cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Identification of Salmonella enterica serovar Kentucky genes involved in attachment to chicken skin.

Regardless of sanitation practices implemented to reduce Salmonella prevalence in poultry processing plants, the problem continues to be an issue. To gain an understanding of the attachment mechanism of Salmonella to broiler skin, a bioluminescent-based mutant screening assay was used. A random mutant library of a field-isolated bioluminescent strain of Salmonella enterica serovar Kentucky was constructed. Mutants’ attachment to chicken skin was assessed in 96-well plates containing uniform 6 mm diameter pieces of circular chicken skin. After washing steps, mutants with reduced attachment were selected based on reduced bioluminescence, and transposon insertion sites were identified. Attachment attenuation was detected in transposon mutants with insertion in genes encoding flagella biosynthesis, lipopolysaccharide core biosynthesis protein, tryptophan biosynthesis, amino acid catabolism pathway, shikimate pathway, tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, conjugative transfer system, multidrug resistant protein, and ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter system. In particular, mutations in S. Kentucky flagellar biosynthesis genes (flgA, flgC, flgK, flhB, and flgJ) led to the poorest attachment of the bacterium to skin. The current study indicates that attachment of Salmonella to broiler skin is a multifactorial process, in which flagella play an important role.
SMALL HADROSAUR MANUS AND PES TRACKS FROM THE LOWER CANTWELL FORMATION (UPPER CRETACEOUS) DENALI NATIONAL PARK, ALASKA: IMPLICATIONS FOR LOCOMOTION IN JUVENILE HADROSAURS

We report on a paired set of manus and pes tracks from the lower part of the Upper Cretaceous Cantwell Formation in Denali National Park, Alaska, USA. The tridactyl track is bi-lobed in the ‘heel' and the morphology allows attribution to a hadrosaurid. While adult hadrosaurs typically reached body lengths of 1200 cm, the length of this Alaskan pes impression is approximately 11 cm, which provides a hip height estimate of approximately 44–45 cm for this trackmaker. The manus impression is approximately 3.6 cm wide and 2.75 cm long. While hypothesized through studies of skeletal anatomy, given the small body size of the hadrosaur that made these tracks, this paired set of impressions indicates that at least some juvenile hadrosaurs were facultative quadrupeds rather than obligatory bipeds.
Electrical measurements of microwave circuit board materials

This paper is intended to be helpful to those who need to frequently measure electrical properties of foil clad laminates for microwave applications. Successful and unsuccessful efforts are discussed, with emphasis on the problems of specimen preparation and laboratory technique. Various published methods for measurement of dielectric constant and dissipation of polymer based circuit board materials are briefly reviewed. Some limitations of the stripline resonator method of MIL-P-13949E are overcome by simple modifications. Quality control programs of producers and users of foil clad microwave circuit board materials require dielectric constant measurements done with precision, ease, and minimal material destruction. An empirically calibrated fixture pressed against a small area stripped of foil has been the best of several ideas tried.
Lipolytic Activity During Storage of Human Milk: Stability of the Bile Salt-Stimulated Lipase 1.

Bile salt-stimulated lipase activity was monitored in fresh human milk and skim milk during refrigerated (4°C) and frozen (-20°C) storage, and in the lyophilized milks stored at -20°C and at room temperature. Following a sharp initial drop to approximately 77% of the original lipase activity, lipase was relatively stable in frozen or freeze-dried milks during 180 d of storage at -20°C. Activity losses were greatest (P < .05) in freeze-dried whole milks and skim milks stored at room temperature, approximating a 30% loss during 30 d of storage. Lipase activity was stable during refrigerated (4°C) storage of whole milk for 1 week.
Edward W. Said and William V. Spanos

I came to know the work of Edward Said in the early 1970s, when I invited him to contribute an essay to the first issue boundary 2 on the question of the postmodern. He informed me that he was a Palestinian student at Mount Hermon Preparatory School during the time between 1951 and 1953 when I was teaching there, and that he, an alien Arab in a New England Puritan environment, admired me, a Greek-American, for my reputation as a rebel against the Mount Hermon Puritan work ethic. After that inaugural conversation, we became friends, a turn that led me to read his work avidly. It was the centrality of the exilic consciousness and the contrapuntal critical perspective that in-betweenness enabled that I found profoundly attractive: the impulse to put back into play the stories—the Palestinians’, for example—that the dominant Western truth discourse must repress to articulate its own commanding narrative.
The Internet as a tool for informal education: a case of Uyghur language websites

