cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Somali immigrant women and the American health care system: discordant beliefs, divergent expectations, and silent worries.

The civil war in Somalia resulted in massive resettlement of Somali refugees. The largest diaspora of Somali refugees in the United States currently reside in Minnesota. Partnering with three community organizations in 2007–8, we implemented the Community Connections and Collaboration Project to address health disparities that Somali refugees experienced. Specifically, we examined factors that influenced Somali women’s health experiences. Utilizing a socio-ecological perspective and a social action research design, we conducted six community-based focus groups with 57 Somali women and interviewed 11 key informants including Somali healthcare professionals. Inductively coding, sorting and reducing data into categories, we analyzed each category for specific patterns. The categorical findings on healthcare experiences are reported here. We found that Somali women’s health beliefs related closely to situational factors and contrasted sharply with the biological model that drives Western medicine. These discordant health beliefs resulted in divergent expectations regarding treatment and healthcare interactions. Experiencing unmet expectations, Somali women and their healthcare providers reported multiple frustrations which often diminished perceived quality of health care. Moreover, silent worries about mental health and reproductive decision making surfaced. To provide high quality, transcultural health care, providers must encourage patients to voice their own health explanations, expectations, and worries.
Vibrational Technique for Stress Measurement in Films: I, Ideal Membrane Behavior

A vibrational technique for the measurement of stress in films has been developed, based on the theory of membranes. Specimens for vibrational analysis are prepared by removing a circular or square piece of the substrate. It is shown that the error introduced due to substrate removal is negligible except for thin metallic films. The resulting specimen, a film stretched across a hole in the substrate, behaves as a membrane. Since its natural frequencies increase with the square root of in-plane stress, these can be measured to compute the in-plane stress. The only material parameter needed is the density of the film. Because a number of natural frequencies can be measured, each of which can be used to compute the stress, this method has a strong check for internal consistency. Two different techniques have been used to measure natural frequencies: (1) sinusoidal excitation and holographic imaging of the vibration modes, and (2) random excitation and Fourier analysis of measured vibrations. In this, the first part of the study, we discuss cases when ideal membrane behavior is obtained. Three applications of the method are presented: measurement of stress in a filled-glass layer bonded to an aluminum substrate, a study of the effect of temperature and humidity on stress in a thermoset polymer coating, and stress in a silver film during heat treatment. The second part of the study1 deals with extensions of the technique when complicating effects, such as air loading, bending stiffness, and an aniso-tropic state of stress, are important. In the third part of the study,2 the method is used to identify the orthotropic axes and all nine elasticity coefficients of a commercially made film.
A computer-controlled four-roll mill for investigations of particle and drop dynamics in two-dimensional linear shear flows

In this paper we describe the design and operating characteristics of a computer-controlled four-roll mill for investigations of particle and drop dynamics in two-dimensional linear flows. The control system is based upon the use of: a video camera to visualize the instantaneous position of the drop or particle; a PDP 11/23 computer, with a pipeline processor acting as an interface between the camera and computer, to calculate the position and implement a control strategy, and d.c. stepping motors to convert an electronic signal to angular velocities of the four rollers. The control objective is to keep the centre of mass of the drop/particle at the centre of the region between the rollers where there is a stagnation point in the undisturbed flow, while maintaining the shear-rate and the ratio of vorticity to strain rate in the flow at fixed values. The resulting system is suitable for studies of: the rotational motions of single solid particles; the deformation and burst of single droplets; or the hydrodynamic interactions of two particles or drops, one of which is held with its centre-of-mass fixed at the stagnation point of the undisturbed flow. In all cases, the flow can be varied from pure rotation to pure strain, and the shear rate can be either steady or changing as a prescribed function of time.
Public Service Motivation in Undergraduate Giving and Volunteering Decisions

Most public service motivation (PSM) research compares government and business employees. This article fits into an emerging body of research that links PSM to volunteer activity. PSM is a needs-ba...
Herpes simplex virus type 1 latency-associated transcript gene promotes neuronal survival

