cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Data Assimilation into a Primitive-Equation Model with a Parallel Ensemble Kalman Filter

Abstract Data assimilation experiments are performed using an ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) implemented for a two-layer spectral shallow water model at triangular truncation T100 representing an abstract planet covered by a strongly stratified fluid. Advantage is taken of the inherent parallelism in the EnKF by running each ensemble member on a different processor of a parallel computer. The Kalman filter update step is parallelized by letting each processor handle the observations from a limited region. The algorithm is applied to the assimilation of synthetic altimetry data in the context of an imperfect model and known representation-error statistics. The effect of finite ensemble size on the residual errors is investigated and the error estimates obtained with the EnKF are compared to the actual errors.
Evaluating different soil and plant hydraulic constraints on tree function using a model and sap flow data from ponderosa pine

Relationships between tree size and physiological processes such as transpiration may have important implications for plant and ecosystem function, but as yet are poorly understood. We used a process-based model of the soil‐plant‐ atmosphere continuum to investigate patterns of wholetree sap flow in ponderosa pine trees of different size and age (36 m and ~ ~ ~ 250 years versus 13 m and 10‐50 years) over a developing summer drought. We examined three different hypothetical controls on hydraulic resistance, and found that size-related differences in sap flow could be best explained by absolute differences in plant resistance related to path length (hypothesis 1) rather than through different dynamic relationships between plant resistance and leaf water potential (hypothesis 2), or alterations in rates of cumulative inducement and repair of cavitation (hypothesis 3). Reductions in sap flow over time could be best explained by rising soil‐root resistance (hypothesis 1), rather than by a combination of rising plant and soil‐root resistance (hypothesis 2), or by rising plant resistance alone (hypothesis 3). Comparing hourly predictions with observed sap flow, we found that a direct relationship between plant resistance and leaf water potential (hypothesis 2) led to unrealistic bimodal patterns of sap flow within a day. Explaining seasonal reduction in sap flow purely through rising plant resistance (hypothesis 3) was effective but failed to explain the observed decline in pre-dawn leaf water potential for small trees. Thus, hypothesis 1 was best corroborated. A sensitivity analysis revealed a significant difference in the response to drought-relieving rains; precipitation induced a strong recovery in sap flow in the hypothetical case of limiting soil‐root resistance (hypothesis 1), and an insignificant response in the case of limiting plant resistance (hypothesis 3). Longer term monitoring and manipulation experiments are thus likely to resolve the uncertainties in hydraulic constraints on plant function.
Aspirin or amiloride for cerebral perfusion defects in cocaine dependence

Cocaine dependent (CD) patients have regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) deficits that may be related to occlusion of blood vessels by vasoconstriction and abnormal platelet aggregation. This study determined whether aspirin, which reverses platelet aggregation, or amiloride, a vasodilator, significantly reversed this rCBF hypoperfusion. This 1-month randomized trial compared clusters of voxels with significant hypoperfusion in recently abstinent CD patients after aspirin (325 mg daily), amiloride (10 mg daily) or placebo treatment. Forty-nine primary CD patients and 18 non-drug abusing controls were compared using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) neuroimaging with 99mTc-hexamethyl-propyleneamine-oxime and statistical parametric mapping (SPM). Platelet aggregation to adenosine diphosphate (ADP) was examined after treatment to determine whether rCBF improvement was related to decreased platelet aggregation. Following treatment, areas of hypoperfusion were improved with amiloride, unchanged with aspirin, and worsened with placebo in comparison to baseline levels. Platelet aggregation after ADP showed no significant change during the month, but reduced rCBF significantly improved after 1-month treatment with amiloride compared with placebo and cocaine abstinence alone.
Spatially resolved vibrational temperature profiles in flames from molecular absorption spectroscopy

A highly collimated laser beam is used to observe molecular absorption in a premixed air-acetylene flame by providing a two-dimensional image on a vidicon camera. Spatially resolved molecular concentrations can thus be obtained in 1/60 second. By measurement of the relative intensities of absorption from different vibrational levels in the ground state of the molecules, a vibrational temperature can be derived for each of the spatial regions in the flame. This information is directly relevant to the understanding of dissociation in flames.
Nature of Electrogram Fractionation During Atrial Fibrillation

The study by Jadidi et al1 described the locations of areas of continuously fractionated atrial electrograms during atrial fibrillation (AF) using high-resolution endocardial mapping in 9 patients with paroxysmal AF and 9 patients with persistent AF. This study then correlated these areas with the locations of fractionated atrial potentials during sinus rhythm and coronary sinus (CS) pacing in the same patients. Their premise was that fractionation resulted from conduction abnormalities (conduction slowing/block, pivot points, asynchronous activation, and wave collision).2,3 They postulated that areas exhibiting fractionation during all 3 rhythms (AF, sinus rhythm, and CS pacing) may differentiate fixed atrial/anatomic substrate (structural remodeling) from wave collision or functional slow conduction. They were hopeful that a better understanding of these patterns would help identify which of the areas of fractionation were optimal targets for ablation. Article see p 32 The study was carefully designed and executed, as expected from one of the premier AF laboratories in the world. Some of the findings were expected. The left atrial area was greater, the global left atrial bipolar voltage during AF was lower, and the area of continuously fractionated electrograms was greater (although not as a percentage of the overall area) in patients with persistent AF than in patients with paroxysmal AF. Perhaps most important were the findings that were not expected under the premise that fractionated electrograms were exclusively due to conduction abnormalities. First, the continuously fractionated areas during AF (CFE mean, <80 milliseconds) did not exhibit lower voltage than the surrounding areas during AF, nor did those sites exhibit low voltage (<1 mV) during sinus rhythm or CS pacing. The voltage during AF was actually higher in the fractionated areas than in the surrounding areas. There was a surprising inverse relationship between the mean bipolar voltage in AF and …
Characterization of charging in semiconductor device materials by electron holography.

