cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Euendolithic microborings in basalt glass fragments in hyaloclastites: Extending the ichnofabric index to microbioerosion

A systematic, semiquantitative measurement of intensity of euendolithic microbioerosion aids in understanding the interactions between microorganisms and basalt glass. These interactions are important because they occur widely in ocean basins and lead to incongruent dissolution of glass. No semiquantitative method currently exists for measuring euendolithic microbioerosion. We modify the ichnofabric index (ii of Droser and Bottjer, 1986) to the microendolithic ichnofabric index (MII), a scale-independent, orientation-independent, semiquantitative classification scheme specifically for euendolithic microborings in volcanic glass, but applicable to any medium. Material used to develop the MII comes from the phase one core, Hawaii Scientific Drilling Project #2 well and ranges in age from ~636 to 413 ka. Microtubular features in the glass are linear or curvilinear, ~0.5–2 µm in diameter, 1 µm to >100 µm long, and originate from the margins of glass fragments found in hyaloclastites and pillow lavas. Standard categories of the ii were modified to address the circumstances of the microborings. Percent disruption of primary fabric is the basis of the MII rather than percent disruption of bedding. Six categories are used ranging from no (MII = 1) to complete disruption (MII = 6). Modification of the ii extends the measuring scale of bioerosion to near the minimum size range for trace fossils. By extension, MII can be used for any traces that penetrate the associated medium, from microbial borings to dinosaur footprints, if the ratio of measurement length to diameter of the traces is ~30 : 1.
Classification by Cheeger Constant Regularization

This paper develops a classification algorithm in the framework of spectral graph theory where the underlying manifold of a high dimensional data set is described by a graph. The classification on the data is performed on the graph. The classifier optimizes an objective functional that combines prior information with the Cheeger constant. We interpret this approach as a regularized version of the Cheeger constant based classifier that we introduced recently. Our derivation shows that Cheeger regularization removes noise like a Laplacian based classifier but preserves better sharp boundaries needed for class separation. Experimental results show good performance of our proposed approach for classification applications.
Learning the semantics of images by using unlabeled samples

In this paper, we have proposed a novel framework to achieve more effective classifier training by using unlabeled samples. By integrating concept hierarchy for semantic image concept organization, a hierarchical mixture model is proposed to enable multi-level image concept modeling and hierarchical classifier training. To effectively learn the base-level classifiers for the atomic image concepts at the first level of the concept hierarchy, we have proposed a novel adaptive EM algorithm to achieve more effective classifier training with higher prediction accuracy. To effectively learn the classifiers for the higher-level semantic image concepts, we have also proposed a novel technique for classifier combining by using hierarchical mixture model. The experimental results on two large-scale image databases are also provided.
Misconceptions Regarding the Zero Lower Bound on Interest Rates

The paper reviews issues related to the zero lower bound (ZLB) on interest rates and argues that all of the following propositions are invalid: (1) in a ZLB situation, gshaping interest rate expectations is essentially the only tool that central bankers have h (Bernanke, Reinhart, and Sack [2004]); (2) fiscal policy actions such as ghelicopter drops h are in theory more effective than monetary policy actions; (3) the prominent gfoolproof way h policy rule of Svensson (2001, 2003) is applicable more generally?that is, even when exact uncovered interest parity holds?than the alternative exchange rate rule of McCallum (2000); (4) both of the exchange rate strategies described in (3) are open to the objection that they constitute gbeggar-thy-neighbor h approaches; and (5) there is a significant danger of ZLB difficulties stemming from a g deflationary trap h type of equilibrium, as distinct from a gliquidity trap. h
Effect of acoustic excitation on the flow over a low-Re airfoil