A complex interaction has evolved between the host's peripheral nervous system (PNS) and herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1). Sensory neurons are permissive for viral replication, yet the virus can also enter a latent state in these cells. The interplay of viral and neuronal signals that regulate the switch between the viral lytic and latent states is not understood. The latency-associated transcript (LAT) regulates the establishment of the latent state and is required for >65% of the latent infections established by HSV-1 (R. L. Thompson and N. M. Sawtell, J. Virol. 71:5432-5440, 1997). To further investigate how LAT functions, a 1.9-kb deletion that includes the entire LAT promoter and 827 bp of the 5' end of the primary LAT mRNA was introduced into strain 17syn+. The wild-type parent, three independently derived deletion mutants, and two independently derived genomically rescued variants of the mutants were analyzed in a mouse ocular model. The number of latent sites established in trigeminal ganglion (TG) neurons was determined using a single-cell quantitative PCR assay for the viral genome on purified TG neurons. It was found that the LAT null mutants established ~75% fewer latent infections than the number established by the parental strain or rescued variant. The reduced establishment phenotype of LAT null mutants was due at least in part to a dramatic increase in the loss of TG neurons in animals infected with the LAT mutants. Over half of the neurons in the TG were destroyed following infection with the LAT mutants, and this was significantly more than were lost following infection with wild type. This is the first demonstration that the HSV LAT locus prevents the destruction of sensory neurons. The death of these neurons did not appear to be the result of increased apoptosis as measured by a terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling assay. Animals latently infected with the LAT null mutants reactivated less frequently in vivo and this was consistent with the reduction in the number of neurons in which latency was established. Thus, one function of the LAT gene is to protect sensory neurons and enhance the establishment of latency in the PNS.
Adaptive mathematical morphology for range imagery

The application of adaptive (i.e., data-dependent) mathematical morphology techniques to range imagery, i.e., the use of structuring elements (SEs) that automatically adjust to the gray-scale values in a range image in order to deal with features of known physical sizes, is discussed. The technique is applicable to any type of image for which the distance to a scene element is available for each pixel. >
Financial Sector Compensation and Excess Risk-Taking: A Consideration of the Issues and Policy Lessons

Th is paper surveys the ways that the structure and magnitude of fi nancial sector compensation can generate incentives for excessive risk taking. It also highlights the underlying economic and institutional forces that have underpinned and sustained these pay structures, including aspects of corporate governance in fi nancial institutions, regulatory capture by fi nancial elites, the nature of the labour market for fi nance professionals and the extended economic boom of the 1990s and 2000s. Th e measures endorsed by the Financial Stability Board and the G20 for sound compensation practices do not go far enough in several areas; a broader set of measures need consideration. JEL Classifi cation: G1 (General fi nancial markets), G2 (Financial institutions and services), G3 (Corporate Finance and Governance), G28 (Government Policy and Regulation), M52 (Compensa- tion and Compensation Methods and Th eir Eff ects), J63 (Turnover, Vacancies and Layoff s)
On rate-variable multidimensional DS/SSMA with sequence sharing

A general model for M-ary direct sequence-spread spectrum (DS/SS) communications is presented to provide multiple services in direct sequence-spread spectrum multiple access (DS/SSMA). The main idea is to allow each user to use parallel orthogonal spreading sequences, depending upon its needs. More specifically, each service level is associated with certain combinations of the sequences. We use a code, which we refer to as a "mapping code", to form a multidimensional signal constellation. Thus, the data rate can be changed by changing the mapping code. Further, techniques of sequence sharing (reuse) and sequence arrangement (allocation), suitable for packet switching, are proposed; this allows support of multimedia services, while resulting in a reduction of sequence consumption. We evaluate error rates in the presence of multiple access interference (MAI) and additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN). Numerical results are given to show the effects of the system configuration, the data rates, and other system performance measures.
Sex, Politics, and Public Opinion: What Political Scientists Really Learned From the Clinton- Lewinsky Scandal

William Jefferson Clinton is only the second president to have been impeached by the House of Representatives. While he was not removed from office, roughly half of the Senate chamber voted him guilty on the perjury and obstruction of justice charges that the House formulated as articles of impeachment in early February 1999. Although Clinton remains in office, numerous politicians, political pundits, and media commentators continue to condemn his extramarital affair with Monica Lewinsky while she was a White House intern as immoral and reprehensible.Many outspoken Republicans have raised questions about how the American people could continue to have confidence in their political leaders, government institutions, or the rule of law when a president who lied to the public, lied under oath, and obstructed justice remains in office. Others ask how they can explain this immoral behavior and thwarting of the law to their children, especially in light of all the salacious details that were made public in Special Prosecutor Kenneth Starr's report on the Clinton-Lewinsky affair.News of a possible extramarital affair between Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky during the 1995–96 period surfaced in January 1998, coming to light in the course of investigations related to Paula Jones' sexual harassment lawsuit against the president. Tapes Linda Tripp made of her conversations with Monica Lewinsky and turned over to Starr's office confirmed the allegations. What followed was a year-long expose as details of the affair gradually tumbled into the public domain. The year ended with the House voting for impeachment on December 19, 1998, and the new year began with the Senate voting not to remove Clinton on February 12, 1999.
Experimental Evaluation of Embedded DSP Architectures

