cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pressure transients to characterize cavities dissolved for natural gas storage

Abstract This paper describes an analysis of pressure transients in conduits that includes effects of variable conduit diameter and contrasts in fluid material properties. The analysis considers pressure applied to the outside of a submerged conduit, as well as that transmitted along the submerged conduit's interior with potential applications such as analysis of submerged pipelines or tubing in oil wells or in wells used in solution mining. In this work, we present a method for monitoring the dissolution of carbonate rock with acid to create a cavern for storing natural gas. This process includes an acid injection pipe and a brine production pipe submerged in the fluid-filled cavern. The motivation is to characterize the geometry of the cavern by analyzing pressure transients traveling down the acid injection pipe, interacting with the walls of the cavern and compressing the brine pipe, and traveling to a pressure transducer in the brine pipe. The conventional water-hammer equations were modified to include the pressure applied to the outside of a submerged conduit, and the resulting boundary value problems were solved with perturbation analysis. The results show that peak pressure at an observation point decreases more than one order of magnitude when the cavern diameter increases one order of magnitude. This suggests that the proposed approach is sensitive to cavern diameter. Consideration of the external loading provides a potential mechanism for locating an interface between fluids of different properties, such as the interface between acid/CO 2 mixture and underlying brine.
Extrafloral nectar : entomological implications

Linnacus created the word “nectary” (nectarium) in 1735 to denote specialized epidermal glands composed of small, thin-walled secretory cells from which nectar is brought to the surface through modified stomata (Fahn 1979). Nectar was defined aptly by Trelease (1879) as “a fluid always sapid, usually sweet, often odorous, which is elaborated in any part of a plant, remaining where formed or making its way to some other part; its raison d'etre being the necessity for the removal of some useless or injurious substance, or for some provision to attract nectar-loving animals to the plant for some definite purpose.” The distinction between floral (nuptial) nectaries and extrafloral (vegetative) nectaries was made by Caspary in 1848 (Fahn 1979). The mutual role of floral nectar in plant pollination and insect nutrition is well known (McGregor 1976). Although extrafloral nectar has been the subject of naturalists' curiosity and hypotheses for more than a century (Bentley 1976), only in recent years have we begun to understand its source, characteristics, functions, and chemical ecology.
A strategy for prediction of the elastic properties of epoxy-cellulose nanocrystal-reinforced fiber networks

SUMMARY: The reinforcement potential of cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) additions on an idealized 2-dirmensional (2-D) fiber network structure consisting of micron sized fiber elements was investigated. The reinforcement mechanism considered in this study was through the stiffening of the micron sized fiber elements via a CNC-epoxy coating. A hierarchical analytical modeling approach was used to estimate the elastic properties spanning three different structural features; i) micromechanics for CNC-epoxy properties, ii) laminate theory for fiber elements coated with CNCepoxy, and iii) a 2-D network model for an assembly of interconnected fiber elements. The extent to which CNCepoxy coating can stiffen a fiber element was dependent on the CNC volume fraction, CNC-epoxy layer thickness, CNC alignment, CNC aspect ratio, and the original stiffness of the fiber element. Calculations suggest there is a potential for CNC additions to stiffen network structures, the extent to which is strongly depending on the initial fiber element stiffness. Incorporation of limited experimental observations into the model and fiber element properties typical of fibers used in paper products, however, suggests that the enhancement of CNCs on a wood fiber element and thus on the network structure, may be limited.
Über die Strömung von Stoffen mit Fließfestigkeit

Nach der Diskussion der Stromungsverhaltnisse bei Stoffen mit Fliesfestigkeit (plastische Korper) werden strukturviskosimetrische und polarisationsoptische Untersuchungen an einer Reihe verschiedenartiger Systeme angestellt. Bei den nicht-Newton'schen Flussigkeiten Natriumoleat-Wasser und V2O5-Sol (2 Tage alt) wurde einwandfrei laminare stationare Stromung in Ubereinstimmung mit fruheren Versuchsergebnissen festgestellt. Im Falle von Gallerten (Quecksilbersulfosalizyl-Saure, Baumwollgelb und Cellit in Benzylalkohol) wurde die als „pseudolaminare Stromung“ eingefuhrte Stromungsart beobachtet, die in der Stromung von Gallertstuckchen besteht. Diese Stromung ist im Gegensatz zu der echten laminaren Stromung apparateabhangig und hangt in erster Linie von der dunnsten angewendeten Kapillare und dem dabei angewendeten hochsten Druck ab. Im Falle des V2O6-Sols wurde in Ubereinstimmung mit anderen Autoren Schwarmbildung festgestellt, die eine Messung bei kleinen Fliesgeschwindigkeiten bzw. Schubspannungen wesentlich erschwert und die ebenfalls Anlas zu pseudolaminarer Stromung gibt. Ahnliches gilt fur andere gelatinierende Losungen (Cellit in Benzylalkohol). In zwei Fallen (Cellit in Benzylalkohol und Olfarbe) wurde einwandfreie Gleitung festgestellt und die Dicke der Gleitschicht abgeschatzt. Als einziges der untersuchten Systeme gehorcht Olfarbe weitgehend dem Bingham'schen Ansatz. Im Anschlus daran wurden die Gesichtspunkte zur Ermittelung von Materialkonstanten von kolloiden Losungen aus Viskositatsmessungen diskutiert.
Stone-Cold Killers or Drunk with Murder?: Alcohol and Atrocity during the Holocaust