AbstractThe 200th year since Jullien published his influential book Esquisse et vues preliminaries d’un ouvrage sur l’education comparee (Preliminary plan and views of a work of comparative education) is an opportunity to reflect on the field of comparative education and potential new research and theoretical directions. This paper will consider the potential role of information and communication technologies in comparative education scholarship within the context of Jullien’s plan for comparative education. Specifically, it uses the example of interactive Uyghur language websites to highlight their value as a vehicle for informal education, and how an understanding of cultural context, illuminated by an analysis of the content of social media messages, may contribute to more appropriate and successful educational policies for minority populations. Data for this paper are drawn from posts from the online community forums (munbar) of four popular Uyghur language websites.
Overview of Security and Privacy in Cyber‐Physical Systems

Cyber‐physical systems (CPSs) are used across domains to enable process optimization and previously unachievable functionality. The combination of networked digital systems and analog physical processes creates unique characteristics that change how security theory is applied. Neither cyber‐ nor physical‐security concepts alone can protect CPSs because the crossover effects can introduce unexpected vulnerabilities. Physical attacks may allow access to critical assets, resulting in damage or compromise of information being processed by the device, while cyber‐attacks may cause physical malfunctions, resulting in real‐world consequences. Therefore, security and privacy are key concerns for CPS design, development, and operation. In this chapter, we discuss how CPS security and privacy differ from that of pure cyber or physical systems and what may be done to secure these systems. Our goal is to help designers of emerging CPSs to build more secure, privacy‐enhanced products in the future.
Application of an Inverse Simulator of Single-Phase Flow Analysis for Leakage Pathway Estimation in a Multiphase System for Geologic CO2 Storage

When $$\hbox {CO}_{2}$$ is injected in a brine reservoir, brine or $$\hbox {CO}_{2}$$ can be discharged into a permeable formation saturated with brine above the storage reservoir along a leakage pathway, if present. In most situations, the overlying formation can act as a single-phase aquifer with only brine leakage before $$\hbox {CO}_{2}$$ leaks. This study examines the applicability of a developed inverse code for single-phase fluids to detect leakage pathway locations in view of the overlying formation using pressure anomalies induced by leaks. Before applying inverse analysis, forward modeling is performed using the TOUGH2 model to determine brine and $$\hbox {CO}_{2}$$ leakage in a homogeneous conceptual model, and the simulated pressure profiles at monitoring wells are used as measurements in the inverse model. In the inverse code, an important consideration is that the vertical hydraulic conductivity and cross-sectional area of a leakage pathway that are inherent to a leakage term in the mass balance equation are integrated as a single parameter to estimate the leakage pathway locations. This method eliminates the impact of the uncertainty of the leakage pathway size on the accuracy of leakage pathway estimation. The inverse model examines the effect of the number of monitoring wells, monitoring periods and $$\hbox {CO}_{2}$$ leakage into the overlying formation on the accuracy of leakage pathway estimation according to eleven application examples. The comparison between the results of the single-phase inverse code and iTOUGH2 code illustrates that the single-phase inverse model can be applicable to the leakage pathway estimation in a multiphase flow system.
Limit Theorems for U-Statistics

The decoupling results of Chapter 3 are very well suited for application in the asymptotic theory of U-statistics and U-processes, as we will see in this chapter and in the next. In this chapter we consider U-statistics. In general, we are interested in the “three gems” of classical probability theory, the law of large numbers, the central limit theorem, and the law of the iterated logarithm. Some inequalities, such as exponential and Hoffmann-Jorgensen-type inequalities, are also considered, mainly as first examples of application of decoupling and randomization, but also for their intrinsic interest.
Potential Mechanisms of Action of Dietary Phytochemicals for Cancer Prevention by Targeting Cellular Signaling Transduction Pathways.

Cancer is a severe health problem that significantly undermines life span and quality. Dietary approach helps provide preventive, nontoxic, and economical strategies against cancer. Increased intake of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are linked to reduced risk of cancer and other chronic diseases. The anticancer activities of plant-based foods are related to the actions of phytochemicals. One potential mechanism of action of anticancer phytochemicals is that they regulate cellular signal transduction pathways and hence affects cancer cell behaviors such as proliferation, apoptosis, and invasion. Recent publications have reported phytochemicals to have anticancer activities through targeting a wide variety of cell signaling pathways at different levels, such as transcriptional or post-transcriptional regulation, protein activation and intercellular messaging. In this review, we discuss major groups of phytochemicals and their regulation on cell signaling transduction against carcinogenesis via key par...
Review: Elastic Architecture: Frederick Kiesler and Design Research in the First Age of Robotic Culture, by Stephen J. Phillips

