cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Higher-Order Structure of Polymyxin B: The Functional Significance of Topological Flexibility

The higher order structure of antibacterial polymyxin B (PxB), an N-acylated pentacationic (4−10)-cyclic decapeptide, is determined from NMR data by simulated annealing calculations. The antibacterial selectivity of PxB against Gram-negative organisms suggests that PxB must participate in specific microscopic interactions with these organisms, and the structure of PxB provides insights into these interactions. Significance of the topological flexibility of certain parts of the structure in relation to the membrane-mimetic environment is developed to suggest the presence of two distinct and specific phosphoester binding sites per PxB. Although disordered in water, PxB remains in a monomeric form and adopts a well-defined structure in aqueous trifluoroethanol (TFE). Circular dichroism results show a comparable structure in aqueous TFE and on anionic vesicles. Docking and energy minimization calculations show that the two phosphoester binding sites are essentially on the same face of the structure. The topol...
A cell culture system on agar permitting direct investigation of viral antigens by immunodiffusion.

SummaryDevelopment of a method for the cultivation of viruses in cell cultures prepared in small wells in an agar medium has permitted detection by gel-diffusion procedures of specific antigenic materials elaborated by vaccinia virus and adenovirus type 3. The technic, termed the agar-cell culture-precipitation test, permits study of viral components without preliminary concentration thereof, and may find application in investigation of a variety of agents that are obligate intracellular parasites.
Occam's inversion; a practical algorithm for generating smooth models from electromagnetic sounding data

The inversion of electromagnetic sounding data does not yield a unique solution, but inevitably a single model to interpret the observations is sought. We recommend that this model be as simple, or smooth, as possible, in order to reduce the temptation to overinterpret the data and to eliminate arbitrary discontinuities in simple layered models.To obtain smooth models, the nonlinear forward problem is linearized about a starting model in the usual way, but it is then solved explicitly for the desired model rather than for a model correction. By parameterizing the model in terms of its first or second derivative with depth, the minimum norm solution yields the smoothest possible model.Rather than fitting the experimental data as well as possible (which maximizes the roughness of the model), the smoothest model which fits the data to within an expected tolerance is sought. A practical scheme is developed which optimizes the step size at each iteration and retains the computational efficiency of layered models, resulting in a stable and rapidly convergent algorithm. The inversion of both magnetotelluric and Schlumberger sounding field data, and a joint magnetotelluric-resistivity inversion, demonstrate the method and show it to have practical application.
Noncompliance: an update.

Health care providers have focused much attention on the area of patient compliance during recent decades. With the establishment of noncompliance as a nursing diagnosis, attention to this issue by nurses has continued and has included controversy. This study reported herein explored the use of noncompliance as a nursing diagnosis in clinical practice, the defining characteristics necessary for arriving at the diagnosis of noncompliance, most frequent etiologies of noncompliance, and alternative diagnoses used if noncompliance is not used. A survey questionnaire was completed by 104 nurses who reside in Illinois and are members of the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association (NANDA). Fifty-three of the respondents reported that they use noncompliance in clinical practice and 51 reported that they do not. Conclusions derived from the study include: (1) Questions continue to exist regarding the acceptability/utility of this diagnosis; (2) respondents generally indicated consensus with the NANDA listing ...
Coaxial-to-Waveguide Matching With $\varepsilon$ -Near-Zero Ultranarrow Channels and Bends

We propose the use of metamaterial-inspired ultranarrow channels at cutoff to realize an interesting matching between a coaxial antenna and a waveguide. The anomalous properties of a channel at cutoff, analogous to those of zero permittivity materials, allow a simple matching design, valid for arbitrary waveguides, with large degrees of freedom in terms of geometry, length and possible bending of the connecting channel. Moreover, the static-like properties of the channel allow such matching, independent of the relative position of the antenna and possible bending and abruptions along the channel.
Delta-Sigma modulator based A/D conversion without oversampling

Although /spl Delta//spl Sigma/ modulators are widely used for low to moderate rate analog-to-digital conversion, the time oversampling requirement has discouraged their application to higher rate converters. This paper presents an architecture wherein multiple /spl Delta//spl Sigma/ modulators are combined so that neither time oversampling nor time interlacing are necessary. Instead, the system achieves the effect of oversampling from the multiplicity of modulators. For a system containing M P/sup th/-order /spl Delta//spl Sigma/ modulators, approximately P bits of accuracy are gained for every doubling of M. A major benefit of the architecture is that it retains much of the robustness of the individual /spl Delta//spl Sigma/ modulators to nonideal circuit behavior. As a result, the architecture offers the potential of integrating high-precision, high-speed A/D converters together with digital signal processing functions using VLSI processes optimized for digital circuitry. The paper presents the general architecture and provides a performance analysis closely supported by computer simulations.
Canine muscle fiber types and susceptibility of masticatory muscles to myositis

