cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Quantitative Paleozoology: Tallying for Taphonomy: Weathering, Burning, Corrosion, and Butchering

Taphonomy is a term coined by Russian paleontologist I. A. Efremov (1940) from the Greek words taphos (burial) and nomos (law). Efremov meant for taphonomy to specify the transition, in all details, of organics from the biosphere to the lithosphere. In the context of this book (recall Figure 2.1), taphonomy concerns the agents and process(es) that influence an animal carcass from the moment of that animal's death until its remains (if any survive the vicissitudes of time) are recovered by the paleozoologist, and also the kind and magnitude of those influences. There are a plethora of taphonomic agents and processes that variously disarticulate, disperse, alter, and destroy carcass tissues, including bones and teeth (Lyman 1994c). In this chapter, techniques for tallying what are sometimes referred to as taphonomic signatures, features, or attributes evident on faunal remains are introduced. Identifying the taphonomic agents and processes that influenced an assemblage of faunal remains assists interpretation of the remains. (If the agent is biological, then the taphonomic feature is a trace fossil [Gautier 1993; Kowalewski 2002].) Do, for example, those remains reflect what human hunters ate or do they represent a fluvially winnowed set of skeletons of animals that died during a seasonal crossing of a river at flood stage? Determination of the taphonomic history of a collection of faunal remains may reveal aspects of paleoecology not otherwise evident among the collection of remains, such as evidence of carnivore gnawing on ungulate bones when no carnivore remains are recovered.
Teaching young children to make accurate portion size estimations using a stimulus equivalence paradigm

The prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents has increased over the past four decades. Obesity can be conceptualized as a problem related to energy balance, where more energy is consumed than is expended through physical activity. One way that children may have a positive energy balance is through the overconsumption of foods (i.e., eating large portion sizes). Therefore, interventions that teach children to make accurate portion size estimations may be important to maintain overall health. In the current study, seven children between the ages of 4 and 7 years were taught to make accurate portion size estimations using a stimulus equivalence paradigm. Results suggested that the stimulus equivalence paradigm was effective in teaching five of seven participants to make more accurate portion size estimations during posttraining. Furthermore, five of seven participants estimated the target portion size of a novel food during extension sessions. These findings extend the current literature related to teaching children to make accurate portion size estimations. Although this was a translational study, results might help to inform existing nutrition education programs aimed at teaching children healthier eating habits.
Networks and Hazard Adaptation Among West African Pastoralists

Abstract Pastoralists employ different strategies to minimize the risk of losing their livelihood overnight due to drought, disease, and other hazards. Livestock transfers have been considered critical because they provide not only a safety net during hazard exposure but also contribute to the resilience of pastoral societies by allowing pastoralists to rebuild their herds after disasters. I examine whether and how livestock transfers serve as risk management strategies in a comparative, ethnographic study of three pastoralist communities in the Far North Region of Cameroon. The findings show that livestock transfers contribute to short-term survival of households but not long-term viability of family herds. To understand why livestock transfers are not effective in the long term, I argue for a more holistic, anthropological approach that considers the social and cultural aspects of strategic decisions that individual pastoralists make when they engage in these transfers.
Beauty requires thought

Summary The experience of beauty is a pleasure, but common sense and philosophy suggest that feeling beauty differs from sensuous pleasures such as eating or sex. Immanuel Kant [1, 2] claimed that experiencing beauty requires thought but that sensuous pleasure can be enjoyed without thought and cannot be beautiful. These venerable hypotheses persist in models of aesthetic processing [3–7] but have never been tested. Here, participants continuously rated the pleasure felt from a nominally beautiful or non-beautiful stimulus and then judged whether they had experienced beauty. The stimuli, which engage various senses, included seeing images, tasting candy, and touching a teddy bear. The observer reported the feelings that the stimulus evoked. The time course of pleasure, across stimuli, is well-fit by a model with one free parameter: pleasure amplitude. Pleasure amplitude increases linearly with the feeling of beauty. To test Kant's claim of a need for thought, we reduce cognitive capacity by adding a "two-back" task to distract the observer's thoughts. The distraction greatly reduces the beauty and pleasure experienced from stimuli that otherwise produce strong pleasure and spares that of less-pleasant stimuli. We also find that strong pleasure is always beautiful, whether produced reliably by beautiful stimuli or just occasionally by sensuous stimuli. In sum, we confirm Kant's claim that only the pleasure associated with feeling beauty requires thought and disprove his claim that sensuous pleasures cannot be beautiful.
Interim outcome analysis of a prospective phase I trial of surgical resection with intracavitary hyperthermic cisplatin and gemcitabine for patients with resectable malignant pleural mesothelioma.