Stephen J. Phillips Elastic Architecture: Frederick Kiesler and Design Research in the First Age of Robotic Culture Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2017, 384 pp., 21 color and 134 b/w illus. $39.95 (cloth), ISBN 9780262035736 Frederick Kiesler's unorthodox professional trajectory has been the subject of sustained attention in recent years. A figure who operated at the margins of the architectural field, one who questioned the very underpinnings of architecture as a profession by targeting its institutional assumptions, Kiesler developed investigative and design approaches now widely perceived as anticipatory of the current wave of work conceived through—and possible to construct only with the aid of—computers. In this vein, Stephen J. Phillips's Elastic Architecture is an in-depth inquiry into the life and thought process of an individual who set out to expand the disciplinary boundaries of design. As the author states at the outset, “This book tells the story of Kiesler's pioneering design ideas and visionary research that formatively challenged the architecture profession to invent new design, education, and building practices” (2). Broken down into seven chapters, the book takes the reader into Kiesler's itinerary of spatial explorations, which were largely reflective of the changing perceptions of time and space that came with modernity. As an outsider, Kiesler enjoyed a unique vantage point that allowed him to expose architectural audiences to experiential arrangements that often engaged the built world only peripherally. Installations, gallery arrangements, set design, window displays, graphic design, lighting, his all-too-rare architectural realizations, and teaching and lecturing allowed him to leave a substantial footprint in design culture, prompting the architect and provocateur Philip Johnson to consider Kiesler as among the most creative designers of …
Generation of Sub-Picosecond Terahertz Pulses

Suzuki et al. [18] reported THz emission from Fe ion implanted Ga0.47In0.53As PC antennas triggered by 1.56 μm excitation pulses. The radiated field from the Fe ion implanted Ga0.47In0.53As had a reduced pulse width compared to that obtained from the unimplanted emitters. This reduction in pulse width was attributed to the rapid relaxation of the carriers from the conduction state to the trapped state connected with the Fe ions and vacancies. It was also possible to apply a much higher bias voltage (~12 kV/cm) in the ion implanted material due to the increased resistivity. A linear dependence of the emitted THz radiation on the applied bias voltage was observed up to 12 kV/cm at an excitation power of 5 mW. As before, the THz emission was observed to saturate at higher pump powers. Suzuki et al. [19] also reported THz emission from unbiased Ga0.47In0.53As and Ga0.4In0.6As surfaces excited at 1.56 and 1.05 μm respectively. Similar saturation effects of the emitted THz field with increasing pump power were observed in this case also.
Structure, Function, and Intracellular Processing of the Glycoproteins of Paramyxoviridae

The membranes of Paramyxoviridae virions are studded with spike structures which can be readily visualized in electron micrographs. Biochemical characterization of these structures has shown that there are two different kinds of spikes on the surfaces of virions. One spike structure serves to attach the virus to the surfaces of the cells and is composed of a protein termed the hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) in the case of the Paramyxovirus genus, the hemagglutinin (H) in the case of Morbillivirus, and the G protein in the case of Pneumovirus. As reflected in the nomenclature, the attachment protein of Paramyxovirus also contains a neuraminidase activity not demonstrated for the attachment proteins of the other genera (Scheid et al., 1972). The other spike is composed of the fusion protein and mediates the fusion of the viral membrane with that of the host cell, a step essential to the penetration and uncoating of the viral genetic information (Scheid and Choppin, 1974, 1977). This protein also mediates fusion between an infected cell and an adjacent cell, termed syncytium formation, a property that facilitates cell-to-cell spread of the viral genetic information.
Reinforcing, Reassuring, and Roasting: The Forms and Functions of the Human Smile

What are facial expressions for? In social-functional accounts, they are efficient adaptations that are used flexibly to address the problems inherent to successful social living. Facial expressions both broadcast emotions and regulate the emotions of perceivers. Research from my laboratory focuses on the human smile and demonstrates how this very nuanced display varies in its physical form in order to solve three basic social challenges: rewarding others, signaling non-threat, and negotiating social hierarchies. We mathematically modeled the dynamic facial-expression patterns of reward, affiliation, and dominance smiles using a data-driven approach that combined a dynamic facial expression generator with methods of reverse correlation. The resulting models were validated using human-perceiver and Bayesian classifiers. Human smile stimuli were also developed and validated in studies in which distinct effects of the smiles on physiological and hormonal processes were observed. The social-function account is extended to the acoustic form of laughter and is used to address questions about cross-cultural differences in emotional expression.
Transcriptome profiling of transgenic potato plants provides insights into variability caused by plant transformation.

Crop genetic engineering involves transformation in which transgenic plants are regenerated through tissue culture manipulations that can elicit somaclonal variation due to mutations, translocations, and/or epigenetic alterations. Here, we report on alterations in the transcriptome in a panel of transgenic potato plants engineered to be herbicide resistant. Using an inbred diploid potato clone (DMRH S5 28–5), ten single-insert transgenic lines derived from independent Agrobacterium-mediated transformation events were selected for herbicide resistance using an allelic variant of acetolactate synthase (mALS1). Expression abundances of the single-copy mALS1 transgene varied in individual transgenic lines was correlated with the level of phenotypic herbicide resistance, suggesting the importance of transgene expression in transgenic performance. Using RNA-sequencing, differentially expressed genes were identified with the proportion of genes up-regulated significantly higher than down-regulated genes in the panel, suggesting a differential impact of the plant transformation on gene expression activation compared to repression. Not only were transcription factors among the differentially expressed genes but specific transcription factor binding sites were also enriched in promoter regions of differentially expressed genes in transgenic lines, linking transcriptomic variation with specific transcription factor activity. Collectively, these results provide an improved understanding of transcriptomic variability caused by plant transformation.
Armed conflict in Central America and immigrant food insecurity in the United States