Wind-tunnel measurements of lift, drag, and wake velocity spectra were carried out under (tonal) acoustic excitation for a smooth airfoil in the chord-Reynolds-number Re(c) range of 40,000-140,000. The data were supported by smoke-wire flow-visualization pictures. Small-amplitude excitation in a wide, low-frequency range is found to eliminate laminar separation that otherwise degrades the airfoil performance at low Re(c) near the design angle of attack. Excitation at high frequencies eliminates a prestall, periodic shedding of large-scale vortices. Significant improvement in lift is also achieved during poststall, but with large-amplitude excitation. Wind-tunnel resonances strongly influence the results, especially in cases requiring large amplitudes.
Framing Positive Behavior Support in the Ongoing Discourse Concerning the Politics of Knowledge

In this article, the authors examine the contributions of a progressive form of postmodern social theory to raising substantive issues about the politics of knowledge or the factors that govern decision processes regarding the nature of evidence from research. They examine the basis for the reaction against postmodernism that has appeared in the special education literature to date and, in particular, question whether it collectively represents a reasoned defense of the scientific basis for inquiry. The authors call attention to a confusion that occurs in these reactive positions between postmodernism on the one hand and subjectivism (i.e., qualitative research methods) in the production of knowledge on the other, which, like positivism (i.e., empirical methods), is a modern epistemology. They suggest that positive behavior support, because of its inherent pragmatism and multimethod focus on valued outcomes for people with disabilities, may offer a practice-focused forum for more productive conversations ...
Unexplained high fever in an elderly patient treated with clonidine, duloxetine, and atorvastatin.

Abstract Background: Drug-induced fever is a clinical diagnosis and should always be considered when the fever is constant and high without a clear source of infection. Although drug-induced fever has been reported with other centrally acting antihypertensive drugs such as methyldopa, published reports of this adverse effect with clonidine in humans were not identified in a search of the literature. Case summary: A 66-year-old institutionalized white female with a history of morbid obesity (body mass index, 40 kg/m2), Alzheimer's dementia, hypertension, and depression presented to a hospital in Boston, Massachusetts (Caritas Saint Elizabeth's Medical Center) with generalized weakness and shortness of breath and was found to have a non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction. Before hospitalization, the patient was taking memantine 10 mg PO BID, donepezil 10 mg PO once daily, duloxetine 60 mg PO once daily, clonidine 0.1 mg PO TID, metoprolol 50 mg PO BID, and amlodipine 10 mg PO once daily. On admission, the patient was initiated on aspirin 325 mg, atorvastatin 80 mg, and clopidogrel 75 mg PO daily. Her dose of clonidine was increased to 0.2 mg PO TID to optimize blood pressure control, and metoprolol and amlodipine were continued at the same doses. The patient developed fever on the third day after the cardiac catheterization. The fever ranged from 99.0°F to 102.7°F. The physical examination, laboratory data analysis, multiple blood cultures, urinalysis, chest radiograph, and a computed tomography of the head, chest, abdomen, and pelvis did not reveal any source of infection. On the sixth day after admission, clonidine was reduced to the baseline dose of 0.1 mg PO TID and on the ninth day it was stopped. The patient was afebrile on the twelfth day and remained so for the duration of her hospitalization. Naranjo scores for her newly initiated concomitant medications were as follows: aspirin, 1; atorvastatin, 3; clonidine, 6; and clopidogrel, 1. The rating of 6 for clonidine suggests that it was probably associated with the fever in this patient. Conclusion: We describe a case of drug-induced fever probably associated with clonidine administration. The higher dose of clonidine alone or in interaction with duloxetine and atorvastatin may have contributed to the development of drug-induced fever.
College Inside: A Case Study of the Design and Implementation of a Successful Prison College Program.

