cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The biological functions of low-frequency vibrations (phonons). VI. A possible dynamic mechanism of allosteric transition in antibody molecules.

By means of the quasi-continuity theory developed recently [Chou, K.-C. (1983) Biochem. J.209, 573–580; Chou, K.-C. (1984) Biochem. J.221, 27–31; Chou, K.-C. (1985) Biophys. J.48, 289–297], the low-frequency breathing motions of the β-barrels in the 12 domains of an IgG antibody molecule have been calculated. The results are in very good agreement with the observed low-frequency peaks in the Raman spectra. Based on this, the resonant couplings among the domains located at its different regions are discussed. It turns out that some very interesting functions of antibody molecules, such as the “chelate effect” and “trigger effect” whose dynamic principle has been so far unknown, can be clearly elucidated in terms of a fundamental natural law; i.e., it is through the channel of low-frequency resonance that the “signal” (or energy) in an antibody is transmitted from one location to the other, so as to be able to induce the relevant conformational change required for operating those important biological functions. The physical picture illustrated here once again provides us with a classic example that structure and function in nature are highly harmonized.
Late Pregnancy Suppresses Relapses in Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis: Evidence for a Suppressive Pregancy-Related Serum Factor

Women with multiple sclerosis have significantly diminished disease activity during pregnancy. The purpose of our study was to identify the underlying mechanism for the diminished disease activity. We found that during the period of late pregnancy there is protection against paralysis, during both the induction and effector phases of relapsing experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, a mouse model of multiple sclerosis. We did not find any changes in the cytokine secretion profiles or the proliferative activity of autoreactive T cells from mice induced during late pregnancy compared with virgin controls. In mice mated after disease onset, the inflammatory histologic lesions did not clear, despite marked clinical improvement during pregnancy. We found evidence for a serum factor present in late pregnancy that suppresses T cell activation. In the presence of sera taken from mice late in pregnancy, the proliferative response and IL-2 production of proteolipid protein p139-151-specific T cells were significantly diminished as compared with stimulation in the presence of normal mouse sera. In conclusion, serum from late pregnancy has the capacity to down-regulate T cell responses and might be associated with the amelioration of disease activity in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis.
A radix-12 FFT building block

By increasing the radix of an FFT building block, we can reduce the total number of arithmetic operations required to perform short-term spectral analyses. For a number of analysis points equal to or slightly less than a power of 12, use of the radix-12 building block reduces power consumption by a factor that lies typically between 2 and 5. >
Obeying, Joining, Following, Resisting, and Other Processes in the Milgram Studies, and in the Holocaust and Other Genocides: Situations, Personality, and Bystanders

Stanley Milgram was motivated to show how something as horrible as the Holocaust could happen. To what extent does his research provide understanding of this? This article reviews a conception of the origins of genocide and other mass violence, based on case studies of actual instances, ranging from the Holocaust to the genocide in Rwanda and great violence in the Congo, in which psychological and social science principles were applied to historical data. This analysis and conception shows that a multiplicity of societal conditions and cultural characteristics together lead to group violence. Under certain societal and cultural conditions, many people rather than obey, seek, and join, and then subsequently follow, leaders, and groups. However, one cultural characteristic that is usually present and is relevant to Milgram's work, strong “authority orientation,” promotes the tendency to obedience and reduces the likelihood of resistance. The article also discusses the multiplicity of influences present both in Milgram's experiments and other violence-producing situations, which includes people following rules of conventional behavior, and the multiplicity of psychological processes that arise, and questions some interpretations of Milgram's findings. It discusses the neglected but important role of personality, and the potential inherent in socialization and education to promote inclusive caring and resistance to violence producing situations. It points to the great potential of bystanders, their “authority,” in preventing violent behavior.
Histologic features predictive of basal cell carcinoma recurrence: results of a multivariate analysis

Previous univariate analysis of 30 recurrent and 74 non-recurrent basal cell carcinomas identified 6 histologic parameters predictive of recurrence: distance to the closest resection margin, growth pattern, shape of cell groups, contour of invading edge, degree of peripheral palisading, and nuclear pleomorphism. Re-analysis of the data by multivariate analysis to select the few most important independent prognostic variables identified two parameters in each of two final models: resection margin distance and growth pattern (Model 1), and resection margin distance and shape of cell groups (Model 2). Based on these variables, a logistic regression equation could be derived for each model to calculate the predicted probability of recurrence or non-recurrence.
Changes in heart rate volatility in a murine model of sepsis

