cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Feasibility of spatial frequency domain imaging (SFDI) for optically characterizing a preclinical oncology model

Determination of chemotherapy efficacy early during treatment would provide more opportunities for physicians to alter and adapt treatment plans. Diffuse optical technologies may be ideally suited to track early biological events following chemotherapy administration due to low cost and high information content. We evaluated the use of spatial frequency domain imaging (SFDI) to characterize a small animal tumor model in order to move towards the goal of endogenous optical monitoring of cancer therapy in a controlled preclinical setting. The effects of key measurement parameters including the choice of imaging spatial frequency and the repeatability of measurements were evaluated. The precision of SFDI optical property extractions over repeat mouse measurements was determined to be within 3.52% for move and replace experiments. Baseline optical properties and chromophore values as well as intratumor heterogeneity were evaluated over 25 tumors. Additionally, tumor growth and chemotherapy response were monitored over a 45 day longitudinal study in a small number of mice to demonstrate the ability of SFDI to track treatment effects. Optical scattering and oxygen saturation increased as much as 70% and 25% respectively in treated tumors, suggesting SFDI may be useful for preclinical tracking of cancer therapies.
Transformation of Mission-Critical Applications in Aviation to Cyber-Physical Systems

This chapter provides an in-depth analysis of mission-critical applications in aviation that involve the decision triad of aircraft, Flight Operations Control (FOC), and the Air Navigation Service Provider (ANSP). A characterization of operations and system requirements is carried out to provide bases for identifying cyber-physical system (CPS) transformation opportunities. Transformation opportunities are examined from the perspectives of the aircraft, the FOC, and the ANSP respectively. Benefits provided by the transformation and the challenges faced by this transformation are discussed, with potential path for addressing them identified. It is concluded that CPS integration is already happening in some segments, and ultimately an industry-wide transformation can be achieved.
Energy Conservation as a Measure of Simulation Accuracy

Energy conservation is widely used as a measure of accuracy for molecular simulations. When reporting rates of energy drift, researchers usually assume it is linear in the simulation length, temperature, and system size. We study these assumptions and find that all three are incorrect. Energy drift is too complicated to characterize with a single number, and a more sophisticated analysis is needed to identify the effects of systematic versus random drift, and of integration error versus numerical error. We further argue that energy conservation is not a reliable measure of accuracy. Having small overall drift on long time scales is not a sufficient condition, and in some cases not a necessary condition, for a simulation to produce meaningful results.
The Role of Nonprofit, Nongovernmental Funding in Support of Biomedical Research

Abstract An important source of support for biomedical research is the nongovernmental, nonprofit community of funders. This category of resources, while modest overall in proportion to Federal and industry sources, can be of considerable value to investigators, and early-career researchers should become familiar with organizations relevant to their field of interest. Many of these have a special interest in career development and can provide the initial grants needed for those who have little or no personal research track record to attract other funders. Even for more established investigators, small grants from these organizations can facilitate acquisition of the preliminary data needed to obtain larger Federal awards, and in some cases, nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations can be the source of major resources, especially for high-risk, high-reward endeavors. We describe the various forms these organizations can take and specific characteristics that may make one type or another more desirable for particular purposes, and provide suggestions for successful approaches.
Memoirs: Nucleolar Behaviour in the Mitosis of Plant Cells

1. The resting nuclei of Cucurbita pepo and Cucurbita maxima contain a single, spherical nucleolus that is relatively very large. Part, at least, of this nucleolus persists during nearly the entire process of mitosis. During the metaphase it lies in the equatorial plate and becomes elongated in the direction of the long axis of the spindle, to form first a cylinder and then, with further elongation, a dumb-bell-shaped structure, which finally separates into two fragments that migrate to the opposite poles of the spindle. This entire movement occurs prior to any anaphase migration of the chromosomes. The nucleolar fragments apparently are not included in the daughter nuclei during the telophasic reconstruction, but degenerate in the cytoplasm. 2. Examination of the literature suggests that a similar process of nucleolar division probably occurs in a wide variety of plant-cells. 3. The bearing of this type of nucleolar division on theories of the dynamics of anaphase migration of the chromosomes is briefly discussed.
Instructional Investment or Administrative Bloat: The Effects of Charter System Conversion on Resource Allocations and Staffing Patterns

ABSTRACTDespite the growing call for local autonomy and flexibility, few scholars have examined the role of school district–level flexibility on resource allocation and staffing patterns. Leveraging the charter system law within the State of Georgia, we utilize a generalized difference-in-differences approach to estimate the impact of flexibility of system-level expenditures and staffing changes. We find evidence of increases in central office spending and staffing post-conversion to a charter system. In addition, we find evidence that local support is replaced by the state-funded supplemental funding.
Trauma to the Anterior Chamber and Lens