This chapter describes a specific initiative to offer a college program within the Oregon Department of Corrections, with a focus on the interpersonal and interinstitutional relationships needed to build such programs.
Molecular signatures of eight thyroid tumor types

A76 Although fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy has proven to be an excellent diagnostic tool in the differential diagnosis of a thyroid nodule, it often cannot differentiate benign from malignant lesions. Indeed, 15-30% of FNAs fall into the 9indeterminate9 or 9suspicious9 category. As a consequence, many patients with thyroid nodules undergo surgery because of a 9suspicious9, but not 9definite9 diagnosis of malignancy. Therefore, other adjuncts, such as molecular-based diagnostic approaches are needed in the preoperative distinction of these lesions. To address this issue we chose to study by microarray analysis the 8 different thyroid tumor types that can present as suspicious lesions on FNA, including papillary thyroid cancer, follicular variant of papillary cancer, follicular cancer, Hurthle cell cancer, adenomatoid nodule, follicular adenoma, Hurthle cell adenoma, and lymphocytic thyroiditis. Based on sample size calculation we chose to examine 10 each of the 8 different tumor types. Cy-dye labeled c-RNA from the 8 tumor types and pooled normal thyroid control were competitively hybridized to oligonucleotide microarrays [Hs-OperonV3.0 National Cancer Institute/NIH (http://arraytracker.nci.nih.gov/index.shtml)] representing over 35,000 transcripts. Data was analyzed by using Partek Genomics Suite (Partek Inc, St. Louis, MO 63141) and BRB Array Tools, a statistical package developed by Biometric Research Branch, NCI/NIH (http://linus.nci.nih.gov/BRB-ArrayTools.html).ANOVA test with Bonferroni correction was used to identify genes that were statistically different among the eight tumor groups. Filtered data from the 80 thyroid tumor samples was used to build an expression ratio-based model capable of predicting benign vs malignant. Using K-Nearest Neighbor-based classification and Leave-one-out nested approach we cross-validated the model and determined the misclassification error. 87 genes were identified as 9classifiers9 that could differentiate benign and malignant tumor types. An independent analysis of the same dataset using BRB Array Tools identified 99 classifier genes. Of these, 26 genes were also common to the Partek analysis. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) using these 26 genes revealed a clear separation of benign and malignant tumor types. A subset of 10 genes will be validated using a real time RT-PCR.
Magnesium Intake and Reduced Risk of Colon Cancer in a Prospective Study of Women

A recent prospective study among Swedish women suggested an inverse association of dietary magnesium intake with incidence of colorectal cancer. The authors assessed this association in a cohort of 35,196 Iowa women initially free of cancer and aged 55-69 years in 1986. Intakes of magnesium and other nutrients were assessed by food frequency questionnaire at baseline. Over 17 years of follow-up through 2002, 1,112 women developed colorectal cancer. After adjustment for age, energy, other nutrients, and risk factors for colorectal cancer, the hazard ratios of colorectal cancer across quintiles of magnesium intake were 1.00, 0.96, 0.83, 0.87, and 0.80 (95% confidence interval: 0.62, 1.03; p(trend) = 0.06). The association was largely absent for rectal cancer but, for colon cancer, the hazard ratios were 1.00, 1.00, 0.88, 0.85, and 0.77 (95% confidence interval: 0.58, 1.03; p(trend) = 0.04). These findings offer further evidence that a diet high in magnesium may reduce the occurrence of colon cancer among women. If replicated by other observational studies, a clinical trial would be needed to determine whether it is magnesium, specifically, and not other aspects of the contributing foods, that may offer benefit.
Sickle cell detection using a smartphone

Sickle cell disease affects 25% of people living in Central and West Africa and, if left undiagnosed, can cause life threatening "silent" strokes and lifelong damage. However, ubiquitous testing procedures have yet to be implemented in these areas, necessitating a simple, rapid, and accurate testing platform to diagnose sickle cell disease. Here, we present a label-free, sensitive, and specific testing platform using only a small blood sample (<1 μl) based on the higher density of sickle red blood cells under deoxygenated conditions. Testing is performed with a lightweight and compact 3D-printed attachment installed on a commercial smartphone. This attachment includes an LED to illuminate the sample, an optical lens to magnify the image, and two permanent magnets for magnetic levitation of red blood cells. The sample is suspended in a paramagnetic medium with sodium metabisulfite and loaded in a microcapillary tube that is inserted between the magnets. Red blood cells are levitated in the magnetic field based on equilibrium between the magnetic and buoyancy forces acting on the cells. Using this approach, we were able to distinguish between the levitation patterns of sickle versus control red blood cells based on their degree of confinement.
Brain activation underlying threat detection to targets of different races