In many testimonies on mass murders of Jews by SS and German police units in the East, witnesses and perpetrators mention that alcohol was present or that the killers were intoxicated. In fact, it is clear from available evidence that alcohol—normally in the form of vodka or schnapps—was often available at murder sites. Despite the ubiquity of its presence, however, there has been little scholarly analysis concerning the use of alcohol or its role in the process of mass murder. This article examines the ways in which SS and police leaders used alcohol in the occupied Eastern territories, as well as the role played by alcohol in genocide. In offering insights into the use of alcohol by perpetrators during the Shoah, the study may provide insight into the role of alcohol in the conduct of other atrocities.
The Effect of Patient and Contextual Characteristics on Racial/Ethnic Disparity in Breast Cancer Mortality

Background: Racial/ethnic disparity in breast cancer-specific mortality in the U.S. is well documented. We examined whether accounting for racial/ethnic differences in the prevalence of clinical, patient, and lifestyle and contextual factors that are associated with breast cancer-specific mortality can explain this disparity. Methods: The California Breast Cancer Survivorship Consortium combined interview data from six California-based breast cancer studies with cancer registry data to create a large racially diverse cohort of women with primary invasive breast cancer. We examined the contribution of variables in a previously reported Cox regression baseline model plus additional contextual, physical activity, body size, and comorbidity variables to the racial/ethnic disparity in breast cancer-specific mortality. Results: The cohort comprised 12,098 women. Fifty-four percent were non-Latina Whites, 17% African Americans, 17% Latinas, and 12% Asian Americans. In a model adjusting only for age and study, breast cancer-specific hazard ratios relative to Whites were 1.69 (95% CI 1.46 - 1.96), 1.00 (0.84 - 1.19), and 0.52 (0.33 - 0.85) for African Americans, Latinas, and Asian Americans respectively. Adjusting for baseline-model variables decreased disparity primarily by reducing the hazard ratio for African Americans to 1.13 (0.96 - 1.33). The most influential variables were related to disease characteristics, neighborhood socioeconomic status, and smoking status at diagnosis. Other variables had negligible impact on disparity. Conclusions: While contextual, physical activity, body size, and comorbidity variables may influence breast cancer-specific mortality, they do not explain racial/ethnic mortality disparity. Impact: Other factors besides those investigated here may explain the existing racial/ethnic disparity in mortality.
Biotransformation and Toxicology Study on Inorganic Arsenic

The metabolism of inorganic arsenic has significant difference among species.Levels of arsenic Methylates vary in tissue and organ,and they have obvious toxicity,especially genotoxicity.Monomethylarsonous acid (MMAⅢ) may be the key substance that cause genotoxicity.Critical incident at early stage that causes genotoxicity and cancer may exist in the process of metabolism of inorganic arsenic.
Mode of action of tylocrebrine: effects on protein and nucleic acid synthesis.

The phenanthrene alkaloid tylocrebrine irreversibly inhibits protein biosynthesis in HeLa cells and rabbit reticulocytes. In HeLa cells, concentrations of tylocrebrine that inhibit protein synthesis by 95% inhibit DNA and RNA synthesis by 75% and 60%, respectively. In contrast to effects on DNA synthesis, inhibition of RNA synthesis is readily reversible. At a concentration of 1 mM, tylocrebrine inhibits RNA polymerase activity in isolated HeLa cell nuclei by 20%. In reticulocyte lysates, tylocrebrine prevents breakdown of polyribosomes and release of nascent peptide chains. Globin synthesis is inhibited by the drug; this inhibition can be partially overcome by increasing the concentration of mercaptoethanol, glutathione, or dithiothreitol. Tylocrebrine does not prevent synthesis of polyphenylalanin on reticulocyte ribosomes, nor does it affect the activities of guanosine triphosphatase and peptidyltransferase. The principal effect of tylocrebrine on protein biosynthesis is on chain elongation.
Adrenal medullary transplants as a treatment for advanced Parkinson's disease.

Publisher Summary This chapter examines the adrenal medullary transplants as a treatment for advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). In a study described in the chapter, patients selected for autologous adrenal medullary to caudate nucleus transplantations were patients with advanced PD who were no longer responding satisfactorily to antiparkinson medication. Prior to surgery, all 12 patients were assessed using the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). All patients were assessed on the UPDRS both in an “on” and an “off” period. The first 6 patients were operated through a right frontal craniotomy. The next 6 patients were operated through a transcallosal approach. The adrenal medullary and caudate tissues were assayed for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) activity, and the caudate tissue was assayed for homovanillic acid (HVA) and dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC). The results of the surgery for the group revealed 35% reduction in L-dopa (which was always combined with carbidopa), a 13% reduction in the patient's stage in the “off” period, and a 30% reduction in the fluctuation score subset of the UPDRS.
Point Defects and Impurities in III-Nitride Bulk and Thin Film Heterostructures