Central American immigrants to the United States are a growing population with rates of food insecurity that exceed national averages. We analyzed multiple years of data from the Center for System Peace and the Current Population Survey, Food Security Survey Module, from 1998 to 2015. We used ordered probit and probit regressions to quantify associations between premigration residence in a country exposed to armed conflict in Central America and the food insecurity of immigrants in the United States. The study sample included 5682 females and 5801 males between the ages of 19 and 69 years who were born in Central America and migrated to the United States. The mean age of individuals included in the study sample was 38.2 years for females (standard deviation, 11.0) and 36.8 years for males (standard deviation, 10.6). Premigration armed conflict was associated with a 10.7% point increase in postmigration food insecurity among females (95% confidence interval, 6.8-14.5), and a 9.5% point increase among males (95% confidence interval, 5.0-14.0).
Building New Banjos for an Old-Time World

Back when I was playing guitar with friends and friends-of-friends in college, I found myself one night at a party with a classmate I had recently met who played the five-string banjo. He was the o...
Classroom Observations Indicate the Positive Impacts of Discipline-Based Professional Development

We compared 236 geoscience instructors’ histories of professional development (PD) participation with classroom observations using the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP) that describe undergraduate classes as Student-Centered (score ≥ 50), Transitional (score 31–49) or Teacher-Centered (score ≤ 30). Instructors who attended PD (n = 111) have higher average RTOP scores (44.5 vs. 34.2) and are more frequently observed teaching Student-Centered classes (33% vs. 13%) than instructors with no PD (p < 0.001). Instructors who attended PD that is topically-aligned with content taught during the classroom observation are likely to have RTOP scores that are higher by 13.5 points (p < 0.0001), and are 5.6 times more likely to teach a Student-Centered class than instructors without topically-aligned PD. Comparable odds of teaching Student-Centered classes (5.8x) occur for instructors who attended two topical PD events but were observed teaching a different topic. Models suggest that instructors with at least 24 h of PD are significantly more likely to teach a Student-Centered class than instructors with fewer hours. Our results highlight the effectiveness of discipline-specific PD in impacting teaching practices, and the importance of attending more than one such PD event to aid transfer of learning.
The adverse effects of value-based purchasing in health care: dynamic quantile regression with endogeneity

The paper demonstrates differential effects of performance-based reimbursement, when price-setting within inpatient prospective payment system is related to benchmark values of quality measures or length-of-stay. We develop fixed effect quantile regression dynamic panel data models with endogeneity and apply them to nationwide administrative databases for recent implementations of performance-based reimbursement in the U.S. (Hospital Compare data for 4048 hospitals in 2008-2014) and Japan (Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare's data for 1849 hospitals in 2005-2014). The results indicate persuasive evidence supporting the adverse effects of value-based purchasing for best-performing hospitals. Patient experience of care measures significantly decrease in the top percentiles of the U.S. hospitals. Similarly, average length of stay significantly increases for most diagnosis-related groups at Japanese hospitals in percentiles with the lowest length of stay. A natural experiment aimed at best-practice rate setting diminishes the undesired effects of the reform.
Substituent effects on competitive release of phenols and 1,3-rearrangement in alpha-keto amide photochemistry.

Photolysis of α-keto amides bearing 4-YC6H4O leaving groups at the position α to the keto group efficiently produces high yields of phenols when Y is an electron-withdrawing group or H. The photoelimination likely involves cleavage of zwitterionic intermediates produced via excited-state hydrogen transfer. When Y is an electron-donating group, competing excited-state ArO−Cα bond scission to radicals occurs, followed by recombination to give 1,3-photorearrangment products.
Electromagnetic Model-Based Foreign Object Detection for Wireless Power Transfer

Foreign objects near wireless power transfer (WPT) systems are fire hazards that must be detected. In this paper, a new robust method is presented for foreign object detection based on an electromagnetic model for WPT. Foreign objects are detected by quantifying the deviation from a normal model. This deviation is caused by the foreign object’s additional electromagnetic coupling. Advantages of this new method include invariance to power level allowing low-power tests prior to startup, receiver coil misalignment, and varying transmitting and receiver losses.
Oxygen effects on ω and α phase transformations in a metastable β Ti–Nb alloy