The myofiber type composition was studied in 42 different muscles of the dog to determine if there are unique features that might explain the preferential involvement of the muscles of mastication by inflammatory myopathies. The principal myofiber types for most muscles studied were type 1 and type 2A and, to a lesser extent, type 2C, whereas the dorsal group of muscles innervated by the mandibular nerve (Mm. temporalis, and tensor veli palatini) was composed only of type 2C myofibers and a variant of the type 1 myofiber whose staining intensity was not fully reversed after preincubation in acid media. The distribution of this myofiber type composition was associated with the innervation and embryologic development of the dorsal muscles innervated by the mandibular nerve. This unique myofiber type composition could provide the basis for the preferential susceptibility of these muscles to agents (e.g., immune and/or infectious) that produce myositis; however, further studies are required to assess that possibility.
Changes in hypothalamic luteinizing hormone releasing factor (LHRF) in the female rat during puberty.

In earlier work we found that the natural or estrogen-advanced onset of puberty in the female rat was accompanied by a sharp drop in pituitary LH and the appearance of LH in peripheral blood. The present investigation is a parallel study of puberal changes in hypothalamic LHRF. Acid extracts of stalk-median eminence of test animals were boiled to destroy LH and assayed for LHRF in immature rats primed with gonadotrophin after the manner of McCann and Ramirez. Shortly prior to the natural opening of the vagina, which occurs at about 38 days of age in Holtzman rats under our laboratory conditions, there was an abrupt rise in hypothalamic LHRF followed by an equally sharp drop to low LHRF values early on the first day of vaginal opening. The whole pattern could be advanced more than a week by daily treatment with low dosages of estrogen (estradiol benzoate 0.05 μg/day) starting at day 26. Under these conditions LHRF dropped to undetectable levels by the time the vagina opened (day 29–30) but recovered later ...
Efficacy of transcranial direct current stimulation and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for treating fibromyalgia syndrome: a systematic review.

Objective: To systematically review the literature to date applying repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) or transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). Method: Electronic bibliography databases screened included PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, PsychINFO, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library. The keyword “fibromyalgia” was combined with (“transcranial” and “stimulation”) or “TMS” or “tDCS” or “transcranial magnetic stimulation” or “transcranial direct current stimulation”. Results: Nine of 23 studies were included; brain stimulation sites comprised either the primary motor cortex (M1) or the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Five studies used rTMS (high-frequency-M1: 2, low-frequency-DLPFC: 2, high-frequency-DLPFC: 1), while 4 applied tDCS (anodal-M1: 1, anodal-M1/DLPFC: 3). Eight were double-blinded, randomized controlled trials. Most (80%) rTMS studies that measured pain reported significant decreases, while all (100%) tDCS studies with pain measures reported significant decreases. Greater longevity of significant pain reductions was observed for excitatory M1 rTMS/tDCS. Conclusion: Studies involving excitatory rTMS/tDCS at M1 showed analogous pain reductions as well as considerably fewer side effects compared to FDA apaproved FMS pharmaceuticals. The most commonly reported side effects were mild, including transient headaches and scalp discomforts at the stimulation site. Yearly use of rTMS/tDCS regimens appears costly ($11,740 to 14,507/year); however, analyses to apapropriately weigh these costs against clinical and quality of life benefits for patients with FMS are lacking. Consequently, rTMS/tDCS should be considered when treating patients with FMS, particularly those who are unable to find adequate symptom relief with other therapies. Further work into optimal stimulation parameters and standardized outcome measures is needed to clarify associated efficacy and effectiveness.
Requiem and renewal.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way—in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of the authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.”1 This introductory sentence to A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens describes the present state of health care in general and surgical care in particular in the United States of America. The best of times: today surgical teams cure more diseases with greater effectiveness and less pain than ever before in history. New knowledge, new technology, and new facilities appear in steady streams. It was the worst of times: Almost daily our press reports stories of unsafe care, errors, uncontrollable costs, the increasing ranks of the uninsured, and litigation ensnarling all components of the health care system. The Institute of Medicine (IOM) asserts that we need fundamental changes in the organization and delivery of health care in the United States.2 Hence, the medical profession, the government, the corporate sector, and the public have devoted considerable resources of time and money to address the health care system for the 21st century. The IOM recognizes and focuses on inadequate quality of care as the fundamental problem requiring urgent attention. Why does the quality of American Healthcare fall short and what remedies will correct the problems? More specifically, what can the 140,039 American Board of Medical Specialties certified surgical specialists in the United States do to improve the quality of health care they provide? A balanced approach to that question requires a brief summary of the history of organized medicine in the United States and its relationship with the state and with capitalism. How has organized medicine influenced and been influenced by the changes wrought by the explosive growth of the market-driven health care industry?
A small ribozyme with dual-site kinase activity