In the Embedded Processor market, there are various types of DSP Processors. Among them, 4 processors are widely used: Texas Instrument TMS320C64xx families, ARM processor families, analog devices TigerSHARC®processors, and freescale SC3400 StarCore. However, the performances of these 4 DSP processors have never been compared together. This paper presents a comparative performance study for these four popular types of DSP processors. Different code strategies, such as TFRM, TFBBGM, recursive & iterative structures, are incorporated in FFT codes for four DSP processors. The experiments unveil that freescale StarCore-Based DSP families have the best performance for input size larger than 64 points.
INVISIOS: A Lightweight, Minimally Intrusive Secure Execution Environment

Many information security attacks exploit vulnerabilities in “trusted” and privileged software executing on the system, such as the operating system (OS). On the other hand, most security mechanisms provide no immunity to security-critical user applications if vulnerabilities are present in the underlying OS. While technologies have been proposed that facilitate isolation of security-critical software, they require either significant computational resources and are hence not applicable to many resource-constrained embedded systems, or necessitate extensive redesign of the underlying processors and hardware.In this work, we propose INVISIOS: a lightweight, minimally intrusive hardware-software architecture to make the execution of security-critical software invisible to the OS, and hence protected from its vulnerabilities. The INVISIOS software architecture encapsulates the security-critical software into a self-contained software module. While this module is part of the kernel and is run with kernel-level privileges, its code, data, and execution are transparent to and protected from the rest of the kernel. The INVISIOS hardware architecture consists of simple add-on hardware components that are responsible for bootstrapping the secure core, ensuring that it is exercised by applications in only permitted ways, and enforcing the isolation of its code and data. We implemented INVISIOS by enhancing a full-system emulator and Linux to model the proposed software and hardware enhancements, and applied it to protect a commercial cryptographic library. Our experiments demonstrate that INVISIOS is capable of facilitating secure execution at very small overheads, making it suitable for resource-constrained embedded systems and systems-on-chip.
Experimental observation of signature changes in bulk soil electrical conductivity in response to engineered surface CO2 leakage

Abstract Experimental observations of signature changes of bulk soil electrical conductivity (EC) due to CO 2 leakage were carried out at a field site at Bozeman, Montana, to investigate the change of soil geophysical properties in response to possible leakage of geologically sequestered CO 2 . The dynamic evolution of bulk soil EC was measured during an engineered surface leakage of CO 2 through in situ continuous monitoring of bulk soil EC, soil moisture, soil temperature, rainfall rate, and soil CO 2 concentration to investigate the response of soil bulk EC signature to CO 2 leakage. Observations show that: (1) high soil CO 2 concentration due to CO 2 leakage enhances the dependence of bulk soil EC on soil moisture. The bulk soil EC is a linear multivariate function of soil moisture and soil temperature, the coefficient for soil moisture increased from 2.111 dS for the non-leaking phase to 4.589 dS for the CO 2 leaking phase; and the coefficient for temperature increased from 0.003 dS/°C for the non-leaking phase to 0.008 dS/°C for the CO 2 leaking phase. The dependence of bulk soil EC on soil temperature is generally weak, but leaked CO 2 enhances the dependence, (2) after the CO 2 release, the relationship between soil bulk EC and soil CO 2 concentration observes three distinct CO 2 decay modes. Rainfall events result in sudden changes of soil moisture and are believed to be the driving forcing for these decay modes, and (3) within each mode, increasing soil CO 2 concentration results in higher bulk soil EC. Comparing the first 2 decay modes, it is found that the dependence of soil EC on soil CO 2 concentration is weaker for the first decay mode than the second decay mode.
Anti-diabetic functions of soy isoflavone genistein: mechanisms underlying its effects on pancreatic β-cell function

Type 2 diabetes is a result of chronic insulin resistance and loss of functional pancreatic β-cell mass. Strategies to preserve β-cell mass and a greater understanding of the mechanisms underlying β-cell turnover are needed to prevent and treat this devastating disease. Genistein, a naturally occurring soy isoflavone, is reported to have numerous health benefits attributed to multiple biological functions. Over the past 10 years, numerous studies have demonstrated that genistein has anti-diabetic effects, in particular, direct effects on β-cell proliferation, glucose-stimulated insulin secretion and protection against apoptosis, independent of its functions as an estrogen receptor agonist, antioxidant, or tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Effects are structure-specific and not common to all flavonoids. While there are limited data on the effects of genistein consumption in humans with diabetes, there are a plethora of animal and cell-culture studies that demonstrate a direct effect of genistein on β-cells at physiologically relevant concentrations (<10 μM). The effects appear to involve cAMP/PKA signaling and there are some studies that suggest an effect on epigenetic regulation of gene expression. This review focuses on the anti-diabetic effects of genistein in both in vitro and in vivo models and potential mechanisms underlying its direct effects on β-cells.
Rethinking validity and reliability in content analysis