Abstract Oxygen is known to have substantial influence on metastable β titanium alloys through martensite suppression and phase stability changes that significantly affect mechanical behavior. Here, we have investigated the influence of oxygen in solid solution on ω and α precipitation during ageing in a metastable β-type Ti–20Nb atomic (at)% alloy with up to about 5 at% O obtained through an oxidation exposure. Ageing results show that elevated oxygen induced a shape change for ω precipitates from an ellipsoid shape to an elongated rod shape and resulted in a higher ω number density. Additionally, the growth rate of ω precipitates was slowed with oxygen. Oxygen partitioned to the ω phase during ageing and was shown to expand the region of ω phase stability to higher temperatures, suggesting that oxygen increases ω phase stability. Prolonged ageing revealed that α eventually nucleated at all oxygen levels. However, the rate of α precipitation depended on oxygen content, and the slowest rate was observed with intermediate levels of oxygen (~2–3 at%) compared to elevated and minimal levels. A mechanism for this non-linear effect on α precipitation is discussed based on oxygen acting as both an ω-stabilizer and α-stabilizer in β titanium alloys.
The relationship of nursing practice laws to suicide and homicide rates: a longitudinal analysis of US states from 2012 to 2016

Nursing resources can have a protective effect on patient outcomes, but nurses and nursing scope of practice have not been studied in relation to injury outcomes. The purpose of this study was to examine whether scope of practice and ease of practice laws for nurse practitioners and registered nurses are associated with suicide and homicide rates in the United States. This state-level analysis used data from 2012 to 2016. The outcome variables were age-adjusted suicide and homicide rates. The predictor variables were NP scope of practice by state (limited, partial, or full) and RN ease of practice (state RN licensure compact membership status). Covariates were state sociodemographic, healthcare, and firearm/firearm policy context variables that have a known relationship with the outcomes. Full scope of practice for NPs was associated with lower rates of suicide and homicide, with stronger associations for suicide. Likewise, greater ease of practice for RNs was associated with lower suicide and homicide rates. Findings suggest that nurses are an important component of the healthcare ecosystem as it relates to injury outcomes. Laws supporting full nursing practice may have a protective effect on population health in the area of injuries and future studies should explore this relationship further.
A Risk Prediction and Clinical Guidance System for Evaluating Patients with Recurrent Infections

Abstract Background Primary immunodeficiency diseases represent an expanding set of heterogeneous conditions which are difficult to recognize clinically. Diagnostic rates outside of the newborn period have not changed appreciably. This concern underscores a need for novel methods of disease detection. Objective We built an artificial intelligence model to provide real-time risk assessment about primary immunodeficiency and to facilitate prescriptive analytics for initiating the most appropriate diagnostic work up. Our goal is to improve diagnostic rates for primary immunodeficiency and shorten time to diagnosis. Methods We extracted data from the Texas Children’s Hospital electronic health record on a large population of primary immunodeficiency patients (n = 1762) and age-matched set of controls (n = 1698). From the cohorts, clinically relevant prior probabilities were calculated enabling construction of a Bayesian network probabilistic model. Our model was constructed with clinical-immunology domain expertise, trained on a balanced cohort of 100 cases-controls and validated on an unseen balanced cohort of 150 cases-controls. Performance was measured by area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUROC). Results Our Bayesian network was accurate in classifying immunodeficiency patients from controls (AUROC = 0.945; p Conclusion Artificial intelligence methods can classify risk for primary immunodeficiency and guide management. Our Bayesian network enables highly accurate, objective decision making about risk and guides the user towards the appropriate diagnostic evaluation for patients with recurrent infections.
Relationship between interhemispheric inhibition and bimanual coordination: absence of instrument specificity on motor performance in professional musicians

Functional reorganization in a musician's brain has long been considered strong evidence of experience-dependent neuroplasticity. Highly coordinated bimanual movements require abundant communication between bilateral hemispheres. Interhemispheric inhibition (IHI) is the communication between bilateral primary motor cortices, and there is beginning evidence to suggest that IHI is modified according to instrument type, possibly due to instrument-dependent motor training. However, it is unknown whether IHI adaptations are associated with non-musical bimanual tasks that resemble specific musical instruments. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the relationship between IHI and bimanual coordination in keyboard players compared with string players. Bimanual coordination was measured by a force tracking task, categorized as symmetric and asymmetric conditions. Ipsilateral silent period (iSP) was obtained using transcranial magnetic stimulation to index IHI in both left (L) and right (R) hemispheres. Canonical correlation analysis was performed to identify linear relationships between the IHI and bimanual coordination outcomes. There was no difference in bimanual coordination outcomes between keyboard and string players. Increased iSP from the L to R hemisphere was found in string players compared to keyboard players. There appeared to be different instrument-dependent relationships between IHI and bimanual coordination, regardless of symmetric or asymmetric task. Laboratory motor assessments resembling specific features of musical instruments (symmetric vs. asymmetric hand use) did not distinctly characterize bimanual motor skills between keyboard and string players. The relationships between IHI and bimanual coordination in these two instrument types were independent of task condition. Instrument-dependent neuroplasticity may be evident only within the context of musical instrument playing.
Model-based Differentially Private Data Synthesis and Statistical Inference in Multiply Synthetic Differentially Private Data

