cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Diffusion coefficients of diesel fuel and surrogate compounds in supercritical carbon dioxide

Abstract Facilitating a new concept of clean diesel combustion using supercritical fluids requires a better understanding of thermophysical properties of the diesel fuel/diluent system. Mass diffusivity is one such property that is important to understand diesel fuel/diluent mixing and spray and combustion of supercritical fuel mixtures. In this work, diffusion coefficients of diesel fuel and surrogate compounds in supercritical carbon dioxide were experimentally determined by the Taylor dispersion method at temperatures from 313.15 to 373.15 K and pressures up to 30 MPa. Difficulties were encountered to measure diffusion coefficients using the Taylor dispersion method near the critical region of CO2 which resulted in curve-fitting errors greater than 5%. Predictive correlations including Wilke–Chang, Scheibel, and He–Yu were examined. Diffusivity data were also fitted by D12/T − η and D 12 / T − ρ correlations. Results showed that the He–Yu correlation has the best prediction performance while the D12/T − η correlation best fits the data with AAD%
A triangular plate element for thermo‐elastic analysis of sandwich panels with a functionally graded core

A sandwich construction is commonly composed of a single soft isotropic core with relatively stiff orthotropic face sheets. The stiffness of the core may be functionally graded through the thickness in order to reduce the interfacial shear stresses. In analysing sandwich panels with a functionally gradient core, the three-dimensional conventional finite elements or elements based on the layerwise (zig-zag) theory can be used. Although these elements accurately model a sandwich panel, they are computationally costly when the core is modelled as composed of several layers due to its grading material properties. An alternative to these elements is an element based on a single-layer plate theory in which the weighted-average field variables capture the panel deformation in the thickness direction. This study presents a new triangular finite element based on (3, 2}-order single-layer theory for modelling thick sandwich panels with or without a functionally graded core subjected to thermomechanical loading. A hybrid energy functional is employed in the derivation of the element because of a C 1 interelement continuity requirement. The variations of temperature and distributed loading acting on the top and bottom surfaces are non-uniform. The temperature also varies arbitrarily through the thickness.
Computer Modeling of Intracranial Saccular and Lateral Aneurysms for the Study of Their Hemodynamics

There is strong evidence indicating hemodynamic stress as an underlying cause for saccular intracranial aneurysm growth, thrombosis, and/or rupture. We examined flow fields encountered in models of cerebral aneurysms having a lateral (originating from the side of an artery, not at a branch point) geometric configuration. Shear stress and pressure gradients acting on aneurysm walls under a variety of flow and geometric conditions were evaluated. For this purpose, a two-dimensional finite-element computer model of lateral aneurysms in a steady-flow state was developed. Three idealized aneurysm shapes were studied, half-spherical, spherical, and pear-shaped. The ostium width of the cerebral aneurysm, relative to the radius of the parent artery and the Reynolds number, were also varied. Maximal shear stresses and maximum pressures (for an ostium width of 2 times the radius of the parent artery) were typically found at the downstream site of the ostium, rather than at the dome of the aneurysm. In general, the highest shear stresses and the lowest pressures (at the distal portion of the ostium) were obtained in the spherical aneurysm, whereas the lowest shear stresses and the highest pressures were found in the half-spherical aneurysm. The location of maximal stresses (shear and pressure) at the distal region of the ostium suggests that growth and/or rupture may well proceed from this point. Such findings are in contrast to the commonly held opinion that aneurysm rupture occurs at the dome. Careful pathological investigation will need to be performed to clarify this finding. The results of this preliminary investigation also indicate that the flow field in lateral aneurysms is highly dependent on a number of factors related to flow and geometric parameters. Geometry seems to be a significant mediator of local magnitudes of stress. Thus, the tendency for growth or thrombosis may be influenced by variations in size or shape.
Whose Landscape?Technology, Fascism, and Environmentalism on the National Socialist Autobahn

Abstract The paper discusses environmentalist aspects of the landscaping on the German Autobahn during the Nazi era. Authorship of the landscape is a key theoretical issue, for the work stemmed from a group of landscape architects whose goals, while unfortunately not in conflict with the political objectives of the regime, were by no means identical with or reducible to “National Socialism.” The tradition of the landscape garden was important here, but an even greater debt was owed to the turn-of-the-century Heimatschutz movement, which formulated a native landscape aesthetic as an explicit counterweight to highly rationalized landuse. Chief landscaper Alwin Seifert and his team applied this aesthetic to the Autobahn in an attempt to effect environmental reform, often undergirding their native plant preferences with ecological reasoning based on the climax model. Although this “bodenstandige” landscaping exhibited many specifically German influences and may have reinforced Nazi political rhetoric, it shou...
Specificity, rank preference, and the colonization of a non-native host plant by the Melissa blue butterfly