Abstract The central thesis in this essay is that validity and reliability should be conceptualized differently across the various forms of content and the various uses of theory. This is especially true with applied communication research where a theory is not always available to guide the design. A distinction needs to made between manifest and latent (pattern and projective) content. Also, we argue that content analyses need not be limited to theory‐based coding schemes and standards set by experts. When researchers are clear about what kind of content they want to analyze and the role of theory in their studies, they are in a better position to select the most appropriate strategies for demonstrating validity and reliability.
Observed Momentum Transport in Monsoon Convective Cloud Bands

Abstract With an aim to examining the exchanges of momentum and kinetic energy between the low-level flow and convection in the Arabian Sea a composite structure of bands and deep convection was constructed using the kinematic and thermodynamic data gathered by the NCAR’s Electra on 24 June 1979. Based on the 1-s data that resolves 200-m scales of motion, the composite structure was constructed and momentum fluxes u′,w prime; and v′,w prime; were computed at various levels from 320 to 4900 m in the eastern Arabian Sea (EAS). The direction of propagation of these bands was chosen as the x direction. It was found that vertical shear and buoyancy were responsible for causing changes in momentum flux. Results further revealed that u′,w prime; was predominantly countergradient in the cloud bands up to 3 km. The v′,w prime; was however along the vertical gradient of v. A study of kinetic energy transfers showed that there was a net transfer of kinetic energy from larger-scale to band-scale motion.
The Social And Financial Benefits Of Developing Employee Satisfaction

Organizations continually seek to create greater efficiencies, employee engagement and organizational development opportunities. Increasing employee satisfaction allows for reduced labor costs and increase efficiencies. Satisfied employees use multiple paths of information to determine their interests in engagement which range from employer-employee relationships to compensation. The more satisfied employees are the more likely organizations will be able to capitalize on intellectual capital to navigate environmental challenges while contributing to their bottom lines.
Regulation of Granulosa Cell Responsiveness to Gonadotropins: Actions of Epidermal and Platelet-Derived Growth Factors

The concept of pituitary gonadotropins as regulators of follicular and luteal development and function is central to our understanding of ovarian physiology. Patterns of gonadotropin secretion are superimposed upon patterns of target cell gonadotropin receptor levels (Richards and Midgley, 1976). The result of this well-coordinated series of events is a normal estrus or menstrual cycle. Steroid hormones provide a second level of regulation of these processes. As early as 1940 it was observed that estrogen enhanced ovarian responsiveness to gonadotropins (Pencharz, 1940). More recent studies have suggested roles for estrogens , androgens, and progestins in various aspects of ovarian physiology and pathophysiology (McNatty et al., 1979; Louvet et al., 1975; Schomberg, 1979; Schreiber and Hsueh, 1979; and references therein). The observation that growth factors can modulate follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH)-dependent luteinizing hormone (LH) receptor induction in vitro (Mondschein and Schomberg, 1981a) introduced the possibility of a third level of regulation: the growth factors, known primarily for their mitogenic effects on cultured cells, may represent a broad class of compounds which interact with more classic gonadotropic and steroidal mechanisms to determine the course of follicular and luteal development and function.
Short-Range Catalyst–Surface Interactions Revealed by Heterodyne Two-Dimensional Sum Frequency Generation Spectroscopy

Heterodyne 2D sum frequency generation spectroscopy is used to study a model CO2 reduction catalyst, Re(diCN-bpy) (CO)3Cl, as a monolayer on a gold surface. We show that short-range interactions with the surface can cause substantial line-shape differences between vibrational bands from the same molecules. We explain this interaction as the result of couplings between CO vibrational modes of the catalyst molecules and the image dipoles on gold surface, which are sensitive to the relative distance between the molecule and the surface. Thus, by analysis of HD 2D SFG line-shape differences and polarization dependences of IR spectra, we can unambiguously determine the ensemble-averaged orientation of the molecules on the surface. The high sensitivity of HD 2D SFG spectra to short-range interactions can be applied to many other adsorbate-substrate interactions and therefore can serve as a unique tool to determine adsorbate orientations on surfaces.
Body mass index among Special Olympics athletes from Muslim majority countries: Differences in gender and adult status.

Background Obesity is higher in adults with intellectual disability than in the general population and for women more than men. Past research however has specifically focused on individuals with intellectual disability in the United States and the United Kingdom with little attention on individuals with intellectual disability in Muslim majority countries. Method The present study examined differences in body mass index (BMI) among 1314 men and women Special Olympics athletes from 32 Muslim majority countries in 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2011. Athletes' gender, adult status (minor or adult) and the interaction between gender and adult status were used to predict increases in BMI with a hierarchical linear regression, where athletes were nested within country controlling for athletes' nation's Gross-domestic product. Results Being female significantly predicted an increase in obesity while adulthood predicted a decrease in BMI. The interaction between gender and adulthood was also significant, however, indicating that obesity decreases with adulthood only for men. For women, BMI continues to increase with age. Conclusions This study extends our knowledge on one important indicator of health status for individuals with intellectual disability in Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe. The results may be used to inform health care practices with individuals with intellectual disabilities and stimulate future research to understand contextual factors contributing to health disparities.
Foreign aid in waste management: a case of Kathmandu, Nepal