ling proliferation of invading microorganisms and to promoting repair of damaged tissues but is the cause of morbidity and mortality in severe trauma and/or sepsis. In the last few decades, a remarkable wealth of information on the pathogenesis of inflammation-induced shock has been generated on experimental (animal) models. Much of this work was done in mice and rats. Nonetheless, despite notable scientific progress, effective therapeutic options for these patients are still lacking, and the failure of clinical trials has, at times, been attributed to an inability to extrapolate results from one preclinical model to another and from preclinical settings to clinical trials. Mathematical modeling of complex systems is an emerging approach capable of capturing the dynamics of the acute inflammatory response and of simulating clinical reality in sepsis and trauma. Here, we sought to translate our previously described, mouse-specific mathematical model of acute inflammation/organ damage to address the dynamics of acute inflammation in rats. Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 5) were subjected to: (a) 3, 6, or 12 mg/kg LPS; (b) surgical trauma (ST); and (c) ST + lipopolysaccharide (LPS) (6 mg/kg IP). Recalibration of the baseline, mousespecific mathematical model was carried out using automated algorithms. The predictive ability of the rat-specific model was tested in the setting of surgical trauma + hemorrhagic shock + resuscitation—a scenario in which this model had not yet been trained. Results: Although mice and rats do not represent 2 branches of the earliest split in Murinae, they exhibited distinct dynamics of tumor necrosis factor, interleukin 6, interleukin 10, and NO2 /NO3 in response to various doses of LPS as well as ST and ST + LPS. To obtain reasonable fits for the rat model, we used an algorithmic procedure that quantitatively ranked the contribution of each parameter change to sequentially eliminate the least relevant changes. By using this branking strategyQ, we were able to determine that although as few as 25 parameter changes could result in reasonable fits to calibration data, a larger number were likely needed for accurate predictions of inflammation in response to surgical trauma + hemorrhagic shock + resuscitation in rats following this limited recalibration procedure. Conclusions: Our results demonstrate the successful implementation of a ranking strategy for the selection of a minimal set of parameter changes that offers reasonable model fits as well as insights into qualitative and quantitative differences in physiological processes across different species. We suggest that mathematical modeling of acute inflammation in sepsis/trauma may not be constrained by inherent interspecies differences. In silico simulations can provide insights into the complex dynamics of acute inflammation and organ dysfunction in experimental models of trauma-hemorrhage and endotoxemia and may assist in the clinical translation of preclinical studies of trauma/hemorrhage and sepsis.
Syringes, Siphons and Suckling Infants

Thus far, Pascal has been dealing with fluids such as water and mercury. But what about air—does it have weight? According to Aristotle, gravity is a quality possessed by the elements earth and water; it causes them to fall toward the center of the world. Levity, on the other hand, is a quality which is possessed by the elements fire and air; it causes them to rise towards the heavens. Gravity and levity are thus opposing and absolute qualities of substances. Aware of Aristotle’s theory, Pascal begins his Treatise on the Weight of the Mass of the Air by reminding the reader of the experimental evidence which proves that air in fact possesses gravity, or heaviness, just like rocks. He then proceeds to derive the consequences of this fact. In particular, he suggests that many of the phenomena which had previously been attributed to nature’s apparent abhorrence of a vacuum—a doctrine advanced by Aristotle and maintained by Galileo—could be understood more readily by considering Earth’s atmosphere to be a vast sea of air whose weight presses down upon bodies submerged in it.
Design Considerations for High-Power Microwave Filters

The need for high-power filters is reviewed briefly, and various design approaches are discussed. The major portion of the paper treats the power-handling capacity of multiple-resonator filters using inductive windows or posts as coupling elements. A formula is derived that gives the relative power capacity of a waveguide filter of this type in terms of the bandwidth and cavity dimensions, and the element values of the low-pass prototype filter. By means of this formula it is shown quantitatively how high-power ratings may be achieved through the use of enlarged cavities. Methods for eliminating spurious filter responses and of reducing the reflected energy are discussed.
Are symmetric tidal streams possible with long-range dark-matter forces?

The unique dynamics of the tidal disruption of satellite galaxies is an extremely sensitive probe of long-range interactions between dark-matter particles. Dark-matter forces that are several percent the strength of gravity will lead to order unity changes in the ratio of the number of stars in the leading and trailing tidal streams of a satellite galaxy. The approximate symmetry of the stellar tidal streams of the Sagittarius dwarf galaxy would thus exclude attractive dark-matter forces greater than 10% the strength of gravity which would entirely eliminate the leading stream. However, recent simulations suggest that dark-matter forces 100% the strength of gravity could completely strip the stellar component of Sagittarius of its dark matter, allowing for the subsequent development of symmetric tidal streams. Here we argue that these simulations use inconsistent initial conditions corresponding to separate pure stellar and pure dark-matter satellites moving independently in the host galaxy's halo, rather than a single disrupting composite satellite as had been intended. A new simulation with different initial conditions, in particular a much more massive satellite galaxy, might demonstrate a scenario in which symmetric tidal streams develop in the presence of large dark-matter forces. This scenario must satisfy several highly restrictive criteria described in this paper.
Healing of bony defects in the irradiated and unirradiated rat mandible