Quantitative analysis of electrostatic potential in semiconductor device samples using off-axis electron holography in the electron microscope is complicated by the presence of charged insulating layers. Preliminary results indicate that the behavior of p-type material near the Si-insulator interface may differ from that of n-type if the insulator is charging. Coating one side of the sample surface with carbon usually eliminates charging effects. Holographic phase measurements on thin silicon oxide film at liquid nitrogen temperature indicates that the maximum electric field near the edge of an charged region is 18 MV cm - 1 , on the order of the breakdown voltage.
Use of a new vitamin C-deficient diet in a depletion/repletion clinical trial.

To conduct an inpatient study on the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for vitamin C, we developed a unique vitamin C-deficient diet using a nutrient database and selective menus. Fourteen different menus were developed offering > 300 items with 0-2.4 mg vitamin C per serving. During the 4-6 mo volunteers were hospitalized, daily dietary vitamin C was restricted to ≤ 5.0 mg. The mean daily dietary vitamin C intake was < 3.9 mg for the seven study subjects. With concurrent supplementation, the diet provided ≥ 85% of the RDA for 17 essential nutrients. Within 3 wk of admission the diet induced vitamin C deficiency as indicated by plasma concentrations, which decreased from 23 ± 6.9 to 6.9 ± 2.0 μmol/L. Daily intake of vitamin C and five other nutrients was determined by nutrient database analyses. Mean energy, protein, and iron were 105-185% of the RDA and total and saturated fat were 32% and 10% of energy, respectively. Weight and nutritionally relevant indexes remained normal. Dietary adherence, calculated by the number of days with < 5.0 mg vitamin C per total study days, was 88-98% per repletion dose. Computer analyses of menu selections permitted individual preferences to be met while restricting vitamin C intake to < 5.0 mg/d. There were no complications from the diet during the depletion and repletion phases. With this diet, ascorbic acid pharmacokinetics for escalating doses could be determined in healthy volunteers.
Nursing Science and Public Health Contributions to the Discipline of Nursing

This column highlights the unique relationship of nursing science and public health in the broader context of the discipline of nursing and healthcare. An integrated framework is used to illustrate that nursing knowledge is the product of interaction and interdependence of four domains -the discipline and science of nursing, the philosophy of nursing, the nursing profession, and nursing practice. In the context of the integrated framework, knowledge specific to public health nursing is shown to inform the discipline of nursing and other health disciplines. Ongoing challenges related to clarifying and describing unique contributions to nursing and public health are explored. In addition, under utilization of theoretical and conceptual nursing knowledge from public health nursing for the advancement nursing science in education, practice, and research is addressed.
The Hedgehog-binding proteins Gas1 and Cdo cooperate to positively regulate Shh signaling during mouse development

Hedgehog (Hh) signaling is critical for patterning and growth during mammalian embryogenesis. Transcriptional profiling identified Growth-arrest-specific 1 (Gas1) as a general negative target of Shh signaling. Data presented here define Gas1 as a novel positive component of the Shh signaling cascade. Removal of Gas1 results in a Shh dose-dependent loss of cell identities in the ventral neural tube and facial and skeletal defects, also consistent with reduced Shh signaling. In contrast, ectopic Gas1 expression results in Shh-dependent cell-autonomous promotion of ventral cell identities. These properties mirror those of Cdo, an unrelated, cell surface Shh-binding protein. We show that Gas1 and Cdo cooperate to promote Shh signaling during neural tube patterning, craniofacial, and vertebral development. Overall, these data support a new paradigm in Shh signaling whereby positively acting ligand-binding components, which are initially expressed in responding tissues to promote signaling, are then down-regulated by active Hh signaling, thereby modulating responses to ligand input.
A model for dosing gentamicin in children and adolescents that adjusts for tissue accumulation with continuous dosing

The pharmacokinetics of gentamicin were evaluated in 50 children and adolescents during a multiple dose course of therapy. Parameters of a 2-compartment pharmacokinetic model were derived from serial serum concentrations and urinary excretion rates measured for up to 11 days following the last dose of gentamicin administered to 10 of these patients. These parameters were used to simulate changes in serum concentrations and half-lives that would occur during a standard 6-hour dosing interval with continuous dosing.
With a Little Help from Your Friends: The Importance of High-quality Friendships on Early Adolescent Adjustment