Four decades of reorganization of waste management in Kathmandu, Nepal funded by foreign aid failed to provide adequate services and led to the return of riverbank waste disposal by 1994. To assess the results of foreign aid in waste management in Kathmandu from 1970 to 2010, the researchers utilized qualitative and field methods and examined three major international projects sponsored by the governments of Germany, India, and Japan. Results suggest that German aid was too technical, undermining municipal capacity and burdening the city with a second waste disposal institution while failing to sustain its own infrastructure. The Indian project lacked focus and follow up programs and encumbered a poor country with outdated equipment that did not meet the local needs. Japanese aid depended on wrong assumptions, stressing costly landfilling that employed heavy machinery and upgraded equipment inappropriate for local conditions. The study recommends that Nepal institute bottom-up and participatory style of waste management that identifies where the resources will come from, who will manage them, and how they will be sustained.
Essential Papers on the Economics of Financial Law

This introduction to a compendium published by Edward Elgar (forthcoming) identifies and critically discusses leading research on the economics of financial law. Topics include the nature of the banking firm, shadow banks, liquidity, lending, capital, bank runs and systemic risk, financial crises, issues in bank regulation, governance, central banks, consumer banking, and challenges for future research.
Effects of Nonoccluded Baculovirus (Baculoviridae) Infection on Microplitis croceipes (Hyntenoptera: Braconidae)

Four combinations of healthy (H) and infected with nonoccluded Microplitis croceipes baculovirus (I) adult Microplitis croceipes (Cresson) were paired and mated as follows: group I, I♂ + I,♀; group II,H♂+ I♀ ; and group III, 1♂ + H♀; and group IV (control), H♂ + H♀. Females were allowed to parasitize 3rd instars of tobacco budworms, Heliothis virescens (F.). Percentage parasitization by group IV females was significantly higher than that of any other group. Parasitization by groups I, II, and III was lower than that by group IV by 25.7, 13.8, and 10.4%, respectively. The number of offspring from group IV was also significantly higher than that from the other groups. Groups I, II, and III averaged 95.4, 79.8, and 47.6% fewer offspring, respectively, than group IV Developmental times from oviposition to larval emergence, larva to cocoon, and c ocoon to adult were longer in groups I, II, and III than in group IV Percentage mortality from all immature stages up to adult was significantly higher in groups I, II, and III than in group IV. Adult longevity in both sexes in groups I, II, and III was shorter than in group IV. Most of the adults that originated from healthy parents lived >I wk, whereas those from infected parents lived <1 wk.
An Adaptive Wavelet Method for the Incompressible Navier-Stokes Equations in Complex Domains

An adaptive wavelet-based method provides an alternative means to refine grids according to local demands of the physical solution. One of the prominent challenges of such a method is the application to problems defined on complex domains. In the case of incompressible flow, the application to problems with complicated domains is made possible by the use of the Navier-Stokes/Brinkman equations. These equations take into account solid obstacles by adding a penalized velocity term in the momentum equation. In this study, an adaptive wavelet collocation method, based on interpolating wavelets, is first applied to a benchmark problem defined on a simple domain to demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the method. Then the penalty technique is used to simulate flows over obstacles. The numerical results are compared with those obtained by other computational approaches as well as with experiments.© 2004 ASME
Fast-Track Clearance of Bacteria from the Liver.

The liver plays a central role in clearing bacteria from the bloodstream. Two articles in this issue of Cell Host & Microbe (Broadley et al., 2016; Zeng et al., 2016) identify new mechanisms by which resident liver macrophages (Kupffer cells) rapidly capture bacteria from the blood and eliminate them, while still allowing for the induction of adaptive immunity.
Presuppositions vs. Asserted Content in Online Processing

We report two experiments that investigate the time-course of the online interpretation of the presupposition of also, first relative to a control, and secondly relative to asserted content, namely the exclusivity of only, using the visual world paradigm. Both studies reveal rapid shifts in fixations to target pictures based on the presupposition expressed by also, after 200–300 ms after its onset. In contrast, the asserted exclusivity introduced by only arises roughly 400 ms later, suggesting that—if anything—presupposed content is evaluated prior to asserted content. This is as expected on semantic accounts of presuppositions, which see them as preconditions on interpreting the sentence in the first place, but somewhat surprising (though not necessarily strictly inconsistent) with pragmatic accounts that derive presuppositions via conversational reasoning, which has been found to require additional processing time in the case of scalar implicature computation.
The Authoritarian Dynamic: Manning the Barricades: Racism and Intolerance under Conditions of Normative Threat