The anterior chamber and lens are commonly injured after blunt and penetrating trauma. Due to their anterior position in the skull, these structures are affected by both direct and indirect forces, leading to a variety of clinical findings. In this chapter we discuss the anatomy, as well as the etiology, presentation, management, and prognosis of injuries to the anterior chamber and lens. Hyphema, or blood in the anterior chamber, is a common sequela of blunt trauma to the eye. Its presence often indicates extensive intraocular tissue damage and its associated complications can lead to severe vision loss. Traumatic iritis, or anterior chamber inflammation following blunt trauma, is self-limited and benign. The iris is a thin tissue that lacks structural support, and is particularly susceptible to injury. Iris sphincter tears, iridodialysis, and aniridia are iris injuries that may be encountered. Injury to the crystalline lens is common, and can range from asymptomatic focal opacities to complete cataract formation with severe vision loss. The delicate zonular fibers that hold the lens in position, are easily disrupted following trauma, leading to lens subluxation or dislocation. Surgical management of traumatic lens injury is challenging as damage to the lens capsule and zonules may be found intraoperatively. We also discuss trauma to the pseudophakic eye, in which intraocular lens dislocation and wound dehiscence are possible occurrences after trauma.
Methodology for energy strategy to prescreen the feasibility of Ground Source Heat Pump systems in residential and commercial buildings in the United States

Abstract Geothermal resources have potential to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. The viability of geothermal heat pumps or ground source heat pumps (GSHPs) is significant as a potential alternative energy source with substantial savings potential. While the prospect of these systems is promising for energy efficiency, careful feasibility analysis is required before implementation. This paper presents the results of evaluation of the application feasibility for GSHPs in buildings across seven climate zones in three United States regions. A comprehensive methodology is developed to measure the integrated feasibility of GSHPs using compiled data for energy use intensity, energy cost and design parameters. Four different feasibility metrics are utilized: ground temperature, outdoor weather condition, energy savings potential, and cost benefits. For each metric, a corresponding feasibility score system is developed. The defined integrated feasibility score classifies the locations into five different feasibility levels ranging from Fair (0–20), Moderate (21–40), Good (41–60), High (61–80), and Very High (81–100). Conclusions show the GSHP feasibility level is High for 3 sites, Good for 8 sites and Moderate for 4 sites. Through the methodology, it is possible to develop a practical energy strategy for more economic and sustainable GSHP systems at an early design stage in the various viewpoints of geometries, climate conditions, operational factors, and energy costs.
Designing for Critical, Relational, Practice-Immersed Teacher Preparation: Weaving Threads into Tapestry in a Critical Project-Based Literacy Partnership.

As teacher educators located in K–12 and university contexts, we had experienced the often-highlighted disconnections between university teacher education and preservice apprenticeships in schools....
The Status of Decoding Tests in Instructional Decision-Making:

The purpose of this study was to analyze published decoding tests, at the item level, to determine what decoding skills and discrete letter-patterns are assessed, and identify potential instruction...
Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II regulation of IKs during sustained β-adrenergic receptor stimulation

Background Sustained β-adrenergic receptor (β-AR) stimulation causes pathophysiological changes during heart failure (HF), including inhibition of the slow component of the delayed rectifier potassium current (I Ks ). Aberrant calcium handling, including increased activation of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII), contributes to arrhythmia development during HF. Objective The purpose of this study was to investigate CaMKII regulation of KCNQ1 (pore-forming subunit of I Ks ) during sustained β-AR stimulation and associated functional implications on I Ks . Methods KCNQ1 phosphorylation was assessed using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry after sustained β-AR stimulation with isoproterenol (ISO). Peptide fragments corresponding to KCNQ1 residues were synthesized to identify CaMKII phosphorylation at the identified sites. Dephosphorylated (alanine) and phosphorylated (aspartic acid) mimics were introduced at identified residues. Whole-cell, voltage-clamp experiments were performed in human endothelial kidney 293 cells coexpressing wild-type or mutant KCNQ1 and KCNE1 (auxiliary subunit) during ISO treatment or lentiviral δCaMKII overexpression. Results Novel KCNQ1 carboxy-terminal sites were identified with enhanced phosphorylation during sustained β-AR stimulation at T482 and S484. S484 peptides demonstrated the strongest δCaMKII phosphorylation. Sustained β-AR stimulation reduced I Ks activation ( P = .02 vs control) similar to the phosphorylated mimic ( P = .62 vs sustained β-AR). Individual phosphorylated mimics at S484 ( P = .04) but not at T482 ( P = .17) reduced I Ks function. Treatment with CN21 (CaMKII inhibitor) reversed the reductions in I Ks vs CN21-Alanine control ( P Ks similar to ISO treatment in wild type ( P P = .99). Conclusion CaMKII regulates KCNQ1 at S484 during sustained β-AR stimulation to inhibit I Ks . The ability of CaMKII to inhibit I Ks may contribute to arrhythmogenicity during HF.
Switzerland’s Independent Commission of Experts: State-Sponsored History and the Challenges of Political Partisanship