Point defects and impurities play an important role in the properties of III-nitride devices, doping the material n - or p -type, compensating such dopants, or acting as recombination centers. Mg incorporates on the Ga site (Mg Ga ) and is the only effective p -type dopant in GaN, though incorporation is limited by solubility; n -type conductivity in GaN is caused by O N or Si Ga , though these form DX centers in some Al x Ga 1- x N alloys. Native defects such as Ga and N vacancies act as compensating centers. C N and Ga vacancy complexes are recombination centers, and likely sources of the ubiquitous yellow luminescence in GaN.
Explaining Underdevelopment: An Alternative Theoretical Perspective

Historically, the state1 has played a crucial role in the early stages of capitalist development. However, existing literature explaining underdevelopment in the Third World and especially in Africa, pays limited attention to such a role during social transformation. The result has been generalisations about underdevelopment emphasising the impact of external factors — pressure and exploitation by the global capitalist system — as the cause of underdevelopment and obscuring the role of internal factors.
Calming cycle theory: the role of visceral/autonomic learning in early mother and infant/child behaviour and development

Results from a randomized controlled trial of Family Nurture Intervention (FNI) showed significantly improved maternal behaviors and infant neurodevelopment and behavior through 18 months, including a significantly reduced risk for autism. Preliminary results from a pilot study of FNI in preschool children found significant reduction in adverse behavior. Conclusion: Calming Cycle theory proposes that early emotional behavior is shaped by subcortical visceral/autonomic co-conditioning between mother and infant. Two new constructs, emotional connection and visceral/autonomic co-regulation, are defined within a functional Pavlovian conditioning framework, and are theorized to be part of an evolutionarily conserved mammalian phenomenon first identified by Pavlov. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Assessing Global Citizenship Attitudes with Q Methodology

Abstract This paper discusses the process of designing a quantitative measure of student beliefs and attitudes about social responsibility, global competence, and global civic engagement. First, it includes an overview of the development of a global citizenship Q-sort, the tool used in Q methodology, for assessment. Second, it involves an explanation of the validation process of the Q-sort in three phases to include feedback from scholars in the field, high school teachers, and high school students. Finally, it discusses implications that using this tool can have for researchers analyzing global citizenship coursework and for teachers implementing this coursework.
Acute Graft-Versus-Host Disease: Clinical Presentation and Response to Therapy Following Umbilical Cord Blood Transplant.

The nature of aGVHD after umbilical cord blood transplant (UCBT) has not been well characterized. We analyzed acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) incidence and response to therapy in 136 recipients of unrelated UCBT. aGVHD developed in 72 receiving myeloablative (MA) (n=39) and non ablative stem cell transplant conditioning (NST) (n=33) (indicated if age >45 years, prior transplant and major co-morbidity). MA transplant recipients were significantly younger (median age 14 years, range 0.8–50) than NST transplant recipients (median 48 years, range 0.7–59), p < 0.0001 and had fewer advanced malignant disease at transplant (8% versus 24%), p = 0.09. At diagnosis of aGVHD, the clinical grades and organ involvement were similar in the 2 groups. Grade II–IV aGVHD developed in 34% of MA transplant recipients and 45% (p = 0.1) of NST transplant recipients at a median of 35 days (12–137) and 30 days (15–96) post transplant whereas grade III–IV aGVHD developed in 9% and 13% (p=0.6), respectively. 87% of MA vs. 85% of NST recipients (p=0.8) had skin involvement; 39% vs. 49% had GI disease (p=0.4); and 10% vs.9% (p=0.9) had liver GVHD, respectively. Response to therapy was assessed at 28 and 56 days after diagnosis of aGVHD. A high frequency of complete response (CR) was seen across all grades at day 28 (47%, 48% and 43% CR in grades I, II and III–IV, respectively). At day 56, CR was more frequent in grade I aGVHD (68% vs 64% and 50% in patients with grade II and III–IV disease, respectively, p 0.08). Response rates were similar in MA and NST transplant recipients (CR in 49% vs 46% by day 28, p=0.1, and 64% vs 61% by day 56, p=0.5. Age < 20 years (CR or PR 82% vs 64%, p = 0.09) and single organ GVHD (81% vs 52%, p=0.01) were associated with a higher response. A higher response rate was seen in patients with skin GVHD (85%) vs GI disease (63%) vs skin + GI (56%) vs liver involvement with skin/GI (43%), p=0.04. After a median follow up of 1.0 year (0.8–7 years) in both groups, 67% (95% CI 52%–81%) of MA versus 45% (95% CI 28%–62%) of NST patients survive (p=0.05). Higher 1 year survival of 70% (95% CI 58%–83%) was seen in patients with day 28 CR or PR to treatment versus non responders (24%, 95% CI 6%–42%), p<0.0001. This data suggests that among unrelated UCBT recipients using either MA or NST preparative regimens, similar incidence, clinical presentation and response to therapy of aGVHD was seen. Early identification of high risk group (age >20, multiorgan disease, GI or liver GVHD) should facilitate timely assignment of intensified therapy.
Scoring On and Off the Field: Examining the Sexual Activity of Adolescent/Emerging Adult Athletes and Non-Athletes Using an Ecological Perspective

