell, which they have to break open once they finish cell division. The egress of daughter parasites requires the activation of a proteolytic cascade, and a subtilisin-like protease initiates a proteolytic cascade to break down the membranes blocking egress. It is assumed that the parasite endoplasmic reticulum plays a role in this process, but the proteins in this organelle required for egress remain unknown. We have identified an early ER-resident regulator essential for the maturation of the recently discovered aspartic protease in the egress proteolytic cascade, plasmepsin X, which is required for maturation of the subtilisin-like protease. Conditional loss of PfERC results in the formation of immature and inactive egress proteases that are unable to breakdown the vacuolar membrane barring release of daughter parasites.
Renal follow-up in pediatrician practice after discharge from neonatology units: about a survey

There is growing evidences of long-term renal and cardiovascular consequences of prematurity, intra-uterine growth restriction, and neonatal acute kidney injury (AKI). We performed an online survey to describe current pediatric management in this population, sent to 148 ambulatory pediatricians in Geneva. Among the 40% of pediatricians who completed the survey, 43% modify their blood pressure measurement practice in case of neonatal acute kidney injury, 24% and 19% in a context of prematurity or intra-uterine growth restriction, respectively. Twenty-five percent provide information about cardiovascular risk factors or catch up growth. In case of prematurity or intra-uterine growth restriction, renal tests (ultrasound, serum creatinine, micro albuminuria) or referral to nephrologist were realized by less than 5% of the pediatricians. For neonatal acute kidney injury, renal tests, and referral to specialists are performed by 30 and 60% of pediatricians, respectively. When prematurity or intra-uterine growth restriction was associated with abnormal blood pressure or abnormal renal tests, the referral to the specialist reached 80%.Conclusion: Ambulatory renal and cardio-vascular follow-up in case of neonatal medical history can be enhanced, with necessity to raise awareness and to edict guidelines available to pediatricians. What is Known: • There is a compelling evidence of long-term renal and cardiovascular consequences of prematurity and low birth weight. • Specific cardiovascular and renal follow-up guidelines, coming from professional organizations, are currently not available for these patients. What is New: • Pediatricians in ambulatory setting do not adapt their renal and cardiovascular follow-up in case of neonatal medical history. • There is a necessity to raise awareness about these long-term consequences among pediatricians and to edict guidelines available to them.
Convolutional Neural Networks for Pediatric Refractory Epilepsy Classification Using Resting-State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Objective This study aims to evaluate the performance of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) trained with resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rfMRI) latency data in the classification of patients with pediatric epilepsy from healthy controls. Methods Preoperative rfMRI and anatomic magnetic resonance imaging scans were obtained from 63 pediatric patients with refractory epilepsy and 259 pediatric healthy controls. Latency maps of the temporal difference between rfMRI and the global mean signal were calculated using voxel-wise cross-covariance. Healthy control and epilepsy latency z score maps were pseudorandomized and partitioned into training data (60%), validation data (20%), and test data (20%). Healthy control individuals and patients with epilepsy were labeled as negative and positive, respectively. CNN models were then trained with the designated training data. Model hyperparameters were evaluated with a grid-search method. The model with the highest sensitivity was evaluated using unseen test data. Accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, F1 score, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve were used to evaluate the ability of the model to classify epilepsy in the test data set. Results The model with the highest validation sensitivity correctly classified 74% of unseen test patients with 85% sensitivity, 71% specificity, F1 score of 0.56, and an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.86. Conclusions Using rfMRI latency data, we trained a CNN model to classify patients with pediatric epilepsy from healthy controls with good performance. CNN could serve as an adjunct in the diagnosis of pediatric epilepsy. Identification of pediatric epilepsy earlier in the disease course could decrease time to referral to specialized epilepsy centers and thus improve prognosis in this population.
Fractional Excretion of Urate for Diuresis Management in Heart Failure and Cardiorenal Syndrome

Most heart failure hospitalizations are due to volume overload; however, it is not easily evaluated by physical examination. Avoidance of diuresis in patients with fluid overload to avoid acute kidney injury increases morbidity in heart failure. We hypothesize that fractional excretion of urate can be used to guide diuresis. (Level of Difficulty: Advanced.).
Investigation of the Temperature-Dependent Mechanical Properties of Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) Membrane for Thermo-Mechanical Applications