In response to questions and criticisms concerning the handling of so-called “dormant accounts” retained by Swiss banks after 1945 and the role of the state, more generally, in the alleged spoliation of Jewish assets prior to and during World War Two, the Swiss government in December 1996 created a state-sponsored historical commission to investigate and clarify the role Switzerland had played in facilitating the Holocaust. Switzerland’s Independent Commission of Experts (ICE) conducted extensive research on questions related to Switzerland’s banking and commercial practices, its refugee policies, and its post-war restitution programs. Although the ICE struggled at times to assert its independence, ultimately the commission established itself as an important and effective tool for both political trouble-shooting and conflict mediation.
Decontamination of Soils through Immobilization of Anthropogenic Organics by Biotic and Abiotic Catalysts

Processes that cause immobilization of contaminants in soil are of great environmental importance because they may lead to a considerable reduction in the bioavailability of contaminants and may restrict their leaching into groundwater. Previous investigations demonstrated that pollutants can be bound to soil constituents by either physical or chemical interactions (Calderbank, 1989). From an environmental point of view, chemical interactions are preferred, because they frequently lead to the formation of strong covalent bonds that are difficult to disrupt by microbial activity or chemical treatments. Humic substances resulting from lignin decomposition appear to be the major binding ligands involved in the incorporation of contaminants into the soil matrix through stable chemical linkages (Bollag et al., 1997; Gevao et al., 2000).
Synthesis and characterization of PVP-coated tellurium nanorods and their antibacterial and anticancer properties

Antibiotic resistance is a predicament that affects more than 2 million people worldwide each year. Through the over-prescription and extensive use of antibiotics, bacteria have generated resistance to many common antibiotic treatments. A promising approach to target antibiotic-resistant bacteria is the use of metallic nanoparticles. In this work, an environmentally safe synthesis of tellurium nanoparticles was explored. Rod-shaped tellurium nanoparticles coated with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) were prepared using a facile hydrothermal reduction reaction. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images were used to characterize the size and morphology of the nanoparticles and showed a narrow size distribution. In addition, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) was performed to verify the chemical composition of the nanoparticles. Antibacterial assays determined that treatment with nanoparticles at concentrations of 25 to 100 μg/mL induced a decay in the growth of both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria—both antibiotic-resistant and non-antibiotic-resistance strains. To determine the effects of the nanoparticles on off-target cells, cytotoxicity assays were performed using human dermal fibroblasts (HDF) and melanoma (skin cancer) cells for durations of 24 and 48 h. Treatment with nanoparticles at concentrations between 10 and 100 μg/mL showed no significant cytotoxicity towards HDF cells. Contrarily, in melanoma cells, a cytotoxic effect was observed at the same concentrations. This suggests that the nanoparticles possess both anticancer properties towards melanoma cells and antibacterial effects without being toxic to healthy cells. These properties show that, for the first time, PVP-coated tellurium nanorods can be exploited for the treatment of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections. These nanorods should be further explored for numerous antibacterial and anticancer applications.
Sampled Connectionist Temporal Classification

This article introduces and evaluates Sampled Connectionist Temporal Classification (CTC) which connects the CTC criterion to the Cross Entropy (CE) objective through sampling. Instead of computing the logarithm of the sum of the alignment path likelihoods, at each training step the sampled CTC only computes the CE loss between the sampled alignment path and model posteriors. It is shown that the sampled CTC objective is an unbiased estimator of an upper bound for the CTC loss, thus minimization of the sampled CTC is equivalent to the minimization of the upper bound of the CTC objective. The definition of the sampled CTC objective has the advantage that it is scalable computationally to the massive datasets using accelerated computation machines. The sampled CTC is compared with CTC in two large-scale speech recognition tasks and it is shown that sampled CTC can achieve similar WER performance of the best CTC baseline in about one fourth of the training time of the CTC baseline.
Oiartzungo azentuera zaharra

espanolEntre los materiales que Mitxelena nos dejo sin publicar hay una grabacion preparada para estudiar los contrastes acentuales. Mitxelena entrevisto a un hablante de Oiartzun para este proposito. En este trabajo analizamos los patrones acentuales que aparecen en la grabacion y los comparamos con la clasificacion hecha por Mitxelena. El principal resultado es que el sistema acentual que se empleaba en Oiartzun en esa epoca tenia gran semejanza con el que todavia encontramos en Goizueta. euskaraMitxelenak argitaratu gabe utzitako langaien artean grabaketa bat dugu. Grabaketaren helburua azentu bereizkuntzak aztertzea zen. Azterketa hori egiteko, Mitxelenak Oiartzungo hiztun bat elkarrizketatu zuen. Hemen grabaketan agertzen diren azentu patroiak miatzen ditugu eta Mitxelenak egindako sailkapenarekin elkartzen ditugu. Ondorio nagusia da orduko Oiartzungo sistemak antza handia zuela oraindik ere Goizuetan erabiltzen den azentuerarekin. EnglishAmong the research materials that Mitxelena left unpublished we find a recording that he prepared in order to study accentual contrasts in Basque. For this purpose, Mitxelena interviewed a speaker from Oiartzun. In this paper, we analyze the accentual patterns that are found in the recording and compare them with Mitxelena’s classification. The main result is that the accentual system that was employed in Oiartzun at the time was rather similar to that still found in Goizueta.
DLSM: A Theoretically Based Model to Help Families and Loved Ones’ Transition From Independent Living to Dependent Living Facilities:

Older adults and their families may encounter difficulties as they transition from independent living to a dependent living environment. The stress of daily coping and illness can disrupt the famil...
Generalizable Inter-Institutional Classification of Abnormal Chest Radiographs Using Efficient Convolutional Neural Networks.

Our objective is to evaluate the effectiveness of efficient convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for abnormality detection in chest radiographs and investigate the generalizability of our models on data from independent sources. We used the National Institutes of Health ChestX-ray14 (NIH-CXR) and the Rhode Island Hospital chest radiograph (RIH-CXR) datasets in this study. Both datasets were split into training, validation, and test sets. The DenseNet and MobileNetV2 CNN architectures were used to train models on each dataset to classify chest radiographs into normal or abnormal categories; models trained on NIH-CXR were designed to also predict the presence of 14 different pathological findings. Models were evaluated on both NIH-CXR and RIH-CXR test sets based on the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC). DenseNet and MobileNetV2 models achieved AUROCs of 0.900 and 0.893 for normal versus abnormal classification on NIH-CXR and AUROCs of 0.960 and 0.951 on RIH-CXR. For the 14 pathological findings in NIH-CXR, MobileNetV2 achieved an AUROC within 0.03 of DenseNet for each finding, with an average difference of 0.01. When externally validated on independently collected data (e.g., RIH-CXR-trained models on NIH-CXR), model AUROCs decreased by 3.6–5.2% relative to their locally trained counterparts. MobileNetV2 achieved comparable performance to DenseNet in our analysis, demonstrating the efficacy of efficient CNNs for chest radiograph abnormality detection. In addition, models were able to generalize to external data albeit with performance decreases that should be taken into consideration when applying models on data from different institutions.
Solidarity in the newsroom? Media concentration and union organizing: A case study from the sunshine state:

This article examines the struggles, actions, and challenges of the journalist organizers at two Florida legacy newspapers – the Lakeland Ledger and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune – who unionized in 2...
The Design of a Surface Heat Flux Transducer for Use in Fabric Thermal Protection Testing

From theoretical considerations, a custom slug calorimeter heat flux transducer was developed for experimental use in the measurement of heat fluxes transferred through layers of fabric to the surface of a human mannequinduring simulated flash fire conditions. This paper describes the determination of the transducer's physical size, its limitations and heat loss considerations, a computer simulation of transducer operation and the evaluation of transient heat flux measurements. The transducer's loss factors were predicted numerically and determined experimentally. The overall performance of the transducer was also examined under varying simulated applied heat flux input.
Hands-On Research and Training in High Performance Data Sciences, Data Analytics, and Machine Learning for Emerging Environments

This paper describes a hands-on Research Experiences for Computational Science, Engineering, and Mathematics (RECSEM) program in high-performance data sciences, data analytics, and machine learning on emerging computer architectures. RECSEM is a Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) site program supported by the USA National Science Foundation. This site program at the University of Tennessee (UTK) directs a group of ten undergraduate students to explore, as well as contribute to the emergent interdisciplinary computational science models and state-of-the-art HPC techniques via a number of cohesive compute and data intensive applications in which numerical linear algebra is the fundamental building block.
Conflicting Roles of 20-HETE in Hypertension and Stroke

Hypertension is the most common modifiable risk factor for stroke, and understanding the underlying mechanisms of hypertension and hypertension-related stroke is crucial. 20-hydroxy-5, 8, 11, 14-eicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE), which plays an important role in vasoconstriction, autoregulation, endothelial dysfunction, angiogenesis, inflammation, and blood-brain barrier integrity, has been linked to hypertension and stroke. 20-HETE can promote hypertension by potentiating the vascular response to vasoconstrictors; it also can reduce blood pressure by inhibition of sodium transport in the kidney. The production of 20-HETE is elevated after the onset of both ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes; on the other hand, subjects with genetic variants in CYP4F2 and CYP4A11 that reduce 20-HETE production are more susceptible to stroke. This review summarizes recent genetic variants in CYP4F2, and CYP4A11 influencing 20-HETE production and discusses the role of 20-HETE in hypertension and the susceptibility to the onset, progression, and prognosis of ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes.
Quantitative Literacy: Alternative Pathway for College Developmental Mathematics Students.