This paper highlights a study which used an ecological perspective to explore and identify various risk and protective factors that might influence sexual activity in adolescence and emerging adulthood, with a particular emphasis on the unique experiences of athletes. A sample of 437 undergraduate students completed a questionnaire consisting of the following areas: athletic participation, Athletic Identity Measurement Scale (AIMS), ecological variables, Brief Sensation Seeking Scale (BSSS), sexual activity, and sociodemographics. Results indicate that the link between being an athlete and sexual behavior may not be as direct as previously suggested, but is mediated by the influence of various factors related to the sport participation experience. Factors at the individual, familial, and extrafamilial level were found to affect sexual activity.
Dialogue as a Veil

Although classroom discourse can be riddled with occasional sardonic, even ‘Seinfeld-esque’ insincerity, the potential of its meaning making capability cannot be underestimated. The relationship between our words and the reality of our classroom climate is what Mark Johnson (1998) called a “shared embodiment” (p. 410).
Does Additional Electrogram‐Guided Ablation After Linear Ablation Reduce Recurrence After Catheter Ablation for Longstanding Persistent Atrial Fibrillation? A Prospective Randomized Study

BackgroundAlthough circumferential pulmonary vein isolation (CPVI) catheter ablation may not be sufficient for long‐standing persistent atrial fibrillation (L‐PeAF), it is not clear which ablation ...
Sensitivity and Uncertainty Analysis of Counter-Flow Mechanical Draft Cooling Towers—I: Adjoint Sensitivity Analysis

AbstractFor counter-flow mechanical draft cooling towers, the air in the fill can reach the point of saturation before leaving the fill section. The heat and mass transfer to the saturated air by evaporative cooling inside the fill are modeled with some assumptions and with over 50 parameters for boundary conditions, cooling tower geometries, heat and mass transfer correlations, water and air thermal properties, etc. Because of the parameter uncertainties and modeling assumptions, the accuracy and reliability of the cooling tower model need to be evaluated by quantifying the uncertainties associated with the model output. First, sensitivities of the model output with respect to all the model parameters need to be analyzed. Based on the cooling tower model, this work developed adjoint sensitivity models for the saturated case to compute efficiently and exactly the sensitivities of the model responses to all model parameters by applying the general adjoint sensitivity analysis methodology for nonlinear syst...
Racial identity and the quality of life among blacks and whites in the U.S.

Abstract Social identity theory and research on mental health among racial minority groups suggest that a stronger, more positive racial identity will be related to a higher subjective quality of life. We investigate how ingroup closeness, ingroup evaluation, and ingroup bias are associated with happiness, positive affect about life, and generalized trust for blacks and whites, using partial proportional odds models. Data came from the 1996–2014 General Social Surveys (N = 6553). Ingroup closeness and more favorable ingroup evaluation had mostly positive associations with the quality of life dimensions. Contrary to what social identity theory would predict, ingroup bias was either unrelated or negatively related to them. Racial identity functions somewhat differently for blacks and whites. Ingroup evaluation and ingroup bias were related to greater positive affect about life for blacks but lower positive affect about life for whites.
InnovationJam: Unterstützung globaler Zusammenarbeit und Innovation

Ich werde Ihnen heute nichts aus dem Forschlungslabor erzahlen, sondern etwas uber „Jamming“. Wie schafft man es, in einem globalen Unternehmen – die IBM hat weltweit mittlerweile 380.000 Mitarbeitende – die Mitarbeiter zu mobilisieren, gemeinsam uber ein Thema nachzudenken und Ihre Ideen einzubringen? Nicht zuletzt geht es auch darum, sich bei Veranderungsprozessen als wichtiger und geschatzter Teil des Ganzen zu fuhlen und diese mitzutragen. Jamming kann somit ein wichtiges Element von Change Management sein.
Estimation of Melting Points of Organics

Unified physicochemical property estimation relationships is a system of empirical and theoretical relationships that relate 20 physicochemical properties of organic molecules to each other and to chemical structure. Melting point is a key parameter in the unified physicochemical property estimation relationships scheme because it is a determinant of several other properties including vapor pressure, and solubility. This review describes the first-principals calculation of the melting points of organic compounds from structure. The calculation is based on the fact that the melting point, Tm, is equal to the ratio of the heat of melting, ΔHm, to the entropy of melting, ΔSm. The heat of melting is shown to be an additive constitutive property. However, the entropy of melting is not entirely group additive. It is primarily dependent on molecular geometry, including parameters which reflect the degree of restriction of molecular motion in the crystal to that of the liquid. Symmetry, eccentricity, chirality, flexibility, and hydrogen bonding, each affect molecular freedom in different ways and thus make different contributions to the total entropy of fusion. The relationships of these entropy determining parameters to chemical structure are used to develop a reasonably accurate means of predicting the melting points over 2000 compounds.
ESD and RF switch co-design in SOI CMOS for smartphones from 2G to 5G

This paper reviews a co-design technique for ESD protection and RF transmit/receiver (T/R) switches for smartphones from 2G/3G to 5G. Two design examples are discussed: co-design of a 8.5KV-protected SP10T switch in a 180nm SOI CMOS for quad-band GSM and multiple-band WCDMA smartphones, and analysis of ESD-induced impacts on 28GHz/38GHz SPDT switches in a 45nm SOI CMOS for 5G smartphones. The ESD-RFIC co-design technique allows simultaneous design optimization for both ESD protection and RF switch circuits at whole chip level.
Group Transfer and Aldol Group Transfer Polymerization