The unique contributions of peer acceptance, friendship, and victimization to adjustment were examined. How these relational systems moderate the influence of one another to influence adjustment was also investigated. Friendship quality, a unique aspect of friendship, was expected to be especially important for adjustment when other relational systems were poor. A total of 238 fifth to eighth graders (boys = 109) participated in the survey-style paradigm. Youth participants completed measures assessing their friendships and peer relationships. Teachers provided assessments of adjustment. Adolescents who had lower levels of peer acceptance, number of friends, and friendship quality had greater teacher-reported maladjustment. Friendship quality was also an important buffer against adjustment problems when peer acceptance and number of friends were low.The outcomes of this article suggest that an approach that includes examining the quality of adolescents’ friendships, peer interactions, and interactive models of relationship dimensions are informative for understanding adolescents’ general adjustment.
A 1.3-GHz LTS/HTS NMR Magnet– A Progress Report

In this paper we present details of a 600 MHz HTS insert (H600) double pancake (DP) windings. It will first be operated in the bore of a 500 MHz LTS magnet, achieving a frequency of 1.1 GHz. Upon completion of H600, we will embark on the final phase (Phase 3B) of a 3-Phase program began in 2000: completion of a high resolution 1.3 GHz LTS/HTS magnet. In Phase 3B, the H600 will be coupled to a 700 MHz LTS magnet to achieve the ultimate frequency of 1.3 GHz. The HTS insert is composed of two concentric stacks of double pancakes, one wound with high strength BSCCO-2223 tape, the other with YBCO coated conductor. Details include conductor and coil parameters, winding procedure, DPs mechanical support and integration to the background 500 MHz LTS magnet. Test results of individual DPs in LN2 are also presented.
Predation on Pacific salmonid eggs and carcass's by subyearling Atlantic salmon in a tributary of Lake Ontario

A binational effort to reintroduce Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) that were extirpated in the Lake Ontario ecosystem for over a century is currently being undertaken by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. Reintroduction actions include the release of several life stages including fry, fall fingerlings, and yearling smolts. In this study we describe the diet of recently released fall fingerling Atlantic salmon in a tributary of the Salmon River, New York. A specific objective of the study was to determine if juvenile Atlantic salmon would utilize the high caloric food source provided by introduced Pacific salmonids (Oncorhynchus spp.) that includes eggs and carcass flesh. Salmon eggs and carcass flesh comprised 20.5% of the October to January diet in 2013–14 and 23.9% in 2014–15. The consumption of steelhead (O. mykiss) eggs was a major part of the diet in April in both 2014 (54.1%) and 2015 (33.2%). This study documented that recently released Atlantic salmon will consume the high caloric food material provided by Pacific salmonids and that the consumption of this material extends for several months.
The effect of acute nonbacterial dependent peritonitis on lung and liver oxidant stress and antioxidant activity

Background The role of oxidant release and tissue antioxidant defenses on inflammation-induced organ injury is not clearly defined. Methods We determined the effect of acute zymosan peritonitis in rats on lung and liver tissue oxidant stress and antioxidant defenses during a 5-day period. Oxidant activity was measured as tissue malondialdehyde and oxidized glutathione (GSSG). Antioxidant activity was measured as tissue-reduced glutathione (GSH) and catalase activity. Rats were maintained hydrated with subcutaneous crystalloid. Animals were killed at 4, 12, and 24 hours and 5 days. Results Acute peritonitis was evident at 12 and 24 hours but was resolving at 5 days. Peritoneal fluid cultures were negative after 24 hours. A 50% mortality rate was noted between 20 and 30 hours, with no deaths after 30 hours. We noted a significant increase in lung GSSG and malondialdehyde at 4 hours that persisted for the 5 days, as did histologic evidence of a progressing severe lung inflammation. No increased conversion of lung xanthine dehydrogenase to xanthine oxidase was noted. Lung GSH and catalase activity were maintained at control despite negligible food intake. In contrast, liver GSSG was increased significantly only at the 4-hour period, corresponding with a transient conversion of xanthine dehydrogenase to xanthine oxidase from 10% to 31%. Tissue malondialdehyde did not increase despite the initial oxidant stress. However, tissue GSH and catalase values decreased by more than 50% after 24 hours and remained decreased at 5 days. Conclusions We conclude that early lung and liver oxidant stress is initiated by acute peritonitis. Lung oxidant changes persist and lung dysfunction progresses, even though antioxidant activity is maintained and acute peritonitis is resolving. Liver lipid peroxidation did not develop despite oxidant release, probably because of a large antioxidant reserve. However, a severe and sustained decrease in liver antioxidants results, increasing the potential damage from a subsequent oxidant insult.
Effects of juvenile infection on adult immunity and secondary sexual characters in a wolf spider