Low passing rates in developmental mathematics have been a serious concern for community colleges for many years. A course in Quantitative Literacy (QL) offers non-STEM students an alternative option to introductory algebra as a path to a degree. This paper describes the implementation and evolution of QL at the Borough of Manhattan Community College. Students enrolled in the 17 sections of QL were compared to a matched sample of students from Elementary Algebra. The students enrolled in QL in the Spring of 2013 were 175% more likely to have passed a credit-bearing mathematics course one year later, indicating that QL represents a valuable alternative for non-STEM college students placed into algebra level remediation. Further, the implementation and preliminary results of a corequisite course combining QL with college level Quantitative Reasoning (QR) are presented.
Supporting Elementary Teachers' Collective Inquiry into the “E” in STEM

In the USA context of the Next Generation Science Standards, elementary teachers face challenges in implementing engineering practices in their teaching due their lack of experience and training in engineering design. The paper reports about a multiple case study that examined one professional development approach to improve teachers’ understanding and implementation of the STEM discipline of engineering. Two teams of elementary teachers analyzed their students’ written work and assessments during facilitated professional learning community sessions with a science/engineering education researcher after their first implementation of an engineering design unit. The results indicated that the teachers noticed students’ understandings and misconceptions about the work of engineers, the disciplinary language for a specific engineering unit, the operational mechanism of a design, and engineering epistemic practices (i.e., envisioning design proposals, making evidence-based decisions, evaluating solutions based on criteria). From this collaborative, focused analysis of student work for the engineering challenge, the teacher teams constructed their understanding of students’ thinking and generated recommendations for pedagogical changes in their own STEM teaching practice for engineering design. The findings from this study have implications for forms of professional development that sustain teacher learning about the STEM discipline of engineering design.
CARAI: A Formative Evaluation Methodology for VR Simulations

Virtual reality (VR) has a long history of being used to simulate real-world tasks, often for training and educational purposes. Yet, developing a VR system that is usable and effective is not trivial and is still a challenging task. We present a methodology for formatively evaluating the usability of VR simulations by capturing a real-world task, automating data logging, running a rigorous user study, analyzing subtask user performances, and inspecting subpar subtasks for usability issues.
A Dynamical Approach to Efficient Eigenvalue Estimation in General Multiagent Networks.

We propose a method to efficiently estimate the eigenvalues of any arbitrary (potentially weighted and/or directed) network of interacting dynamical agents from dynamical observations. These observations are discrete, temporal measurements about the evolution of the outputs of a subset of agents (potentially one) during a finite time horizon; notably, we do not require knowledge of which agents are contributing to our measurements. We propose an efficient algorithm to exactly recover the (potentially complex) eigenvalues corresponding to network modes that are observable from the output measurements. The length of the sequence of measurements required by our method to generate a full reconstruction of the observable eigenvalue spectrum is, at most, twice the number of agents in the network, but smaller in practice. The proposed technique can be applied to networks of multiagent systems with arbitrary dynamics in both continuous- and discrete-time. Finally, we illustrate our results with numerical simulations.
Concomitant placement of dialysis and infusion catheters in the right internal jugular vein in the intensive care setting: Is it safe?

Purpose:This study examined the safety and efficacy of placing both a central venous dialysis catheter and a central venous catheter for infusion in the right internal jugular vein compared to only...
Direct Oral Anticoagulants in the Treatment of Left Ventricular Thrombus: A Retrospective, Multicenter Study and Meta-Analysis of Existing Data

Aim:To compare the safety and efficacy of direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) relative to vitamin K antagonists (VKA) for the treatment of left ventricular thrombus (LVT).Methods:This retrospective s...
High Frequency Signal Injection Method for Online Condition Monitoring of Electric Machines

In this study, a new high frequency current injection method to assess the health condition of induction machines is proposed. The deterioration in the isolation material of an induction motor is determined by analyzing the high frequency response of the machine while considering the rotor-to-stator, rotor-to-frame, stator-to-frame, and bearings-to-frame structural capacitances. A machine model is built to simulate the effect of aging in the structural materials of the motor. The response of the motor is analyzed by simulating the effect of aging/deterioration as changes in the structural capacitances. Induction machines are used in the laboratory experiments. The experiments presented in this paper validate the proposed method and its feasibility.
Mechanosensing and Plant Growth Regulators Elicited During the Thigmomorphogenetic Response

The influence of mechanical bending or flexing of trees due primarily to wind, on tree growth and development has been observed and reported for hundreds of years. This response was defined as the thigmomorphogenetic response in 1973. In general, the response of trees to bending is a reduction in extension/height growth, and increase in radial growth and increased allocation from above ground to below ground tissues accompanied by changes in biomechanical properties of the xylem. Within the last fifty years, significant advancements have been reported in characterizing the response of trees to this mechanical. Current research has advanced the understanding of how trees respond after mechanoprecption via molecular signaling and physiological changes in growth regulation. This review provides insight into these subcellular reactions of thigmomorphogenesis and a summary of recent advances in understanding the response of trees to mechanical bending.
Reengineering Journalism: Product Manager as News Industry Institutional Entrepreneur

The current media environment demands a continuous stream of products ready to meet audience needs, and the emergent role of product manager serves to prioritize those needs by providing a holistic...
Expanding the Donor Pool: First Use of Hepatitis B Virus Nat Positive Solid Organ Allografts Into Seronegative Recipients.