A model system of the irradiated rat mandible has been developed and used in conjunction with a non-spontaneously healing mandibular defect. The contribution of the tissue components in the healing of bony defects was studied using demineralized bone powder (DBP) prepared from unirradiated or in vivo irradiated rat long bones. Better bony fill of the defects occurred in the irradiated beds filled with unirradiated DBP than in the unirradiated beds containing irradiated DBP. This suggests that, at least in the early postirradiation period, the bed is not the limiting factor in healing of bony defects and the osteogenic components of bone in the DBP may be most affected by irradiation. In the irradiated bed, the defects grafted 2 weeks after irradiation healed better than those grafted at 4 weeks. Thus, the timing of surgery after irradiation also plays a role in the healing process, with early surgery producing better results.
Aspergilloma in Sarcoid and Tuberculosis

The presentation, treatment, and outcome of 28 patients with aspergilloma and cavitary tuberculosis (14) and sarcoidosis (14) were compared. Patients with tuberculosis had localized disease (12 of 14, 86 percent), whereas patients with sarcoidosis had diffuse disease (1 of 14, 7 percent localized). Results indicated that patients with either sarcoid or tuberculosis who developed an aspergilloma had a poor prognosis over the next decade. Patients with sarcoid appeared to have a worse short-term prognosis; surgical resection in the tuberculosis patients may have contributed to their better short-term survival.
OUTPATIENT ANTICOAGULATION ISSUES FOR THE PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN

Increasingly, primary care providers are caring for patients who require anticoagulation. In this article the indications for, complications of, and methods of dosing and monitoring warfarin in the outpatient setting are reviewed. Heparin use among ambulatory patients also is discussed.
SPECT/CT imaging of the lumbar spine in chronic low back pain: a case report

Mechanical low back pain is a common indication for Nuclear Medicine imaging. Whole-body bone scan is a very sensitive but poorly specific study for the detection of metabolic bone abnormalities. The accurate localisation of metabolically active bone disease is often difficult in 2D imaging but single photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) allows accurate diagnosis and anatomic localisation of osteoblastic and osteolytic lesions in 3D imaging. We present a clinical case of a patient referred for evaluation of chronic lower back pain with no history of trauma, spinal surgery, or cancer. Planar whole-body scan showed heterogeneous tracer uptake in the lumbar spine with intense localisation to the right lateral aspect of L3. Integrated SPECT/CT of the lumbar spine detected active bone metabolism in the right L3/L4 facet joint in the presence of minimal signs of degenerative osteoarthrosis on CT images, while a segment demonstrating more gross degenerative changes was more quiescent with only mild tracer uptake. The usefulness of integrated SPECT/CT for anatomical and functional assessment of back pain opens promising opportunities both for multi-disciplinary clinical assessment and treatment for manual therapists and for research into the effectiveness of manual therapies.
Power sharing in a double-input buck converter using dead-time control

Multi-input converters are becoming important in various renewable energy applications like wind energy, fuel cell systems, photovoltaic systems, and hybrid electric vehicles. In this paper, it is shown that in a double-input buck converter the dead-time of the switch commands along with the two duty ratios will have a direct impact on the amount of current drawn from the sources/inputs. This dead-time is used as an additional control variable apart from the switch commands to meet the control objective of meeting a constant load demand when the source currents are varying which is very common in hybrid energy systems. Theoretical derivations agree well with the simulation results. The new control method has good dynamic response and improves the speed of the system.
Gastric mill activity in the lobster. II. Proctolin and octopamine initiate and modulate chewing

1. The neuromodulators proctolin and octopamine were injected into the circulatory system of lobsters, and the subsequent reaction of their gastric mill was analyzed with the help of an endoscope. 2. Injections of proctolin into the dorsal heart sinus elicited chewing with period durations of 5-60 s after a latency of 53 +/- 42 s (n = 32 injections). The threshold dose was 1 ml of 1.5 X 10(-7) M, which results in an estimated concentration of 3 X 10(-9) M in the blood. 3. The effects of proctolin on the coordination of the three teeth of the gastric mill is dose dependent. Proctolin injections of 1 ml of 1.5 X 10(-6) M elicited chewing in the squeeze mode, 1 ml of 1.5 X 10(-4) M triggered chewing in the cut-and-grind mode. Both modes are different in terms of coordination and usage of functionally different parts of the teeth. 4. An increase in the proctolin dose causes an increase of the duty cycle (ratio of closing duration to period duration) of the chewing from 0.19 to 0.51. The corresponding period duration shortens (from 30.8 to 9.9 s) at intermediate doses, but lengthens to 16.6 s at high doses because the closing duration goes up. 5. Chewing following a single injection can last between 2 and 30 min. Besides more or less stereotypic chewing in one of the basic modes, variations occurred, such as chewing of just the lateral teeth, cycle-by-cycle switching between different modes, or double bites of either the lateral teeth or the medial tooth. 6. Proctolin increased the strength of reflex bites, which could be elicited by mechanical stimulation of the cardiac sac. 7. Octopamine elicited not only irregular chewing, but also other reactions such as struggling, only if high doses, between 1 ml of 1.5 X 10(-4) and 1.5 X 10(-3) M were given, which correspond to an estimated concentration in the blood of between 3 X 10(-6) and 3 X 10(-5) M. 8. The proctolin effects on the gastric mill match the spontaneously occurring behavioral repertoire of the gastric mill, and they are explainable with known properties of the gastric central pattern generator and its sensitivity to proctolin.
New York City flavoured tobacco product sales ban evaluation.