7588 Background: We completed a phase I trial of cisplatin and dose-escalated gemcitabine in a hyperthermic intra-operative lavage (IOHC) following extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP arm) or extended pleurectomy (PD arm). Primary and secondary endpoints including gemcitabine MTD (1000 mg/m2 with 175 mg/m2 cisplatin) and pharmacokinetics, toxicity and mortality were reported (IMIG congress, 9/11-14/2012, abstract IIB.4 [1]). To define phase II indications, we explored patient outcome in comparison to published phase II results of a similar trial using cisplatin IOHC alone following EPP (J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2009, 138:405 [2]). Methods: The protocol was registered and IRB approved. Informed consent was obtained. Overall survival was calculated from the date of surgery to the date of death or censored at the date of most recent contact. Patients who were treated on the EPP arm at 500 to 1000 mg/m2 gemcitabine dose levels were included, grouped by epithelial (E) or non-epithelial (NE) histological subtype. M...
Novel Zirconia Materials in Dentistry

Zirconias, the strongest of the dental ceramics, are increasingly being fabricated in monolithic form for a range of clinical applications. Y-TZP (yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal) is the most widely used variant. However, current Y-TZP ceramics on the market lack the aesthetics of competitive glass-ceramics and are therefore somewhat restricted in the anterior region. This article reviews the progressive development of currently available and next-generation zirconias, representing a concerted drive toward greater translucency while preserving adequate strength and toughness. Limitations of efforts directed toward this end are examined, such as reducing the content of light-scattering alumina sintering aid or incorporating a component of optically isotropic cubic phase into the tetragonal structure. The latest fabrication routes based on refined starting powders and dopants, with innovative sintering protocols and associated surface treatments, are described. The need to understand the several, often complex, mechanisms of long-term failure in relation to routine laboratory test data is presented as a vital step in bridging the gaps among material scientist, dental manufacturer, and clinical provider.
Traveling with blindness: A qualitative space-time approach to understanding visual impairment and urban mobility.

This paper draws from Hagerstrand's space-time framework to generate new insights on the everyday mobilities of individuals with visual impairments in the San Francisco Bay Area. While existing research on visual impairment and mobility emphasizes individual physical limitations resulting from vision loss or inaccessible public spaces, this article highlights and bridges both the behavioral and social processes that influence individual mobility. A qualitative analysis of sit-down and mobile interview data reveals that the space-time constraints of people with visual impairments are closely linked to their access to transportation, assistive technologies, and mobile devices. The findings deepen our understandings of the relationship between health and mobility, and present intervention opportunities for improving the quality of life for people with visual impairment.
Fabrication of multifaceted, micropatterned surfaces and image-guided patterning using laser scanning lithography.

Abstract This protocol describes the implementation of laser scanning lithography (LSL) for the fabrication of multifaceted, patterned surfaces and for image-guided patterning. This photothermal-based patterning technique allows for selective removal of desired regions of an alkanethiol self-assembled monolayer on a metal film through raster scanning a focused 532 nm laser using a commercially available laser scanning confocal microscope. Unlike traditional photolithography methods, this technique does not require the use of a physical master and instead utilizes digital “virtual masks” that can be modified “on the fly” allowing for quick pattern modifications. The process to create multifaceted, micropatterned surfaces, surfaces that display pattern arrays of multiple biomolecules with each molecule confined to its own array, is described in detail. The generation of pattern configurations from user-chosen images, image-guided LSL is also described. This protocol outlines LSL in four basic sections. The first section details substrate preparation and includes cleaning of glass coverslips, metal deposition, and alkanethiol functionalization. The second section describes two ways to define pattern configurations, the first through manual input of pattern coordinates and dimensions using Zeiss AIM software and the second via image-guided pattern generation using a custom-written MATLAB script. The third section describes the details of the patterning procedure and postpatterning functionalization with an alkanethiol, protein, and both, and the fourth section covers cell seeding and culture. We end with a general discussion concerning the pitfalls of LSL and present potential improvements that can be made to the technique.
Characterization of Solid State Phase Transformation in Continuously Heated and Cooled Ferritic Weld Metal

Arc welding processes involve cooling rates that vary over a wide range (1–100 K/s). The final microstructure is thus a product of the heating and cooling cycles experienced by the weld in addition to the weld composition. It has been shown that the first phase to form under weld cooling conditions may not be that predicted by equilibrium calculations (Babu et al. 2002a). The partitioning of different interstitial/substitutional alloying elements at high temperatures can dramatically affect the subsequent phase transformations. In order to understand the effect of alloying on phase transformation temperatures and final microstructures time-resolved X-ray diffraction technique has been successfully used for characterization (Babu et al. 2002a, 2005; Stone et al. 2008; Babu 2002). The work by Jacot and Rappaz (1999) on pearlitic steels provided insight into austenitization of hypo-eutectic steels using a finite volume model. However there is very little work done on the effect of heating and cooling rates on the phase transformation paths in bainitic/martensitic steels and weld metals (Thiessen et al. 2007). Previous work on a weld with higher aluminum content, deposited with a FCAW-S process indicated that even at aluminum levels where the primary phase to solidify from liquid should be delta ferrite, non-equilibrium austenite was observed (Babu 2002). The presence of inhomogeneity in composition of the parent microstructure has been attributed to differences in transformation modes, temperatures and microstructures in dual-phase, TRIP steels and ferritic welds (Jimenez-Melero et al. 2009; Wang and Van Der Zwaag 2001; Babu et al. 2002b; Palmer and Elmer 2005).
Amchitka Island: Melding Science and Stakeholders to Achieve Solutions for a Former Department of Energy Site