Objectives The aim of this study was to assess the 1-year safety and effectiveness of HBV Nucleic Acid Test positive (HBV NAT+) allografts in seronegative kidney transplant (KT) and liver transplant (LT) recipients. Summary background data Despite an ongoing organ shortage, the utilization of HBV NAT+ allografts into seronegative recipients has not been investigated. Methods From January 2017 to October 2020, a prospective cohort study was conducted among consecutive KT and LT recipients at a single institution. Primary endpoints were post-transplant HBV viremia, graft and patient survival. Results With median follow-up of 1-year, there were no HBV-related complications in the 89 HBV NAT+ recipients. Only 9 of 56 KTs (16.1%) and 9 of 33 LTs (27.3%) experienced post-transplant HBV viremia at a median of 185 (KT) and 269 (LT) days postoperatively. Overall, viremic episodes resolved to undetected HBV DNA after a median of 80 days of entecavir therapy in 16 of 18 recipients. Presently, 100% of KT recipients and 93.9% of LT recipients are HBV NAT- with median follow-up of 13 months, whereas 0 KT and 8 LT (24.2%) recipients are HBV surface antigen positive indicating chronic infection. KT and LT patient and allograft survival were not different between HBV NAT+ and HBV NAT- recipients (P > 0.05), whereas HBV NAT+ KT recipients had decreased waitlist time and pretransplant duration on dialysis (P Conclusions This is the largest series describing the transplantation of HBV NAT+ kidney and liver allografts into HBV seronegative recipients without chronic HBV viremia or decreased 1-year patient and graft survival. Increasing the utilization of HBV NAT+ organs in nonviremic recipients can play a role in decreasing the national organ shortage.
The role of Li site occupancy on the Li-ion conductivity of Ta-doped Li6.75La3Zr1.75Ta0.25O12 solid electrolyte materials with high Li concentrations

Abstract Garnet-type Li7La3Zr2O12 has attracted much attention because of its promising properties of high ionic conductivity, good chemical stability against Li metal, and good mechanical strength. To better understand the Li conduction mechanism, the Li site occupancy and Li-ion conductivity are studied with a high Li concentration in the range of 6.70–7.15 mol per formula unit. Aluminum and silicon, which presumably were transferred to the sample from the Al2O3 crucible during processing, were included in the cubic garnet structure for the Rietveld refinements. The Li-ion conductivity increases with the occupancy of the octahedral Li site (Occupancy: 0.78–0.87, Li-ion conductivity: 3–5 × 10−4 S/cm). As the lithium content increases, the portion of lithium occupying the 96 h octahedral site increases and that occupying the 24d tetrahedral site decreases.
The effects of sleep on firefighter occupational performance and health: A systematic review and call for action

Abstract Firefighting is a mentally and physically demanding profession which is compounded by poor sleep due to shift schedules commonly used by fire departments. Compared to other professions, firefighters are at high risk for musculoskeletal injuries, mental illnesses, and cardiovascular diseases. The purpose of this study was to systemically review the effects of sleep on firefighter occupational performance and health. A search was conducted for studies that conducted a quantitative analysis involving sleep and occupational performance in firefighters. Relevant data were extracted and study quality evaluated with Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. There were 15 articles meeting the inclusion criteria with a total sample of 1591 (1539 male, 52 female) firefighters. We found that firefighters with poor sleep measures had worse cognitive performance and overall health, but physical capabilities were not impacted by acute sleep restriction. However, chronic poor sleep would likely negatively impact physical performance due to being associated with a decline in numerous health measures. To avoid sleep-related declines in occupational performance fire departments should consider the consequences of shift schedules on the performance and health of firefighters. Furthermore, sleep education interventions, the use of wearables to monitor, recovery and sleep health screening appear beneficial based on prior research.
Nettimer: a tool for measuring bottleneck link, bandwidth

Measuring the bottleneck link bandwidth along a path is important for understanding the performance of many Internet applications. Existing tools to measure bottleneck bandwidth are relatively slow, can only measure bandwidth in one direction, and/or actively send probe packets. We present the nettimer bottleneck link bandwidth measurement tool, the libdpcap distributed packet capture library, and experiments quantifying their utility. We test nettimer across a variety of bottleneck network technologies ranging from 19.2Kb/s to 100Mb/s, wired and wireless, symmetric and asymmetric bandwidth, across local area and cross-country paths, while using both one and two packet capture hosts. In most cases, nettimer has an error of less than 10%, but at worst has an error of 40%, even on cross-country paths of 17 or more hops. It converges within 10KB of the first large packet arrival while consuming less than 7% of the network traffic being measured.
Sex, MAT, and the Evolution of Fungal Virulence