Animals often express behavioral preferences for different types of food or other resources, and these preferences can evolve or shift following association with novel food types. Shifts in preference can involve at least two phenomena: a change in rank preference or a change in specificity. The former corresponds to a change in the order in which hosts are preferred, while a shift in specificity can be an increase in the tendency to utilize multiple hosts. These possibilities have been examined in relatively few systems that include extensive population-level replication. The Melissa blue butterfly, Lycaeides melissa, has colonized exotic alfalfa, Medicago sativa, throughout western North America. We assayed the host preferences of 229 females from ten populations associated with novel and native hosts. In four out of five native-associated populations, a native host was preferred over the exotic host, while preference for a native host characterized only two out of five of the alfalfa-associated populations. Across all individuals from alfalfa-associated populations, there appears to have been a decrease in specificity: females from these populations lay fewer eggs on the native host and more eggs on the exotic relative to females from native-host populations. However, females from alfalfa-associated populations did not lay more eggs on a third plant species, which suggests that preferences for specific hosts in this system can potentially be gained and lost independently. Geographic variation in oviposition preference in L. melissa highlights the value of surveying a large number of populations when studying the evolution of a complex behavioral trait.
Back to the Future: Personality and Assessment and Personality Development

In this essay I consider the future of personality development in light of the past effects of Personality and Assessment on the field of personality in general and personality development in particular. The essay is organized around 1) the effect of Mischel's book on the foundational theories informing personality development; 2) definitions of personality traits; 3) an alternative model of personality traits, described as the sociogenomic model of personality traits, that can bridge the divide that still characterizes the field of personality development; 4) the application of the sociogenomic model of personality traits to issues of personality trait development, and 5) a "Newtonian" vision for the future of personality psychology.
Biosynthesis of superoxide dismutase and catalase inSaccharomyces cerevisiae: effects of oxygen and cytochromec deficiency

Two strains ofSaccharomyces cerevisiae were used to study the synthesis of superoxide dismutase. One strain (cytochromec-deficient) contained 5–10% of the normal amounts of total cytochromec, while the other strain was a wild type. The cytochromec-deficient mutant had lower specific growth rate, growth yield, and oxygen uptake than the wild type. The superoxide dismutase and catalase activities, in both strains, were significantly lower under anaerobic than under aerobic conditions. Furthermore, under aerobic conditions the mutant contained higher levels of superoxide dismutase than the wild type which may be attributed to the higher intracellular flux of superoxide radicals caused by the cytochromec deficiency. The mutant also showed a lower level of catalase which was due to glucose repression.
Genetic Algorithms in Topologic Design of Grillage Structures

The present paper describes the use of genetic algorithms (GA’s) in determining the optimal layout and sizing of grillage structures for stress and displacement constraints. The design space for this problem is highly nonconvex, and not readily amenable to traditional methods of nonlinear programming. The approach develops an optimal topology from a set of predefined structural elements so as to satisfy kinematic stability requirements in addition to the usual constraints of structural strength and stiffness. A two-level GA based search is used, wherein the kinematic stability constraints are imposed at one level, followed by the treatment of stress and displacement constraints at a second level of optimization. Since GA’s search for an optimal design from a discrete set of alternatives in the design space, their adaptation in the topological design problem is natural, and is governed only by issues related to computational efficiency. Strategies designed to alleviate the computational requirements of a GA based search are discussed in the paper.
The Effect of NIBRS Reporting on Item Missing Data in Murder Cases

The Uniform Crime Reporting Program (UCR) is undergoing a large-scale conversion from the traditional summary system and its Supplementary Homicide Reports (SHR) to the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS). One goal in designing NIBRS was to improve the quality of crime data. Little is known about the actual effect of the substantial changes in data collection instituted by NIBRS. Gaining this understanding is important for homicide researchers, as more states and law enforcement agencies replace the SHR with NIBRS data collection. This article measures data quality in terms of itemmissing data and compares the amount of missing murder characteristics in NIBRS with the SHR. The findings obtained are inconsistent. Depending on the characteristic, missing data in NIBRS decreased, increased, or remained relatively unchanged. These results reveal that despite the changes in NIBRS, the UCR continues to struggle with capturing information known to police and collecting particular incident details su...
Narrow imaginations: How imagining ideal employees can increase racial bias:

When people make important decisions, such as selecting a job candidate or graduate school applicant based on how well they fit with that imagined ideal. In two experiments we provide evidence that...
A universal method for composing business transaction models using logs

In this paper, a novel procedural framework for increasing the efficiency of the model composition process for the end-to-end transactional behavior of various classes of business-level computer applications is presented. The objectives of the framework are reducing the composition time and the level of engagement of domain experts in deploying business management solutions. Starting with application footprints (i.e., raw log data of various types) and without the need for a priori understanding of their syntax and semantics, the framework permits the analysis of the footprints based on an agnostic tokenization of log data. The framework then produces candidate states and relationships that form the basis for composing the transactional models via the framework's state and relationship manipulation utilities. The main architectural components of the framework are presented and their underlying principles discussed. A case study highlighting the use of the framework, based on an implementation of it, is given and a discussion regarding additional features of the framework and its relation to other research activities is also provided.
A novel model of pneumonia from intraperitoneal injection of bacteria.