The overarching goals of this work were to develop and test a general theory of intolerance of difference that could explain the most intolerance with the merest model, while accounting for both persistent inclinations to intolerance, and varying expression of that intolerance under differing conditions. In the early chapters, I elaborated and defended a dynamic mechanism purporting to explain the manifold expressions of intolerance of difference with just an enduring psychological predisposition responding to changing conditions of normative threat. Chapter 4 provided some initial tests of the theory, in the course of demonstrating the ability of the authoritarian dynamic to reconcile extant theories alternately emphasizing the psychology or the politics of intolerance, and to dissolve those persistent empirical puzzles long hindering acceptance of the value of the concept. But in the intervening chapters, the authoritarian dynamic has essentially been idling in the wings, its return to center stage awaiting persuasive demonstration that authoritarianism is a deep-seated predisposition, whose primary motives yield a functionally related array of stances concerned with minimizing difference in all its manifestations; that it is distinct from conservatism in its character, origins, and effects; and that it is the primary determinant of intolerance of difference across domains, cultures, and time. With that much established, we return now to the fundamental dynamic with which we began. I have argued that racial, political, and moral intolerance and punitiveness are “kindred spirits”: that they are functionally related stances, driven by the same engine, fueled by the same impulses, and manifested under the same conditions.
Quantitative analysis of B-lymphocyte migration directed by CXCL13

B-lymphocyte migration, directed by chemokine gradients, is essential for homing to sites of antigen presentation. B cells move rapidly, exhibiting amoeboid morphology like other leukocytes, yet quantitative studies addressing B-cell migration are currently lacking relative to neutrophils, macrophages, and T cells. Here, we used total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) microscopy to characterize the changes in shape (morphodynamics) of primary, murine B cells as they migrated on surfaces with adsorbed chemokine, CXCL13, and the adhesive ligand, ICAM-1. B cells exhibited frequent, spontaneous dilation and shrinking events at the sides of the leading membrane edge, a phenomenon that was predictive of turning versus directional persistence. To characterize directed B-cell migration, a microfluidic device was implemented to generate gradients of adsorbed CXCL13 gradients. Haptotaxis assays revealed a modest yet consistently positive bias of the cell's persistent random walk behavior towards CXCL13 gradients. Quantification of tactic fidelity showed that bias is optimized by steeper gradients without excessive midpoint density of adsorbed chemokine. Under these conditions, B-cell migration is more persistent when the direction of migration is better aligned with the gradient.
Photodynamic cross-linking of proteins: IV. Nature of the His–His bond(s) formed in the rose bengal-photosensitized cross-linking of N-benzoyl-L-histidine

Abstract The photodynamic (photosensitized) cross-linking of N-benzoyl- L -histidine (Bz-His) as a model system was examined as part of a continuing study of the role of His–His intermolecular cross-links in the photosensitized cross-linking of proteins. The illumination of Bz-His in the presence of rose bengal (RB) bound to water insoluble plastic beads in 0.1 M sodium phosphate buffer of pH 7.4 resulted in the covalent cross-linking of the His derivative. The main dimeric cross-linked product (1) was isolated using a preparative silica gel 60 column and purified by preparative reverse phase HPLC. The chemical structure of the cross-link was determined using MS, 2D NMR spectral methods and other standard techniques. Product 1 was found to be a dimer of two His residues between the δ2-carbon of one residue (photo-oxidized to the carbonyl functionality at the e1-carbon) and the e2-nitrogen of the other residue. The formation of His–His cross-links was mediated by singlet oxygen, as would be expected with RB as the sensitizer. A mechanism for the formation of the cross-link was proposed in which the first step was the 1,4-cycloaddition of singlet oxygen to the Bz-His imidazole ring to give an unstable endoperoxide. This then underwent changes followed by nucleophilic addition and the elimination of one molecule of water to give 1.
MTHFR methylation moderates the impact of smoking on DNA methylation at AHRR for African American young adults

Smoking has been shown to have a large, reliable, and rapid effect on demethylation of AHRR, particularly at cg05575921, suggesting that methylation may be used as an index of cigarette consumption. Because the availability of methyl donors may also influence the degree of demethylation in response to smoking, factors that affect the activity of methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), a key regulator of methyl group availability, may be of interest. In the current investigation, we examined the extent to which individual differences in methylation of MTHFR moderated the association between smoking and demethylation at cg05575921 as well as at other loci on AHRR associated with a main effect of smoking. Using a discovery sample (AIM, N = 293), and a confirmatory sample (SHAPE, N = 368) of young adult African Americans, degree of methylation of loci in the first exon of MTHFR was associated with amplification of the association between smoking and AHRR demethylation at cg05575921. However, genetic variation at a commonly studied MTHFR variant, C677T, did not influence cg05575921 methylation. The significant interaction between MTHFR methylation and the smoking-induced response at cg05575921 suggests a role for individual differences in methyl cycle regulation in understanding the effects of cigarette consumption on genome wide DNA methylation.
Writing My Way to College