While many fungi have a characterized sexual cycle, the pathogenic fungi represent a special example in which sexuality is uncommon and sexual mechanisms are unusual or cryptic. Given their evolutionary relationship to model organisms such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae, it is striking that many species of pathogenic fungi have never been observed to mate in the laboratory despite population genetic evidence for recombining population structures. The study of the role of sexual cycles of pathogenic fungi therefore takes center stage, promising to reveal much about how these pathogenic microbes evolve, enabling infection of humans and continued adaptation to unique challenges, such as the advent of new therapeutic interventions. This chapter provides a summary of our current knowledge of the role of mating in pathogenic fungi and discusses future directions in this field. It reviews recent studies that shed light on the role of sex and the evolution of virulence in Cryptococcus neoformans. MAT was subjected to ongoing intraand interallelic gene conversion, and inversions that suppress recombination that may be driven by the high transposon content of the locus. The infectious particle of the primary pathogen Cryptococcus immitis is also an asexually produced structure, the arthroconidium. Pneumocystis jiroveci is a common fungal pathogen of humans that is often acquired early in life. The mechanisms by which organisms recombine their genomes to produce recombinant offspring are central to our understanding of how organisms evolve and adapt to new environments.
Climatology and trends of wind speed in the Beaufort/Chukchi Sea coastal region from 1979 to 2009

Climatic records of wind speed are analyzed for eight long-term monitoring locations in the Beaufort/Chukchi coastal region of the Arctic, over the period from 1979 to 2009. Data for this study originated from three national observing networks throughout the Beaufort/Chukchi region and were uniformly quality controlled using a combination of automated and manual checks. The climatology of wind speed was developed over the study period and includes analyses of mean wind speed, extremes, and frequency distributions. Trends in monthly and annual wind speed were examined. The climatology illustrates strong distinctions between coastal and interior locations, strong seasonal characteristics, and diurnal cycles in wind speed. Negative trends in wind speed were apparent at several locations, particularly at locations in Alaska. Many of these trends were statistically significant (95% CI). To assess the impact of artificial changes on trends, station data were homogenized with respect to metadata records. Trends were recalculated and the effects were discussed. Possible drivers of wind speed trends were also discussed, including multi-decadal climate signals. Results from the climatology and trend analyses were compared with output from the North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR). Negative biases in wind speed were apparent at most locations throughout the year in NARR. Trends in NARR wind speed opposed in situ trends, at most locations. Improved knowledge of wind speed records and reanalysis output is important in this rapidly changing region.
A Real Time Fuzzy Self Tuning Control

A self-tuning expert fuzzy controller has been developed and applied in real time to a process control problem. As in other expert systems, the knowledge base consists of rules describing the control law in terms of the process error and the resulting control action. Conditions and conclusions of each rule are fuzzy variables which are described through their membership curves. The inference engine used is the backward chaining process of the Prolog language. To implement the self-tuning property, the membership curve of the controller output has been changed according to an error based performance index. A control supervisor makes this tuning decision as a function of past or predicted future set-point errors of the control system. To verify the viability of this fuzzy controller, it has been applied to control the speed of a DC motor and the angular position of an inverted pendulum. The paper also discusses the stability problems associated with this control scheme.
Thermo-kinetic modelling of variable valve timing effects on HCCI engine combustion / HCCI Motorun Yanmasına Değişken Supap Zamanlamasının Etkilerinin Termo-Kinetik Modeli

In this study the effects of variable valve timing on the combustion of an Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) engine have been analysed using a new modelling approach for HCCI engine cycle. A novel sequential modelling platform is developed using a combination of detailed multi-zone thermo-kinetic combustion model, 1D intake flow model and exhaust gas flow model. The new model utilizes CHEMKIN-PRO and GT-POWER software along with in-house exhaust gas flow model. Experimental data from a single-cylinder HCCI engine is used to validate the model. Validation results show that the model can predict combustion phasing and Indicated Mean Effective Pressure (IMEP) with average errors of 1.1 crank angle degrees (CAD) and 0.3 bar, respectively. The experimentally validated model is then used to investigate the effects of intake valve timing on HCCI auto-ignition radicals, zonal temperature, combustion phasing, IMEP, and exhaust emissions. Ozet: Bu calismada, HCCI motor cevrimi icin yeni bir model yaklasimi kullanilarak, homojen dolgulu sikistirma ateslemeli (HCCI) bir motordaki yanmaya degisken supap zamanlamasinin etkisi incelenmistir. Detayli bir cok-bolgeli termo-kinetik yanma modeli, 1D emme akis modeli ve egzoz gazi akis modeli kombinasyonu kullanilarak yeni bir ardisik modelleme platformu gelistirilmistir. Yeni model, yalnizca egzoz manifoldundaki gaz akis modeli ile CHEMKIN-PRO ve GT-POWER yazilimi kullanmaktadir. Modeli dogrulamak icin tek silindirli bir HCCI motordan elde edilen deneysel veriler kullanilmistir. Dogrulama sonuclari gostermistir ki model, 1.1 krank acisi derecesi ve 0.3 bar ortalama hatalar ile yanma fazini ve ortalama efektif basinci tahmin edebilmektedir. Deneysel olarak dogrulanan model daha sonra emme supabi zamaninin HCCI otomatik atesleme karakterine, bolgesel sicakliga, yanma fazina, ortalama efektif basinca ve egzoz emisyonlarina etkisini arastirmak icin kullanilmistir.
Residential field source at power frequencies