Abstract Background Pneumonia remains a major clinical problem in the surgical patient. Experimental modeling by intratracheal injection of bacteria is not consistently reproducible. In an attempt to produce peritonitis by Klebsiella , we found evidence of pneumonia on autopsy and further developed this approach as a new experimental model. Methods Male Swiss Webster mice were given intraperitoneal (IP) injections of Klebsiella pneumoniae serotype 2 in different doses and this was compared with similar doses given intravenously (IV). A dose dependent survival curve was generated. Subsequently, 10 3 colony forming units (CFU) of bacteria were used in further experiments. Blood, peritoneal fluid and lung tissue were collected at time points up to 72 hours after injection and were cultured for levels of bacteria. Lung weights and myeloperoxidase levels were also measured. Results Intraperitoneal administration of Klebsiella was uniformly lethal with as few as 10 2 bacteria. Lung weight increased after IP Klebsiella , and all animals became bacteremic within 24 hours correlating with high bacterial levels in the lung. Conversely, most animals (72%) survived IV injection of bacteria, and were able to clear bacteria from the blood and lung. Conclusions We found that this model produced no clinically apparent peritonitis after 48 hours, but uniformly resulted in histopathologic changes of pneumonia by 24 hours. Survival time was related to initial dose of Klebsiella and there was a linear correlation between bacterial levels in the blood and lung. This model is reproducible, simple to perform, and the severity is easy to manipulate.
Compact Variation-Aware Standard Cell Models for Timing Analysis - Complexity and Accuracy Analysis

A compact variation-aware timing model for a standard cell in a cell library is developed using principal component analysis (PCA) and experimental design. The model incorporates variations in the input waveform and loading, process parameters, and the environment into the cell timing model. PCA is used to form a compact model of a set of waveforms impacted by these sources of variation. Cell characterization involves describing how waveforms are transformed by a cell as a function of the input waveforms, process parameters, and the environment. The models have been evaluated by calculating the delay of paths. The results demonstrate improved accuracy in comparison with table-based static timing analysis at comparable computational cost. Complexity of the models as a function of the number of parameters modeling variation is also discussed.
FPGA based eigenfiltering for real-time portfolio risk analysis

The empirical correlation matrix of asset returns in an investment portfolio has its built-in noise due to market microstructure. This noise is usually eigenfiltered for robust risk analysis and management. Jacobi algorithm (JA) has been a popular eigensolver method due to its stability and efficient implementations. We present a fast FPGA implementation of parallel JA for noise filtering of empirical correlation matrix. Proposed FPGA implementation is compared with CPU and GPU implementations. It is shown that FPGA implementation of eigenfiltering operator in real-time significantly outperforms the others. We expect to see such emerging high performance DSP technologies to be widely used by the financial sector for real-time risk management and other tasks in the coming years.
FATTY ACID COMPOSITION OF CHOLESTEROL ESTERS IN BRAINS OF PATIENTS WITH SCHILDER'S DISEASE, GM1-GANGLIOSIDOSIS AND TAY-SACHS DISEASE, AND ITS POSSIBLE RELATIONSHIP TO THE β-POSITION FATTY ACIDS OF LECITHIN 1

— Cholesterol esters were isolated from cerebral cortex and white matter of patients with Schilder's disease, GM1-gangliosidosis and Tay-Sachs disease, and the fatty acid composition was determined by gas-liquid chromatography. The fatty acid composition was similar among the three pathological conditions, but it was entirely different from that reported for cholesterol esters of normal brain. Lecithin and ethanolamine phospholipids were isolated from the same brain specimens, treated with snake venom phospholipase A, and the fatty acids at the a’and β-positions of the glycerol moiety were determined separately. The fatty acid composition of cholesterol esters was similar to that of the β-position fatty acids of lecithin of white matter in all samples, and was quite different from those of the a'-position of lecithin, or of the a’or β-position of ethanolamine phospholipids. The results indicate that the source of fatty acids for cholesterol esterification in nonspecific sudanophilic demyelination is different from that in normal brain, and that the most likely source is the β-linked fatty acids of lecithin. There are two possible enzymic mechanisms; activation of phospholipase A and subsequent esterification of the liberated β-position fatty acids to cholesterol, or direct transacylation by lecithin-cholesterol acyl transferase.
In Vivo Regulation of Colonic Cell Proliferation, Differentiation, Apoptosis and P27Kip1 by Dietary Fish Oil and Butyrate in Rats