The immunocompetence handicap hypothesis postulates that higher-quality males may be able to balance potential conflicts between resource-demanding activities, such as courtship behavior and immune responses, whereas lower-quality males suffer from immunosuppression or lower reproductive output. In this study, we examined the immune response of the brush-legged wolf spider Schizocosa ocreata to infection with pathogenic bacteria as juveniles (penultimate), and its impact on development of adult male secondary sexual signaling traits. After oral ingestion of a bacterial pathogen, active bacteria were found in the hemolymph for up to 5h. We found that immune activation (ingestion of bacteria) at the juvenile stage resulted in higher immune response as an adult than control individuals, but also led to lower body condition index values and a higher degree of asymmetry in secondary sexual signaling traits (foreleg tufts). Infected males also had relatively smaller tufts than control males when penultimate body condition was added as a covariate and tuft size was appropriately scaled. Additionally, males infected as juveniles had significantly lower mating success than control males, although this difference was not due to courtship vigor. These results suggest that during development, juvenile males may be allocating more resources into immune function during infection, potentially at the cost of reduced sexual signaling and mating success as adults, and that there is the potential for complex trade-offs between immunity and sexual signaling in this species.
Compressor Performance Modeling and Prognostics Using Artificial Neural Networks

Data collected routinely from engine operation is used to construct a compressor performance map through regression modeling using Artificial Neural Network Ensembles (ANNEs). Such a map can be updated frequently and accessed in real time to detect shifts in the compressor performance. Such shifts can be indicators of degradation, maintenance issues, and impending faults. Updating the map can provide dynamic updates to the operating limits for compressor operation in the engine controller to steer clear of the surge line. Additionally, the resulting model could be used to estimate remaining useful life.
Strategy for Optimal, Long-Term Stationkeeping of Libration Point Orbits in the Earth-Moon System

In an eort to design low-cost maneuvers that reliably maintain unstable libration point orbits in the Earth-Moon system for long durations, an existing long-term stationkeeping strategy is augmented to compute locally optimal maneuvers that satisfy end-of-mission constraints downstream. This approach reduces stationkeeping costs for planar and threedimensional orbits in dynamical systems of varying degrees of delity and demonstrates the correlation between optimal maneuver direction and the stable mode observed during ARTEMIS mission operations. An optimally-constrained multiple shooting strategy is also introduced that is capable of computing near optimal maintenance maneuvers without formal optimization software.
Measurement of black spot susceptibility of potatoes

The black spot reaction was initiated by dropping plugs of varying weights from different heights onto the stem end of potatoes with known temperatures. The degree of discoloration was assessed in a scale from 0 to 5, the results were added and the sum was divided by the number of tubers.
Management in Perspective An Aspect of Management Philosophy in the United States and Latin America

The article discusses the contrast between North Americans and Latin Americans in appraising the aspects of management. For the most part, U.S. business practitioners and business academicians agre...
Translocation mongolism with virilizing adrenal hyperplasia.

The case of a newborn infant who was a female pseudohermaphrodite due to salt-losing congenital adrenal hyperplasia is reported. Analysis of chromosomes in peripheral leukocytes revealed 44 autosomes with t(DqGq) and XX sex chromosome complement. Chromosomal studies of the mother revealed t(DqGq) in all cells, and 10 of 39 cells had 45 chromosomes with absence of a whole chromosome. The father had no translocation, but 4 of 24 cells karyotyped had 47 chromosomes. This represents the first reported case of mongolism associated with congenital adrenal hyperplasia, and the fifth case of adrenal hyperplasia with chromosomal defects.
Comparison of the native prothrombin antigen and the prothrombin time for monitoring oral anticoagulant therapy

We have measured the fully carboxylated (native) prothrombin antigen and the undercarboxylated (abnormal) prothrombin antigen in patients treated with sodium warfarin using specific immunoassays to evaluate a new approach for monitoring oral anticoagulant therapy. Plasma and serum samples (391) were assayed for the prothrombin time, native prothrombin antigen, and abnormal prothrombin antigen. The results were correlated with the presence of bleeding or thromboembolic complications at the time of phlebotomy. The native prothrombin antigen correlated with the occurrence of complications in 95% of samples. Of 13 samples from patients with bleeding complications, 13/13 (100%) had a native prothrombin of 12 micrograms/mL or lower. Of seven samples from patients with thromboembolic complications, 6/7 (86%) had a native prothrombin of 24 micrograms/mL or greater. By comparison, a prothrombin time index of 1.5 to 2.5, 1.5 to 2.2, 1.5 to 2.0, or 1.3 to 1.8 identified 6/20 (30%), 9/20 (45%), 11/20 (55%), or 12/20 (60%) patients at risk, respectively. Although the prothrombin time index did correlate with the presence of bleeding complications, the native prothrombin antigen correlated closely with the presence of bleeding and thromboembolic complications. According to these results, the native prothrombin antigen, maintained in a range of 12 to 24 micrograms/mL by regular adjustment of the warfarin dosage, may be associated with a reduced risk of complications due to excessive or insufficient warfarin therapy. On the basis of these preliminary data, we recommend that the native prothrombin antigen be considered to monitor warfarin therapy.
Evidence that Ca2(+)-dependent activation of airway epithelia Cl- channels is not dependent on phosphorylation

