cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Novel technique to load indo-1 free acid into single adult cardiac myocytes to assess cytosolic Ca2+

This report introduces a novel method to load indo-1 "free acid" selectively into the cytosol of cardiac myocytes, presumably by diffusion through momentarily permeable gap junction sites during mechanical dissociation after low-Ca2+ collagenase treatment. Calibration of indo-1 fluorescence in these cells has been accomplished after subtracting average autofluorescence (AF) from time-matched non-indo-loaded cells, taking into account apparent changes in cell AF due to indo-1. There is wide variation in the degree of uncertainty of individual intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) determinations among cells, related principally to differences in cellular indo-1 content, to nonlinear aspects of the [Ca2+]-to-fluorescence ratio relationship, and to the uncertainty in the AF subtraction. Consequently, a quantitative estimate of uncertainty also may be employed in formulating weighted estimates of cytosolic [Ca2+]i. The following [Ca2+]i values in rat ventricular cells (nM; in 1 mM bathing extracellular Ca2+ concentration, 25 degrees C) are given as weighted means +/- 95% confidence intervals (unweighted values in parentheses): 138 +/- 5 (136 +/- 6, n = 44) in quiescent cells, 435 +/- 74 (482 +/- 76, n = 43) at the [Ca2+]i-transient peak during 0.5 Hz steady-state stimulation, and 760 +/- 124 (1,027 +/- 250, n = 42) at the [Ca2+]i-transient peak, postrest. Moreover, these peak [Ca2+]i values fall near the steepest portion of the force-Ca2+ curve (from intact cardiac muscle), consistent with sensitive inotropic regulation and maximal contractile reserve.
Controlling and Directing Accreditation

For both large universities and small colleges who desire to pursue accreditation from one regional association or add many specialized agencies to their list, managing an accreditation process is a large responsibility and endeavor that can be more successfully controlled and directed by using established managerial techniques. Controlling aspects of this situation include observing and implementing expectations and processes that are required by the accreditation association standards, promoting constructive and discouraging destructive actions within the postsecondary institution, and giving incentives to internal actions that help accomplish accreditation goals and improve the institution. In a research paper that examined the association between regional accreditation and improvement at institutions, accreditation was found to have the largest effect on colleges that were smaller and less competitive and that were examined by the accrediting association more often than once every decade (Robinson-Weening 1995). The research survey also discovered that the schedule for accreditation planning in the institution’s ongoing life cycle had a crucial impact on the outcome of the accreditation procedure. These findings should be taken into account while controlling the accreditation management strategies at larger universities, which frequently must go further than the nominal fulfillment of regional association accreditation standards to attain successful public recognition and internal revitalization. Similarly, smaller colleges should contemplate the scheduled time plan of the required accreditation on-campus visits in their institution’s life cycle, in addition to planning for additional accreditation reviews instead of the traditional ten-year evaluations.
Light Control of Insulin Release and Blood Glucose Using an Injectable Photoactivated Depot

In this work we demonstrate that blood glucose can be controlled remotely through light stimulated release of insulin from an injected cutaneous depot. Human insulin was tethered to an insoluble but injectable polymer via a linker, which was based on the light cleavable di-methoxy nitrophenyl ethyl (DMNPE) group. This material was injected into the skin of streptozotocin-treated diabetic rats. We observed insulin being released into the bloodstream after a 2 min trans-cutaneous irradiation of this site by a compact LED light source. Control animals treated with the same material, but in which light was blocked from the site, showed no release of insulin into the bloodstream. We also demonstrate that additional pulses of light from the light source result in additional pulses of insulin being absorbed into circulation. A significant reduction in blood glucose was then observed. Together, these results demonstrate the feasibility of using light to allow for the continuously variable control of insulin relea...
Discovering Hotspots and Coldspots of Species Richness in eBird Data

Quantifying biodiversity is an important task related to ecological research. One way to measure biodiversity is through species richness, which measures the number of unique species found in an area. Recently, citizen science biodiversity datasets such as eBird allow the calculation of species richness over an unprecedented spatial and temporal extent. However, several confounding factors associated with the unstructured observation process, such as observer effort, affect the number of species reported by citizen scientists. In this work, we develop an algorithm for discovering hotspots and coldspots of species richness using eBird data while accounting for these confounding factors.
Parenting Styles and College Enrollment: A Path Analysis of Risky Human Capital Decisions

In this study, we examined how parents influence the higher education decision-making process of young adults. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997, results from a path analysis showed that, although parenting styles were not directly linked with college enrollment, they were indirectly associated with college enrollment via their prior associations with a number of variables, including young adults’ subjective probability of completing college, time preferences, academic achievement, cognitive ability, and parental expectations. These findings suggest that although parents may be less directly involved with higher education choices of young adults, they still have an important indirect influence on these choices. Parenting style impacts the child’s beliefs, expectations, and attitudes, all of which ultimately play a role in the decision of whether or not to enroll in college.
Can Demographic Variables Accurately Predict Component Sizing in Primary Total Knee Arthroplasty