Two new methods for polymer chain formation involving transfer of trialkylsilyl groups have recently been reported. One gives ‘living’ polyacrylics at ambient temperatures, the other gives ‘living’ silyl-capped poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVAL). In the first method, termed group transfer polymerization (GTP),1–7 a silyl ketene acetal initiator (1) reacts with a monomer by a Michael addition. During the addition, the silyl group transfers to the monomer generating a new ketene acetal function (2). The new ketene acetal reacts with additional monomer in a repeated fashion to give a living polymer (3). The process is illustrated in Scheme 1 for methyl methacrylate (MMA).
STIM–ORAI Interactions That Control the CRAC Channel

The Ca(2+) sensor STIM1 and the Ca(2+) channel ORAI1 are the fundamental working machinery of the CRAC channel, a classical pathway for store-operated Ca(2+) entry. This chapter focuses on the protein-protein interactions of STIM and ORAI proteins that control the channel.
CELL SURFACE THIOLS IN HUMAN NATURAL CELL-MEDIATED CYTOTOXICITY

Publisher Summary This chapter examines the role of cell surface thiols in human natural cell-mediated cytotoxicity. The data that indicate that a lymphocyte cell surface thiol is required for target binding and killing. Several types of reagents were used as inhibitors of cellular thiols. Although chloromethyl ketone derivatives of amino acids specifically inactivate serine-dependent proteases with affinity for the amino acid component of the compound by alkylating the histidine the active site of the enzyme, these chloromethyl ketones can also nonspecifically alkylate thiol residues. Substrate specificity is expected among the chloromethyl ketone derivatives of different amino acids when a specific protease is inactivated but not when −SH groups of most proteins are alkylated. Iodoacetamide can alkylate glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, thereby blocking oxidative phosphorylation as a cellular source of energy. An additional series of experiments also suggests that these chloromethyl ketones were inhibiting killing by alkylating −SH groups as opposed to inactivating proteases. TosLysCH2Cl inhibition of isolated proteases can be prevented by the inclusion of excess substrate or inhibitor for the protease.
Assays for Akt

An increasing number of publications have underscored the importance of the serine/threonine kinase Akt in the regulation of cell survival, proliferation, and insulin-dependent metabolic cell responses. Critical to the understanding of Akt signaling in cells are experimental methods that assess its activation and phosphorylation state. In this chapter, we evaluate the most commonly used techniques to examine Akt activity. Immunocomplex kinase assays that utilize Akt-specific substrates are described, as is the use of phosphospecific antibodies directed against Akt phosphorylation sites. Furthermore, we introduce coupled enzyme assays that indirectly measure the activity of Akt by examining the activity of Akt substrates.
Integer-Distance Graphs

Abstract This paper presents an extended discussion on a family of graphs and their complements. The discussion includes the derivations of several numeric parameters of the graphs, such as the sizes of their edge sets, their independence numbers, and their clique numbers. Furthermore, it is shown that these complements are unit interval graphs - hence chordal, and perfect, while the original family comprises graphs that are comparability graphs of semiorders and these are perfect though not generally chordal.
Incidence and clinical correlates of increased serum creatine kinase levels in persons with spinal cord injury.

BACKGROUND Elevated plasma levels of creatine kinase (CPK) are found in various neuromuscular conditions as a result of muscle damage and necrosis. Elevated CPK has also been described in elite wheelchair athletes and in able-bodied individuals after strenuous exercise. METHODS The incidence of elevated CPK in individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) has not been well established. We reviewed laboratory data from 581 individuals with chronic SCI. RESULTS Most individuals with SCI (73.3%) had CPK values within 95% confidence intervals for able-bodied individuals. The highest levels were seen in African Americans (21% had CPK values > 95 confidence intervals for able-bodied individuals). Significant associations between CPK and the following independent variables were identified: impairment group, gender, duration of injury, body mass index, and ethnic group. Multiple regression analysis revealed significant correlations between CPK and oxygen consumption (beta .37, P < .01) in 32 individuals who performed the exercise test. CONCLUSIONS These findings are important for clinicians evaluating symptoms of fatigue and myopathy in individuals with SCI.
Hybrid slot-waveguide fed antenna using hexagonal boron nitride D'yakonov polaritons

Polaritonic slot waveguides have been explored as a means of manipulating nanoscale fields to compete in the race for the sub-diffractional confinement of light. Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN), when incorporated into hyperbolic-insulator-hyperbolic (HIH) configurations, is a strong contender, with its naturally occurring anisotropy allowing it to strongly confine and enhance local fields. However, while the volumetric phonon polaritons of h-BN have been widely used for these means, its hyperbolic surface phonon polaritons (HSPhPs) or D’yakonov polaritons contain untapped potential and are widely unused. In this paper, we qualitatively discuss the hybridization of fundamental hyperbolic surface phonon polariton modes in an HIH slot waveguide. The resulting symmetric dark, or lower mode, is then used to design a patch antenn, which shows possibilities for applying the familiar microstrip transmission-line approach of antenna design to this HSPhP antenna.
Control of alcohol metabolism

The rate of alcohol metabolism is determined by the kinetic characteristics and concentrations of the alcohol and aldehyde dehydrogenases and by the rate of restoration of the redox state of the cell. Several potent competitive and uncompetitive inhibitors of the alcohol dehydrogenases can decrease the rate of alcohol metabolism; they may be useful for preventing the potentially deleterious effects of ethanol metabolism. Alcohol dehydrogenases have very broad specificity and can readily reduce a variety of carbonyl compounds by exchange reactions while ethanol is metabolized. Agents that increase the rate of metabolism need to be developed.
Gastrocnemius fascicles are shorter and more pennate throughout the first month following acute Achilles tendon rupture.