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is a soft polymer that is primarily used for soft lithography (e.g., microfluidics and lab-on-chip devices) and also has wide range of applications, such as for thermomechanical actuators. The unique material properties of PDMS (such as the low values of Young’s modulus) renders it to be an attractive material for applications where large range of deformations can be achieved with small variations in the actuating pressure (or actuating forces) thus providing good mechanical advantage. PDMS has been reported in the literature for microfabricating and testing thermally actuated microvalves (for microfluidics applications). These microvalves involve the thermal expansion of a fluid resulting in the deformation of a flexible PDMS membrane. Accurate numerical modeling of such thermo-mechanical actuators made from PDMS necessitates the knowledge of the temperature dependent mechanical properties of PDMS (such as Young’s modulus) which is currently lacking in the literature.In this study large deformations were obtained for a thin flexible PDMS membrane (with a square footprint of 7.2 mm and thickness of 200 microns) that was microfabricated on the top of a hermetically sealed cavity (that was 3 mm deep) by subjecting the membrane to thermo-pneumatic pressure arising from the thermal expansion of air trapped in the hermetically sealed cavity and heated from below. This enabled the experimental determination of maximum displacement of the membrane as a function of actuating temperature and therefore the estimation of the temperature-dependent mechanical properties (e.g., Young’s Modulus and Poisson’s ratio) using parametric simulations using the finite element method (FEM) and based on linear elastic assumption for the deformation of PDMS. Using digital images of the convex shape of the deformed PDMS membrane the maximum deformation was measured as a function of temperature under steady state conditions. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) based commercial solver (Ansys™ 2019R1®) was used to estimate the air pressure inside the hermetically sealed chamber as a function of temperature under steady state conditions (which was verified by analytical calculations). The values of pressure (obtained from CFD simulations) was used as the boundary condition in the FEM model (Ansys™ 2019R1®) for a fixed value of the Young’s Modulus and Poisson’s ratio to estimate the maximum deformation of the PDMS membrane. By parametric variation of the Young’s Modulus and Poisson’s ratio (for a particular operating temperature) the actual values were determined based on the computational result that matched the experimental data. The results show that the material properties of PDMS in thermomechanical applications is highly sensitive to the operating temperature. This study enabled the estimation of these material properties of PDMS (i.e., Young’s Modulus and Poisson’s ratio) as a function of temperature which is currently lacking in the literature.
IgM Plasma Cell Myeloma.

Objectives Immunoglobulin M plasma cell myeloma (IgMPCM) is a rare entity that is difficult to distinguish from other IgM-related neoplasms. The study aims to characterize the clinicopathologic features of IgMPCM, including MYD88 L265P and CXCR4 mutations. Methods From our institutional archives, bone marrow biopsy specimens from January 1, 2008, to December 1, 2018, with monotypic plasma cells (PCs) expressing IgM that met current International Myeloma Working Group/World Health Organization criteria for PCM were included. Sanger sequencing was used to test for MYD88 L265P and WHIM-like CXCR4 mutations. Results Nine cases of IgMPCM were identified. Serum IgM paraproteins were detected in eight cases. CD138-positive PC burden averaged 41.9% (5%-80%). In four cases, PCs had lymphoplasmacytic morphology with cyclin D1 expression by immunohistochemistry. Three of four tested cases were positive for t(11;14) by fluorescence in situ hybridization, one with monosomy 13. The remaining case was positive for del13q14. All were negative for MYD88 L265P and WHIM-like CXCR4 mutations. Eight patients received immunochemotherapy, with four receiving autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplant. Median follow-up was 61 months (range, 11-120). All patients were alive except one. Conclusions Distinguishing IgMPCM from other IgM-related disorders requires correlation with clinical, laboratory, and radiologic findings. Exclusion of MYD88 L265P and WHIM-like CXCR4 mutations may be useful to diagnose IgMPCM.
Swimming with crocodiles: the culture of extreme drinking.

College students, and even high school students, are drinking more than in the past, they are doing it more often and they're doing it to get drunk. The result is more accidents, fatal ones, sexual assault, vandalism, riots, deaths, and lawsuits that inevitably follow. The term Extreme Drinking, or high risk drinking, has steadily emerged as a catchall phrase within the beverage industry, national institutes of health, and university and youth health services to try to define and understand these recent and dangerous trends among youth drinking habits. Swimming with Crocodiles, the ninth volume in the ICAP Series on Alcohol in Society, explores the issues surrounding the extreme drinking culture across cultures. Drawing from a series of international focus groups conducted in 2005 in Brazil, Italy, Japan, Nigeria, Russia, South Africa, and the UK, this volume considers cross-cultural perspectives on extreme drinking, from historical perspectives and motivation tolessons learned. Particular attention is paid to the various roles of government, the beverage alcohol industry, social institutions, and public health organizations, and how each can take steps in policy and practice towards harm reduction. Best practices for intervention and prevention measures for education and harm reduction are discussed, as are the implications of existing policies and proposed steps to be taken in the future. As with other books in the ICAP series, the issues covered are relevant to those working within and with the beverage alcohol industry, with an emphasis on increasing awareness, developing new partnerships and moving toward shared responsibility.
Fátima de los naufragios: realidad y ficción en el contexto español.