Introduction The availability of flavoured tobacco products is associated with increased initiation and youth smoking. New York City prohibited all sales of flavoured cigars, cigarillos, little cigars, chew, snuff, snus, tobacco, pipe tobacco, roll-your-own tobacco, and dissolvables, excluding menthol, in October 2009; enforcement began in November 2010. This paper describes the sales ban evaluation. Methods Data on retail tobacco sales of cigars, smokeless and other tobacco products such as pipe tobacco and roll-your-own, were analysed using interrupted time series methods, estimating changes in flavoured and non-flavoured tobacco product inflation-adjusted dollar sales overall, and by product type. Changes in ever use of flavoured tobacco products, any tobacco product use, and smoking prevalence among adolescents were estimated using multivariable logistic regression. Results Sales of flavoured tobacco products declined overall (87%; p Conclusions Flavoured tobacco product sales and odds of ever using flavoured tobacco products or using any tobacco products among teens declined significantly after ban enforcement began. Collectively these findings demonstrate significant evidence that the flavoured tobacco products sales ban was successful in New York City, and could succeed elsewhere.
Use of home-based subcutaneous immunoglobulin therapy in elderly patients with primary immunodeficiency diseases.

Practice PearlSubcutaneous injection of immunoglobulin therapy is an appropriate mode of injection in elderly patients with primary immunodeficiency diseases.
CRT-200.63 Robotic Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction: Initial Clinical Experience and Procedural Outcomes

A robotic system for performing remote-controlled angioplasty and stent placement is now in clinical use in the US. This robotic system allows the operator to perform percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) while seated in a lead-lined cockpit, thereby minimizing radiation exposure and eliminating
Effect of early body image dissatisfaction on subsequent psychological and physical adjustment after disfiguring injury.

OBJECTIVE The impact of body image dissatisfaction on quality of life after severe burn injury was investigated after controlling for other determinants of outcome (i.e., injury, distress, and preburn quality of life). METHODS The postburn quality of life (2-months postdischarge) of groups with and without body image dissatisfaction was studied after controlling for preburn quality of life (measured 2-3 days postadmission). The patient population (N = 86) was 77.9% men, had an average total body surface area burned of 17.02%, and average full-thickness burn of 6.09%. Forty percent had facial injuries, 68.6% required surgery, most were injured by flame (39.5%), and 76.8% were employed. RESULTS Multivariate analysis of covariance (covarying preburn level of Mental quality of life, facial injury, and size of burn) contrasting body image dissatisfaction groups found significantly lower psychosocial adjustment at 2-month follow-up in those with greater body image dissatisfaction (multivariate F = 3.61; p<.01). A second MANCOVA (covarying the preburn level of Physical quality of life and both facial injury and size of burn) found significantly lower physical functioning at 2-month follow-up in those with greater body image dissatisfaction (multivariate F = 2.78; p < .03). Adding two more covariates (depression and posttrauma distress) eliminated the effect of body image dissatisfaction on postburn Physical but not Mental adjustment. CONCLUSIONS Body image dissatisfaction affects quality of life after severe burn injury. Distress moderates this impact on aspects of physical but not psychosocial health.
Uranyl-Promoted Peroxide Generation: Synthesis and Characterization of Three Uranyl Peroxo [(UO2)2(O2)] Complexes.

Three novel uranyl(VI) peroxide complexes, [(UO2)2(CH3COO)2(O2)(C10H8N2)] (1), [(UO2)2(CH3COO)2(O2)(C12H12N2)] (2), and [(UO2)3(CH3COO)4(O2)(C15H11N3)2] (3), have been synthesized and characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, powder X-ray diffraction, and luminescence spectroscopy. Each of these structures feature a [(UO2)2(O2)] dimer with additional coordination by acetate, 2,2′-bipyridine (BPY), 5,5′-dimethyl-2,2′-bipyridine (MeBPY), or 2,2′:6,2″-terpyridine (TPY). Compound 3 consists of an additional uranyl unit functionalized with a TPY donor ligand. The presence of the peroxo ligand in 1–3 is due to in situ generation of peroxide when preparative solutions of 1–3 were exposed to ambient light and/or sunlight.
Differences in the Use of Bar Code Medication Administration (BCMA) in Acute Care and Long-Term Care Settings:

In this paper, we explore how the use of a software package, Bar Code Medication Administration (BCMA), differs in acute care and long-term care settings. Direct observation of BCMA use during medication administration was conducted on acute care (42 hours) and long-term care (37 hours) wards in a small, medium, and large hospital. The following differences were found for all three hospitals: 1) acute care ward nurses used more detailed printed reports to plan medication passes and detect errors in ordering and dispensing than on the long-term care wards, 2) barcoded wristbands were scanned more frequently to identify patients on acute care than long-term care wards (53% vs. 8%), and 3) nurses administered medications immediately after scanning and opening medication packets more frequently on acute care than long-term care wards (93% vs. 23%). The findings highlight the need to tailor the BCMA software for the long-term care setting in order to improve patient safety.
The use of clinical characteristics to predict the results of temporal artery biopsy among patients with suspected giant cell arteritis.

Objective To develop a mathematical model which predicts temporal artery biopsy results. Methods We collected clinical and laboratory data as well as biopsy results among a consecutive cohort of all individuals who underwent temporal artery biopsy at Mayo Medical Center between January 1, 1988 and December 31, 1991. All biopsies were independently reviewed by one pathologist. Logistic regression was used to identify a set of variables which best predicted the biopsy results. This model was then used to identify patients who were highly likely (> or = 95% predictive value) to have either a negative or a positive biopsy. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was generated using the best fit model. Results Of the 525 people in the study, there were 187 men and 338 women. The logistic regression model and the ROC curve generated from this model were of modest value in predicting biopsy results from prebiopsy clinical characteristics. However, this model identified 60 (11%) individuals who had a > or = 95% probability of having a negative biopsy. None of these individuals had any symptoms of claudication, only 5 of 60 (8%) had temporal artery abnormalities on examination, 45 (75%) had synovitis (suggesting an alternate diagnosis), and their median erythrocyte sedimentation rate was only 31 mm/h (Westergren). Conclusions In individuals with these findings, we recommend a careful search for other diagnoses before temporal artery biopsy.
Malnutrition in the elderly. Is it simply a matter of not eating enough

PreviewMany of us have older relatives or acquaintances who seem to eat virtually nothing. They aren't sick, but they certainly aren't robust. Dr Zawada describes many possible reasons for inadequate nutritional intake in the elderly and summarizes the most effective ways to diagnose it. Often, malnutrition is discovered during hospitalization for acute illness. Dr Zawada discusses nutritional replacement therapy in this situation, in extended-care facilities, and in the home after discharge.
Crime and Race

The systemic association of race and crime has a negative impact on individuals and groups in general and people of color specifically. This analysis of race and crime attempts to describe and explain the phenomenon. The impact of race and crime includes racial stereotyping, racial profiling, driving while black or brown, redlining in jobs and housing, disproportionate arrests and incarceration, and violence and death. Keywords: African American; crime; discrimination; race; racism
Delta: Data Reduction for Integrated Application Workflows and Data Storage

Data sizes are growing far faster than storage bandwidth. To address this growing gap, Integrated Application Workflows (IAWs) are being investigated as a potential to replace using a centralized storage array for storing intermediate data. IAWs run multiple simulation workflow components concurrently on an HPC resource connecting these components using compute area resources. These IAWs require high frequency and high volume data transfers between compute nodes and staging area nodes during the lifetime of a large parallel computation. The available network bandwidth between the two areas may not be enough to efficiently support the data movement. As the processing power available to compute resources increases, the requirements for this data transfer will become more difficult to satisfy and perhaps will not be satisfiable at all since network capabilities are not expanding at a comparable rate. It is necessary to reduce the volume of data without reducing the quality of data when it is being processed and analyzed. Delta resolves the issue by addressing the lifetime data transfer operations. Delta removes subsequent identical copies of already transmitted data prior to transfer and restores those pieces once the data has reached the destination using previously transmitted data. Delta is able to identify duplicated information and determine the most space efficient way to represent it. Initial tests show about 50 % reduction in data movement while maintaining the same data quality and transmission frequency. Given the simplicity of the approach and the log-based format employed by ADIOS, the approach can also be used to write less data to the storage array outside of IAW considerations.
The effect of carrier capture on the modulation bandwidth of quantum well lasers

Effects of electron and hole transport on modulation response and ways to compute them are discussed. A brief overview of the self-consistent simulation of quantum well lasers is presented along with a more detailed discussion of carrier capture. The modulation responses of a test laser structure with different carrier capture rates are presented. The results are explained by examining free carrier and electric field distributions calculated for the different cases. >
Viability of Byssochlamys nivea in Apple Sauce Containing Sorbate, Benzoate and Sulfur Dioxide and Packaged Under Various Oxygen Levels.