The purpose of this study was to characterize the short-term effects of Achilles tendon ruptures on medial gastrocnemius. We hypothesized that the fascicles of the medial gastrocnemius muscle of the injured Achilles tendon would be shorter and more pennate immediately following the injury and would persist throughout 4 weeks post-injury. B-mode longitudinal ultrasound images of the medial gastrocnemius were acquired in 10 adults who suffered acute Achilles tendon ruptures and were treated non-operatively. Ultrasound images were acquired during the initial clinical visit following injury as well as 2 and 4 weeks following this initial clinical visit. Resting muscle structure was characterized by measuring fascicle length, pennation angle, muscle thickness, and muscle echo intensity in both the injured and contralateral (control) limbs. Fascicle length was 15% shorter (P 0.026). Echo intensity of the injured limb was 8% lower at the presentation of the injury but was not different compared to the contralateral muscle at 2 and 4 weeks post-injury. Our results suggest that Achilles tendon ruptures elicit rapid changes in the configuration of the medial gastrocnemius, which may explain long-term functional deficits.
Projecting pathways to food-energy-water systems sustainability through ontology.

Abstract The FEWsOnt ontology models major structural and dynamic concepts of the food–energy–water (FEW) systems from the complex system perspective by defining the emergent, nonlinear, and scale-...
Filamin A mediates isotropic distribution of applied force across the actin network

Cell sensing of externally applied mechanical strain through integrin-mediated adhesions is critical in development and physiology of muscle, lung, tendon, and arteries, among others. We examined the effects of strain on force transmission through the essential cytoskeletal linker talin. Using a fluorescence-based talin tension sensor (TS), we found that uniaxial stretch of cells on elastic substrates increased tension on talin, which was unexpectedly independent of the orientation of the focal adhesions relative to the direction of strain. High-resolution electron microscopy of the actin cytoskeleton revealed that stress fibers (SFs) are integrated into an isotropic network of cortical actin filaments in which filamin A (FlnA) localizes preferentially to points of intersection between SFs and cortical actin. Knockdown (KD) of FlnA resulted in more isolated, less integrated SFs. After FlnA KD, tension on talin was polarized in the direction of stretch, while FlnA reexpression restored tensional symmetry. These data demonstrate that a FlnA-dependent cortical actin network distributes applied forces over the entire cytoskeleton-matrix interface.
RESEÑA SOBRE: ESCENARIOS DE CRISIS: DRAMATURGAS ESPAÑOLAS EN EL NUEVO MILENIO.

Esta es una breve resena sobre la antologia Escenarios de crisis: Dramaturgas espanolas en el nuevo milenio , editada por Ana Maria Diaz Marcos.
Minor preoccupations, major endeavors: The community of poets and painters:

In Au fond des images (2003), Jean-Luc Nancy introduces concepts about the image, pertinent to understanding the minor genre of poets’ writings on painting. Nancy begins by stating that the image i...
Domestic Violence in Sport: Complexities and Ethical Issues for Psychologists:

The prevalence of domestic violence in the sports community continues to be a controversial topic of discussion. The conversation that surrounds domestic violence and athletes often occurs through ...
Co-stimulation with opposing macrophage polarization cues leads to orthogonal secretion programs in individual cells

Macrophages are innate immune cells that contribute to fighting infections, tissue repair, and maintaining tissue homeostasis. To enable such functional diversity, macrophages resolve potentially conflicting cues in the microenvironment via mechanisms that remain unclear. Here, we used single-cell RNA sequencing to explore how individual macrophages respond when co-stimulated with the inflammatory stimuli, LPS+IFN-γ, and the resolving cytokine, IL-4. We found that co-stimulated macrophages displayed a distinct global transcriptional program. However, variable negative cross-regulation between some LPS+IFN-γ- and IL-4-specific genes resulted in significant cell-to-cell heterogeneity in transcription. Interestingly, negative cross-regulation led to mutually exclusive expression of the T-cell-polarizing cytokines Il6 and Il12b versus the IL-4-associated factors Arg1 and Chil3 in single co-stimulated macrophages, and single-cell secretion measurements showed that these specialized functions were maintained for at least 48 hours. Overall, our study suggests that increasing functional diversity in the population is one strategy macrophages use to respond to conflicting environmental cues.
Revising the Bolivarian Machine: A Venezuela Reclaimed by New Intellectuals

Competing with the Bolivarian Society from its inception was the writer Mariano Picon Salas, the most important figure of the times after Lecuna, to redirect the Bolivarian machine. Returning to Venezuela in 1936, Picon Salas, who had established himself as an essayist in Chile, where he went in the early 1920s for economic reasons, wasted no time in seeking to reorganize knowledge production. In 1936, he established the Organizacion Revolucionaria Venezolana (Venezuelan Revolutionary Organization) and the Instituto Nacional Pedagogico (National Pedagogic Institute) and, from 1938 to 1940, he was the director of Culture and Fine Arts for the Education Ministry. Later in 1950, he founded the Division of Humanities and Education at the Central University of Venezuela. In addition to these leadership roles in the new sphere of Venezuelan culture, he was the ambassador at different times to Colombia, Brazil, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Between 1963 and 1964, he was the secretary to President Romulo Betancourt.
Evaluating the impact of short-term rental regulations on Airbnb in New Orleans