En este trabajo, quiero plantear un analisis comparando un articulo periodistico “Nos queda la palabra” con el cuento “Fatima de los Naufragios”, ambos textos escritos por Lourdes Ortiz. Quiero examinar como la realidad y la ficcion se dan la mano al presentarnos la problematica que confrontan los africanos al cruzar el Estrecho del Gibraltar en pequenas pateras y la recepcion que tienen en la nueva tierra. Tambien en este proyecto, mi estudiante Nelly Garcia analizara otro de los cuentos de esta coleccion intitulado “La piel de Marcelinda” en el cual se plantea otro perfil del mismo drama. En este cuento, se trabaja el tema de la trata de blancas y como estas mujeres, especialmente venidas del Caribe, son obligadas a prostituirse.
Ion Exclusion Associated with Marine Gas Hydrate Deposits

In marine sediments gas hydrate growth removes water and gas molecules from the pore water while dissolved ions are excluded from the clathrate cage. As a consequence, the surrounding pore waters become more saline. Conversely, when gas hydrates decompose, water is released, causing pore water to become fresher. Ion exclusion produces distinctive geochemical signatures that are used to identify the presence of gas hydrate and to calculate the amount of gas hydrate in marine sediment samples. These calculations, however, require knowledge of the dissolved ion concentration of the in situ pore water prior to gas hydrate decomposition. Because arguably no useable pore water samples have been collected in situ from gas-hydrate-bearing sediments, the calculated amounts of gas hydrate are very dependent on the assumed in situ dissolved ion concentrations. In this paper, the principles behind using measured pore water chloride concentrations to estimate gas hydrate amounts are reviewed, along with data from selected sites around the world. These data clearly define local pore water anomalies in the sediment zones that are believed to currently contain gas hydrate, but also document the occurrence of thick zones of low chloride concentrations immediately below the base of gas hydrate stability. The potential causes for these low chloride anomalies below the base of gas hydrate stability are discussed.
Centromeres without kinetochore proteins: Another mechanism for origin of aneuploidy in neoplasia

Centromeres of all chromosomes in normal cells exhibit kinetochore proteins detectable by antikinetochore antibodies. The present communication reports that some chromosomes in a transformed cell line of rat cerebral origin fail to deposit kinetochore proteins at their centromeres. These chromosomes may not undergo normal anaphase segregation and may be either lost or enter one or the other daughter cell. The observation that some chromosomes may be without detectable kinetochore proteins suggests a noval mechanism for origin of aneuploidy in transformed and neoplastic cells.
The Emergence of Formalized Salvation Army Addictions Treatment

Beginning in Detroit in 1939, The Salvation Army developed a network of substance abuse treatment facilities throughout the United States and Canada. These facilities, known as Harbor Lights, used charitable and private funding to serve a predominately White alcohol abusing population. Beginning in the 1960s, these facilities relied increasingly on governmental sources to treat a more diverse, and multi‐substance‐abusing population. Using documents from The Salvation Army National Headquarters' Archives and interviews with recent Harbor Light directors, this paper discusses key religious, organizational, social, and economic influences that led to the outcome of the emergence of these programs.
What Threshold for Adjuvant Therapy in Older Breast Cancer Patients

PURPOSE: To consider the question of when to prescribe adjuvant treatment for elderly breast cancer patients, particularly when comorbidities are present. Knowledge of the threshold relapse risks above which adjuvant treatment is worth prescribing would enhance decision making. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A Markov analysis of data from the medical literature was conducted. Patients aged 65 to 85 years were considered, along with three levels of comorbidity. The threshold risk of relapse at 10 years (RR10), at which time treatment provides absolute reduction or reduction of an absolute 1% in relapse or mortality, was evaluated. RESULTS: The threshold RR10 for an absolute reduction in mortality risk by adjuvant treatment was low through the age of 85 years. However, for an absolute 1% reduction, the effect of treatment on relapse and the effect of treatment on mortality increasingly diverged. The threshold RR10 for an absolute 1% reduction in relapse risk remained fairly low (5% to 6% for tamoxifen, 12% to 19% fo...
Enhancing social work influence in the hospital: identifying sources of power.

Social workers need to develop interest and skills in hospital politics. Turbulent health care systems, combined with the unique organizational attributes of health care organizations, create environments where political skills are essential to achieve social work power within the hospital. Power resides not only in the political acumen of the individual but also in the structural attributes associated with the work group. Discussion focuses on resource control and network centrality as structural sources of social work power.
Cysteine-scanning mutagenesis of transmembrane segment 7 of the GLUT1 glucose transporter.