We have shown that dietary fish oil is protective against experimentally induced colon cancer, and the protective effect is enhanced by coadministration of pectin. However, the underlying mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. We hypothesized that fish oil with butyrate, a pectin fermentation product, protects against colon cancer initiation by decreasing cell proliferation and increasing differentiation and apoptosis through a p27(Kip1)-mediated mechanism. Rats were provided diets of corn or fish oil, with/without butyrate, and terminated 12, 24, or 48 hours after azoxymethane (AOM) injection. Proliferation (Ki-67), differentiation (Dolichos Biflorus Agglutinin), apoptosis (TUNEL), and p27(Kip1) (cell-cycle mediator) were measured in the same cell within crypts in order to examine the coordination of cell cycle as a function of diet. DNA damage (N(7)-methylguanine) was determined by quantitative IHC analysis. Dietary fish oil decreased DNA damage by 19% (P = 0.001) and proliferation by 50% (P = 0.003) and increased differentiation by 56% (P = 0.039) compared with corn oil. When combined with butyrate, fish oil enhanced apoptosis 24 hours after AOM injection compared with a corn oil/butyrate diet (P = 0.039). There was an inverse relationship between crypt height and apoptosis in the fish oil/butyrate group (r = -0.53, P = 0.040). The corn oil/butyrate group showed a positive correlation between p27(Kip1) expression and proliferation (r = 0.61, P = 0.035). These results indicate the in vivo effect of butyrate on apoptosis and proliferation is dependent on dietary lipid source. These results demonstrate the presence of an early coordinated colonocyte response by which fish oil and butyrate protects against colon tumorigenesis.
Development and Implementation of Ultra-Wideband See-Through-Wall Imaging System Based on Sampling Oscilloscope

A low-cost experimental UWB synthetic aperture radar has been developed for high-resolution see-through-drywall imaging application. The developed SAR-based system is comprised of an UWB Vivaldi array, off-the-shelf components, and RF instruments. System integration including hardware and software aspects is in detailed discussion. The running system focuses on 8-12 GHz operation, but the very flexible system architecture allows it to be easily scaled to cover the lower frequency band, such as 2-4 GHz which is more suitable for the see-through-concrete wall application.
Exploiting the capture effect opportunistically in MANETs

Channel fading has been regarded as a negative factor for successful packet transmission. However, with deep fading, although collisions for a given transmission may exist, the capture effect can allow the transmission to succeed as long as the channel for the transmitted signal is strong enough and is weak enough for the interference signals. Accordingly, we propose an asynchronous medium access control (MAC) scheme that selects a packet with the highest success probability to be transmitted. We call this approach opportunistic interference management (OIM). The basic mechanism in OIM consists of probing the channel conditions for multiple neighbors concurrently, and then selecting to transmit those packets corresponding to the winners of the probing phase. OIM improves the probability of successful transmission and increases network throughput without adding extra delays for inter-nodal handshakes. Mathematical analysis and simulations are used to validate the advantages of OIM over the traditional packet-transmission scheme used in MAC protocols today.
Bird assemblages of intensively established pine plantations in Coastal Plain Mississippi

Pine (Pinus spp.) plantations are a common type of managed forest in the southeastern United States that may supply habitat for early successional bird species, many of which are declining. To provide information about young pine plantations as bird habitat, we evaluated spring bird presence in 5 combi- nations of stand establishment practices during years 2 through 5 post-establishment in the Lower Coastal Plain of Mississippi, USA. We detected 38 species with point counts and compared bird metrics among establishment practices using mixed general linear models. Species richness, total relative abundance, and relative abundance of many species were greater by at least a factor of 1.5-4 in the chemical-only establishment practice than mechanically prepared establishment practices, and values declined by about 5-60% within mechanically prepared establishment practices as herbicide intensity increased. Tree and snag retention contributed to avian abundance and richness in the chemical-only establishment practice. Our study, in conjunction with past research, demonstrated the conservation value to early successional bird species of managed pine stands established with tree retention, indicating that silvicultural and wildlife habitat objectives can be met within the range of stand establishment treatments available to managers. 2012 The Wildlife Society.
Agronomic Effectiveness of Calcium Phosphate Recovered from Liquid Swine Manure

A new manure treatment technology developed as an alternative to anaerobic lagoons on swine (Sus scrofa domesticus )f arms includes solid-liquid separation and subsequent recovery of soluble P as calcium phosphate from the wastewater. The objective was to determine the agronomic effectiveness of this calcium phosphate material. A greenhouse study was conducted with annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.). Three fertilizer materials were evaluated: the recovered P in two particle sizes (0.5–1.0 and 2.0–4.0 mm), and commercial triple superphosphate (TSP). Fertilizer rates were 0, 22, 44, 88, and 176 mg P kg 21 soil. Three harvests of the ryegrass were made at 2-wk intervals. Total P uptake increased linearly with application rate for all three fertilizer materials. At the highest application rate, total P uptake was 37.8 mg pot 21 for TSP, 26.2 mg pot 21 for the recovered P with small particle size, and 9.0 mg pot 21 for the recovered P with large particle size. Chemical analysis of the recovered P material revealed that over 99% of the P2O5 in the recovered calcium phosphate was plant available P, mostly as citrate-soluble. Mehlich-3 extractable soil P at the end of the experiment indicated that little of the large particle size of recovered P material dissolved and became available during this short 10-wk study. The recovered calcium phosphate appears to have potential as a fertilizer source.
A fuzzy hyperspectral classifier for automatic target recognition (ATR) systems