Previous studies have shown that an increase in the cytosolic Ca2+ concentration [( Ca2+]c) activates Cl- channels in airway epithelia but that the effect is indirect. Because adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) and phorbol myristate acetate (PMA) activate Cl- channels via phosphorylation by cAMP-dependent protein kinase and protein kinase C, respectively, we asked whether Ca2(+)-dependent Cl- channel activation is phosphorylation dependent. We measured 125I- efflux as an assay of Cl- channel activation in the intact cell. We found that depletion of cellular ATP prevented cAMP- and PMA-induced activation but did not alter activation produced by the Ca2+ ionophore A23187. Moreover, addition of high concentrations of staurosporine (5 microM), to nonspecifically inhibit kinase activity, blocked cAMP- and PMA-stimulated 125I- efflux but had no effect on A23187-induced efflux. These results suggest that elevation of [Ca2+]c does not activate Cl- channels via phosphorylation.
Growth Patterns of Roadside Torpedograss Populations within Xeric Florida Scrub

ABSTRACT Roads have the potential to serve as dispersal corridors for invasion into pristine habitats for invasive exotic species. However, undisturbed habitats may also resist such invasion. Torpedograss (Panicum repens L.) is an aggressive invasive grass in many parts of the world and, although most problematic in lakes and ponds, frequently occurs in roadsides and in other disturbed habitats. We studied torpedograss dynamics along roadsides adjacent to upland habitats in south-central Florida to determine whether observed tiller population growth rates differed among roadside populations adjacent to different habitats. We also examined seasonal growth and persistence patterns of this invasive species in sand roads, quantifying torpedograss density, growth, and panicle production at 10 roadside sites every other month for 14 mo. Four populations were adjacent to disturbed habitats (pastures or disturbed Florida scrub) containing established populations of torpedograss, while six populations were adjace...
Isolating and Purifying Clostridium difficile Spores.

The ability for the obligate anaerobe, Clostridium difficile, to form a metabolically dormant spore is critical for the survival of this organism outside of the host. This spore form is resistant to a myriad of environmental stresses, including heat, desiccation and exposure to disinfectants and antimicrobials. These intrinsic properties of spores allow C. difficile to survive long-term in an oxygenated environment, to be easily transmitted from host-to-host and to persist within the host following antibiotic treatment. Because of the importance of the spore form to the C. difficile lifecycle and treatment and prevention of C. difficile infection (CDI), the isolation and purification of spores are necessary to study the mechanisms of sporulation and germination, investigate spore properties and resistances, and for use in animal models of CDI. This chapter provides basic protocols, in vitro growth conditions and additional considerations for purifying C. difficile spores for a variety of downstream applications.
Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension and the Sex Hormone Paradox.

Prevalence and outcome differences between women and men with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) raise questions about the role of sex hormones in disease pathobiology. This review will summarize the current understanding of sex and sex hormone pathways and their influence on heart-lung function in health and in disease. Female sex has been shown to be a risk factor for the development of PAH, but women have improved survival compared to men with PAH. These paradoxical observations are likely driven in part by complex sex hormone signaling and processing pathways and their interaction with the pulmonary vasculature and the right ventricle. These relationships may vary depending on an individual’s underlying sex, age, and/or genetic substrate. The study of the connections between sex, sex hormones, the pulmonary circulation, and the right ventricle may improve our understanding of disease epidemiology and outcomes and lead to new treatment strategies for PAH.
Amyloid β concentrations and stable isotope labeling kinetics of human plasma specific to central nervous system amyloidosis

Abstract Introduction Cerebrospinal fluid analysis and other measurements of amyloidosis, such as amyloid-binding positron emission tomography studies, are limited by cost and availability. There is a need for a more practical amyloid β (Aβ) biomarker for central nervous system amyloid deposition. Methods We adapted our previously reported stable isotope labeling kinetics protocol to analyze the turnover kinetics and concentrations of Aβ38, Aβ40, and Aβ42 in human plasma. Results Aβ isoforms have a half-life of approximately 3 hours in plasma. Aβ38 demonstrated faster turnover kinetics compared with Aβ40 and Aβ42. Faster fractional turnover of Aβ42 relative to Aβ40 and lower Aβ42 and Aβ42/Aβ40 concentrations in amyloid-positive participants were observed. Discussion Blood plasma Aβ42 shows similar amyloid-associated alterations as we have previously reported in cerebrospinal fluid, suggesting a blood-brain transportation mechanism of Aβ. The stability and sensitivity of plasma Aβ measurements suggest this may be a useful screening test for central nervous system amyloidosis.
Search for DNA damage by human alkyladenine DNA glycosylase involves early intercalation by an aromatic residue