Traditional scientific research proceeds from development of a hypothesis, through data gathering to final conclusions, and without much input from stakeholders. This chapter proposes that the melding of scientists and stakeholders throughout the process can reduce conflicts and lead to acceptable solutions for problems that are inherently complex and have eluded resolution. We use the closure of the Department of Energy’s Amchitka Island, where three underground nuclear tests were conducted from 1965 to 1971, as a case study to illustrate how stakeholders can be included as participants throughout the process, leading to acceptance and incorporation of the science, and a path forward. Success was dependent upon interactions to stimulate relevant science investigations, in a participatory process. Without such inclusion, well-intended policies and practices may be ineffective and may not lead to a solution, particularly to such difficult problems as closure of chemical and radioactive waste sites, and the handling of civilian and military nuclear wastes in the future, both of which influence the future of nuclear energy in the United States.
Why Grammar Matters: Conjugating Verbs in Modern Legal Opinions

Does it matter that the editors of thirty-three law journals, including those at Yale and Michigan, think that there is a “passive tense”?1 Does it matter that the United States Courts of Appeals for the Sixth2 and Eleventh3 Circuits think that there is a “passive mood”? Does it matter that the editors of fourteen law reviews think that there is a “subjunctive tense”?4 Does it matter that the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit thinks that there is a “subjunctive voice”?5 There is, in fact, no “passive tense” or “passive mood.” The passive is a voice.6 There is no “subjunctive voice” or “subjunctive tense.” The subjunctive is a mood.7 The examples in the first paragraph suggest that there is widespread unfamiliarity among lawyers and law students
Empirical evaluation of the stringency and design of renewable portfolio standards

In two decades of experience with state renewable portfolio standards (RPSs), the United States has observed immense growth in renewable energy markets, initially in wind energy and more recently in solar power. During this time, RPSs have experienced considerable policy reinvention and increased diversity. Here, we explain how changes in RPS policy design features relate to different market outcomes. We develop a score for measuring RPS stringency and show that a one-point increase in RPS stringency leads to increases of 0.2%, 1% and 0.3% in renewable energy, solar generation and renewable energy capacity, respectively. Other important design features include resource eligibility, planning processes, cost recovery and geographical restrictions. These findings are then reaffirmed through 42 semi-structured phone interviews with experts in the field of RPS implementation from government agencies, including public utility commissions and state energy offices, electric utilities and various renewable energy firms and associations. Renewable policy standards have been instrumental in the growth of renewable energy in US states. Through a ranking of policy stringency and interviews with industry stakeholders, researchers show the significance of stringency and other policy design features towards a standard’s effectiveness.
A perishable EOQ model subject to distinct demands for conforming and non-conforming items

ABSTRACTThis paper presents an Economic Order Quantity model with imperfect quality subject to distinct demands for conforming and non-conforming items where holding cost is a nonlinear function of time an item is held in inventory. We assume that the vendor operates a process that is in statistical control. The purchaser applies a 100% quality inspection policy and accepts all conforming items to satisfy demand in a primary market and rejects all non-conforming items and sends them to a warehouse to satisfy demand in a secondary market. Inspection cost per lot is a linear function of lot size. Shortage costs for the conforming units are assumed to be high. Hence, shortages are not allowed in the primary market while permitted in the secondary market. Non-conforming shortage costs are levied based on the number of units short, irrespective of the duration of shortage. All non-conforming leftover units at the end of each cycle, if any, are sold (or disposed of) for a fixed price (or disposal cost) per non-...
Multilevel Optimization Techniques for Aircraft

A multilevel decomposition methodology for which design variables have relatively equal impact at each level is discussed as an approach to largescale system optimization. Multidisciplinary optimization techniques utilizing sensitivity derivatives and a global sensitivity matrix to combine the levels are used to develop a total optimum design. A hypothetical hypersonic vehicle is used to illustrate the process when considering trajectory issues as well. An advanced fighter wing example is used to illustrate the potential of improved design optimization in a multidisciplinary environment as compared to conventional sequential design development.
EATING AND GLYCEMIC CONTROL AMONG CRITICALLY ILL PATIENTS RECEIVING CONTINUOUS INTRAVENOUS INSULIN.