Phosphoryl transfer onto backbone hydroxyls is a recognized catalytic activity of nucleic acids. We find that kinase ribozyme K28 possesses an unusually complex active site that promotes (thio)phosphorylation of two residues widely separated in primary sequence. After allowing the ribozyme to radiolabel itself by phosphoryl transfer from [γ-(32)P]GTP, DNAzyme-mediated cleavage yielded two radiolabeled cleavage fragments, indicating phosphorylation sites within each of the two cleavage fragments. These sites were mapped by alkaline digestion and primer extension pausing. Enzymatic digestion and mutational analysis identified nucleotides important for activity and established the active structure as being a constrained pseudoknot with unusual connectivity that may juxtapose the two reactive sites. Nuclease sensitivities for nucleotides near the pseudoknot core were altered in the presence of GTPγS, indicating donor-induced folding. The 5' target site was more strongly favored in full-length ribozyme K28 (128 nt) than in truncated RNAs (58 nt). Electrophoretic mobilities of self-thiophosphorylated products on organomercurial gels are distinct from the 5' mono-thiophosphorylated product produced by reaction with polynucleotide kinase, potentially indicating simultaneous labeling of both sites within individual RNA strands. Our evidence supports a single, compact structure with local dynamics, rather than global rearrangement, as being responsible for dual-site phosphorylation.
Fluid mixtures in narrow cylindrical pores: computer simulation and theory

We discuss the simulation results of phase separation of a binary Lennard-Jones mixture in a cylindrical pore induced by a temperature quench. The liquid-vapor phase separation proceeds in two stages involving different time scales. First, following the growth of density fluctuations, mechanical equilibrium is rapidly established when the system splits into a dense and a dilute phase. Material equilibrium, however, is reached via the mutual diffusion of the two components and this proceeds on an appreciably longer time scale. We briefly address the rounding of a first-order phase transition in a cylinder. In particular, we explore the possibility of multiple domains of gas and liquid when the aspect ratio is very large. Finally, we introduce an extension of Tarazona's nonlocal density function to binary mixtures of arbitrary size. The new theory is successfully tested against simulations of an additive hard-sphere mixture against a hard wall.
Constrained optimal control for a class of nonlinear systems with uncertainties

Approximate dynamic programming formulation (ADP) implemented with an Adaptive Critic (AC) based neural network (NN) structure has evolved as a powerful technique for solving the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (HJB) equations. As interest in the ADP and the AC solutions are escalating, there is a dire need to consider enabling factors for their possible implementations. A typical AC structure consists of two interacting NNs which is computationally expensive. In this paper, a new architecture, called the “Cost Function Based Single Network Adaptive Critic (J-SNAC)” is presented that eliminates one of the networks in a typical AC structure. This approach is applicable to a wide class of nonlinear systems in engineering. Many real-life problems have controller limits. In this paper, a non-quadratic cost function is used that incorporates the control constraints. Necessary equations for optimal control are derived and an algorithm to solve the constrained-control problem with J-SNAC is developed. A benchmark nonlinear system is used to illustrate the working of the proposed technique. Extensions to optimal control-constrained problems in the presence of uncertainties are also considered.
Protein-tyrosine Phosphatase Shp-1 Is a Negative Regulator of IL-4- and IL-13-dependent Signal Transduction

Binding of interleukin (IL)-4 to its transmembrane receptor results in the Jak-mediated tyrosine phosphorylation of a number of protein components of the IL-4 signaling cascade, including Jak1, Jak2, Jak3, Tyk2, IL-4Rα, IRS-1, IRS-2, and Stat6 in appropriate cell types. However, the protein-tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs) that dephosphorylate these proteins and terminate signaling remained unidentified. We have noted that IL-4-dependent activation of Stat6 is sustained longer in fibroblasts than in lymphoid cells. Because Shp-1, an SH2 domain-containing PTP, is expressed primarily in hematopoietic cells, we examined whether Shp-1 activity could regulate IL-4-dependent cell signaling. Expression of an Shp-1 transgene in NIH 3T3 cells markedly reduces both IL-4-dependent Stat6 activation and Stat6-mediated transcription of IL-4-responsive genes. In accord with this, IL-4 treatment of bone marrow-derived macrophages from viable motheaten mice that express substantially reduced levels of Shp-1 activity show remarkably enhanced activation of Stat6. In addition, Stat6 activation by IL-4 is significantly enhanced in pre-B cells derived from motheaten (Shp-1 null mutant) mice compared with normal pre-B cells derived from control animals. These data clearly implicate Shp-1 in the negative regulation of the IL-4/IL-13-activated Jak-Stat pathway.
Taking one's lumps while doing the splits: A big tent perspective on emotion generation and emotion regulation

Whenever one categorises, one either has to “lump” or to “split”. In psychology, lumping consists of emphasising similarities among two or more mental processes or behaviours over differences, lead...
Effect of eastern equine encephalomyelitis virus on the survival of Aedes albopictus, Anopheles quadrimaculatus, and Coquillettidia perturbans (Diptera: Culicidae)