Abstract The short-term rental market has grown rapidly over the last decade, led by the ascendance of Airbnb. The multifaceted impacts of short-term rentals, including increases in housing prices, changes in neighborhood character, and loses of revenue for hotels, have invited regulation from city governments. The City of New Orleans passed laws in December 2016 designed to regulate the short-term rental market and prevent further unfettered growth. This paper evaluates those regulations on the number and character of Airbnbs in the city prior to and after the enforcement of the laws. The regulations temporarily reduced the overall number of Airbnb's in New Orleans, but growth has resumed after a one-time decline. In addition, the regulations appear to have shifted growth into residential neighborhoods and away from the French Quarter.
Theologically Engaged Anthropology: edited by J. Derrick Lemons, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2018, 400 pp., US $99 (hardback), ISBN: 978-0-1987-9785-2.

Theologically Engaged Anthropology promulgates a significant interdisciplinary initiative that has been gaining momentum for over a decade. Until now it has been mostly articles and special issues ...
Prosocial responses to COVID-19: Examining the role of gratitude, fairness and legacy motives

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has produced an unprecedented collective action problem. Individuals must make a variety of decisions that influence both their own well-being and the health of those around them. Achieving the collective best-interest depends on most individuals responding in socially optimal ways, which includes remaining familiar with the current status of the pandemic, adhering to health guidelines relevant to the pandemic, and having a constructive emotional response to the pandemic. We sought to examine how individual differences in core moral motivators of collective action (i.e., fairness and gratitude) relate to individuals' COVID-19 responses. In a two-wave study (T1: N = 254; T2: N = 135) conducted in May and June 2020, we find that individual differences in fairness and gratitude were associated with more adaptive (i.e. positive emotions) and prosocial (i.e. remaining familiar with the pandemic, adhering to public health guidelines, prioritizing saving lives) responses to the pandemic. These effects are mediated through differences in impact legacy motives (i.e. being concerned about the impact one leaves behind once they have passed). Understanding the links between gratitude, fairness and legacy motives, and their impact on prosociality, could promote both current and intergenerational prosocial decision making.
Simultaneous CRISPR/Cas9-mediated editing of cassava eIF4E isoforms nCBP-1 and nCBP-2 confers elevated resistance to cassava brown streak disease

Cassava brown streak disease (CBSD) is a major constraint on cassava yields in East and Central Africa and threatens production in West Africa. CBSD is caused by two species of positive sense RNA viruses belonging to the family Potiviridae, genus Ipomovirus: Cassava brown streak virus (CBSV) and Ugandan cassava brown streak virus (UCBSV). Diseases caused by the family Potyviridae require the interaction of viral genome-linked protein (VPg) and host eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E (eIF4E) isoforms. Cassava encodes five eIF4E isoforms: eIF4E, eIF(iso)4E-1, eIF(iso)4E-2, novel cap-binding protein-1 (nCBP-1), and nCBP-2. Yeast two-hybrid analysis detected interactions between both CBSV and UCBSV VPg proteins and cassava nCBP-1 and nCBP-2. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing was employed to generate eif4e, ncbp-1, ncbp-2, and ncbp-1/ncbp-2 mutants in cassava cultivar 60444. Challenge with CBSV showed that ncbp-1/ncbp-2 mutants displayed delayed and attenuated CBSD aerial symptoms, as well as reduced severity and incidence of storage root necrosis. Suppressed disease symptoms were correlated with reduced virus titer in storage roots relative to wild-type controls. However, full resistance to CBSD was not achieved, suggesting that remaining functional eIF4E isoforms may be compensating for the targeted mutagenesis of nCBP-1 and nCBP-2. Future studies will investigate the contribution of these other isoforms to development of CBSD.
Heron Streamlet API

Besides low-level API, Heron provides high-level API. The Heron high-level API introduces processing graphs, which are based on the notion—streamlet. A streamlet is an unbounded sequence of tuples. Operations can be applied to streamlets, including map, filter, union, clone, repartition, reduce, and join. Besides, source and sink are terminals of processing graphs. Heron high-level API has multiple language bindings, including Java, Python, and Scala.
Data driven discovery of conjugated polyelectrolytes for optoelectronic and photocatalytic applications

Conjugated polyelectrolytes (CPEs), comprised of conjugated backbones and pendant ionic functionalities, are versatile organic materials with diverse applications. However, the myriad of possible molecular structures of CPEs render traditional, trial-and-error materials discovery strategy impractical. Here, we tackle this problem using a data-centric approach by incorporating machine learning with high-throughput first-principles calculations. We systematically examine how key materials properties depend on individual structural components of CPEs and from which the structure–property relationships are established. By means of machine learning, we uncover structural features crucial to the CPE properties, and these features are then used as descriptors in the machine learning to predict the properties of unknown CPEs. Lastly, we discover promising CPEs as hole transport materials in halide perovskite-based optoelectronic devices and as photocatalysts for water splitting. Our work could accelerate the discovery of CPEs for optoelectronic and photocatalytic applications.
Clinical trial of high dose hyperthermic intravesical mitomycin C for intermediate and high-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer during BCG shortage.