Abstract Background As health care reform drives providers to reduce costs and improve efficiencies without compromising patient care, preoperative planning has become imperative. The purpose of this study is to determine whether height, weight, and gender can accurately predict total knee arthroplasty (TKA) sizing. Methods A consecutive series of 3491 primary TKAs performed by 2 surgeons was reviewed. Height, weight, gender, implant, preoperative templating sizes, and final implant sizes were collected. Implant-specific dimensions were collected from vendors. Using height, weight, and gender, a multivariate linear regression was performed with and without the inclusion of preoperative templating. Accuracy of the model was reported for commonly used implants. Results There was a significant linear correlation between height, weight, and gender for femoral (R2 = 0.504; P Conclusion This novel TKA templating model allows final implants to be predicted to within 1 size. The model allows for simplified preoperative planning and potential implementation into a cost-savings program that limits inventory and trays required for each case.
Torque ripple and copper loss minimization for a family of mutually coupled switched reluctance machines

In this paper, an optimal torque sharing function (TSF) for a family of mutually coupled switched reluctances machines (MCSRMs) is proposed to minimize the torque ripples and copper losses over the wide speed range. Winding distributions and torque production mechanism of a family of mutually coupled switched reluctance machines including short pitched, full-pitched, and fractionally-pitched MCSRMs are discussed. Then an optimal TSF for the MCSRM is obtained by solving the optimization problem. The objective of the optimal TSF combines the squares of three-phase currents (copper loss); the torque equation for the MCSRM in the linear magnetic region is expressed in terms of both self-inductance and mutual inductance, which is used as the equality constraint of the optimal TSF; the limits of the rate of change of current references serve as the first inequality constraints, while three-phase current limits serve as the second inequality constraints. Simulation results show that in the linear magnetic region, the torque ripples of the MCSRM using the proposed optimal TSF are only one half and one fourth of those produced by conventional sinusoidal and square current excitations over the wide speed range while keeping the power losses minimum.
64-element fast-neutron, coded-aperture imager

We report on the characterization efforts on a largescale, coded-aperture imager for fast neutrons at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. The fast neutron imager discussed in this study is designed for a mobile unit (20 ft. ISO container) and consists of a 64-element array (arranged in an 8 by 8 grid pattern) of 15 cm × 15 cm × 15 cm liquid scintillation detectors (EJ-309) mounted behind a 12 × 12 pseudorandom coded aperture. The coded aperture is composed of 15 cm × 15 cm × 10 cm blocks of high-density polyethylene (HDPE). The 12 × 12 pseudorandom coded aperture produces a shadow pattern on the detector array behind the mask. With knowledge of the mask pattern and the number of neutrons detected in a masked and unmasked detector, a source image can be deconvolved to obtain a 2-d image. The number of neutrons detected in each detector was found by processing the fast signal from each photomultiplier tube (PMT) in flash digitizing electronics. The γ-ray background was filtered out using digital pulse shape discrimination (PSD). The 64-element instrument was tested at an indoor facility using four γ/neutron sources: 1.3-µCi 252Cf (5.6 × 103 neutrons/s), 9.3-µCi 252Cf (4.0 × 104 neutrons/s), 99.8-µCi 252Cf (4.3 × 105 neutrons/s), and a 46-µCi 241AmBe (2.0 × 105 neutrons/s) at three standoff distances of 9, 15, and 26 m (maximum allowed in the facility) over various integration times. The source was moved at one pixel increments to test the imaging capabilities of the instrument. We found the detection significance at each of these distances and pixel locations with the three sources after 5 min to 25 min of integration depending on the strength and location of the source. We show the detection significance as a function of time at some locations and compare the detected significance to our group's previous 32-element array detected significances [1]. We also shielded 252Cf sources with 2.5 cm, 5.1 cm, and 10.2 cm thick HDPE and show the detection significance as a function of time at 9 m, 15 m, and 26 m.
A Stochastic Optimization Approach for Cloud Elasticity

Deployment mechanisms in Cloud environments are becoming more and more attractive to developers that find them easy and convenient to deploy their applications in just few steps. These mechanisms reduced the development cycles from weeks to hours. In this context, elasticity plays an important role in coping with the dynamic nature of these environments. Elasticity mechanisms allow adding or retrieving application instances to deal with the changing number of incoming queries. Determining the optimal number of instances needed in a given horizon is really challenging, since we are dealing with a random number of incoming queries and given that the number of queries fulfilled by a single instance is random as well. Also, there is a trade-off between deploying too many instances and thus paying unnecessary deployment costs and deploying too few of them, and thus paying penalties for not being able to fulfill all in-coming queries on-time. In this paper, we propose a stochastic programming method that determines the optimal number of instances needed in a given planning horizon, putting in mind the uncertain parameters of the problem. In our approach, we learn from the historical behavior of the system to predict the probability distributions of the unknown data, and then formulate a stochastic programming model that optimizes the aforementioned trade-off and outputs the optimal provisioning plan.
POTBELLY SCULPTURE: An Inventory and Analysis