The effect of eastern equine encephalomyelitis (EEE) virus on the survivorship of Aedes albopictus (Skuse), Anopheles quadrimaculatus Say, and Coquillettidia perturbans (Walker) was determined experimentally. Female mosquitoes were allowed to feed on EEE viremic chicks, and survival rates were compared for infected and uninfected mosquitoes. Additionally, the survival of female Cq. perturbans and An. quadrimaculatus intrathoracically (IT) inoculated with EEE was compared with controls receiving diluent inoculations. Infection with EEE significantly reduced survival in Cq. perturbans compared with uninfected individuals in per os infection experiments. IT infections of Cq. perturbans did not reduce survival when compared with diluent inoculated groups. In contrast, infection with EEE did not affect the survival of Ae. albopictus after per os infection or An. quadrimaculatus after either IT or per os infections.
Angiotensin II enhances β-adrenergic receptor-mediated vasorelaxation in aortas from young but not old rats

β-Adrenergic receptor (β-AR)-mediated (cAMP-dependent) vasorelaxation declines with advancing age. It has been shown that angiotensin II (ANG II), a potent vasoconstrictor, enhances cAMP-mediated v...
Occupational physical demand and risk of hip fracture in older women

Objectives Hip fractures are leading causes of disability, morbidity and mortality among older women. Since physical activity helps maintain physical functioning and bone mineral density, occupational physical demand may influence fracture risk. This study investigates the association of occupational physical demand with hip fracture incidence among women. Methods The Women9s Health Initiative Observational Study is a multiethnic cohort of 93 676 postmenopausal women, 50–79 years of age at enrolment, enrolled from 1994 to 1998 at 40 geographically diverse clinical centres throughout the USA. Outcomes including hip fractures were assessed annually and up to 3 jobs held since age 18 years were reported by each woman. Occupational physical demand levels were assigned for each job through linkage of occupational titles with Standard Occupational Codes and the Occupational Information Network. Average, cumulative and peak physical demand scores both before and after menopause and throughout women9s work life were estimated. Results Women were followed through 2010 for an average of 11.5 years; 1834 hip fractures occurred during this time. We did not observe an overall association of occupational physical demand with subsequent risk of hip fracture after adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, birth region and education. Conclusions Previous research on occupations and hip fracture risk in women is inconclusive. This study was able to take critical risk periods into account and control for confounding factors in a large cohort of older women to show that overall occupational physical demand neither increases nor decreases risk of hip fracture later in life.
Justice Scalia and Queen Anne

This article explores problems with several definitions of Originalism proposed by Justice Scalia in "Reading Law: The Interpretation of Legal Texts." It begins by looking at Justice Scalia's citation of a possible statement by Queen Anne that Justice Scalia claims in itself justifies Originalism. Queen Anne may have told Sir Christopher Wren that St. Paul's Cathedral was "awful, artificial, and amusing" at a time when those words meant "awe-inspiring, highly artistic, and thought-provoking." Conceding that one must understand how Queen Anne meant these terms, this article shows how this example actually undermines Originalism when applied to on-going rules. It also explores inconsistencies and problems with several definitions of Originalism including Justice Scalia's arbitrary exclusion of technology from the constraints of "original meaning." It further disputes his claim that Originalism ". . .will narrow the range of acceptable judicial decision-making and acceptable argumentation [and that it] will curb -- even reverse -- the tendency of judges to imbue authoritative texts with their own policy preferences." This article maintains that Originalism has the opposite effect.
Publication and dating of the journals forming the Annals and Magazine of Natural History and the Journal of Natural History

Pagination and dates of publication for almost 2,000 separate issues of the journals that formed the Annals and Magazine of Natural History and the Journal of Natural History are presented. These journals include: Magazine of Natural History (1828–1840), Magazine of Zoology and Botany (1836–1838), Annals of Natural History (1838–1840), the Annals and Magazine of Natural History (1841–1967), and the Journal of Natural History (1967–date).
Job and life satisfactions: a causal analysis of their relationships.

The article discusses the nature of the relationship between work and nonwork satisfactions. It employs longitudinal data to overcome some of the inaccuracies of the earlier studies. The literature...
Corticosterone and insulin interact to regulate glucose and triglyceride levels during stress in a bird

Captive European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) were exposed to the stress of handling and restraint while corticosterone, glucose, and triglyceride concentrations were monitored in blood plasma. In ...
Acute Leukemias with Both Myeloid and Lymphoid Surface Markers: Cytoplasmic Alpha-1-Anti-Chymotrypsin and Alpha-1-Anti-Trypsin as Possible Indicators of Early Granulocytic Differentiation

Blast cells from ten patients (seven adults, three children) with acute lymphoblastic leukemias (ALL) contained immunoreactive cytoplasmic alpha-1-anti-trypsin (alpha-1-AT) and alpha-1-anti-chymotrypsin (alpha-1-ACT). Cytochemically positive reactions for block-like periodic acid-Schiff and a localized acid phosphatase suggested that the cells were of lymphoid origin rather than myeloid origin: negative for sudan black-B, nonspecific esterase, chloracetate esterase, and myeloperoxidase. By surface phenotype, the leukemia showed positive reactions for both lymphoid (common acute lymphoblastic leukemia antigen, Ia, OKT-10) and myeloid (OKM-1, Leu M-1) antigens. Three of three patients tested portrayed the Philadelphia chromosome. Nine patients were Mexican-American and one was Japansese: all were of Asian ethnic derivation. Both myeloid and lymphoid treatment regimens were employed, with survival less than expected. Early granulocytic differentiation detectable by cytoplasmic alpha-1-AT and alpha-1-ACT in lymphoid blasts is discussed.
Regulation of rat heart lipoprotein lipase activity during cold exposure.