EPRI (The Electric Power Research Institute) is conducting studies to provide engineering data on the sources of residential AC magnetic fields. An overview of the sources of residential AC magnetic fields and their characteristics is presented. The following sources have been identified as contributing to the magnetic field in residences: residential grounding system currents, unusual wiring configurations in the residence, distribution lines, transmission lines, and appliances. Distribution lines as a source of magnetic field were further divided into balanced currents on the primary and secondary wires and net current (the vectorial sum of all the currents in the primary and secondary wires). The spatial, temporal, and harmonic characteristics of these magnetic field sources are summarized. >
Dimensions of procedural pain and its analgesic management in critically ill surgical patients.

Background and purpose Many critically ill patients undergo endotracheal suctioning and chest tube removal procedures, yet little documentation of associated pain exists. Therefore, a study was conducted to (1) compare the magnitude and dimensions of pain associated with endotracheal suctioning and chest tube removal in intubated and nonintubated patients and (2) correlate preprocedural analgesic administration and pain magnitude. Methods Multiple dimensions of pain (ie, intensity, extent, sensation, and affect) were measured after postoperative cardiovascular surgery patients underwent endotracheal suctioning (N = 45) or chest tube removal (N = 35). Preprocedural analgesics and intubation status during pain assessments were noted. Results Patients reported lower pain intensity with endotracheal suctioning (mean, 4.9 on a 0-10 numerical rating scale) than with chest tube removal (mean, 6.6). Pain extent, sensation, and affect scores were relatively low for endotracheal suctioning and chest tube removal. Similar words such as "tender," "sharp," and "heavy" were used to describe both procedures; however, more patients described their response to chest tube removal as "fearful." Intubated patients had different pain experiences than extubated patients. Patients received little analgesic premedication, and correlations were low and nonsignificant between amount of medication received and pain magnitude. Conclusions Patients were able to communicate extensive information about procedural pain, even when intubated. Endotracheal suctioning and chest tube removal were both painful; yet, there was little preparatory analgesic management of the pain. Research is needed to investigate a variety of pharmacological and nonpharmacological interventions for pain related to endotracheal suctioning and chest tube removal.
Antigenic variation and transmission fitness as drivers of bacterial strain structure.

Summary Shifts in microbial strain structure underlie both emergence of new pathogens and shifts in patterns of infection and disease of known agents. Understanding the selective pressures at a population level as well as the mechanisms at the molecular level represent significant gaps in our knowledge regarding microbial epidemiology. Highly antigenically variant pathogens, which are broadly represented among microbial taxa, are most commonly viewed through the mechanistic lens of how they evade immune clearance within the host. However, equally important are mechanisms that allow pathogens to evade immunity at the population level. The selective pressure of immunity at both the level of the individual host and the population is a driver of diversification within a pathogen strain. Using Anaplasma marginale as a model highly antigenically variable bacterial pathogen, we review how immunity selects for genetic diversification in alleles encoding outer membrane proteins both within and among strains. Importantly, genomic comparisons among strains isolated from diverse epidemiological settings elucidates the counterbalancing pressures for diversification and conservation, driven by immune escape and transmission fitness, respectively, and how these shape pathogen strain structure.
Eastward Ho and the Strength of Weak Ties for Playwrights and Patrons

1I am here, my most honoured Lord, unexamined or unheard, committed to a vile prison; and, with me, a gentleman, whose name may perhaps have come to your lordship: one Master George Chapman, a learned and honest man. The cause – would I could name some worthier, though I wish we had known none worthy our imprisonment – is, a (the word irks me, that our fortune hath necessitated us to so despised a course) play, my lord; whereof we hope there is no man can justly complain that hath the virtue to think but favourably of himself, if our judge bring an equal ear; marry, if with prejudice we be made guilty, afore our time, we must embrace the asinine virtue, patience. —Ben Jonson, letter to Robert Cecil, first Earl of Salisbury 2 Ben Jonson was no stranger to trouble; he dueled with and killed his fellow actor Gabriel Spenser, he was tossed in prison for his involvement with the Isle of Dogs (1597), and his play Sejanus