Prehistoric potbelly (boulder) sculpture has been of great interest for many decades. Most such sculptures occur in the highlands and piedmont of the Pacific Coast in Guatemala and El Salvador. The specific function and dating of the monuments has been of particular concern to researchers. This paper presents a summary of data in an attempt to place potbelly sculptures into recognizable stylistic groups that may in turn allow scholars to hypothesize their general function or functions. The excavation of a ceramic potbelly figure in northern Belize may provide hard evidence for the dating of certain potbelly styles and demonstrate the use of this style/manifestation in a mode beyond stone sculpture.
Complete Genome Sequences of Campylobacter jejuni Strains Isolated from Retail Chicken and Chicken Gizzards.

ABSTRACT Genome sequences of Campylobacter jejuni FJ3124 and ZP3204 isolated from retail chicken gizzards and Campylobacter jejuni TS1218 isolated from retail chicken showed the presence of 1,694,324-, 1,763,161-, and 1,762,596-bp circular chromosomes, respectively. Campylobacter jejuni ZP3204 and TS1218 harbored large tetracycline resistance plasmids with type IV secretion systems.
RNA-Seq Meta-analysis identifies genes in skeletal muscle associated with gain and intake across a multi-season study of crossbred beef steers

Feed intake and body weight gain are economically important inputs and outputs of beef production systems. The purpose of this study was to discover differentially expressed genes that will be robust for feed intake and gain across a large segment of the cattle industry. Transcriptomic studies often suffer from issues with reproducibility and cross-validation. One way to improve reproducibility is by integrating multiple datasets via meta-analysis. RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq) was performed on longissimus dorsi muscle from 80 steers (5 cohorts, each with 16 animals) selected from the outside fringe of a bivariate gain and feed intake distribution to understand the genes and pathways involved in feed efficiency. In each cohort, 16 steers were selected from one of four gain and feed intake phenotypes (n = 4 per phenotype) in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement with gain and feed intake as main effect variables. Each cohort was analyzed as a single experiment using a generalized linear model and results from the 5 cohort analyses were combined in a meta-analysis to identify differentially expressed genes (DEG) across the cohorts. A total of 51 genes were differentially expressed for the main effect of gain, 109 genes for the intake main effect, and 11 genes for the gain x intake interaction (Pcorrected < 0.05). A jackknife sensitivity analysis showed that, in general, the meta-analysis produced robust DEGs for the two main effects and their interaction. Pathways identified from over-represented genes included mitochondrial energy production and oxidative stress pathways for the main effect of gain due to DEG including GPD1, NDUFA6, UQCRQ, ACTC1, and MGST3. For intake, metabolic pathways including amino acid biosynthesis and degradation were identified, and for the interaction analysis the pathways identified included GADD45, pyridoxal 5’phosphate salvage, and caveolar mediated endocytosis signaling. Variation among DEG identified by cohort suggests that environment and breed may play large roles in the expression of genes associated with feed efficiency in the muscle of beef cattle. Meta-analyses of transcriptome data from groups of animals over multiple cohorts may be necessary to elucidate the genetics contributing these types of biological phenotypes.
Prediction of Partition Coefficients for Peptides in Aqueous Two-Phase Systems

A model is proposed for the prediction of partition coefficients in aqueous two-phase systems. Hydrophobicities of constituent molecules are used to predict the partitioning behavior of more complex molecules. To examine the applicability of this model, several specific compounds, including butyl acetate, aspartame, and several amino acids and peptides, were partitioned in poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)/magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) aqueous two-phase systems. The partitioning data for the constitutent compounds were used to calculate hydrophobicities, which were then used to estimate hydrophobicities of the larger compounds. The partition coefficients were successfully predicted from these estimated hydrophobicities.
A Short History of Nuclear Physics to the Mid-1930s

Until the late 1930s, the study of radioactivity and nuclear physics were relatively low-profile academic research fields whose applications were limited primarily to medical treatments such as radiation therapies for cancers. But within a very few months between late 1938 and mid-1939, some investigators began to realize that one of the quieter provinces of pure research could become a geopolitical game-changer of immense military potential. How did this transformation come to be?
Reasons for Visits to Emergency Departments for Medicaid and State Children's Health Insurance Program Patients: United States, 2004