The effects of potassium sorbate (50 and 100 ppm), sodium benzoate (200 and 400 ppm) and SO2 (25 and 50 ppm) on growth and patulin production by Byssochlamys nivea in apple sauce packaged under various levels of oxygen were determined. A low level (1.4–2.3%) of oxygen in the headspace of sealed pouches protected B. nivea against loss of viability over a 13-month storage period at 21°C. No increase in population was observed in inoculated apple sauce with headspace oxygen contents of up to 9.5–9.7%. Sulfur dioxide was the most lethal preservative tested, 50 ppm causing complete inactivation within 4-months. Patulin was not detected in any of the test samples.
Locating sources in a dense array through network-based clustering

A non-parametric technique to identify weak sources within dense sensor arrays is developed using a network approach. No knowledge about the propagation medium is needed except that signal strengths decay to insignificant levels within a scale that is shorter than the aperture. We then reinterpret the spatial coherence matrix of a wave field as a matrix whose support is a connectivity matrix of a network of vertices (sensors) connected into communities. In the asymptotic case these communities correspond to sensor clusters associated with individual sources. The support of the coherence matrix is estimated from limited-time data using a robust hypothesis test combined with a physical distance criterion. The latter ensures sufficient network sparsity to prevent network communities from forming by chance. We verify the approach on simulated data and quantify its reliability. The method is then applied to data from a dense 5200 element geophone array that blanketed 7 χ 10 km of the city of Long Beach (CA). The analysis exposes a helicopter traversing the array and oil production facilities.
Measuring Undergraduate Students’ Construction Education Domain Self-Efficacy, Motivation, and Planned Behavior: Validation of a Concise Survey Instrument

ABSTRACTReducing attrition in education and training is an important strategy for addressing unmet U.S. construction industry workforce demands. This study investigated the psychometric properties of a more concise construction-domain specific survey instrument, the Construction Training Attitudes and Intentions Scale (CTAIS), using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Results yielded an abbreviated 28-item instrument and 4-factor model. CTAIS factors; Construction Education Self-Efficacy (CESE), Motivation (CEM), Planned Effort (CEPE) and Perceived Completion Value (CECV) were tested for convergent, discriminant, and known-groups validity. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was conducted initially to confirm the instrument’s factor structure. CFA was employed to compare the hypothesized four-factor model to a single-factor model; fit indices were acceptable with nine items removed given discrepancies. Based on the demonstrated instrument reliability and validity, the abbreviated CTAIS provides a useful qua...
"Hey Google is it OK if I eat you?": Initial Explorations in Child-Agent Interaction

Autonomous technology is becoming more prevalent in our daily lives. We investigated how children perceive this technology by studying how 26 participants (3-10 years old) interact with Amazon Alexa, Google Home, Cozmo, and Julie Chatbot. We refer to them as "agents" in the context of this paper. After playing with the agents, children answered questions about trust, intelligence, social entity, personality, and engagement. We identify four themes in child-agent interaction: perceived intelligence, identity attribution, playfulness and understanding. Our findings show how different modalities of interaction may change the way children perceive their intelligence in comparison to the agents'. We also propose a series of design considerations for future child-agent interaction around voice and prosody, interactive engagement and facilitating understanding.
Delayed diffusion-weighted MR abnormality in a patient with an extensive acute cerebral hypoxic injury: A case report

Diffusion-weighted (DW) MR imaging usually identifies acute cerebral infarction injury in symptomatic patients. We report a patient with severe hypoxic brain injury following suicide attempt by hanging, but with normal DW MR imaging 5–6 h after the event. Follow-up DW MR imaging 3 days after the event, and subsequent autopsy, revealed extensive cerebral anoxic injury.
The Role of Clinical Pharmacists in the Emergency Department

The ED is a unique setting with a diverse and complex patient population presenting around the clock with urgent and emergent needs. Emergency physicians readily utilize and value the presence of ED pharmacists to aid in this care [10, 52–54]. We support 24-h staffing of emergency departments with dedicated ED pharmacists as part of the clinical care team. ACMT also supports studies to further define the impact and value of pharmacists in the ED and other areas of ED expansion such as urgent care and observation units.
Design of tropical forest conservation contracts considering risk of deforestation

Abstract Payments for Forest Conservation (PFC) programs financially compensate forest owners to maintain and increase the provision of ecosystem services. Nonetheless, their effectiveness and additionality in preventing deforestation and degradation remain contested. The design of PFC contracts can influence landowner participation and in-turn a program’s prospects for additionality. We examined preferences for select PFC contractual attributes among over 200 private forest owners in Ecuador’s Amazon basin using a discrete choice experiment. Forest owners at high-risk of deforestation, as compared to others of lower risk, were almost eight-times more likely to select contracts that allowed timber harvest under a management plan, about three-times more likely to select contracts managed by local municipalities or international NGOs, and showed stronger preferences for long-term contracts. To increase enrollment of forest lands at higher risk of deforestation and degradation PFC contracts might need to reconsider the benefits of increasing financial incentives, pursue administration through local municipalities or international NGOs, allow sustainable timber harvesting, and seek permanent agreements.
Development of the Sense of Taste