Objective: Consensus guidelines recommend that intensive care unit (ICU) patients with blood glucose (BG) levels >180 mg/dL receive continuous intravenous insulin (CII). The effectiveness of CII at controlling BG levels among patients who are eating relative to those who are eating nothing by mouth (nil per os; NPO) has not been described. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 260 adult patients (156 eating, 104 NPO) admitted to an ICU between January 1, 2014, and December 31, 2014, who received CII. Patients were excluded for a diagnosis of diabetic ketoacidosis or hyperglycemic hyperosmolar nonketotic syndrome, admission to an obstetrics service, or receiving continuous enteral or parenteral nutrition. Results: Among 22 baseline characteristics, the proportion of patients receiving glucocorticoid treatment (GCTx) (17.3% eating, 37.5% NPO; P<.001) and APACHE II score (15.0 ± 7.5 eating, 17.9 ± 7.9 NPO; P = .004) were significantly different between eating and NPO patients. There was no significant difference in the primary outcome of patient-day weighted mean BG overall (153 ± 8 mg/dL eating, 156 ± 7 mg/dL NPO; P = .73), or day-by-day BG (P = .37) adjusted for GCTx and APACHE score. Surprisingly, there was a significant difference in the distribution of BG values, with eating patients having a higher percentage of BG readings in the recommended range of 140 to 180 mg/dL. However, eating patients showed greater glucose variability (coefficient of variation 23.1 ± 1.0 eating, 21.2 ± 1.0 NPO; P = .034). Conclusion: Eating may not adversely affect BG levels of ICU patients receiving CII. Whether or not prandial insulin improves glycemic control in this setting should be studied. Abbreviations: BG = blood glucose; CII = continuous insulin infusion; CV = coefficient of variation; HbA1c = hemoglobin A1c; ICU = intensive care unit; NPO = nil per os; PDWMBG = patient day weighted mean blood glucose.
Faculty Epistemological Beliefs and the Influence of Professional Development.

This study explores the epistemological beliefs of the science faculty at a small liberal arts college in the Southern U.S. and investigates the effect of a Faculty Learning Community (FLC) professional development. The Teacher Beliefs Interviews (TBI; Luft & Roehrig, 2007) was used to investigate epistemological beliefs of faculty from various STEM disciplines for a period of three semesters. The faculty members were grouped into two categories: those who participated in professional development (treatment group) and those who did not (comparison group). Further, classes for all the faculty members who participated in the interviews were observed during the same period to compare beliefs and practices. Reformed Teacher Observation Protocol (RTOP; Piburn & Sawada, 1995) was used to rate the observations. Results indicate the STEM faculty at this college had transitional beliefs. Further, a significant difference was observed between the classroom observations of FLC participants and the comparison group. Significantly, a high correlation was found between faculty beliefs and practice. Results from this study add to the current understanding of faculty beliefs and practice. Keywords: epistemological beliefs, STEM, TBI, FLC, posttest, faculty
SOI-MEMS Bulk Piezoresistive Displacement Sensor: A Comparative Study of Readout Circuits

Performance of several readout circuits, when applied to a MEMS-based bulk piezoresistive displacement sensor is compared in this study. The sensor comprises a pair of tilted clamped-guided silicon beams whose bulk piezoresistivity is used for displacement sensing. Wheatstone half-bridge, constant-voltage, and constant-current circuits are implemented to measure resistance changes of this sensor. We report full characterization of the sensor with these circuits and explore the sensor’s important characteristics such as linearity, bandwidth, and noise. The results reveal that the constant-current circuit provides the highest sensitivity at equal-power bias condition. We find that the resolution of the sensor is degraded from 1.6 nm with the Wheatstone half-bridge and constant-voltage circuits to about 4.2 nm with the constant-current configuration. In the frequency domain, the sensor captures the full dynamics of the MEMS nanopositioner up to 20 kHz with all readout circuits. [2019-0168]
Macromolecular data processing in the central nervous system

Macromolecules and macromolecular aggregates physical and chemical properties importance to data processing activities in brain research
Effects of Implementation of Ergonomic Training on Reported Surgeon Musculoskeletal Pain: A Systematic Review.

Study Objective This study evaluates the current state of minimally invasive gynecologic surgeon perceived intraoperative pain, along with the viability and efficacy of surgeon ergonomic training implementation with the long term goal of developing an interventional program within our institution. Design PubMed, Embase and Google Scholar databases were queried using the terms “surgeon,” “laparoscopic,” “ergonomic,” “training,” and “implementation” to perform a systematic evidence based literature review. Of the thousands of results, approximately seven articles were found to be relevant covering the topics of the state of ergonomic education, and results of ergonomic training on surgeon pain and intraoperative function. Four articles are survey studies, two articles are Randomized Control Trials (one of which is Italian based), and one is a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Setting N/A Patients or Participants N/A Interventions N/A Measurements and Main Results All forms of minimally invasive surgery (robotic, conventional laparoscopy and vaginal) cause perceived surgeon pain, and can be objectively measured using electromyography and the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment tool. Conventional laparoscopy causes increased perceived pain when compared to robotics. Unfortunately, only 1.5% of surveyed residency programs incorporate formal ergonomic education. In-person ergonomic training with robotics resulted in a statistically significant decrease in perceived pain levels and analgesic consumption over a six month follow up period. Of the surgeons surveyed after training completion, 88% changed their practice and 74% reported decreased strain. Conclusion Ergonomic training can improve acute and chronic gynecologic surgeon pain, and early implementation in residency may improve ergonomic gain and future overall surgeon functioning for the coming decades. Such improvements could prevent career altering injuries. More studies comparing ergonomic implementation on vaginal and conventional laparoscopic surgery need to be performed as the majority of randomized control trials focus mainly on robotics. Incorporating in-person training with Physical Therapists will be the focus of a future randomized control trial in our own institution.
Optimal local law and central limit theorem for $\beta$-ensembles