Objective: To describe the primary reason for visits to hospital emergency departments (EDs) by patients whose expected source of payment was Medicaid/State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). The primary reason for an ED visit is particularly important because it reflects the patients’ perspective of the problem that necessitated a visit to the ED. Study Design: Retrospective study. Methods: Data for 2004 from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS) were analyzed for reasons for ED visits. NHAMCS is a national probability sample survey of visits to hospital EDs and outpatient departments of non-federal, short-stay, and general hospitals in the United States. Data are collected annually and are weighted to generate national estimates. Results: An estimated 24.5 million visits were made to hospital EDs in 2004 by patients whose expected method of payment was Medicaid/SCHIP (annual rate = 795 visits/1,000 Medicaid/SCHIP enrollees). Medicaid/SCHIP enrollees aged 25–44 years recorded the highest visit rate at 1,281 visits/1,000 persons. The rate of visits for African American Medicaid/SCHIP enrollees was 36% higher than that of whites (1,016 vs. 746 visits, respectively/1,000 persons). Nine of the 10 leading reasons for ED visits are similar for both Medicaid/SCHIP enrollees and the general population. Among Medicaid/SCHIP enrollees, the leading reason for visits include fever (54 visits/1,000 persons), stomach pain (37 visits/1,000 persons), and cough (35 visits/1,000 persons). For the general population, the leading reasons for visits include stomach pain (19 visits/1,000 persons), chest pain (19 visits/1,000 persons), and fever (14 visits/1,000 persons). For patients with an expected payment source other than Medicaid/SCHIP, 7 of the 10 leading reasons for visits are similar to Medicaid/SCHIP enrollees. For this category, the leading reason for visits are chest pain (18 visits/1,000 persons), stomach pain (16 visits/1,000 persons), and fever (10 visits/1,000 persons). Conclusion: Although Medicaid/SCHIP enrollees shared the same leading reasons with the general population in their visits to EDs, they had higher rates of visits for these reasons. It is possible that the general population is making a higher proportion of visits for the same reasons to settings other than EDs, relative to the Medicaid population. Differences in the age distribution of these populations could also be a factor in the observed visit rates.
The Taming of the Shrew: Why Is It so Difficult to Control Turbulence?

In the present chapter I shall emphasize the frontiers of the field of flow control, pondering mostly the control of turbulent flows. I shall review the important advances in the field that took place during the past few years and are anticipated to dominate progress in the future. By comparison with laminar flow control or separation prevention, the control of turbulent flow remains a very challenging problem. Flow instabilities magnify quickly near critical flow regimes, and therefore delaying transition or separation are relatively easier tasks. In contrast, classical control strategies are often ineffective for fully turbulent flows. Newer ideas for turbulent flow control to achieve, for example, skin-friction drag reduction focus on the direct onslaught on coherent structures. Spurred by the recent developments in chaos control, microfabrication and soft computing tools, reactive control of turbulent flows, where sensors detect oncoming coherent structures and actuators attempt to favorably modulate those quasi-periodic events, is now in the realm of the possible for future practical devices. In this chapter, I shall provide estimates for the number, size, frequency and energy consumption of the sensor/ actuator arrays needed to control the turbulent boundary layer on a full-scale aircraft or submarine.
Low-frequency reverberation estimates using elastic parabolic equation solutions for ice-covered and ice-free Arctic environments

A computational model of reverberation at low frequencies in an ice-covered environment is developed. The model is built on a full-field perturbation approach and includes elastic parabolic equation solutions for the acoustic field and its horizontal and vertical derivatives near water-ice and water-air interfaces. Our previous work demonstrated that average reverberation intensity is sensitive to both elasticity and thickness of the ice at mid-frequencies, where the ice layer thickness is on the order of or larger than both compressional and shear wavelengths. Here we address what happens to the reverberation when ice thickness approaches zero. Reverberation estimates for rough free surface and those from rough ice-water interface with increasing ice layer thickness are compared to determine at what ice thicknesses and acoustic frequencies the long-range reverberation distinguishes between the two cases. To isolate effects of ice thickness, we assume roughness is the same in both environments. Frequencies will be varied from very low, where the ice layer is practically transparent, to moderately low where the presence of the ice becomes noticeable in the reverberation. Numerical examples for reverberation in a typical Arctic environment with upward refracting sound-speed profile are presented and discussed. [Work supported by ONR.]A computational model of reverberation at low frequencies in an ice-covered environment is developed. The model is built on a full-field perturbation approach and includes elastic parabolic equation solutions for the acoustic field and its horizontal and vertical derivatives near water-ice and water-air interfaces. Our previous work demonstrated that average reverberation intensity is sensitive to both elasticity and thickness of the ice at mid-frequencies, where the ice layer thickness is on the order of or larger than both compressional and shear wavelengths. Here we address what happens to the reverberation when ice thickness approaches zero. Reverberation estimates for rough free surface and those from rough ice-water interface with increasing ice layer thickness are compared to determine at what ice thicknesses and acoustic frequencies the long-range reverberation distinguishes between the two cases. To isolate effects of ice thickness, we assume roughness is the same in both environments. Frequencie...
Alcohol Use Disorder: A Pediatric-Onset Condition Needing Early Detection and Intervention