Since 1980 several studies have appeared on development of neurophysiological taste responses. These investigations preview an area of expanding research that provides a basis for understanding development of behavioral taste responses and essential mechanisms of gustatory sensation. The goals of this chapter are to describe complementary results from recent neurophysiological, anatomical, and behavioral studies and to propose molecular and cellular substrates for changing taste function during development.
Self-Consistent Field using Direct Inversion in Iterative Subspace Method and Quasi-Newton Vectors

Abstract The self-consistent field (SCF) technique has been the workhorse of computational chemistry research. As the size and complexity of computational system increases, any new algorithmic development that offers addit0ional speed-up is always welcome, even if it is as simple as an alternative method that works well for certain chemical systems. The direct inversion in the iterative subspace (DIIS) method 1 , 2 is a widely used technique that speeds up the SCF convergence by minimizing an error function associated with each SCF step. In this work, we introduce a different DIIS method that uses quasi-Newton steps as error vectors. Mathematical formalisms necessary for computation of the error vector are presented. Approximate Hessian is used to avoid extra computational cost and storage requirement. A select set of molecules are used to test the performance of the algorithm.
Selective Ion Monitoring

In Chapter 3, examples of the use of GC-MS were given in which mass spectra were recorded for individual components of mixtures separated by a gas chromatograph. The mass spectrometer may also be used as a specific detector for the gas chromatograph by tuning it to detect ions of a single m/e value. With minor modification to the instrument it is possible to continually record the abundances of ions of more than one m/e value by switching between them. This technique, under many guises, has been under parallel development almost since the inception of GC-MS in laboratories around the world. It is not surprising, then, that a multiplicity of terms has been coined to describe the method and its products. The term used in the chapter is “selective ion monitoring” (SIM) and the product is referred to as a “SIM profile.” Other versions which have appeared in the literature include selective/selected/specific/single/multiple ion/mass monitoring/detection (there are 20 combinations there!) as well as combinations such as “multiple specific ion monitoring.”
The mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist spironolactone reduces alcohol self-administration in female and male rats.

Abstract Cortisol/corticosterone and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis serve an important role in modulating alcohol drinking behaviors. To date most alcohol research has focused on the functional involvement of corticosterone and the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), the primary receptor for corticosterone. Recent studies have indicated that the related mineralocorticoid receptor (MR), which binds both corticosterone and aldosterone, may also play a role in alcohol drinking. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to test the functional role of MR signaling in alcohol self-administration via pharmacological antagonism of the MR with spironolactone. Male and female Long-Evans rats were trained to self-administer a sweetened alcohol solution (15% (v/v) alcohol +2% (w/v) sucrose). The effects of spironolactone (0, 10, 25, 50 mg/kg; IP) were tested on alcohol self-administration and under “probe extinction” conditions to measure the persistence of responding in the absence of the alcohol reinforcer. Parallel experiments in sucrose self-administration trained rats were used to confirm the specificity of spironolactone effects to an alcohol reinforcer. In female rats spironolactone (50 mg/kg) reduced alcohol self-administration and persistence of alcohol responding. In male rats spironolactone (25 and 50 mg/kg) reduced alcohol self-administration, but not persistence of alcohol responding. Spironolactone reduced sucrose intake in female rats only, and locomotion in male and female rats during sucrose self-administration. There was no effect of spironolactone on persistence of sucrose responding. These studies add to growing evidence that the MR is involved in alcohol drinking, while underscoring the importance of studying both male and female animals.
Phenotypes and endotypes of adult asthma: Moving toward precision medicine

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways that is challenging to dissect into subgroups because of the heterogeneity present across the spectrum of the disease. Efforts to subclassify asthma using advanced computational methods have identified a number of different phenotypes that suggest that multiple pathobiologically driven clusters of disease exist. The main phenotypes that have been identified include (1) early-onset allergic asthma, (2) early-onset allergic moderate-to-severe remodeled asthma, (3) late-onset nonallergic eosinophilic asthma, and (4) late-onset nonallergic noneosinophilic asthma. Subgroups of these phenotypes also exist but have not been as consistently identified. Advances in our understanding of the diverse immunologic perturbations that drive airway inflammation are consistent with clinical traits associated with these phenotypes and their response to biologic therapies. This has improved the clinician's approach to characterizing asthmatic patients in the clinic. Being able to define asthma endotypes using clinical characteristics and biomarkers will move physicians toward even more personalized management of asthma and precision-based care in the future. Here we will review the most prominent phenotypes and immunologic advances that suggest these disease subtypes represent asthma endotypes.
Soil indigenous microbiome and plant genotypes cooperatively modify soybean rhizosphere microbiome assembly