In the setting of generic $\beta$-ensembles, we use the loop equation hierarchy to prove a local law with optimal error up to a constant, valid on any scale including microscopic. This local law has the following consequences. (i) The optimal rigidity scale of the ordered particles is of order $(\log N)/N$ in the bulk of the spectrum. (ii) Fluctuations of the particles satisfy a central limit theorem with covariance corresponding to a logarithmically correlated field; in particular each particle in the bulk fluctuates on scale $\sqrt{\log N}/N$. (iii) The logarithm of the electric potential also satisfies a logarithmically correlated central limit theorem. Contrary to much progress on random matrix universality, these results do not proceed by comparison. Indeed, they are new for the Gaussian $\beta$-ensembles. By comparison techniques, (ii) and (iii) also hold for Wigner matrices.
The Reporting of Race and Ethnicity in Surgery Literature.

Importance The reporting of race provides transparency to the representativeness of data and helps inform health care disparities. The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) developed recommendations to promote quality reporting of race; however, the frequency of reporting continues to be low among most medical journals. Objective To assess the frequency as well as quality of race reporting among publications from high-ranking broad-focused surgical research journals. Design, Setting, and Participants A literature review and bibliometric analysis was performed examining all human-based primary research articles published in 2019 from 7 surgical journals: JAMA Surgery, Journal of the American College of Surgeons, Annals of Surgery, Surgery, American Journal of Surgery, Journal of Surgical Research, and Journal of Surgical Education. The 5 journals that stated they follow the ICMJE recommendations were analyzed against the 2 journals that did not explicitly claim adherence. Main Outcomes and Measures Measured study outcomes included race reporting frequency and use of the ICMJE recommendations for quality reporting of race. Results A total of 2485 publications were included in the study. The mean (SD) frequency of reporting of race and ethnicity in publications of ICMJE vs non-ICMJE journals was 32.8% (8.4) and 32.0% (20.9), respectively (P = .72). Adherence to ICMJE recommendations for reporting race was more frequent in ICMJE journals than non-ICMJE journals (mean [SD] of 73.1% [17.8] vs 37.0% [10.2]; P < .001). Conclusions and Relevance The frequency of race and ethnicity reporting among surgical journals is low. A journal's statement of adherence to ICMJE recommendations did not affect the frequency of race and ethnicity reporting; however, there was an increase in the use of ICMJE quality metrics. These findings suggest the need for increased and more standardized reporting of racial and ethnic demographic data among surgical journals.
Effect of MHD on Casson fluid with Arrhenius activation energy and variable properties

In the present study, MHD Casson nanofluid under the influence of exponential temperature dependent thermal conductivity and variable viscosity past a stretching surface has been scrutinize. After the application of the similarity transformations, the governing partial differential equations of the modelled problem are converted into ordinary differential equations and solution is achieved with the assistance of the shooting method. The solution obtained with the help of shooting technique is used to analyze the distribution of mass and heat flux over sheet. The influence of various governing parameters on the dimensionless velocity, temperature and concentration distribution have been analyzed and discussed in detail. The simulations of the presented model show that the surface drag is upsurged as each of the Casson parameter and temperature dependent thermal conductivity parameter is boosted whereas the rate of heat transfer is diminished. It is also observed that an increment in the temperature near the surface is noted against the thermal conductivity parameter whereas an opposite trend is observed away from the surface.
Adaptation in outbred sexual yeast is repeatable, polygenic, and favors rare haplotypes

Abstract We describe the results of a 200 generation Evolve and Resequence (E&R) study initiated from an outbred dipliod recombined synthetic base population derived from 18 genetically diverse founders. Replicate populations were maintained at large effective population sizes (>105 individuals), exposed to several different chemical challenges over 12 weeks of evolution, and whole-genome resequenced. Weekly forced outcrossing implies a per gene per cell-division recombination rate higher than that achieved in Drosophila E&R studies. In 55 sexual populations we observe large fitness gains and highly repeatable patterns of genome-wide haplotype change within each chemical challenge. There was little evidence for pervasive pleiotropy, as evidenced by patterns of haplotype change between drug treatments. Within treatment adaptation appears highly polygenic with almost the entire genome showing significant consistent haplotype change. Finally, adaptation was almost always associated with only one of the 18 founder alleles, suggesting selection primarily acts on rare variants private to a founder or haplotype blocks harboring multiple mutations. This observation contradicts the notion that adaptation is often due to subtle frequency shifts at intermediate frequency variants.
Self-Focused Thermal Emission and Holography Realized by Mesoscopic Thermal Emitters