* Abbreviations: AUD — : alcohol use disorder CRAFFT — : car, relax, alone, forget, friends, trouble NIAAA — : National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism Despite the enormous attention currently paid to drug overdose mortality in the United States, it is humbling that in 2016, deaths caused by alcohol were more than double those involving opioids.1,2 Alcohol contributes to up to one-half of all deaths among the 3 leading causes of adolescent and young adult mortality: unintentional injury (the majority of which are motor vehicle crash fatalities), homicide, and suicide.1,3 Heavy alcohol use also contributes to liver disease, cancer, and stroke among numerous other fatal chronic illnesses arising during adulthood.3 Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a pediatric-onset condition. AUD is defined as recurrent alcohol consumption coupled with physiologic dependence, risky use, loss of control, and/or impaired social functioning.4 Nearly 4 in 5 people in treatment for AUD report that they first began drinking during adolescence.5 It is therefore incumbent on pediatricians and other providers caring for adolescents to detect and intervene in AUD as early as possible in the life course. In this issue of Pediatrics , Linakis et al6 report a large, pediatric emergency department–based study of screening for alcohol use. Using a validated 2-question screen from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA),7 the authors follow >1300 adolescents aged 12 to 17 years and determine the extent to which baseline … Address correspondence to Scott E. Hadland, MD, MPH, MS, Department of Pediatrics and Grayken Center for Addiction, Boston Medical Center, Vose Hall 322, 88 E. Newton St, Boston, MA 02118. E-mail: scott.hadland{at}bmc.org
Student Experiences With Collaborative Problem-Based Learning (CPBL) in a Second-Year Undergraduate Engineering Course

This Innovative Practice Work in Progress paper describes our recent efforts of implementing collaborative problem-based learning (CPBL) in a second-year undergraduate engineering course called Engineering Dynamics. The research method and data collection are described. Both positive and negative comments on CPBL were collected from a total of 59 student participants who took engineering dynamics in a recent semester. The results show that nearly 70% of the students had “positive” or “highly positive” overall experiences with CPBL. The analysis also shows that students liked CPBL for five reasons, and disliked CPBL for four reasons.
Integration by Parts

The companion of Integration by Trigonometric Substitution is Integration by Parts. Let’s explore one way Maple can be used to learn about integration by parts. This approach is predicated on the belief that real integrals are never actually done “by parts” because in real life such integrals are found in tables of integrals.
Hypotension within one-hour from starting CRRT is associated with in-hospital mortality.

Abstract Purpose To investigate early hemodynamic instability and its implications on adverse outcomes in patients who require continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). Materials and methods A retrospective study of patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) and underwent CRRT at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota between December 2006 through November 2015. Results Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify predictors of in-hospital mortality and major adverse kidney events (MAKE) at 90 days. Hypotension was defined as any of the following criteria occurring during the first hour of CRRT initiation: mean arterial pressure 40 mmHg from baseline, a positive fluid balance >500 mL or increased vasopressor requirement. The analysis included 1743 patients, 1398 with acute kidney injury (AKI). In-hospital mortality occurred in 884 patients (51%). Early hypotension occurred in 1124 patients (64.6%) and remained independently associated with in-hospital mortality (OR 1.56, 95% CI: 1.25–1.9). Conclusion Hypotension occurs frequently in patients receiving CRRT despite having a reputation as the dialysis modality with better hemodynamic tolerance. It is an independent predictor for worse outcomes. Further studies are required to understand this phenomenon.
Enterovirus, parechovirus, adenovirus and herpes virus type 6 viraemia in fever without source.

Objectives To evaluate the potential associations between fever without a source (FWS) in children and detection of human enterovirus (HEV), human parechovirus (HPeV), adenovirus (AdV) and human herpesvirus type 6 (HHV-6) in the plasma; and to assess whether the detection of viruses in the plasma is associated with a reduced risk of serious bacterial infection (SBI) and antibiotic use. Design and setting Between November 2015 and December 2017, this prospective, single-centre, diagnostic study tested the plasma of children Results HEV, HPeV, AdV and HHV-6 were tested for in the plasma of 135 patients of median age 2.4 months old. At least one virus was detected in 47 of 135 (34.8%): HEV in 14.1%, HHV-6 in 11.1%, HPeV in 5.9% and AdV in 5.2%. There was no difference in antibiotic use between patients with or without virus detected, despite a relative risk of 0.2 for an SBI among patients with viraemia. Controls were less frequently viraemic than children with FWS (6.0% vs 34.8%; p Conclusions HEV, HPeV, AdV and HHV-6 are frequently detected in the plasma of children with FWS. Antibiotic use was similar between viraemic and non-viraemic patients despite a lower risk of SBI among patients with viraemia. Point-of-care viral PCR testing of plasma might reduce antibiotic use and possibly investigations and admission rates in patients with FWS. Trial registration number NCT03224026.
Education, Development, and Capabilities

This paper argues that a deeper appreciation of the philosophical nature of oppression is required in our age of globalization, science and technology, particularly for rethinking educational systems aimed at social justice, equality and liberation in developing countries. It draws on the inspiring concepts of Paolo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed, which itself is indebted to the philosophical innovation of the philosopher Hegel. The aim of the article is to outline various ways to analyze the requirements for critical consciousness to rise given the dialectical contradiction of scientific and technological progress on the one hand and new forms of alienation that arise from anonymity and the dissolution of the self on the other. At stake is how we understand the process and ends of ‘sustainable development’ to achieve greater inclusion and social justice in a multicultural, pluralistic and intrinsically heterogeneous globalized world.
Novel layered Bi3MoMTO9 (MT = Mn, Fe, Co and Ni) thin films with tunable multifunctionalities