SummaryStarved thyroidectomized, ad-renalectomized, adrenal-demedullated and sham operated rats were exposed to 4° for 3 hr and their heart lipoprotein lipase activities compared to those of animals maintained at room temperature. The lipoprotein lipase activity in the hearts of the thyroidectomized rats was comparable to that of the sham operated animals when expressed as units/heart. The enzyme activities in the hearts of the adrenalectomized and adrenal-demedullated rats were about 50% lower than those of the controls. In all animals, exposure to cold temperature induced significant increases in the myo-cardial lipoprotein lipase activity. In normal rats this effect could not be reversed by the administration of insulin. It is concluded that the increases in lipoprotein lipase activity in the hearts of rats exposed to cold temperatures are not dependent on adrenal and thyroid hormones.
Polydnavirus Biology, Genome Structure, and Evolution

Polydnaviruses are an unusual group of insect viruses that have an obligate mutualistic association with certain parasitic wasps. Polydnaviruses are unique both in terms of their association with parasitic Hymenoptera and because of their profusely segmented DNA genomes. These viruses are named on the basis of their unique polydisperse DNA genomes (i.e., poly -DNA-viruses), but their life cycles are equally distinctive (Stoltz et al., 1995). In this chapter, a general overview of polydnaviruses is provided but is biased by the preponderance of molecular studies performed in a single species, the Campoletis sonorensis polydnavirus (CsPDV). CsPDV is the type species member of the ichnoviruses, one of the two major polydnavirus groups. Bracoviruses, which comprise the other major group, have distinctive morphologies and appear to be evolutionarily unrelated to the ichnoviruses (Whitfield, 1997), making it likely that significant differences will continue to be found in the organization and function of the two polydnavirus genera. While attempting to provide comprehensive coverage of the field, I have deliberately focused on more recent work. For more comprehensive consideration of earlier developments, the reader should consult reviews by Stoltz and Vinson (1979a), Fleming (1992), Stoltz and Whitfield (1992), Beckage (1993), Fleming and Krell (1993), Strand and Pech (1995a), and Lavine and Beckage (1996).
Phase Field Modeling of Joint Formation During Isothermal Solidification in 3DIC Micro Packaging

In this paper, a computational multi-phase field approach is utilized to study the formation of the Cu/Sn/Cu micro-joint in 3-Dimensional Integrated Circuits (3DICs). The method considers the evolution of the system during isothermal solidification at 250 °C for the case of two different interlayer thicknesses (5 and 10 µm). The Cu/Sn/Cu interconnection structure is important for the micro packaging in the 3DIC systems. The thermodynamics and kinetics of growth of η-Cu6Sn5 and ɛ-Cu3Sn interfacial intermetallics (IMCs) are investigated by coupling the multi-phase field method with CALPHAD approach. The interaction of the phases is addressed by assuming a metastable condition for the Cu/Sn reacting system. The simulations start with the nucleation and rapid growth of the η-Cu6Sn5 IMCs at the initial stage, the nucleation and growth of ɛ-Cu3Sn IMCs at the intermediate stage ending with the full consumption of Sn layer and the domination of ɛ-Cu3Sn IMCs at the later stages. In addition, comparing different diffusion rates through the grain boundary of η phases show that their morphology is the direct consequence of balance of kinetic forces. This work provides a valuable understanding of the dominant mechanisms for mass transport in the Cu/Sn/Cu low volume interconnections. The results show that the phase field modeling is successful in addressing the morphological evolution and growth of IMC layers in the 3DIC joint formation.
Spatial and temporal constraints on regional-scale groundwater flow in the Pampa del Tamarugal Basin, Atacama Desert, Chile