Controlling thermal emission plays a vital role in various applications. Existing control of thermal emissions have been limited to simple functions such as directional and spectral selectivity. Co...
Mechanism of Liver Injury Caused by Autophagy Deficiency

Autophagy is a vital intracellular degradation process which is required for many physiological & pathological processes. Deficiency of autophagy in the liver causes severe injury characterized by ...
Erosion and Deposition of Cohesive Soils

The effects of shear stress, suspended sediment concentration, and shear strength of bed on the erosion rates of a cohesive bed in an open channel with salt water have been investigated. The deposition rates of suspended cohesive sediment and the patterns of bed erosion have been studied to a lesser extent. For the experimental range the erosion rates were found to be independent of the shear strength of the bed and the concentration of suspended sediment. They depend strongly on the bed shear stress. The minimum shear stresses for initiation of erosion were also found to be independent of the shear strength of bed. There seems to exist a critical velocity for the clay part of suspended sediment, above which all such sediment remains in suspension, whereas even for velocities slightly below this critical limit, the suspended clay deposits rapidly. Scouring occurred predominantly within a well defined narrow and relatively straight zone near the center of the flume.
An intelligent personalized traffic information extraction system for road traffic safety

Other than some driving assistant systems that can automatically avoid accidents, providing a driver with highly relevant and real-time traffic information is useful in attracting a driver's attention and striving more reaction time to possible dangers. In this paper, we propose an intelligent traffic information extraction system that explores a vehicle's trajectories to discover its driver's movement patterns and use the discovered patterns to predict the most likely locations that the driver will go in the near future. Based on the proper locations in the near future, our system extract the top-k correlated traffic messages that are situated on the proper way of the driver. To validate our design, we implement the intelligent traffic information extraction system as an Android app and run the app on a car to test the system. The results show the discovered movement patterns can help in extracting highly correlated traffic messages and as the movement routes of a driver are of high regularity, more percentage of the extracted traffic events are situated on the way of the driver.
Regulation of the Properties of the Heme-NO Complexes in Nitric-oxide Synthase by Hydrogen Bonding to the Proximal Cysteine

Abstract Nitric-oxide synthase (NOS) catalyzes the formation of NO and citrulline from l-arginine and oxygen. However, the NO so formed has been found to auto-inhibit the enzymatic activity significantly. We hypothesized that the NO reactivity is in part controlled by hydrogen bonding between the conserved tryptophan residue (position 409 in the neuronal isoform of NOS (nNOS)) and the cysteine residue that forms the proximal bond to the heme. By using resonance Raman spectroscopy and NO as a probe of the heme environment, we show that in the W409F and W409Y mutants of the oxygenase domain of the neuronal enzyme (nNOSox), the Fe-NO bond in the Fe3+NO complex is weaker than in the wild type enzyme, consistent with the loss of a hydrogen bond on the sulfur atom of the proximal cysteine residue. The weaker Fe-NO bond in the W409F and W409Y mutants might result in a faster rate of NO dissociation from the ferric heme in the Trp-409 mutants as compared with the wild type enzyme, which could contribute to the lower accumulation of the inhibitory NO-bound complexes observed during catalysis with the Trp-409 mutants (Adak, S., Crooks, C., Wang, Q., Crane, B. R., Tainer, J. A., Getzoff, E. D., and Stuehr, D. J. (1999)J. Biol. Chem. 274, 26907–26911). The optical and resonance Raman spectra of the Fe2+NO complexes of the Trp-409 mutants differ from those of the wild type enzyme and indicate that a significant population of a five-coordinate Fe2+NO complex is present. These data show that the hydrogen bond provided by the Trp-409 residue is necessary to maintain the thiolate coordination when NO binds to the ferrous heme. Taken together our results indicate that the heme environment on the proximal side of nNOS is critical for the formation of a stable iron-cysteine bond and for the control of the electronic properties of heme-NO complexes.
The Invisible Unattended: Low-wage Chinese Immigrant Workers, Health Care, and Social Capital in Southern California’s San Gabriel Valley*: THE INVISIBLE UNATTENDED

This study investigates the factors affecting the availability of health insurance, the accessibility of health care, and the dissemination of the relevant information among low-wage Chinese immigrants in Southern California by relying on the concepts of social and cultural capital. Using community-based research and in-depth interviews, our study suggests that a severe shortage in health care coverage among low-wage Chinese immigrants is influenced by the lack of employment with employer-provided health insurance within the Chinese “ethnoburb” community. Although the valuable social capital generated by Chinese immigrant networks seems to be sufficient enough to provide them with certain practical resources, the lack of cultural capital renders the social network rather ineffective in providing critical health care information from mainstream American society.
Medical diagnostic expert systems: performance vs. representation