Bi3MoMTO9 (BMoMTO; MT, transition metals of Mn, Fe, Co and Ni) thin films with a layered supercell structure have been deposited on LaAlO3 (001) substrates by pulsed laser deposition. Microstructural analysis suggests that pillar-like domains with higher transition metal concentration (e.g., Mn, Fe, Co and Ni) are embedded in the Mo-rich matrix with layered supercell structures. The layered supercell structure of the BMoMTO thin films accounts for the anisotropic multifunctionalities such as the magnetic easy axis along the in-plane direction, and the anisotropic optical properties. Ferroelectricity and ferromagnetism have been demonstrated in the thin films at room temperature, which confirms the multiferroic nature of the system. By varying the transition metal MT in the film, the band gaps of the BMoMTO films can be effectively tuned from 2.44 eV to 2.82 eV, while the out-of-plane dielectric constant of the thin films also varies. The newly discovered layered nanocomposite systems present their potential in ferroelectrics, multiferroics and non-linear optics.
Excitation-Emission Matrix Spectroscopy for Analysis of Chemical Composition of Combustion Generated Particulate Matter.

Analysis of particulate matter (PM) is important for the assessment of human exposures to potentially harmful agents, notably combustion-generated PM. Specifically, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) found in ultrafine PM have been linked to cardiovascular diseases and carcinogenic and mutagenic effects. In this study, we quantify the presence and concentrations of PAHs with lower molecular weight (LMW, 126 < MW < 202) and higher molecular weight (HMW, 226 < MW < 302), i.e., smaller and larger than Pyrene, in combustion-generated PM using excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectroscopy. Laboratory combustion PM samples were generated in a laminar diffusion inverted gravity flame reactor (IGFR) operated on ethylene and ethane. Fuel dilution by Ar in 0% to 90% range controlled the flame temperature. The colder flames result in lower PM yields however, the PM PAH content increases significantly. Temperature thresholds for PM transition from low to high organic carbon content were characterized based on the maximum flame temperature (Tmax,c ∼ 1791 to 1857 K) and the highest soot luminosity region temperature (T*c ∼ 1600 to 1650K). Principal component regression (PCR) analysis of the EEM spectra of IGFR samples correlates to GCMS data with R2 = 0.988 for LMW and 0.998 for HMW PAHs. PCR-EEM analysis trained on the IGFR samples was applied to PM samples from woodsmoke and diesel exhaust, the model accurately predicts HMW PAH concentrations with R2 = 0.976 and overestimates LMW PAHs.
Special Article - The management of resistant hypertension: A 2020 update

Abstract Resistant hypertension (RH) induces higher morbidity and mortality due to cardiovascular disease and stroke than hypertension without treatment resistance. New guidelines define RH as blood pressure (BP) ≥130/80 mmHg in a patient taking ≥3 antihypertensive agents of different classes or BP
Adoptive cell therapy: Living drugs against cancer

Immunotherapy has made a profound impact in the treatment of cancer in the last decade. Insights from the study of the intricate relationships between immune cells and cancer have led to the clinical development of strategies that redirect the power of the immune system to target and eliminate cancer. Today, immunotherapy represents a rapidly expanding and transformative force comprising multiple modalities.
Integrating Voice-Assisted Technology with an In-Home Sensor System: Exploring the Development of a Participant-Based Design Study

This paper describes the iterative process in which voice-assisted technology (VAT) has been integrated with an in-home sensor system to enable older adults to better manage their health. Through pilot research, a user interface was developed and is currently being deployed in older adults' homes. This ongoing research has the ability to help older adults remain independent in their own homes and can assist informal caregivers in providing at-home supports
Hard choices about heavy metal on a hot planet

Download : Download high-res image (291KB) Download : Download full-size image Jeffrey Ball is scholar-in-residence at Stanford University’s Steyer-Taylor Center for Energy Policy and Finance, an initiative of Stanford Law School and the Stanford Graduate School of Business. He also is a lecturer at Stanford Law School and a nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. He writes widely about energy and the environment. He launched and heads the Stanford Climate of Infrastructure Project, a platform for new data and ongoing analysis that seeks to trace flows of money that finance infrastructure in emerging economies and to illuminate politically and economically realistic ways to decarbonize that development.
Big five personality traits and performance: A quantitative synthesis of 50+ meta-analyses.