We propose the approach of model-based differentially private synthesis (modips) in the Bayesian framework for releasing individual-level surrogate/synthetic datasets with privacy guarantees given the original data. The modips technique integrates the concept of differential privacy into model-based data synthesis. We introduce several variants for the general modips approach and different procedures to obtaining privacy-preserving posterior samples, a key step in modips. The uncertainty from the sanitization and synthetic process in modips can be accounted for by releasing multiple synthetic datasets and quantified via an inferential combination rule that is proposed in this paper. We run empirical studies to examine the impacts of the number of synthetic sets and the privacy budget allocation schemes on the inference based on synthetic data.
Telemedicine and Telehealth

Advances in telecommunication technologies have introduced many ways to bridge geographic distance and time, in order to connect clinicians, patients and families and facilitate the remote delivery of health care services and education. The concepts of telemedicine and telehealth are not new; the introduction of emerging consumer technologies and public health challenges highlight new opportunities. This chapter reviews subdomains of telemedicine and telehealth such as teleradiology, teleopthalmology, telepsychiatry, remote intensive care, telesurgery, correctional telehealth and home telehealth. We also discuss considerations for the implementation of telemedicine and telehealth such as licensure and reimbursement, and approaches and logistics to implementation and evaluation.
A Career in Electron Beams, Plasmas and EM Fields & Waves: Everything I Needed to Succeed I Learned in Kindergarten

I have been privileged to experience a reasonably long and successful career in plasma science and applications. Most importantly, I have been gifted by a vast number of wonderful collaborations and collaborators who have generously shared their wisdom in the pursuit of answers to perplexing questions, and the privilege to share the reward of learning and discovery with over three decades of students and colleagues.
Fire Suppression Training in the United States — An Approach to Interagency Standardization

The suppression of wildfires on forest, brush, and grasslands in the United States is carried out by a number of different federal, state, and local government fire protection agencies. These vary in size from the U.S. Forest Service, which is responsible for protecting more than 75 million hectares of National Forest land located in all parts of the country, to numerous city fire departments which each may have less than 1,000 hectares of forest or brushland within their jurisdiction. In between are more than 50 other federal and state forest fire protection organizations which are responsible for controlling fires on more than 440 million hectares of forest, grass and brush.
COMPUTATIONAL EXPERIENCE OF AN INTERIOR-POINT SQP ALGORITHM IN A PARALLEL BRANCH-AND-BOUND FRAMEWORK

An interior-point algorithm within a parallel branch-and-bound framework for solving nonlinear mixed integer programs is described. The nonlinear programming relaxations at each node are solved using an interior point SQP method. In contrast to solving the relaxation to optimality at each tree node, the relaxation is only solved to near-optimality. Analogous to employing advanced bases in simplex-based linear MIP solvers, a “dynamic” collection of warmstart vectors is kept to provide “advanced warmstarts” at each branch-and-bound node. The code has the capability to run in both shared-memory and distributed-memory parallel environments. Preliminary computational results on various classes of linear mixed integer programs and quadratic portfolio problems are presented.
Addendum to “Independence and determination of probabilities"

We have been apprised by A. P. Yurachkivsky that Theorem 1 of our paper [1] is contained in a result of his, as abstracted in "Axiomatization of stochastic independence" (5th International Vilnius Conference on Probability Theory and Mathematical Statistics, Abstracts of Communications, Vol. 4, 1989) and proved in preprint form as No. 90.6 "Axiomatic relations of independence as an equivalent of the probability measure" (Institute for Mathematics of the Academy of Science of the Ukrainian SSR, Kiev, 1990).
Division of Reproductive Science Research

The Reproductive Science Research Division in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology was established in 2009 and consists of five full time research faculty members and 11 faculty members with joint appointment with other divisions in the department.
Cloning, nucleotide sequence, and regulation of the Bacillus subtilis pbpF gene, which codes for a putative class A high-molecular-weight penicillin-binding protein.