A research effort is described which represents an inquiry into an important problem of automated acquisition, indexing, retrieval, and effective use of knowledge in diagnostic tasks. The principal tool is INC2, an incremental concept formation system which automates both the design and the use of diagnostic decision-support systems by a novice. The system's prediction performance is evaluated in the domains of breast cancer, primary tumor, and audiology cases, relative to the language used for representing concepts. The study includes the whole continuum of concept representations from logical to probabilistic ones. The results demonstrate that the quality of performance indeed depends on the chosen representation language. >
Shopping under the influence of curiosity: How retailers use mystery to drive purchase motivation

Abstract Mystery appeals are gaining popularity as a shopper marketing strategy. In this practice, firms intentionally restrict information about their offerings in order to pique consumer curiosity and drive purchase motivation. The present research examines curiosity's role in influencing consumer behavior. Study 1 reveals that mystery appeals create more curiosity than other affective states, and that curiosity predicts purchase motivation via a direct path. Exploring the optimal level of information needed to maximize curiosity, study 1 finds that participants are more curious when given moderate information, over minimal information. Next, study 2 demonstrates that shopping in an actively curious state can impact consumer outcomes via an indirect path that is mediated by consumer evaluation of the mystery appeal. This research is the first to identify curiosity as the affective state that is primarily triggered by mystery appeals, and to explain how curiosity directly and indirectly impacts consumer purchase motivation.
The effect of melt temperature on nucleation in crystallizing polymers

A study has been made of the temperature dependence of the nucleation process in poly(ethylene oxide), and also of the related bulk crystallization rate determined from dilatometric experiments. Variations in these quantities were found, both above and below the melting point, and these are discussed in relation to current theories of nucleation. Es wurden Untersuchungen uber die Temperaturabhangigkeit der Keimbildungsgeschwindigkeit und der dilatometrisch bestimmten Kristallisationsgeschwindigkeit bei Polyathylenoxyd angestellt. Die sowohl oberhalb als auch unterhalb des Schmelzpunktes gefundenen Schwankungen in diesen Grosen werden mit Hilfe der ublichen Keimbildungstheorien diskutiert.
EFFECTS OF VICTORIN ON NITROGEN METABOLISM OF AVENA SPECIES.

VICTORIA, the specific toxin produced by Helmintho-sporium victoriae M. and M., affects only Avena species and varieties that carry the Victoria gene conditioning susceptibility to the fungus1. This toxin, which has been extensively used to examine the physiology of disease, has been shown to be the disease-inducing agent2. One of the most striking physiological responses to victorin is a sharp respiratory increase in susceptible tissues3. When victorin was added to homogenates of susceptible tissue no effect on cytochrome oxidase, polyphenol oxidase, or catalase occurred, but a 2- to 4-fold increase in ascorbate oxidation was observed. The increase in ascorbate oxidation was accompanied by a marked decrease in ascorbic acid content; therefore it was concluded that increased respiration was mediated through an ascorbic acid pathway of oxidation4. Additional data indicated that although ascorbic acid oxidation influenced respiration, it did not initiate the response because increased ascorbate oxidation occurred only after the respiratory rate had reached its maximum5. More recent data indicate that toxin treatment changes cell permeability which may influence respiration because organic acids and potassium salts leak from the vacuole into the cytoplasm6. Therefore, the pathway of increased respiration in victorin-treated susceptible tissue is not fully understood.
Identification of the teleost Edinger-Westphal nucleus by retrograde horseradish peroxidase labeling and by electrophysiological criteria.

A homolog of the Edinger-Westphal nucleus of other vertebrates is described in two species of serranid basses of the genusParalabrax, a group possessing a wide range of ocular accommodation but lacking a pupillary reflex to light. The nucleus was found by retrograde labeling from the ciliary ganglion and lies dorsolateral to the ipsilateral oculomotor nucleus. The nucleus consists of 60 to 100 neurons with an average soma diameter of about 20 Μm in animals weighing 70 to 150 g. Electrophysiological experiments support the identification. Microstimulation of the nucleus evokes contraction of the ipsilateral lens retractor muscle and slight constriction of the caudal ipsilateral iris. Multi- and single-unit recordings in the nucleus reveal spontaneous firing (about 30 spikes/s in single units), the rate of which decreases during visually-evoked lens retractor relaxations (accommodation to near stimuli). Recordings of muscle fiber activity in the lens retractor show essentially the same behavior, which suggests that the ciliary ganglion and neuromuscular junctions simply relay impulses with little if any synaptic integration. The existence of a discrete Edinger-Westphal nucleus devoted largely to accommodation makesParalabrax a good model system for the further tracing of central accommodation control pathways.
Commentary: Bringing Clarity to the Futility Debate: Are the Cases Wrong? Lawrence J. Schneiderman

Howard Brody expresses concern that citing the “two cases that put futility on the map,” namely Helga Wanglie and Baby K, may be providing ammunition to the opponents of the concept of medical futility. He in fact joins well-known opponents of the concept of medical futility in arguing that it is one thing for the physician to say whether a particular intervention will promote an identified goal, quite another to say whether a goal is worth pursuing. In the latter instance, physicians are laying themselves open “to the criticism of taking on basic value judgments that are more appropriately left to patients and their surrogates.” Brody states that in both the Wanglie and Baby K cases, the “basic value judgments” had to do with the worthiness of maintaining unconscious life via medical technology. He classifies this as “a question of professional integrity—but not a question of futility,” adding that “more than semantics hinges on this distinction.” The “more than semantics” factor is a pragmatic, even political one. Failure to make this distinction renders physicians “that much more suspect and less trustworthy in the public debate.”
Physician workload in mammography.