In this paper we present a fuzzy system based hyperspectral classifier for automatic target identification. The system is based on partitioning the spectral band space into clusters using a modified fuzzy C-Means clustering algorithm. Classification of each pixel is then carried out by calculating its fuzzy membership in each cluster. The results showed that the fuzzy hyperspectral classifier is successful in target identification using materials spectrum. Also it provides a fuzzy identification value that can be used later on in the decision-making stage of automatic target recognition (ATR) systems. ” 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
The way of the lotus: Critical reflections on the ethics of the Saddharmapundarika Sūtra

Abstract Edward Conze once observed of the thirty‐eight books constituting the Prajnāpāramitā Sūtras that their central message could be summed up in two sentences: (1) One should become a Bodhisat...
A Response to Joan Scott

Joan Scott's essay is a welcome and important attempt to import some of the sophisticated concerns of current literary criticism into labor history. In doing so she also carries on her part in a long and often frustrating campaign to make feminist theory an integral part of the field. Feminists have long thought the labor historians should be interested in questions of gender: The relative openness to social history, the engagement with the history of political radical ism, and the adherence to Marxism (at least among leftist scholars) have made students of labor sympathetic to the plight of historical outsiders and open to the insights gained from widening their scope. But despite these affinities, fem inist theory on the whole?in sharp contrast to Marxism?has had little influ ence on the way labor historians approach their work, aside from a few issues like the sexual segmentation of the labor market. The analysis of gender is still merely an adjunct to the real business of labor history. These days, most history journals?certainly this one?speak a different language from their literary counterparts. While we doggedly truck and barter our empirical goods, the critics sport about in the fields of cosmopolitan de bate, tossing glamorous French names to and fro, plying intellectual ara besques, making graceful play of ponderous philosophical speculation. Much of this self-conscious urbanity is pretentious and self-inflating, and the ab struse jargon often masks the most elementary of points. Nonetheless, I side with Joan Scott in believing that historians' willful lack of interest in post structuralist debate is our loss?or, more properly, our missed opportunity. In the late 1960s and early 70s, history was the center of intellectual radicalism, criticism and self-examination, of a scholarly agitation that overturned (more or less) time-honored truisms and established a new order of inquiry. While other disciplines also underwent their own crises of renewal, history was at the forefront: doing innovative work in anthropology, sociology, literature, even political science usually meant learning how to historicize one's method. The singular achievement of this period was a tremendous broadening of the field of human experience accessible to scrutiny and questioning. But having uncov ered this great store of hidden lives?those of women, workers, blacks, the 'popular classes'?historians came up against the limits of that enterprise. From the mid-70s on, a spate of polemics attacked the supposedly mindless an tiquarian energies of the new history, its lack of attention to relations of pow
Cost-utility of initial medical management for Crohn's disease perianal fistulae.

Abstract Background & Aims: The cost-utility of infliximab is unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the incremental cost-utility (CU inc ) of medical therapy for Crohn's disease (CD) perianal fistula. Methods: A Markov model was used to simulate a 1-year treatment period with the following: 6-mercaptopurine and metronidazole [6MP/met] (comparator), 3 infliximab infusions + 6MP/met as second-line therapy (intervention I), infliximab with episodic reinfusion (intervention II), and 6MP/met + infliximab as second-line therapy (intervention III). Utilities were elicited from patients with CD and healthy individuals by standard gamble, and costs were obtained from hospital billing data. Uncertainty was assessed by sensitivity analysis. Results: All strategies had similar effectiveness. Interventions I, II, and III were slightly more effective, but also more costly than 6MP/met (Intervention I: CU inc = $355,450/quality-adjusted life-years [QALY]; Intervention II: CU inc = $360,900/QALY; Intervention III: CU inc = $377,000/QALY). If the cost of infliximab were reduced to $304 per infusion, the CU inc for intervention II would be $54,050/QALY. Conclusions: Based on available data, all strategies had similar effectiveness in our model, but infliximab was much more expensive than 6MP/met. The incremental benefit of infliximab for treating CD perianal fistulae over a 1-year period may not justify the higher cost. Prospective studies directly comparing 6MP/met and infliximab are warranted. GASTROENTEROLOGY 2001;120:1640-1656
Photovoltaics: meeting the environmental imperatives of clean air and climate change