DNA repair enzymes recognize and remove damaged bases that are embedded in the duplex. To gain access, most enzymes use nucleotide flipping, whereby the target nucleotide is rotated 180° into the active site. In human alkyladenine DNA glycosylase (AAG), the enzyme that initiates base excision repair of alkylated bases, the flipped-out nucleotide is stabilized by intercalation of the side chain of tyrosine 162 that replaces the lesion nucleobase. Previous kinetic studies provided evidence for the formation of a transient complex that precedes the stable flipped-out complex, but it is not clear how this complex differs from nonspecific complexes. We used site-directed mutagenesis and transient-kinetic approaches to investigate the timing of Tyr162 intercalation for AAG. The tryptophan substitution (Y162W) appeared to be conservative, because the mutant protein retained a highly favorable equilibrium constant for flipping the 1,N6-ethenoadenine (ϵA) lesion, and the rate of N-glycosidic bond cleavage was identical to that of the wild-type enzyme. We assigned the tryptophan fluorescence signal from Y162W by removing two native tryptophan residues (W270A/W284A). Stopped-flow experiments then demonstrated that the change in tryptophan fluorescence of the Y162W mutant is extremely rapid upon binding to either damaged or undamaged DNA, much faster than the lesion-recognition and nucleotide flipping steps that were independently determined by monitoring the ϵA fluorescence. These observations suggest that intercalation by this aromatic residue is one of the earliest steps in the search for DNA damage and that this interaction is important for the progression of AAG from nonspecific searching to specific-recognition complexes.
Kinetics of complexation of V(v), U(vi), and Fe(iii) with glutaroimide-dioxime: studies by stopped-flow and conventional absorption spectroscopy.

Uranium extracted from seawater is a promising source of uranium for nuclear energy, and the extraction technology using polymer sorbents has been shown to be feasible. However, improving selectivity for uranium over other metals, notably vanadium and iron, is essential to increase efficiency and reduce costs. In the present work, the kinetics of the binding of these three metals with glutaroimide-dioxime as a molecular analogue of polymer sorbents has been studied using stopped-flow and conventional UV Visible absorption spectroscopy to monitor the reactions over a range of time scales. Qualitatively, vanadium reacts the slowest of the three metals despite being able to form a very strong complex, with the 1 : 2 vanadium/ligand complex forming over weeks, likely due to the slow hydrolysis of the strong oxido ligands, while iron reacts fast and uranyl faster still, despite the presence of carbonate in the uranyl species. Conditional rate constants were determined for the formation of 1 : 1 glutaroimide-dioxime complexes with the three metal ions. Besides, in a narrow and near neutral pH region, a rate equation for the formation of the 1 : 1 vanadium/glutaroimide-dioxime complex was developed, showing the reaction is the first order with respect to [V], [ligand], and [H+]. These observations, some being qualitative and others quantitative, are consistent with previous marine tests of polymer adsorbents, and give mechanistic insight into how glutaroimide-dioxime forms complexes with uranium, iron, and vanadium.
The patient-centered acne severity scale study

Acne is one of the most common skin conditions seen by dermatologists. As with many other cutaneous diseases, due to its visibility, acne often produces a large psychosocial impact on patients who suffer from the disease. Such psychosocial burdens are exacerbated by the variation in acne presentation that can lead to the usage of multiple different treatments before visible improvements are appreciated. Although many scales have been established to determine severity from the clinician standpoint, patient-oriented scales are lacking. Clinicians use these severity tools to guide management and judge patient improvement from visit to visit. Creation of such a severity scale from a patient's perspective would allow patients to not only assess their perception of their acne independent of a physician but could also be used to determine patient satisfaction with treatment that would then help to more effectively guide management. Therefore the goal of this study is to create and validate a patient-centered acne severity scale using a visual analogue scale format.
Mining positive and negative association rules in Hadoop's MapReduce environment

In this paper, we mine positive and negative rules from Big Data in Hadoop's MapReduce Environment. Positive association rule mining finds items that are positively co-related whereas negative association rule mining finds items that are negatively correlated. Positive association rule mining has been traditionally used to mine association rules, but negative association rule mining also has many applications, including the building of efficient decision support systems, for crime data analysis [2], in the health care sector [1], etc. In this paper, we mine positive and negative association rules using the Apriori algorithm in the Big Data environment using Hadoop's MapReduce environment. Positive association rules are in the form X→Y, which has support s in a transaction set D if s% of the transactions in D contain X U Y. A negative association rule is in the form X → ┐ Y or ┐ X → Y or ┐ X → ┐ Y where X ∩ Y = O. X → ┐ Y refers to X occurring in the absence of Y; ┐ X → Y refers to Y occurring in the absence of X; ┐ X → ┐ Y means not X and not Y. For positive association rules: Support (X → Y) refers to the percentage of transactions where itemsets X and Y co-exist in a dataset. Confidence (X → Y) is taken to be the conditional probability, P(X|Y). That is, the percentage of transactions containing X that also contain Y. Support of the negative association rules will be form: Supp(X → ┐ Y) > min_supp; Supp(┐ X → Y) > min_supp; Supp(┐ X → ┐ Y) > min_supp. Confidence of negative association rules will be in the form: Conf(X → ┐ Y) > min_supp; Conf(┐ X → Y) > min_supp; Conf(┐ X → ┐ Y) > min_supp. In MapReduce, we scan the dataset and create 1-itemsets in one MapReduce job and then use this 1-itemset to create 2-itemsets in another MapReduce job. In the last map job, the calculation of positive and negative association rules as well as the calculations of support, confidence and lift are performed. Therefore, in essence, we use three map and two reduce jobs. The main contribution of this work is in presenting how the apriori algorithm can be used to extract negative association rules from Big Data and how it can be executed efficiently on MapReduce.
Direct Multichannel Tracking