Abstract The partial nucleotide sequence of a gene encoding a Bacillus subtilis homolog to the Escherichia coli ponA gene, encoding penicillin-binding protein 1A, was previously reported. The remaining part of this gene, termed pbpF, was isolated, and its nucleotide sequence was completed. Deletion of this gene did not alter the profile of B. subtilis penicillin-binding proteins observed after gel electrophoresis and resulted in no observable phenotype. A transcriptional pbpF-lacZ fusion was weakly expressed during vegetative growth. Expression diminished during the first hours of sporulation but was slightly induced in the forespore compartment during late sporulation. This sporulation expression was dependent on spoIIIG, which encodes the forespore-specific transcription factor sigma G. A single transcription start site which was apparently directly dependent on E sigma A was detected in vegetative cells.
Self-powered smart blade: helicopter blade energy harvesting

A novel energy harvesting device powered by aeroelastic flutter vibrations is proposed to generate power for embedded wireless sensors on a helicopter rotor blade. Such wireless sensing and on-board power generation system would eliminate the need for maintenance intensive slip ring systems that are required for hardwired sensors. A model of the system has been developed to predict the response and output of the device as a function of the incident wind speed. A system of coupled equations that describe the structural, aerodynamic, and electromechanical aspects of the system are presented. The model uses semi-empirical, unsteady, nonlinear aerodynamics modeling to predict the aerodynamic forces and moments acting on the structure and to account for the effects of vortex shedding and dynamic stall. These nonlinear effects are included to predict the limit cycle behavior of the system over a range of wind speeds. The model results are compared to preliminary wind tunnel tests of a low speed aeroelastic energy harvesting experiment.
Association for Medical Education and Research in Substance Abuse

The Association for Medical Education and Research in Substance Abuse (AMERSA) is a multi-disciplinary organization committed to health professional faculty development in substance abuse. In 1976, members of the Career Teachers Training Program in Alcohol and Drug Abuse, a US federally funded multi-disciplinary faculty development program, formed AMERSA. The organization grew from 59 founding members, who were primarily medical school faculty, to over 300 health professionals from a spectrum of disciplines including physicians, nurses, social workers, dentists, allied health professionals, psychologists and other clinical educators who are responsible for advancing substance abuse education. AMERSA members promote substance abuse education among health professionals by developing curricula, promulgating relevant policy and training health professional faculty to become excellent teachers in this field. AMERSA influences public policy by offering standards for improving substance abuse education. The organization publishes a peer-reviewed, quarterly journal, Substance Abuse, which emphasizes research on the education and training of health professions and also includes original clinical and prevention research. Each year, the AMERSA National Conference brings together researchers and health professional educators to learn about scientific advances and exemplary teaching approaches. In the future, AMERSA will continue to pursue this mission of advancing and supporting health professional faculty who educate students and trainees to address substance abuse in patients and clients.
A National Survey of Hospice Bereavement Services

Introduction:Historically, bereavement services have been viewed as the “poor stepchild” within hospice programs. In 1986, a survey was conducted of hospices to examine the nature and function of h...
Effect of tolbutamide and chlorpropamide on acetaldehyde metabolism in two inbred strains of mice

Abstract The mechanisms by which chlorpropamide and tolbutamide disrupt acetaldehyde metabolism were studied in C57BL and DBA mice. Acute po administration of varying doses of tolbutamide or chlorpropamide 2.5 hr before a 3.0 g/kg ip dose of ethanol to C57BL and DBA mice resulted in significant elevations of blood acetaldehyde when measured 2.5 hr after ethanol dosing. Dose-response analysis revealed a significant ( p K m ALDH present in mitochondria. Chlorpropamide and tolbutamide did not inhibit ALDH in vitro , suggesting that metabolites of these hypoglycemic agents may be responsible for the genotypic-dependent alterations in in vivo acetaldehyde oxidation.
Construct validation of physical activity surveys in culturally diverse older adults: a comparison of four commonly used questionnaires.

The purpose of this study was to establish validity evidence of four physical activity (PA) questionnaires in culturally diverse older adults by comparing self-report PA with performance-based physical function. Participants were 54 older adults who completed the Continuous Scale Physical Functional Performance 10-item Test (CS-PFP10), Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly (PASE), CHAMPS Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Adults, Yale Physical Activity Survey (YPAS), and modified Baecke questionnaire. The total PASE score, three outcome scores for the CHAMPS, and three summary indices for the YPAS were significantly correlated with total CS-PFP10 score. The modified Baecke exhibited no correlations with CS-PFP10 scores. The PASE, CHAMPS, and YPAS appear to be the most valid PA self-report questionnaires for culturally diverse older adults.
Calibration of the Dicon Auto Perimeter 2000 Compared with that of the Goldmann Perimeter

We empirically evaluated the calibration of the Dicon Auto Perimeter 2000 by comparing the results of threshold static perimetry with those for the same group of normal subjects examined by conventional manual static perimetry with the Goldmann perimeter. At 10 to 20 degrees of eccentricity in the visual field (including the entire Bjerrum region), there was no significant difference between threshold levels expressed as Goldmann equivalent stimuli by the Dicon instrument and the results obtained by examination with the Goldmann perimeter. The slopes of the linear meridional profiles from the two instruments were significantly different, however. The slope of the profile measured with the Dicon perimeter was flatter than that produced by Goldmann perimetry, so that threshold values inside 10 degrees of eccentricity were higher, whereas threshold values outside of 20 degrees of eccentricity were lower. Though statistically significant, these differences were small (2 dB at most). The difference in slopes can be attributed to a difference in stimulus sizes, because the area of the Dicon stimulus is eight times that of the size I Goldmann test object and twice that of the size II test object.
Intervention Adherence for Research and Practice: Necessity or Triage Outcome?.