In order to stabilize atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide even at current elevated levels, computer models suggest the need to reduce emission rates by approximately 75%. An analysis of policy options shows that a combination of vastly improved energy efficiency strategies and carbon-free energy production technologies will be essential to even slowing the rate of global warming. Current knowledge of the greenhouse effect and its consequences area summarized, and how photovoltaic (PV) electricity can contribute toward atmospheric stabilization goals is examined. Some specific examples and strategies that may accelerate the rate at which PV technologies can penetrate the market are given. >
A Universal Process: How Mind and Matter Seem to Work

There are scientific reports suggesting striking similarities between the structures of networked systems, ranging from the tiny brain cells to atoms, to the Internet, and all the way up to even the galaxies. It is further argued that the similarities might be due to the existence of a universal natural growth process. At the microscopic level we do not yet know what that mechanism might be, however, we do have some significant clues at the macroscopic level, which do indicate that both mind (a network of the brain cells) and matter (i.e., network of atoms, molecules, planets, and galaxies) operate similarly. This article attempts to briefly explain such similarities using an abstract growth process and a structural representation along with some general concepts from computing, cognitive and natural sciences. This operational structure is well aligned with the latest empirical research on cognitive psychology and neuroscience. Technology tools whose pedagogical use is also aligned with our operational structure of the mind have been found to consistently increase student engagement and achievement in secondary schools. The same growth process and structural representation seem to describe the behavior and growth of the matter in the universe in many ways we can all relate to. Our interdisciplinary experience and analysis of analogies in different fields offer support to reports by the physicists and biologists about existence of a universal growth mechanism.
Bovine Venereal Vibriosis: Variations in Immunoglobulin Class of Antibodies in Genital Secretions and Serum

The immunoglobulin classes of antibodies to Campylobacter (Vibrio) fetus in cervicovaginal mucus (CVM) were determined by the indirect fluorescent antibody test at sequential periods, since the order of class appearance has not been established for specific secretory immune responses. In the local immune response to C. fetus immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies appeared first, immunoglobulin A (IgA) antibodies next, and immunoglobulin G (IgG) last. IgM antibodies were quite transient, but IgG antibodies remained longer, and those of the IgA class persisted until the end of the experimental period (up to 10 months). Since differences appear to exist between immune mechanisms at cervicovaginal and uterine sites, as well as between immune responses induced by local and systemic immunizations, the immunoglobulin classes of antibodies in uterine secretions were compared with the classes in CVM and serum. Uterine antibodies arose coincidently with uterine lesions in heifers slaughtered after short periods of infection. In convalescent animals only IgA antibodies were found in CVM, whereas the predominant class of antibodies in the uterine secretions was IgG1 in three of four animals studied. Only IgG antibodies were detected in CVM and uterine secretions of systemically immunized animals. These findings could account for faster clearance of C. fetus from the uterus than from the cervicovaginal area in locally infected animals and for failure of colonization in systemically immunized animals, because IgG antibodies are good opsonins and IgA antibodies are not. IgA antibodies do immobilize C. fetus, however, so they could prevent recolonization of the uterus in cervicovaginal carriers.
Blonde, a new mutation in Peromyscus maniculatus affecting fur, skin, and eye pigmentation

An autosomal recessive mutation affecting hair and eye pigmentation was discovered in the F2 progeny of wild-type deer mice, (Peromyscus maniculatus), trapped near East Lansing, Michigan. When homozygous, the mutation (designated as blonde, bl), reduces both black and yellow pigmentation deposited in the fur, reduces or eliminates pigmentation in the non-follicular melanocytes of the outer ear, peri-orbital skin and tail, slightly reduces the amount of pigmentation in the choroidal melanocytes, and completely eliminates pigmentation of the retinal epithelium.
Uncovering the Serine Hydrolytic Landscape of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

In this issue of Cell Chemical Biology, Ortega et al. (2016) present a study utilizing a click-chemistry-enabled fluorophosphonate for activity-based identification of serine hydrolases, pinpointing a range of proteins including previously annotated hypotheticals. The application of this technology on both actively replicating and non-replicating Mycobacterium tuberculosis gives us a glimpse of its serine hydrolytic landscape during different stages of metabolic activity.
MAINTENANCE OF POLYMORPHISM IN AN ISLAND POPULATION OF THE CALIFORNIA VOLE, MICROTUS CALIFORNICUS.

Polymorphisms are well known as powerful tools in evolutionary studies. As E. B. Ford (1965) pointed out, it was realized early in ecological genetics that polymorphic populations provided situations in which evolutionary change could be studied by observation and experiment. The present study investigates the maintenance of a single locus coat color polymorphism in a California vole population, Microtus californicus, on Brooks Island in San Francisco Bay, California. Available demographic data show dramatic changes in both gene frequencies and size of the population over a 13 yr period (Lidicker, 1973). The opportunity for an ecological genetic study offered by this island microtine population has a number of inviting aspects. Although there have been studies of polymorphism in many species (notably Drosophila, lepidopterans, snails, etc.), the only mammal extensively studied has been man. Studies of polymorphic house mouse populations have been conducted by Lewontin and Dunn (1960) and Selander (1970a,b). Enzyme polymorphisms have received considerable attention (see bibliographies in Lush, 1970, and Johnson, 1974), but it is rarely known which variants are important to the adaptations of natural populations. The chance to investigate a polymorphism in this vole population allowed an extension of the mammalian species considered in such studies. Moreover, it provided the unique opportunity to study a population followed for its entire history.
CYTOMEGALOVIRUS CONTRIBUTES TO GLIOBLASTOMA IN THE CONTEXT OF TUMOR SUPPRESSOR MUTATIONS