We present direct multichannel tracking, an algorithm for tracking the pose of a monocular camera (visual odometry) using high-dimensional features in a direct image alignment framework. Instead of using a single grayscale channel and assuming intensity constancy as in existing approaches, we extract multichannel features at each pixel from each image and assume feature constancy among consecutive images. High-dimensional features are more discriminative and robust to noise and image variations than intensities, enabling more accurate camera tracking. We demonstrate our claim using conventional hand-crafted features such as SIFT as well as more recent features extracted from convolutional neural networks (CNNs) such as Siamese and AlexNet networks. We evaluate the performance of our algorithm against the baseline case (single-channel tracking) using several public datasets, where the AlexNet feature provides the best pose estimation results.
A new analytical model of shared backup path provisioning in GMPLS networks

As GMPLS and its supporting set of protocols develop into aviable control plane for optical networks, an important function that they will need to support will be the protection and restoration function that has been a major feature of legacy optical networks. A network with a robust set of protection and restoration mechanisms will be able to support data traffic while allowing faster recovery from failures than can be obtained using layer 3 rerouting. Several models have been proposed for protection with GMPLS using shared backup paths. This previous work has not investigated the effect on recovery time critical to the service or the number of backup paths that are required to meet a desired level of performance. Using both restoration time and recovery blocking probability, we have developed a new analytic model for GMPLS-based recovery in M : N protection groups. Furthermore, we show that smaller backup paths can be reserved by capturing the effect of multiple failures in the case of M : N shared protection with revertive mode in an optical network with a GMPLS control plane.
Abstract TP344: Does Stroke Education Including Post Discharge Telephone Support Improve Stroke Recognition And Need To Call 911?

Background and Purpose: Due to short hospital stays and fragmented education attempts, inpatient stroke education can be inadequate. The purpose of this randomized feasibility study was to determin...
Adaptive Curvature Flexure Test to Assess Flexible Electronic Systems

Flexible electronic systems are being explored for a variety of applications during which they may be stretched, bent, twisted, and folded a number of times and over different durations, etc. An understanding of electrical and mechanical behavior of flexible electronic systems under deformation is necessary for its design and reliability assessment. In this paper, we explore the use of an adaptive curvature flexure test to understand the strain and the electrical resistance variation in printed conductors. The adaptive curvature flexure test is a free-form test in which the flexible substrate is subjected to different radii of curvature through moving parallel plates. Printed silver conductors on flexible substrates – polyimide (PI) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) of about 125 µm thickness are subjected to bending between two parallel plates from a gap of 70 mm to a gap of 5 mm. The conductor can be either on the tensile or compressive side of the sample during the experiment. The electrical resistance of the printed silver conductor is monitored throughout the experiment, and it is seen that the electrical resistance of the conductor under tension during bending increases, while the resistance of the conductor under compression remains nearly constant as the gap between the parallel plates is reduced. A finite-element simulation is carried out to investigate the strain variation in the printed silver conductor and the substrate. It is seen that the maximum normal strain in the conductor is about 0.03 when the gap between parallel plates is 5 mm, and the electrical resistance over the entire conductor increases by about 8% when the conductor is under tension during bending. This resistance continues to increase with cyclic bending with the conductor under tension. Through in-situ SEM imaging, it is seen that damage occurs in the conductor during the first cycle, and continues to grow with cyclic bending.
A micromechanics-based damage model for non-woven fiber networks

Abstract Non-woven materials are fiber networks consolidated by different bonding techniques. It has been found that interfiber bond fracture is a major damage mechanism in non-wovens and strongly affects mechanical strength and toughness. In this article, we present a micromechanically based damage model for non-wovens. The model is built upon modeling single bond breaking processes and linking local damage events to macroscopic behaviors. In this model, a nonlinear term is introduced to describe non-affine deformation of fibers at a bond. The traction load on a bonded interface is determined by considering local force balance and network constraints. A bond breaks when its traction load exceeds a critical value, and this local information is used to update the global damage state through a classical continuum damage mechanics framework. Spatial correlation of damage in the network is modeled using a non-local averaging scheme. The proposed model is applied to a commercial non-woven series. The model is able to reproduce experimentally observed behaviors including elasticity, non-linear hardening, peak load and damage localization under uniaxial tensile loading as a function of network density. Damage states predicted by the numerical simulations match well with in-situ imaging results demonstrating the predictive capability of the model. The proposed model bridges non-woven microstructure and macroscopic behaviors and thus can serve as an effective tool for future studies of the mechanics of fiber networks.
Comparing the Productive Effects of Cash and Food Transfers in a Crisis Setting: Evidence from a Randomised Experiment in Yemen

The productive impacts of transfer programmes have been receiving increased attention. However, little is known about such effects in emergency and crisis settings. Even less is known about whether...
Wood Biomass and Carbon Pools within a Floodplain Forest of the Congaree River, South Carolina, USA