OBJECTIVE. United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines for certification require that radiologists interpret ≥ 960 mammography examinations within each 2-year period (approximately 480 annually). The purpose of our study was to estimate perphysician annual volumes of mammography interpretation.SUBJECTS AND METHODS. Our study includes 4.2 million mammography examinations performed at 196 facilities between 1998 and 2004. We calculated the annual interpretive volumes per physician, the proportion of mammography examinations interpreted by radiologists in specified volume categories, and the impact on mammography capacity if annual interpretive volume requirements increased.RESULTS. The mean annual mammographic interpretive volume was 1,777. Approximately 31% of radiologists interpreted < 1,000 mammography examinations annually, yet these low-volume radiologists interpreted only 10% of all mammograms. The 10% of radiologists who interpreted ≥ 3,000 mammography examinations annually interprete...
Activity of sodium metabisulfite against planktonic and biofilm Staphylococcus species

Biofilm-forming staphylococci cause a majority of intravascular catheter-related infections. We evaluated the effect of sodium metabisulfite, a preservative commonly added to intravenously administered pharmaceuticals as an antioxidant and previously used as a catheter lock solution, on planktonic and biofilm staphylococci at clinically encountered concentrations. Sodium metabisulfite exhibited bactericidal activity against planktonic Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus lugdunensis, and Staphylococcus epidermidis at concentrations of 512, 512, and 1024 microg/mL, respectively. A concentration of 720 microg/mL inhibited cell growth by all 3 species in a biofilm formation assay. However, established S. aureus and S. lugdunensis biofilms showed less than 1.5 log10 decreases in viable cell counts when treated with 720 microg/mL of sodium metabisulfite for 24 h. These in vitro results suggest that the use of sodium metabisulfite as a catheter lock may inhibit staphylococcal colonization of catheters, thereby preventing catheter-related infection.
Yeast pol eta holds a cis-syn thymine dimer loosely in the active site during elongation opposite the 3'-T of the dimer, but tightly opposite the 5'-T.

Polymerase is a member of the Y family of DNA polymerases which is able to bypass thymine dimers efficiently and in a relatively error-free manner. To elucidate the mechanism of dimer bypass, the efficiency of dAMP and pyrene nucleotide insertion opposite the thymine dimer and its N3- methyl derivatives was determined. Pol inserts pyrene nucleotide with greater efficiency than dAMP opposite the 3'-T of an undimerized or dimerized T and is an effective inhibitor of DNA synthesis by pol . Substitution of the N3H of the 3'-T of an undimerized T or a dimerized T with a methyl group has little effect on the insertion efficiency of pyrene nucleotide but greatly inhibits the insertion of dAMP. Together, these results suggest that the error-free insertion of dAMP opposite the 3 '-T of the cis-syn thymine dimer happens by way of a loosely held dimer in the active site which can be displaced from the active site by pyrene nucleotide. In contrast, pol cannot insert pyrene nucleotide opposite the 5'-T of the dimer, whereas it can insert dAMP with efficiency comparable to that opposite the 3'-T. The inability to insert pyrene nucleotide opposite the 5'-T of the dimer is consistent with the idea that while the polymerase binds loosely to a templating nucleotide, it binds tightly to the nucleotide to its 3 '-side. Overall, the results show a marked difference from similar studies on pol I family polymerases, and suggest mechanisms by which this Y family polymerase can process damaged DNA efficiently.
Free-standing silica colloidal nanoporous membranes.

We prepared robust free-standing 200 μm-thick colloidal membranes (nanofrits) with a relatively large area and no mechanical defects by sintering silica colloidal films. The silica spheres used to prepare the nanofrits were 338, 300, or 251 nm in diameter, leading to 25, 22.5, and 19 nm nanopore sizes, respectively. The room-temperature diffusional flux through these membranes is of the order of 3.6 × 10−10 mol s−1 cm−2 for a Fe(bpy)32+ ion in acetonitrile test solution in the absence of applied pressure and is in good agreement with the calculated diffusional flux for colloidal crystals of the same thickness. To evaluate the feasibility of nanofrit surface modification, we treated them with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane after rehydroxylation. We found, by measuring the surface coverage for dansyl amide on the surface, that the number of the amines on the nanofrit surface is lower as compared to that observed for colloidal films not treated with heat. As a result, the selectivity for the transport of Fe(bp...