Aquifers within the Pampa del Tamarugal Basin (Atacama Desert, northern Chile) are the sole source of water for the coastal city of Iquique and the economically important mining industry. Despite this, the regional groundwater system remains poorly understood. Although it is widely accepted that aquifer recharge originates as precipitation in the Altiplano and Andean Cordillera to the east, there remains debate on whether recharge is driven primarily by near-surface groundwater flow in response to periodic flood events or by basal groundwater flux through deep-seated basin fractures. In addressing this debate, the present study quantifies spatial and temporal variability in regional-scale groundwater flow paths at 20.5°S latitude by combining a two-dimensional model of groundwater and heat flow with field observations and δ18O isotope values in surface water and groundwater. Results suggest that both previously proposed aquifer recharge mechanisms are likely influencing aquifers within the Pampa del Tamarugal Basin; however, each mechanism is operating on different spatial and temporal scales. Storm-driven flood events in the Altiplano readily transmit groundwater to the eastern Pampa del Tamarugal Basin through near-surface groundwater flow on short time scales, e.g., 100–101 years, but these effects are likely isolated to aquifers in the eastern third of the basin. In addition, this study illustrates a physical mechanism for groundwater originating in the eastern highlands to recharge aquifers and salars in the western Pampa del Tamarugal Basin over timescales of 104–105 years.
Attention bias in older women with remitted depression is associated with enhanced amygdala activity and functional connectivity

Abstract Background Cognitive bias is a common characteristic of major depressive disorder (MDD) and is posited to remain during remission and contribute to recurrence risk. Attention bias may be related to enhanced amygdala activity or altered amygdala functional connectivity in depression. The current study examined attention bias, brain activity for emotional images, and functional connectivity in post-menopausal women with and without a history of major depression. Methods Attention bias for emotionally valenced images was examined in 33 postmenopausal women with (n=12) and without (n=21) a history of major depression using an emotion dot probe task during fMRI. Group differences in amygdala activity and functional connectivity were assessed using fMRI and examined for correlations to attention performance. Results Women with a history of MDD showed greater attentional bias for negative images and greater activity in brain areas including the amygdala for both positive and negative images (pcorr Limitations Small sample with unbalanced groups. Conclusions These findings provide evidence for negative attentional bias in euthymic, remitted depressed individuals. Activity and functional connectivity in limbic and attention networks may provide a neurobiological basis for continued cognitive bias in remitted depression.
Changes in Cochlear Frequency Selectivity Produced by Tectorial-Membrane Manipulation

The experiments described in this article were designed to test the hypothesis that the tectorial-membrane mass together with its elastic attachments to the spiral limbus and the organ of Corti constitute a mechanical resonance system affecting the frequency analysis in the cochlea. Because of the substantial stiffness of the stereocilia of the outer hair cells (Flock, 1977) to which the tectorial membrane is firmly attached (Kimura, 1966), it is necessary to assume that its system is tightly coupled to the resonance system of the basilar membrane, consisting of the membrane’s stiffness and the mass it supports. In this way a two-resonator system results for every longitudinal element of the cochlear canal.
Redirected reach in virtual reality: Enabling natural hand interaction at multiple virtual locations with passive haptics

In many virtual reality applications, it would be ideal if users could use their physical hands to directly interact with virtual objects while experiencing realistic haptic feedback. While this can be achieved via interaction with tracked physical props that correspond to virtual objects, practical limitations can make it difficult to achieve a physical environment that exactly represents the virtual world, and virtual environments are often much larger than the available tracked physical space. Our approach maps a single physical prop to multiple virtual objects distributed throughout a virtual environment. Additionally, our work explores scenarios using one physical prop to control multiple types of object interactions. We explore considerations that allow physical object manipulation using orientation resetting to physically align the user with a physical prop for interaction. The resetting approach applies a discrete positional and rotational update to the user's location when the user virtually approaches a target for interaction, and the redirected reach approach applies a translational offset to the users virtual hand based on the positional difference of the virtual and physical objects.
Localization of WiFi Devices Using Probe Requests Captured at Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Localization of mobile wireless devices carries critical importance for applications such as search and rescue, public safety, surveillance, and occupancy monitoring. In this paper, we study the problem of localizing WiFi-enabled mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets using the measurements captured by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). We make use of the continuously broadcasted WiFi probe requests from mobile devices, capture them at different locations at a WiFi sniffer carried by a UAV, and subsequently estimate the user's location using random-forest based machine learning technique. More specifically, the geographical area of interest is partitioned into multiple zones, and based on the measured probe requests, we are interested to identify the zone where the WiFi device is located. Our experimental results show that the WiFi device can be detected in correct occupancy zone with a 81.8\% accuracy.
An Overview of Trauma-Informed Care

Research shows that LGBT individuals are at increased risk of exposure to traumatic events across the lifespan as compared to their cisgender, heterosexual peers, and to chronic stress stemming from less ostensible adversities, such as structural stigma and microaggressions. Trauma-informed care (TIC) is a coherent set of principles that are responsive to the needs of individuals with trauma histories, which can guide practices and policies in the healthcare and human services these individuals receive, with the goal of enhancing safety, quality, and effectiveness. This chapter discusses the history of TIC, its most influential models, the congruence of TIC with the neurobiology of fear response and early life stress, and the synergy of TIC with patient-centered care and cultural competence/humility. Burdened by both high rates of trauma exposure and health disparities, LGBT populations can benefit from programs and practices that embed TIC principles in their design, implementation, and evaluation.
Advances in Bentonite-Based Containment Barriers