The drama of the Hollywood world was consuming, and I started to realize that celebrity gossip was just that—gossip. Every word I published became a gamble, and the interviews I posted had to be combed through to be sure I wasn’t allowing one person to ridicule another. There is so much competition in that world, and the more people I met the more sides I was forced to take depending on the situation and who I was talking to at the time. I was uncomfortable with the confrontation some people I interviewed would create for their rivals, and while most of what I did was light and fun, the pressure to keep everyone happy with what I published became tremendous.
Local gas holdup and bubble dynamics investigation during microalgae culturing in a split airlift photobioreactor

Abstract To make the process of microalgae cultivation for bioenergy, and wastewater and flue gas treatment economically viable, it is important to completely understand the gas–liquid interaction inside photobioreactors in real microalgae cultures completely. Due to limitations of the conventional measurement techniques in the literature, only the overall parameters (such as overall gas holdup and interfacial area) have been studied mostly in air–water systems in the literature. Thus, the variation of local parameters such as local gas holdup and bubble dynamics properties like bubble passage frequency, bubble chord length and velocity, and interfacial area in real culturing systems remains unclear. In this study, these properties were studied at different axial locations inside a split- airlift photobioreactor at superficial gas velocities of 1.0, 2.0, and 2.8 cm/s while culturing microalgae Scenedesmus sp. The viscosity of the medium was seen to increase with the optical density of the culture, while the surface tension remained the same throughout the experiment. While, as expected, an increase in superficial gas velocity increased the bubble passage frequency, gas holdup, and interfacial area, the effect of optical density was observed to be the opposite. Over the duration of the experiment, bubble passage frequency in the riser decreased by 62% at 1.0 cm/s, 34% at 2.0 cm/s, and 25% at 2.8 cm/s; the gas holdup in the riser at velocities of 1.0 and 2.0 cm/s decreased by 33%, whereas, at 2.8 cm/s, it first reached a maximum and then decreased sharply by 29%; the interfacial area in the riser decreased steadily at velocities 1.0 and 2.0 cm/s by 40% overall, while that at 2.8 cm/s first remained constant at an average of 1.24 and then dropped by 60% at the end of the experiment. While no significant axial variation in the bubble properties was observed in the riser, an axial variation in these properties was observed in the downcomer due to a decrease in the number of bubbles descending through the downcomer. The bubble chord length and bubble velocity distributions became wider at higher superficial gas velocities and higher optical densities. New correlations were developed, accounting for the change in optical density as well as superficial gas velocity, to predict the gas holdup in the riser and at different axial locations in the downcomer.
CYSTIC FIBROSIS: An Overview

A single gene defect in cystic fibrosis results in a spectrum of clinical presentations. Though expression is variable, the radiographic appearance reflects the underlying pathophysiology. Abnormalities of the small airways result in air-trapping; bronchiectasis and mucus plugging reflect large airway disease. These radiographic findings can be assessed and followed using varying scoring systems.
Subscapularis tears: hidden and forgotten no more

The subscapularis tendon, at one point, was thought of as the forgotten tendon, with "hidden lesions" that referred to partial tears of this tendon. Better understanding of anatomy and biomechanics combined with improved imaging technology and the widespread use of arthroscopy has led to a higher rate of subscapularis tear diagnoses and repairs. The bulk mass of the subscapularis muscle is more than that of all 3 other rotator cuff muscles combined. It functions as the internal rotator of the shoulder as the stout, rolled border of its tendon inserts onto the superior portion of the lesser tuberosity. A thorough history combined with specific physical examination maneuvers (including the bear hug, lift-off, and belly-press tests) is critical for accurate diagnosis. A systematic approach to advanced shoulder imaging also improves diagnostic capacity. Once identified, most subscapularis tendon tears can be successfully repaired arthroscopically. The Lafosse classification is useful as part of a treatment algorithm. Type I and II tears may be addressed while viewing from the standard posterior glenohumeral portal; larger Lafosse type III and IV tears are best repaired with anterior visualization at the subacromial or subdeltoid space. Tendon mobilization for larger tears is critical for adequate repair. In Lafosse type V tears, in which there is glenohumeral imbalance, tendon transfers and reverse replacement are commonly considered salvage options.
Amiodarone in congestive heart failure