Objective The connection between personality traits and performance has fascinated scholars in a variety of disciplines for over a century. The present research synthesizes results from 54 meta-analyses (k = 2028, N = 554,778) to examine the association of Big Five traits with overall performance. Method Quantitative aggregation procedures were used to assess the association of Big Five traits with performance, both overall and in specific performance categories. Results Whereas conscientiousness yielded the strongest effect (ρ = 0.19), the remaining Big Five traits yielded comparable effects (ρ = 0.10, 0.10, -0.12, and 0.13 for extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism, and openness). These associations varied dramatically by performance category. Whereas conscientiousness was more strongly associated with academic than job performance (0.28 vs 0.20), extraversion (-0.01 vs 0.14) and neuroticism (-0.03 vs -0.15) were less strongly associated with academic performance. Finally, associations of personality with specific performance outcomes largely replicated across independent meta-analyses. Conclusions Our comprehensive synthesis demonstrates that Big Five traits have robust associations with performance and documents how these associations fluctuate across personality and performance dimensions.
An Experimental Study of Jet-Flap Compressor Blades

The results of a preliminary experimental investigation to determine the feasibility of using the jet flap to improve the section characteristics of an axial-flow compressor blade are presented and discussed. The airfoil tested was the NACA 65(12)10 blower blade with a thickened trailing edge. Internal design of the blade is described and details of the resulting jet flow are given. Also included are wind-tunnel design and test procedures for the two-dimensional cascade used in the test. Test results are presented in the form of the measured turning angle, pressure rise, and lift coefficient. They are examined with particular reference to the prevention of rotating stall.
Destination reachability and BGP convergence time [border gateway routing protocol]

One important performance measure for routing protocols is packet delivery. An ideal routing protocol should quickly adapt to topological changes and deliver packets as long as any path to the destination exists. In this paper, we examine the packet delivery performance in a network running the BGP routing protocol when a destination may be disconnected from time to time. We develop two metrics, extra downtime and false uptime, to capture the time difference between actual loss of connectivity and perceived unreachability. Our results show that extra downtime closely matches T/sub up/ convergence delay, and false uptime closely matches T/sub down/ convergence delay. Furthermore, our results show that, for transient connectivity failures, a shorter T/sub down/ convergence time can have negative impact on packet delivery.
A critical look at the terms feminism, Feminism, and womanism and the applicability, or not, of each in conversation with Toni Morrison’s First and Last Novels The Bluest Eye and Home

For the purpose of this paper lower-case-f feminism is used as the umbrella term for the organized activity in support of women's rights and interests founded in the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities. Hegemonic Feminism, aka Radical Feminism, has historically left out women who face issues alongside oppression based on gender, namely women of colour. Capital-F Feminism represents this hegemonic Feminism. Alice Walker’s womanism creates a type of feminism specifically for black women and women of colour. In this paper I explore and contrast three different types of feminism, hegemonic “Feminism” and “womanism”, to show how Toni Morrison’s first and last novels The Bluest Eye and Home are definitely womanist texts but are not necessarily considered feminist under the constraints of hegemonic Feminism. I look at the differences between the three terms to show how these novels can and do slip through the cracks and are not labeled as “feminist” texts because they do not comply with “Feminism.” Through plot and character examples I show how these novels are womanist, and because of that they are not able to be considered examples of Feminist texts and are therefore not regarded as canonical Feminist literature, though they do exemplify feminist principles, themes and ideals.
Soluble factors in tolerance and contact sensitivity to DNFB in mice. X. IL-2 is the activation signal mediating release of synthesized suppressor factor.

Abstract Two signals are required for the in vitro activation of Lyt 2 + T suppressor cells (Ts) from mice tolerized with 2,4-dinitrobenzene sulfonate (DNBS) to produce soluble suppressor factors (SSF) which suppress the transfer of contact sensitivity to dinitrofluorobenzene (DNFB). Recognition of DNP/class I MHC (signal one) stimulates the Ts to synthesize SSF. Release of SSF requires a soluble mediator (signal two) produced by the interaction of L3T4 + T cells from tolerant mice with I-A on metabolically functional cells in the DNP-presenting cell population. The purpose of this study was to examine the nature of this second Ts activation signal. Coculture of tolerant spleen cells and gluteraldehyde-fixed (Glu-) DNP-labeled spleen cells (DNP-SC) resulted in the synthesis but not release of SSF. Addition of either IL-1 or IL-2 to these cultures induced SSF release. Treatment of such cultured cells with the anti-murine IL-2 receptor antibody PC 61.5.3 blocked the IL-2- and IL-1-stimulated release of SSF. Release of SSF was also blocked when tolerant cells were cultured with (unfixed) DNP-SC in the presence of a monoclonal anti-IL-2 antibody. IL-2 but not IL-1 was able to stimulate the Ts to release synthesized SSF in the absence of L3T4 + Th activity. First, addition of IL-2 to cocultures of tolerant cells and DNP-presenting I-A − cells induced release of the synthesized SSF, whereas addition of IL-1 did not. Second, IL-2 also stimulated SSF release in cocultures of L3T4 + T cell-depleted tolerant cells and Glu-DNP-SC, whereas IL-1 did not. Tolerant cells pretreated with IL-2 and then washed were able to synthesize and release SSF upon culture with Glu-DNP-SC. Pretreatment of tolerant cells with IL-1 did not stimulate SSF release upon subsequent culture with Glu-DNP-SC. These results indicate that the Lyt 2 + Ts from DNBS-tolerant mice express IL-2 receptors and IL-2 is the lymphokine which induces the Ts to release synthesized SSF. Thus, IL-2 provides a differentiative signal during the functional activation of these regulatory T cells.
Variation in precursor pool size during the division cycle of Escherichia coli: further evidence for linear cell growth