Plants have evolved intimate interactions with soil microbes for a range of beneficial functions including nutrient acquisition, pathogen resistance and stress tolerance. Further understanding of this system is a promising way to advance sustainable agriculture by exploiting the versatile benefits offered by the plant microbiome. The rhizosphere is the interface between plant and soil, and functions as the first step of plant defense and root microbiome recruitment. It features a specialized microbial community, intensive microbe-plant and microbe-microbe interactions, and complex signal communication. To decipher the rhizosphere microbiome assembly of soybean (Glycine max), we comprehensively characterized the soybean rhizosphere microbial community using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and evaluated the structuring influence from both host genotype and soil source. Comparison of the soybean rhizosphere to bulk soil revealed significantly different microbiome composition, microbe-microbe interactions and metabolic capacity. Soil type and soybean genotype cooperatively modulated microbiome assembly with soil type predominantly shaping rhizosphere microbiome assembly while host genotype slightly tuned this recruitment process. The undomesticated progenitor species, Glycine soja, had higher rhizosphere diversity in both soil types tested in comparison to the domesticated soybean genotypes. Rhizobium, Novosphingobium, Phenylobacterium, Streptomyces, Nocardioides, etc. were robustly enriched in soybean rhizosphere irrespective of the soil tested. Co-occurrence network analysis revealed dominant soil type effects and genotype specific preferences for key microbe-microbe interactions. Functional prediction results demonstrated converged metabolic capacity in the soybean rhizosphere between soil types and among genotypes, with pathways related to xenobiotic degradation, plant-microbe interactions and nutrient transport being greatly enriched in the rhizosphere. This comprehensive comparison of the soybean microbiome between soil types and genotypes expands our understanding of rhizosphere microbe assembly in general and provides foundational information for soybean as a legume crop for this assembly process. The cooperative modulating role of the soil type and host genotype emphasizes the importance of integrated consideration of soil condition and plant genetic variability for future development and application of synthetic microbiomes. Additionally, the detection of the tuning role by soybean genotype in rhizosphere microbiome assembly provides a promising way for future breeding programs to integrate host traits participating in beneficial microbiota assembly.
A Modified Laryngeal Stent for Glotto-Subglottic Stenosis: A Novel Stent for Better Outcomes

Management of laryngotracheal stenosis is challenging and laryngotracheal stenosis is generally managed with laryngotracheal reconstruction. Stents are often used as part of the reconstructive surgery. Although most stents adequately stabilize the reconstruction during healing, they often do a poor job of mimicking glottic anatomy, particularly the anterior glottis. Here, we present a modified suprastomal stent designed to stabilize reconstruction after laryngotracheal reconstruction while also improving postoperative glottic anatomy and function. The case of a 15-year-old tracheostomy-dependent patient with glotto-subglottic stenosis who underwent laryngotracheal reconstruction using this modified stent is described. The patient had an excellent outcome with decannulation of her tracheostomy and significant improvement in voice.
Erythrocyte membrane concealed paramagnetic polymeric nanoparticle for contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging

Recent progress in bioimaging nanotechnology has a great impact on the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases by enabling early intervention. Among different types of bioimaging modalities, contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging using paramagnetic gadolinium-based molecular contrast agents (GBCAs) are most commonly used in clinic. However, molecular GBCAs distribute rapidly between plasma and interstitial spaces with short half-lives limiting its clinical impacts. To improve the properties of GBCAs, herein an effort has been put forth by incorporating GBCA into nanoscale system mimicking the property of red blood cell (RBC) that could facilitate contrast enhancement and prolong intraluminal retention in the body. The proposed nanoconstruct is made up of polymeric-core labeled with lipid conjugated GBCA followed by the imprint of the RBC membrane concealment layer to enhance stability and biocompatibility. Meanwhile, the confinement strategy of GBCA was implemented to accelerate magnetic properties of nanoconstruct providing longitudinal-relaxivity (r1) to 12.78 ± 0.29 (mM s)-1. Such improvement in r1 was further confirmed by enhanced contrast in the vascular angiography of the murine model. Given higher colloidal stability and tunable magnetic properties, nanoconstruct proposed herein is a promising platform technology for the applications where enhanced plasma residence time and magnetic properties are necessary for diagnosis and therapy.
Effect of Bicarbonate, Calcium, and pH on the Reactivity of As(V) and U(VI) Mixtures.

Natural or anthropogenic processes can increase the concentration of uranium (U) and arsenic (As) above the maximum contaminant levels in water sources. Bicarbonate and calcium (Ca) can have major ...