BACKGROUND: There have been several reports that have linked human cytomegalovirus (CMV) to gliomas. Although clinical trials of immunotherapy against CMV antigens found in gliomas have commenced in multiple institutions, the data linking these tumors to this virus remains controversial. METHODS: To study the controversial role of cytomegalovirus (CMV) in glioblastoma, we assessed the effects of murine CMV (MCMV) perinatal infection in a GFAP-cre; Nf1loxP/+ ; Trp53-/+ genetic mouse model of glioma (Mut3 mice). RESULTS: Early on after infection, MCMV antigen was predominantly localized in CD45+ lymphocytes in the brain with active viral replication and local areas of inflammation, but by 7 weeks there was a generalized loss of MCMV in brain, confirmed by bioluminescent imaging. MCMV-infected Mut3 mice exhibited a shorter survival time from their gliomas, when compared to control Mut3 mice, perinatally infected with mock or with a different neurotropic virus. Animal survival was also significantly shortened when orthotopic gliomas were implanted in mice perinatally infected with MCMV vs. controls. MCMV infection increased phosphorylated STAT3 (P-STAT3) levels in neural stem cells (NSCs) harvested from Mut3 mice SVZ and in vivo there was increased P-STAT3 in NSCs in MCMV-infected compared to control mice. Of relevance, human CMV (HCMV) also increased P-STAT3 and proliferation of patient-derived glioblastoma neurospheres, while a STAT3 inhibitor reversed this effect in vitro and in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: These findings thus associate CMV infection to a STAT3-dependent modulatory role in glioma formation/progression in the context of tumor suppressor mutations in mice and possibly in humans. SECONDARY CATEGORY: Neuropathology & Tumor Biomarkers.
Argas (Argas) monachus, new species (Ixodoidea: Argasidae), from nests of the monk parakeet, Myiopsitta monachus, in Argentina.

Each active stage of Argas (argas) monachus , n. sp. is described and illustrated from material associated with Myiopsitta monachus (Boddaert), a communal-nesting psittacine bird in Argentina. The host species is found in Uruguay, Brazil, Paraguay, and Bolivia as well as Argentina and is an important agricultural pest in some areas; it has recently become established in breeding populations in the northeastern United States.
Urban Parks and Trails and Physical Activity

AbstractUrban parks and trails offer a significant venue for promoting active living. Public parks are accessible to most people, generally offer free year-round opportunities, and have the potential to play an essential role in promoting physical activity to contribute to healthier people and to prevent cardiovascular disease and obesity. The purpose of this paper is to provide an integrative summary of the research, within leisure studies and in related fields such as public health and urban planning, that describes the relationships between urban outdoor recreation venues, including parks, trails and green-ways, and opportunities for physical activity. Research is emerging that documents the associations that exist between urban parks and participation in physical activity. Limitations are noted and a rationale is made for conducting further research to explicate more clearly the links between urban parks and physically active people.
Parallel generalized delaunay mesh refinement

The modeling of physical phenomena in computational fracture mechanics, computational fluid dynamics and other fields is based on solving systems of partial differential equations (PDEs). When PDEs are defined over geometrically complex domains, they often do not admit closed form solutions. In such cases, they are solved approximately using discretizations of domains into simple elements like triangles and quadrilaterals in two dimensions (2D), and tetrahedra and hexahedra in three dimensions (3D). These discretizations are called finite element meshes. Many applications, for example, real-time computer assisted surgery, or crack propagation from fracture mechanics, impose time and/or mesh size constraints that cannot be met on a single sequential machine. As a result, the development of parallel mesh generation algorithms is required. In this dissertation, we describe a complete solution for both sequential and parallel construction of guaranteed quality Delaunay meshes for 2D and 3D geometries. First, we generalize the existing 2D and 3D Delaunay refinement algorithms along with theoretical proofs of mesh quality in terms of element shape and mesh gradation. Existing algorithms are constrained by just one or two specific positions for the insertion of a Steiner point inside a circumscribed disk of a poorly shaped element. We derive an entire 2D or 3D region for the selection of a Steiner point (i.e., infinitely many choices) inside the circumscribed disk. Second, we develop a novel theory which extends both the 2D and the 3D Generalized Delaunay Refinement methods for the concurrent and mathematically guaranteed independent insertion of Steiner points. Previous parallel algorithms are either reactive relying on implementation heuristics to resolve dependencies in parallel mesh generation computations or require the solution of a very difficult geometric optimization problem (the domain decomposition problem) which is still open for general 3D geometries. Our theory solves both of these drawbacks. Third, using our generalization of both the sequential and the parallel algorithms we implemented prototypes of practical and efficient parallel generalized guaranteed quality Delaunay refinement codes for both 2D and 3D geometries using existing state-of-the-art sequential codes for traditional Delaunay refinement methods. On a heterogeneous cluster of more than 100 processors our implementation can generate a uniform mesh with about a billion elements in less than 5 minutes. Even on a workstation with a few cores, we achieve a significant performance improvement over the corresponding state-of-the-art sequential 3D code, for graded meshes.
HSP90, a chaperone that can make you SYK.