The state of the art in geoenvironmental engineering has expanded in breadth to address a range of engineering challenges, including improvement of long-term performance of barriers for waste and chemical containment systems, remediation of contaminated sites, management of contaminated dredged sediments, and development of sustainable (green) infrastructure. Specifically, recent advancements in engineered barrier systems for waste and chemical containment include (1) improved understanding of contaminant transport mechanisms and coupled flows through engineered barriers and (2) development of innovative barriers and barrier materials. Such advancements may allow for enhanced performance of barrier systems as well as motivate future collaborative and interdisciplinary research in these areas, supporting development of more sustainable geoenvironmental practices.
Children’s Hospital Home Care Goes the Extra Mile for International Patients:

This article describes how one pediatric home care department, part of a large children’s hospital, provides culturally competent, linguistically appropriate, family-centered care to its internatio...
Problematic Integration and Family Communication about Decisions at the End of Life

Making a decision on behalf of a family member at the end of life (EOL) is a highly uncertain and anxiety-ridden experience. To examine how families navigate this complex, emotionally stressful sit...
Understanding orthopoxvirus host range and evolution: from the enigmatic to the usual suspects.

In general, orthopoxviruses can be considered as falling into one of three host-utilization categories: highly specialized, single-host; broad host range; or ‘cryptic’, the last encompassing those viruses about which very little is known. Single-host viruses tend to exploit abundant hosts that have consistent patterns of interaction. For these viruses, observed genome reduction and loss of presumptive host-range genes is thought to be a consequence of relaxed selection. In contrast, the large genome size retained among broad host range orthopoxviruses suggests these viruses may depend on multiple host species for persistence in nature. Our understanding of the ecologic requirements of orthopoxviruses is strongly influenced by geographic biases in data collection. This hinders our ability to predict potential sources for emergence of orthopoxvirus-associated infections.
Acute respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation in severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

AbstractThere are limited data on the epidemiology of acute respiratory failure necessitating mechanical ventilation in patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The prognosis of acute respiratory failure requiring invasive mechanical ventilation is believed to be grim in th
Automotive Wrought Aluminium Alloys

Abstract In recent years, automotive lightweighting efforts have led to increased use of wrought aluminium alloys for structural and body components. This chapter begins by outlining the incentives for automotive lightweighting and explains why aluminium alloys are currently positioned as the most attractive material choice for a variety of applications. General processing methods and metallurgical considerations are covered next, which pertain to all of the alloys that are subsequently discussed. The chapter focusses on the metallurgy, properties, and application/manufacturing of heat-treatable (6xxx, 2xxx, and 7xxx series) and nonheat-treatable (5xxx series) alloys in automotive design. Due to their overwhelming prevalence, 6xxx and 5xxx series alloys are discussed in detail. In each case, current material and manufacturing limitations are outlined, as well as potential routes to improve properties and applicability in the future.
Impacts of Urbanization on Precipitation and Storms: Physical Insights and Vulnerabilities

Urban precipitation effects are of scientific interest because there are clear linkages to contemporary research and forecast problems in meteorology, climatology, hydrology, and geography systems. However, precipitation in an urban setting is strongly coupled to key societal processes and decisiontrees. An array of vulnerabilities may be linked to urban precipitation. Herein, we provide a survey of key vulnerabilities and contemporary studies and offer some new perspectives on the topic.
New Estimates of the Autocorrelation Coefficients of Stationary Sequences

The problem of estimating the location parameter Θ of a set of independent random variables with common cummulative distribution function F(t-Θ) when F(t-Θ) is approximately known, was extensively studied by Huber [Huber (1964), (1981)]. He was concerned with the model of indeterminacy F=(1-e) Ф + eH where 0≤e≤1 is a known number, Ф(t) is a known cumulative distribution function and H(t) is an unknown contaminating distribution.
Forecasting the cost of the means of measuring

The cost of electronic measuring instruments is influenced by their technical characteristics and design factors. Moreover, this influence is often complex non-linear in nature, which greatly complicates the construction of an adequate cost forecast. When justifying the composition of complex measuring systems, the error can be significant and lead to a non- optimal solution. Therefore, improving the quality of forecasts of measuring instruments cost, that are part of the system for testing special-purpose electronic equipment is an urgent task, which is considered in the presented article. When considering the main approaches to forecasting measuring instruments cost, the apparatus of economic and mathematical methods is applied: mathematical statistics, qualitative analysis of the main characteristics and factors determining the measuring instruments cost, comparative analysis of the technical level of radio-electronic equipment samples, and the analog method. As an example, additive and multiplicative models are considered for practical calculations of the cost of high-frequency signal generators and spectrum analyzers as a function of the technical characteristics of these devices. Corrective functions have been identified, the use of which significantly improves the accuracy of forecast, which proves the feasibility of using such functions in forecast models of the measuring equipment cost.
Comparison of Biphasic vs Static Oxygen Saturation Targets Among Infants With Retinopathy of Prematurity.