Originally developed as an antianginal agent, amiodarone was soon found to have antiarrhythmic properties and to be a non-competitive inhibitor of alpha and beta-adrenergic receptors. Many trials studying the use of amiodarone in patients with heart failure have now been performed and are reviewed in this article. The trials appear to show that amiodarone possesses significant antiarrhythmic activity, even in heart failure patients. The drug appears to be well tolerated and proarrhythmia is uncommon. Based on the findings of a large Argentinian randomised trial (GESICA) and the Congestive Heart Failure Survival Trial of Antiarrhythmic Therapy (CHF STAT), it would appear there is a role for amiodarone in patients with non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy, but prospective studies are required to confirm this. The benefit of amiodarone in patients with non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy might be related to the beta-blocking effect that is seen with the use of conventional beta-blockers. Further studies, including the Sudden Cardiac Death Heart Trial (SCD HeFT), should help determine the role of amiodarone in heart failure patients.
Solid Modeling of Fabric-Like Structures

This project’s goal was to develop a true three dimensional approach to modeling fabric-like structures. Geometric models for stretching, inplane shear and out-of-plane bending (or hinging) phenomena have been developed to characterize fabric deformation. The motivation for development of these was that they are the primary modes of deformation for fabric-like structures.
Geometry processing: curvature analysis and surface-surface intersection

Abstract Geometry Processing is the extraction of geometric features from an already constructed curve or surface. This paper concentrates on two aspects of geometry processing: curvature analysis and surface-surface intersections. Curvature analysis is a means of interrogating the higher order smoothness of curves and surfaces. A curve fairing method utilizing curvature plots is discussed. Curvature analysis for surfaces is used to determine the fairness of surfaces and to measure the effects of different choices of twists for bicubic patches. Surface-surface intersections of parametric patches is an important topic in geometric modelling. Our algorithm for surface-surface intersection is presented, including its application to offset surfaces.
Chronic hepatitis C infection — Noninvasive assessment of liver fibrosis in the era of direct acting antivirals

Abstract Significant advancements in the diagnosis and treatment of chronic hepatitis C infection and its associated fibrosis have revolutionized treatment of these patients over the last several years. Liver biopsy, the gold standard diagnostic method for evaluating liver fibrosis level, was routinely used prior to initiation of hepatitis C therapy, placing patients at an inherent risk of adverse events. The recent advent of noninvasive serologic and nonserologic measures of hepatic fibrosis level has reduced the need for liver biopsy significantly, thereby minimizing its associated risks. These noninvasive methods have been extensively studied in the era of interferon therapies and are increasingly recognized in the realm of direct acting antiviral agents as well. Their validation of use after having achieved a sustained virologic response is yet to occur, but the future remains promising. This review focuses on the various non-invasive diagnostic modalities of liver fibrosis and discusses how they can be applied to the care of patients undergoing direct acting antiviral therapy for hepatitis C. In the constantly evolving landscape of hepatitis C therapy, the review underscores the important prognostic value of fibrosis staging prior to HCV treatment and suggests potential uses for non-invasive fibrosis assessment following successful HCV eradication.
Terahertz Near-Field Nano-Spectroscopy of Antiferromagnetic Resonance

We developed a terahertz scanning near-field nanoscope to visualize the spectral-temporal responses of antiferromagnetic modes in Sm 0.4 Er 0.6 FeO3. Our results demonstrate the first detection of collective spin precession at the femtosecond and nanometer scales. © 2019 The Author(s)
Social Engagement and Amyloid-β-Related Cognitive Decline in Cognitively Normal Older Adults.

Abstract Objective Public health recommendations promote social engagement to reduce risk of cognitive decline and dementia. The objective of this study was to evaluate the longitudinal associations of social engagement and cognition in cognitively normal older adults with varying levels of neocortical amyloid-β, the Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathologic marker. Methods Two hundred seventeen men and women, age 63–89 underwent assessments for social engagement and cognitive performance at baseline and 3 years later using the Community Healthy Activities Model Program for Seniors questionnaire and the Preclinical Alzheimer Cognitive Composite (PACC). Amyloid-β was measured using Pittsburgh compound B-PET. Multivariable regression models estimated main and interactive effects of baseline social engagement and amyloid-β on cognitive change. Reciprocal models estimated main and interactive effects of baseline cognitive performance and amyloid-β on change in social engagement. Results Baseline social engagement was associated with PACC change as a modifier but not as a main effect. Lower baseline social engagement was associated with greater amyloid-β-related PACC decline, while higher baseline social engagement was associated with relative preservation of PACC scores (β = 0.05, p = 0.03). Reciprocally, lower baseline PACC score was associated with decline in social engagement score (β = 1.1, p = 0.02). This association was not modified by amyloid-β, and there was no direct association of amyloid-β with change in social engagement. Conclusions Low social engagement may be a marker of neurocognitive vulnerability in older adults who are cognitively normal but have evidence of AD pathophysiologic change. Understanding changes in social engagement in older adults may lead to earlier diagnosis of AD and advances in evidence-based prevention and treatment.