Riverine forests support high rates of plant productivity, yet total wood carbon (C) stocks in these systems remain understudied. We measured C concentrations and dry mass of live and dead detrital wood to understand their importance relative to total ecosystem C storage across an elevation gradient on the floodplain of the Congaree River. Our study sites included a low elevation bald cypress swamp and three higher elevation mature mixed bottomland hardwood communities. Average wood C concentration was 45.9 ± 0.07% and estimated cumulative C pools (sum of downed and standing dead wood plus live tree, sapling, and shrub wood) ranged from 6850 to 17,200 g C/m2 for bottomland hardwood forests and 17,700 g C/m2 for the bald cypress swamp. Most of the aboveground C was stored in living wood (83.1–90.5% total aboveground pools). Our results indicate that the mass and C stored in live and dead wood are at the high end of both measured and modeled ranges reported in the literature for temperate zone forests. As such, the mature bottomland forests of the Congaree River represent a substantial and important store of sequestered C.
Neuronal Homeostasis: Voltage Brings It All Together

Neurons generate consistent patterns of activity combining a large set of ionic currents and variable conductance levels. How they regulate this variability so that it does not run out of control seems to depend most prominently on neuronal activity itself.
“Everywhere, Worlds Connect”: Realist Poetics and the Ecologies of Capitalism

This chapter extends Lukacs’s ideas of form and totality into new terrain, ecological and aesthetic, in the present, considering how particular literary works might consider the totality in socioecological terms. It explores how certain works of contemporary poetry provide a vantage on metabolic relations and rifts as shaping dimensions of contemporary life within capitalism. Examining recent books by Eleni Sikelianos and Jennifer Scappettone, this chapter claims that these texts epitomize a realist direction in contemporary poetics that conveys a planetary whole undergoing cataclysmic alteration. Such works provide an alternative to the idealist totalizations of Anthropocene discourse and its now-dominant tropes, instead offering a means of conceiving the complex and precarious metabolisms of earthly life in late capitalism.
Motivating Language Intensity: A Study of Wyoming Superintendents Motivating Language Use as Perceived by Their Principals:

The purpose of this study was to extend the field of motivating language theory (MLT) by providing a conceptual framework and methodology for determining low-ML and high-ML leader levels. This quan...
A view of dataflow

In 1946 John von Neumann outlined an organization for computers 1 that has dominated the languages and architecture of machines to this day—the familiar sequential, one-word-at-a-time instruction stream which modifies the contents of a memory. Although the von Neumann model has proved to be a viable and powerful approach to computation, we have chosen to explore other models of computation to determine if they offer advantages in ease of programming, exploitation of concurrency and performance. A primary motivation is new technology such as large scale integration (LSI) which has greatly expanded the range of choice in computer design.
Transcatheter aortic valve replacement in low risk patients: a review of PARTNER 3 and Evolut low risk trials.

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has become a mainstay in treatment for patients with severe aortic stenosis who are considered high-risk surgical candidates. The use of TAVR in low-risk patients with severe aortic stenosis is being explored as an alternative to surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR). Recent results from the Medtronic Evolut Low Risk trial and the Placement of Aortic Transcatheter Valves (PARTNER) 3 trial shed light on the use of TAVR in low-risk surgical candidates. The Evolut Low Risk trial compared TAVR with a self-expanding supra-annular bioprosthesis to SAVR in 1468 patients with severe aortic stenosis who were low surgical risk. Patients with a mean age of 74 and a mean Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) risk score of 1.9% were randomized to either TAVR or SAVR groups. Using the composite end point of death or disabling stroke at 24 months, the study found an incidence of 5.3% in the TAVR arm and 6.7% in the surgical arm. The Evolut Low Risk trial thus concluded that TAVR was statistically noninferior but not superior to SAVR (difference, −1.4 percentage points; 95% Bayesian credible interval for the difference, −4.9 to 2.1; posterior probability of noninferiority, >0.999). The PARTNER 3 trial assigned 1,000 patients with severe aortic stenosis and low surgical risk to either TAVR with transfemoral placement of balloon expandable valve or SAVR. Patients with a mean age of 73 and a mean STS score of 1.9% were randomized to either TAVR or SAVR groups. With respect to the primary endpoint of composite death from any cause, stroke, or rehospitalization, the study found an occurrence of 8.5% in TAVR and 15.1% in SAVR, confirming both noninferiority and superiority in the TAVR group [absolute difference, −6.6 percentage points; 95% confidence interval (CI), −10.8 to −2.5; P<0.001 for noninferiority; hazard ratio, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.37 to 0.79; P=0.001 for superiority]. Both the Evolut low risk trial and the PARTNER 3 trial provide evidence that the use of TAVR extends beyond the scope of high and intermediate risk surgical patients and is at the very least equivalent to SAVR in the treatment low-risk surgical candidates when using a transfemoral approach in patients without bicuspid aortic valves. In this article we provide an extensive review on the Evolute low risk and PARTNER 3 trials, including a discussion on clinically relevant outcomes.