The human erythrocyte facilitative glucose transporter (Glut1) is predicted to contain 12 transmembrane spanning α-helices based upon hydropathy plot analysis of the primary sequence. Five of these helices (3, 5, 7, 8, and 11) are capable of forming amphipathic structures. A model of GLUT1 tertiary structure has therefore been proposed in which the hydrophilic faces of several amphipathic helices are arranged to form a central aqueous channel through which glucose traverses the hydrophobic lipid bilayer. In order to test this model, we individually mutated each of the amino acid residues in transmembrane segment 7 to cysteine in an engineered GLUT1 molecule devoid of all native cysteines (C-less). Measurement of 2-deoxyglucose uptake in a Xenopus oocyte expression system revealed that nearly all of these mutants retain measurable transport activity. Over one-half of the cysteine mutants had significantly reduced specific activity relative to the C-less protein. The solvent accessibility and relative orientation of the residues within the helix was investigated by determining the sensitivity of the mutant transporters to inhibition by the sulfhydryl directed reagentp-chloromercuribenzene sulfonate (pCMBS). Cysteine replacement at six positions (Gln282, Gln283, Ile287, Ala289, Val290, and Phe291), all near the exofacial side of the cell membrane, produced transporters that were inhibited by incubation with extracellular pCMBS. Residues predicted to be near the cytoplasmic side of the cell membrane were minimally affected by pCMBS. These data demonstrate that the exofacial portion of transmembrane segment 7 is accessible to the external solvent and provide evidence for the positioning of this α-helix within the glucose permeation pathway.
Some relations between structure and function in hemoglobin

The cardinal problem that presents itself when one surveys the impressive amount of data available for the structure of the hemoglobin molecule is, of course, how such a bewilderingly complex arrangement can account for the functions of this protein. The combined results of the X-ray crystallographers ( Perutz et al., 1960 ; Cullis, Muirhead, Perutz, Rossmann & North, 1962 ) and the organic chemists ( Braunitzer et al., 1961 ; Konigsberg, Guidotti & Hill, 1961 ; Braunitzer & Matsuda, 1961 ) have given us considerable information concerning the three-dimensional arrangements, not only of the hemes, but also of the polypeptide chains and, to an increasing extent, even the amino acid residues in the individual chains. The functional integrity of the haemoglobin molecule can be gauged from a number of criteria, all of which stem from its ability to combine reversibly with oxygen. However, in order to qualify as a physiologically useful oxygen carrier, a number of additional closely related properties must be within normal range. The most important of these are the oxygen affinity, the heme-heme interaction, the Bohr effect and the CO2 binding capacity.
Toward an Ideal Trainer

This paper demonstrates how the nature of the opposition during training affects learning to play two-person, perfect information board games. It considers different kinds of competitive training, the impact of trainer error, appropriate metrics for post-training performance measurement, and the ways those metrics can be applied. The results suggest that teaching a program by leading it repeatedly through the same restricted paths, albeit high quality ones, is overly narrow preparation for the variations that appear in real-world experience. The results also demonstrate that variety introduced into training by random choice is unreliable preparation, and that a program that directs its own training may overlook important situations. The results argue for a broad variety of training experience with play at many levels. This variety may either be inherent in the game or introduced deliberately into the training. Lesson and practice training, a blend of expert guidance and knowledge-based, self-directed elaboration, is shown to be particularly effective for learning during competition.
Economic performance of US Class 1 railroads: a stochastic frontier approach

In this paper we estimate technical and allocative inefficiency and cost thereof of 13 US Class 1 railroads using stochastic frontier production methodology in a panel data framework. In addition to passenger and freight services, we included quality of these services in our analysis. Empirical results show that the cost of technical inefficiency varies quite substantially among the roads. The most inefficient road is 29.91 % above the cost frontier while technical inefficiency on an average increased cost by 16-23%. On the contrary, allocative inefficiency does not differ much among the roads. Increase in cost due to . allocative inefficiency is in between 4% and 9% with a mean of around 7%. Thus while the roads are quite competitive and efficient in allocating their inputs, there is substantial scope for some of them to improve their technical efficiency.
Diffusion of excess electrons in decomposing liquid metal‐ammonia solutions in the high‐conducting state, injected into a zero‐electric field space

The diffusive motion of electrons in the high-conducting state of decomposing liquid lithium-ammonia and sodium-ammonium solutions in response to a non-uniform concentration of electrons has been investigated. Excess electrons are produced near a permeable anode and through it injected into a zero-external electric field space behind the anode. The excess electrons diffuse away from the anode over an average distance of about 1.5 cm during their lifetime in the high-conducting state, which indicates through the Nernst-Einstein relation a very large electric mobility of the electrons.