Abstract Purpose Intravesical Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) is the gold standard for intermediate and high-risk non–muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC), but availability is limited by global shortages. We present the first North American clinical experience using intravesical hyperthermia (HIVEC) with high-dose mitomycin C (MMC) during BCG shortage. Materials and methods Single arm intermediate size expanded access protocol for high dose HIVEC MMC in patients with intermediate and high-risk NMIBC during BCG shortage. Patients received 120 mg intravesical MMC using the Combat BRS to achieve 43°C HIVEC. Primary outcome was a safety assessment of adverse events, with recurrence-free survival and a descriptive analysis of hematologic impacts as secondary outcomes. Results Fourteen patients were treated from May 2019 to June 2020, 4 (29%) intermediate and 10 (71%) high risk. The cohort is heavily pretreated, only 2 (14%) BCG naive and median 6 BCG instillations (IQR 5.25, 8.25), with median 3.5 recurrences per patient (IQR 1.00, 5.25) 67% with >1 per year. Patients underwent a median 6 instillations (IQR 3.25, 9.25) which were well tolerated in 11/14 (79%). Seven patients (50%) experienced 10 adverse events, all grades 1 or 2. Most common was MMC allergy (4/14, 29%), followed by bladder spasm (3/14, 21%). Two had recurrences at median 11 months follow up, but both discontinued HIVEC after only 2 treatments. Conclusions High dose MMC HIVEC is a safe and well-tolerated substitute for BCG during global shortages. The higher rate of systemic effects implies increased drug delivery, which may improve efficacy.
Post-transplant Recipient Infectious Challenges

Infectious complications are currently the most common cause of hospitalization post-kidney transplantation. Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the most common infectious complication post-kidney transplant in children and are particularly frequent in those with underlying congenital anomalies of the kidneys and urinary tract (CAKUT). Long-term immunosuppression predisposes to opportunistic infections including cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), BK polyoma virus, and Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia (PJP) infections. Most transplant centers screen for these infections utilizing high-sensitivity polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays at routine intervals post-transplantation. Effective anti-viral therapies are available for CMV infection, whereas reduction of immunosuppression remains the mainstay of managing EBV and BK polyoma virus infections. Uncontrolled EBV replication post-transplant has been associated with post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD). Other cancer types, particularly skin cancer, are seen at higher frequencies post-kidney transplantation with longer duration and intensity of immunosuppression. A thorough understanding of the risk factors predisposing to these complications is critical to prevent their occurrences and limit recipient morbidity and mortality.
Mitral Valve Translocation: Optimization of Patch Geometry in an Ex Vivo Model of Secondary Mitral Regurgitation.

Optimal translocation patch width for functional mitral regurgitation (FMR) treatment was evaluated in an air-filled ex vivo system. FMR was created in 19 isolated swine hearts by annular dilation and papillary muscle displacement. Frustum-shaped pericardial patches of varying widths (Group 1 = 0.5 cm; Group 2 = 1.0 cm; Group 3 = 1.5 cm) were implanted and imaged via a 3D-structured light scanner. Median leaflet coaptation decreased (P < 0.001) from 5.5 ± 2.0 mm at baseline to 2.4 ± 1.3 mm following FMR creation. Translocation repair increased coaptation length over FMR levels by 2.2 mm in Group 1 (P < 0.001), 4.6 mm in Group 2 (P < 0.001), and 4.7 mm in Group 3 (P < 0.001). After repair, no significant differences were found between groups for annular height, circularity index, tenting height, tenting area, and non-coapting surface area. The supranormal coaptation and minimal valve geometric changes support using a 1.0- or 1.5-cm translocation patch for FMR treatment. Implantation of a 1.0-cm or 1.5-cm circumferential pericardial patch (mitral valve translocation) increases leaflet coaptation length without significantly altering valve geometry.
Speculation Sentiment - Executive Summary

I exploit a novel setting to measure disagreement between unsophisticated speculators and smart money, that is, the leveraged exchanged-traded funds' (ETFs) primary market. The leveraged ETFs' primary market provides observable arbitrage activity that originates from unobservable speculative demand shocks that create relative mispricing between a leveraged ETF and its underlying derivative securities. I form the Speculation Sentiment Index using the realized arbitrage trades and the index proxies for the direction and magnitude of market-wide speculative demand shocks. The Speculation Sentiment Index predicts aggregate asset returns, anomaly returns, and it is associated with market-wide mispricing and arbitrage activity.
EMR Implementation: Lessons Learned from ERP

The adoption of electronic medical records is a strategy for improving health care in the United States, and there are national efforts to provide funding for the initial purchase of EMR systems. The use of IT in making clinical health care more efficient and effective is well known. But recent articles in the healthcare domain indicate that 20 to 30 % of electronic medical record (EMR) systems fail within a year of implementation [11]. This study examines the implementation of EMR systems and compares these practices, issues, lessons learned, and critical success factors with what we have learned from implementing ERP systems. The findings identify the similarities between ERP and EMR systems projects and offer insights into applying the lessons learned in the past to the current challenges in EMR implementation.