In this issue of Blood, Walter et al demonstrate an association between heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) and spleen tyrosine kinase (SYK) as a critical upstream component in tonic BCR signaling of Burkitt lymphoma (BL). Integrity of this HSP90-SYK complex appears to be critical for maintenance of tonic BCR signaling, which keeps BL cells alive. Consequently, the authors propose HSP90 as a novel therapeutic target in BL.1
Extracellular vesicles: Taking metabolism on the road.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are a class of secreted membrane particles capable of transferring biological molecules between cells. Metabolomics measurements indicate that isolated EVs also have autonomous metabolic enzyme activities, including the unexpected identification of endogenous human asparaginase activity.
Quantitative Ultrasound Assessment of the Achilles Tendon Under Varied Loads

This Institutional Review Board-approved pilot study attempted to detect the correlation between ultrasound shear wave elastographic measures and tendon loads. Five male fresh-frozen cadaveric Achilles tendons were loaded in 10-N increments from 0 to 60 N. Shear wave velocity measurements within each Achilles tendon were obtained at each load in longitudinal and transverse orientations. Shear wave velocity measurements were correlated with tendon tension on both longitudinal and transverse plane imaging and showed moderate and strong positive correlation coefficients, respectively. Of note, limitations of the clinically available shear wave elastographic technology for measuring high velocities exist.
Catalytic Antibodies: Perspectives and Prospects

Enzymes make complex life possible. With very few exceptions, each of the tens of thousands of chemical reactions that sustain living systems takes place quickly and smoothly through the action of a specific enzyme. The high rates and selectivities of enzymes make them ideal catalysts for in vitro processes, as well, and they are being utilized increasingly in research, industry, and medicine.
Isolation of the Enzyme Associated with the sbcA Indirect Suppressor

recB and/or recC deficiency in Escherichia coli K-12 is indirectly suppressed in the presence of sbcA - mutations. Such strains remain genotypically recB and/or recC deficient but become recombination proficient and resistant to ultraviolet light. Barbour et al. (1970) showed that strains carrying sbcA - mutations contained increased levels of an ATP-independent DNase. Since the product of the recB-recC genes (exonuclease V) is a multifunctional DNase that requires ATP for the hydrolysis of double-stranded DNA (Goldmark and Linn, 1972), characterization of the ATP-independent nuclease found in sbcA - strains might provide an important clue to the in vivo function of the recB-recC gene products.
Remote Attestation via Self-Measurement

Remote attestation (RA) is a popular means of detecting malware in embedded and IoT devices. RA is usually realized as an interactive protocol, whereby a trusted party (verifier) measures software integrity of a potentially compromised remote device (prover). Early work focused on purely software-based and fully hardware-based techniques, neither of which is ideal for low-end embedded devices. More recent results yielded hybrid (SW/HW) architectures with a minimal set of features to support efficient and secure RA on low-end devices.All prior techniques require on-demand operation, i.e., RA is performed in real time. We identify some drawbacks of this general approach in the context of unattended devices: First, it fails to detect mobile malware that enters and leaves prover between successive RA instances. Second, it requires prover to engage in a potentially expensive (in terms of time and energy) computation, which can be harmful for mission-critical or real-time devices.To address these drawbacks, we introduce the concept of self-measurement, whereby prover periodically and securely measures and records its own software state, based on a pre-established schedule. A (possibly untrusted) verifier occasionally collects and verifies these measurements. We present the design of a concrete technique, called Efficient Remote Attestation via Self-Measurement for Unattended Settings, (ERASMUS), justify its features and evaluate its performance. In the process, we also define a new metric, Quality of Attestation (QoA). We believe that ERASMUS is well suited for time-sensitive and/or safety-critical applications that are not served well by on-demand RA. Finally, we show that ERASMUS is a promising stepping stone toward handling attestation of multiple devices (i.e., a group or swarm) with high mobility.
APICAL VARIANT HYPERTROPHIC CARDIOMYOPATHY AND MULTIPLE ICD SHOCKS

Monomorphic ventricular tachycardia (VT) is uncommon in apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). A 52 year old male with known apical variant HCM had previously undergone implantation of an endocardial ICD for sudden death prevention. Several years later he presented to our institution with