The magnitudes of several pools of radioactively labeled precursors for RNA and protein synthesis were determined as a function of cell age during the division cycle of Escherichia coli 15 THU. Uracil, histidine, and methionine pools increased from low initial values for cells at birth to maxima during midcycle and then subsided again. These pools were small or nonexistent at the beginning and the end of the cycle, and their average values during the cycle were less than 4% of the total cellular radioactivity. The results are consistent with a linear pattern of growth for cells during the division cycle and provide strong evidence against exponential or bilinear growth of E. coli cells.
Acute pulmonary haemorrhage in an infant during induction of general anaesthesia

Pulmonary haemorrhage is a rare, life-threatening complication of anaesthesia. This report describes the anaesthetic management of an infant who developed laryngospasm and pulmonary haemorrhage during general anaesthesia. The infant was subsequently found to have prior exposure to a fungus, Stachybotrys chartarum, which produces mycotoxins that may have produced capillary fragility in the infant's rapidly growing lungs.
Eastern equine encephalitis. Distribution of central nervous system lesions in man and Rhesus monkey.

Abstract Brain and spinal cord were examined from a fatal human case of Eastern equine encephalitis, proved by isolation of virus from brain. Lesions were mild to moderate in the forebrain and brainstem, and were remarkably mild in the spinal cord. Rhesus monkeys were inoculated intracerebrally with unpassed virus from the fatal case, and with two unpassed mosquito isolates. All animals developed an acutely fatal encephalitis, with most severe lesions in the forebrain and mild lesions of the cord. Data from a previous study indicated that the distribution of lesions in the monkey CNS, following intracerebral inoculation of Langat and Japanese encephalitis viruses, both virulent group B arboviruses, was quite different than that produced by EEE virus, and was characteristic for each strain inoculated. These observations suggest that wild strains of EEE virus have very high primate neurovirulence regardless of the host in which they are multiplying in nature; and that in primates EEE virus has an innate tendency to produce severe lesions in the forebrain, with a relative sparing of the spinal cord.
The mechanisms of sputtering part I.

Abstract Sputtering processes can be classified by considering the time-scale. Thus, if an incident particle hits at t = 0, one can recognize, for 10minus;15⩽t⩽ 10−14 s, prompt collisional processes involving direct (or nearly direct) particle-target interactions. The yield is often expressible as a simple integral of a differential cross section. These are followed, for 10−14⩽t⩽10−13 to 10−12 s, by slow collisional processes due to the internal flux of target atoms in the cascade intersecting the surface. The yield for sputtered atoms is given by a relation (that of Sigmund) which is conceptually similar to that for the flux of perfect gas atoms against a surface and which can be restated very directly in these terms. An important feature, as is shown in simple derivations, is that the high-energy limit of the sputtered flux is predicted to have the form flux œ E0-2 for atoms but flux œ E0-4.5 for diatomic molecules, provided the molecules are formed by recombination. Eo is the sputtered particle energy....
Heat Pump Technology: Responding to New Opportunities

This paper provides an update on advanced heat pump research and development activities in the United States and Canada. Under the general area of vapor compression technology a major need toward which these research programs are directed is the development of viable alternatives to HCFC-22 for heat pump and air-conditioning applications. The HCFC phaseout provides an opportunity to develop advanced refrigeration equipment for the new refrigerants which has higher energy efficiency than current heat pump systems. Programs are underway in both industry and government laboratories and are characterized by close collaboration between major manufacturers and government agencies to plan and execute the research. Under the general area of thermally activated heat pump technology, there are several cooperative early-commercialization activities being conducted on gas-fired heat pumps and chillers by government, HVAC industry, and gas utility organizations.
Plasma-wall interactions in tandem mirror machines

Plasma-surface interactions can play an important role in the present generation of tandem mirror machines, such as the Tandem Mirror Experiment-Upgrade (TMX-U),1 Phaedrus,2 Gamma-10,3 and TARA4, which are currently operational; and AMBAL,5 which will soon be fully operational. The importance of plasma-surface interactions may be even more pronounced in larger, longer-pulse tandem mirrors such as the Mirror Fusion Test Facility (MFTF-B),6,7 which will be used to investigate plasmas at reactor-like conditions. However, current experiments and models of future experiments indicate that plasma-surface interactions can be minimized in tandem mirror machines. This is in part due to the inherent open field lines of the confinement configuration. In particular, plasma-surface interactions can be controlled at radial surfaces by controlling the axial confinement of the edge plasma.