Importance The Surfactant, Positive Pressure, and Pulse Oximetry Randomized Trial (SUPPORT) demonstrated that static low oxygen saturation decreased retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) but increased mortality compared with static high oxygen saturation cohorts. Objective To compare outcomes of a biphasic oxygen protocol with static targets recommended by SUPPORT. Design, Setting, and Participants Retrospective cohort study comparing biphasic vs static standards 41 months prior to and 42 months after a change from biphasic to static SUPPORT standards at a level III neonatal intensive care unit (Fairview Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio). The study included infants born at a corrected gestational age (CGA) of 31 weeks or younger or birth weight 1500 g or less. Data were analyzed between August 2010 and July 2017. Interventions The pre-SUPPORT group underwent biphasic protocol target saturations of 85% to 92% at younger than 34 weeks’ CGA and greater than 95% at 34 weeks’ CGA or older. The post-SUPPORT group underwent a constant 91% to 95% target. Main Outcomes and Measures Primary outcome was incidence of type 1 ROP. Secondary outcomes were incidence of any ROP, time to full vascularization, and mortality. Results Of 596 eligible infants, 562 were included in ophthalmic analysis. Three hundred three patients were boys (54%); 399 were white (71%), 87 were black (15%), and 76 were of other or unknown race/ethnicity (14%). Mean (SD) CGA and birth weight were 29 (2) weeks and 1151 (346) g, respectively. Any ROP overall increased (53 [20%] pre-SUPPORT vs n = 86 [28%] post-SUPPORT; absolute difference, 8%; 95% CI, 1%-15%; odds ratio, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.05-2.3;P = .03). Type 1 ROP increased in the post-SUPPORT era (n = 6 [2%] pre-SUPPORT vs n = 18 [6%] post-SUPPORT; absolute difference, 4%; 95% CI, 0.4%-7%; odds ratio, 2.7; 95% CI, 1.05-6.9;P = .03). There was a delay in vascularization in the post-SUPPORT group (n = 6 [2%] pre-SUPPORT vs n = 18 [6%] post-SUPPORT; absolute difference, 4%; 95% CI, 0.4%-7%;P = .03). Conclusions and Relevance Compared with static oxygen standards, biphasic oxygen targets are associated with decreased incidence and severity of ROP without increasing mortality.
Digital Era of Mobile Communications and Smartphones: A Novel Analysis of Patient Comprehension of Cancer-Related Information Available Through Mobile Applications.

Many Americans use smartphone-based mobile applications to acquire health information. Our study evaluated the readability of mobile application-based patient educational materials (PEMs) about fiv...
Language intervention research in early childhood care and education: A systematic survey of the literature

Abstract Children vary extensively in their language skills at school entry, and a substantial part of this variation is due to disparities in language exposure prior to school. Because these differences have continuing impact on academic, cognitive and social development, prevention and intervention programs have been developed to address deficits in early experience with language and prevent continuing difficulties. We report the findings from a systematic survey of research on non-parental interventions, with the goal of identifying strengths and weaknesses in current literature which can inform current practice and also guide the design of future research. Studies were identified using a systematic search protocol of the communication and language intervention literature for children from birth through 5 years of age. One hundred and ninety studies published between 1975 and 2015 met the specified inclusion criteria, which included the experimental manipulation of at least one relevant intervention variable and applying and testing an intervention or practice with the purpose of improving child communication or language outcomes. The studies reviewed include some well-documented and validated intervention strategies that have potential to be useful for addressing the word gap. This survey of the literature exposes gaps in the knowledge base about language interventions for infants and toddlers. Inadequacies in reporting the characteristics of child and adult study participants as well as a lack of details about the application of interventions across child care and early learning settings or their effectiveness with economically, culturally and linguistically diverse populations are addressed. Implications for the design and reporting of future research to address the word gap discussed.
Abstract 132: Final Infarct Volume is a Critical Determinant of Hospitalization Cost in Anterior Circulation Large Vessel Occlusion Stroke

Background: Anterior circulation large vessel occlusion (ACLVO) stroke, one of the most devastating stroke subtypes, is associated with substantial economic burden. Identifying predictors of increa...
Using a guest- and confederate-delivered token economy to increase employee-guest interactions at a zoo.

The present study used a token economy to promote guest greetings by employees at a zoological facility. Guests and confederate guests delivered tokens to zoo employees for making eye contact from 10 ft (3.05 m) away and verbally greeting guests from 5 ft (1.52 m) away (called a 10-5 interaction) and the tokens were exchangeable for small prizes. An ABAB design was used to evaluate the intervention. Results showed increases of 35.3 and 45.0% in correct employee-guest interactions in each intervention phase compared to baseline, thus suggesting that a guest-delivered token economy is an effective way to improve guest greetings. Limitations of the current study and opportunities for future research are discussed.
The Arena: An Activity to Foster Teamwork, Communication, and Cooperation in and Across Teams:

The Arena activity is an in-class, experiential learning exercise that requires student teams to navigate and assist a blindfolded team member through a maze-like setting. The goal of the activity ...