Intervention integrity or adherence describes qualities of carrying out an intervention plan and in research is fundamentally linked to experimental validity questions addressed by measurement of independent and dependent variables. Integrity has been well described in conceptual writing but has been a continuing thorny subject in research and practice with some possibility of misunderstandings. In consultation practice, in contrast to research, adherence questions may be best viewed as a triage situation in that teams examine risks and costs of decisions and plan for sufficient intervention implementation checks accordingly. Furthermore, in consultation practice the measurement of intervention adherence is not necessarily needed for internal validity arguments if internal validity evidence is a key characteristic of prior research used in problem solving. However, adherence estimates remain critical for many aspects of decision making. As much thought and resources may be dedicated to the measurement of ...
Conformational Changes Of Ferricytochrome c Induced by pH and Temperature

This investigation is a comparison between the native and non-native states of ferricytochrome c as it is adopted between a pH of 1 to 13 and temperature of 278K to 353K. Visible electronic circular dichroism [ECD] and absorption spectroscopy were employed to probe the changes occurring at low ionic strength within the heme environment. The data presented is of the Soret band with the Q-band data and charge transfer band profile currently being gathered. At pH 2, state I, shows the emergence of a negative band, which is believed to represent the dissociation of both ligands from the heme. At this pH as the protein becomes unfolded and the iron is in a high spin state (Dyson, H, J.Biol.Chem, 1982), as the protein environment was acidified there was an emergence of a Cotton band in the CD spectra, also the intensity of the bands decreased, starting at pH 4. Approaching state III, as the iron enters a low spin state, there is a stronger couplet that emerges reflecting band splitting which is predominantly caused by a combination of electronic and vibronic perturbations (Reinhard Schweitzer-Stenner, J. Phys. Chem. B, 2008) and is maintained below 343K. This is suggesting that there is a conformational transition from the native state, into a thermally activated intermediate state, affecting the internal electric field causing moderate rearrangements of the heme, until it enters its thermally unfolded state. This unfolded state of the protein consistently becomes populated at higher temperatures across the pH range. This couplet remains into pH 9 which could reflect an intermediate transition of state III into state IV, moving to more alkaline states this couplet disappears. This study has overall shown significant heterogeneity of the protein throughout the pH range.
Microbial Keratitis in Los Angeles: The Doheny Eye Institute and the Los Angeles County Hospital Experience

Objective To evaluate the spectrum and antibiotic susceptibility panel of infectious keratitis at a major tertiary care referral eye center and a major county hospital in Southern California. Design Retrospective case series. Participants All cultured infectious keratitis cases from July 1, 2008, through December 31, 2012, from the Doheny Eye Institute (DEI) and the Los Angeles County + University of Southern California Medical Center (LAC+USC) were evaluated. Methods Microbiology records were reviewed retrospectively. Main Outcome Measures Microbial isolates as well as antibiotic susceptibility patterns were analyzed. Results One hundred eighty-four (63%) of 290 cases showed positive culture results at DEI and 152 (82%) of 186 cases showed positive culture results at LAC+USC. Gram-positive pathogens were found to be the most common at both DEI (70%) and LAC+USC (68%), with coagulase-negative Staphylococcus being the most common gram-positive organism (58% at DEI and 44% at LAC+USC). Pseudomonas aeruginosa was the most common gram-negative organism (57% at DEI and 43% at LAC+USC). Ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin susceptibility for all tested pathogens was 73% at DEI and 81% at LAC+USC ( P = 0.16). Oxacillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (ORSA) was found in 42% of cases at DEI and in 45% of cases at LAC+USC ( P = 1.00). Conclusions There is no significant difference in the spectrum of pathogens or antibiotic susceptibility of pathogens at DEI versus LAC+USC, and ORSA was found in approximately half of all S. aureus samples.
Non-traditional machining using pulsed water jets

This paper discusses water jet machining of selected materials using a non-traditional way of delivering water jets in the form of a series of discrete pulses. The theory of water jet impact has been used to demonstrate the principle of removing material by exploiting the existence of a Rayleigh wave that excites the formation of surface cracks and the lateral outflow of water that extends the cracks and removes material. A mathematical model has been developed that predicts changes in the response characteristics of materials owing to an idealised representation of a finite jet of water impacting a plane surface. The analytical approach used is applicable to the first stages of impact where the compressibility of water in the droplet is significant. The predicted response characteristics are compared with experimental data generated using controlled water jet impacts produced by a specially constructed pulsed water jet machining centre. The predicted response of selected materials compare well with experimental data. The results presented in this paper illustrate the importance of using pulsed water jets as a way of machining materials in a non-traditional manner.