The current study examined blood oxygen level-dependent signal underlying racial differences in threat detection. During functional magnetic resonance imaging, participants determined whether pictures of Black or White individuals held weapons. They were instructed to make shoot responses when the picture showed armed individuals but don't shoot responses to unarmed individuals, with the cost of not shooting armed individuals being greater than that of shooting unarmed individuals. Participants were faster to shoot armed Blacks than Whites, but faster in making don't shoot responses to unarmed Whites than Blacks. Brain activity differed to armed versus unarmed targets depending on target race, suggesting different mechanisms underlying threat versus safety decisions. Anterior cingulate cortex was preferentially engaged for unarmed Whites than Blacks. Parietal and visual cortical regions exhibited greater activity for armed Blacks than Whites. Seed-based functional connectivity of the amygdala revealed greater coherence with parietal and visual cortices for armed Blacks than Whites. Furthermore, greater implicit Black-danger associations were associated with increased amygdala activation to armed Blacks, compared to armed Whites. Our results suggest that different neural mechanisms may underlie racial differences in responses to armed versus unarmed targets.
The needs and difficulties in socializing the young in contemporary China: Early childhood education experts’ perspectives

This study was the first of its kind in China to examine early childhood education experts’ perspectives on the urgent educational needs of preschool-aged children. Twenty-one nationally and region...
Religious Liberty and the American Founding

Perhaps no aspect of the American founding has received more recent scholarly attention than the American founders' understanding of religious liberty. Yet despite an enormous scholarly effort, no consensus has been reached about the founders' understanding of religious freedom. Through an examination of the thought of James Madison and George Washington, this essay argues that the leading founders disagreed about the proper disposition of government toward religion. Real differences existed among the founders over how the church ought to be separated from the state. These differences existed, however, within a broad realm of shared understanding of the purposes or ends of government with regard to religion.
Abstract TP185: Framingham Score Predicts Short-Term Risk of Major Clinical Events after a Recent Stroke

Background: Identifying patients with a recent stroke at high risk for future major vascular events may provide opportunities to improve clinical outcomes. Although Framingham Coronary Risk Score (FCRS) predicts major coronary events over 10 years in the general population free of symptomatic vascular disease, few studies have examined its role as a prognosticator after stroke. We assessed the link between the baseline FCRS and major clinical events among patients with a recent stroke. Methods: We analyzed data on ischemic stroke patients enrolled in a randomized quality improvement trial of secondary stroke prevention, conducted in 14 Kaiser Permanente hospitals in Northern California between January 2004 and September 2006. Electronic records from the index hospitalization and for 6 months following hospitalization were reviewed. Framingham Risk Scores (FRS) were calculated for each patient but all patients >74 years of age (the upper age limit included in the FRS) were excluded from the analysis. FRS scores were dichotomized into high (≥20%) and low ( Results: Among 1667 patients discharged alive, mean age was 62.9 (8.6), 46% were male, 58% white, 32% had high FCRS. In adjusted analyses, high FCRS scores were associated with Black race (vs. White), higher BMI, and elevated serum triglycerides. Compared to those with low FCRS, high FCRS was associated with higher odds of the composite primary outcome 1.50 (1.16-1.93, p=0.002) and any recurrent stroke 1.53 (95% CI 1.18-1.98, p=0.001), but not any MI 1.14(95% CI 0.42-3.14, p=0.79). Additionally adjusting for age slightly attenuated these results, but did not change the significance level. A low incidence of MI (12 cases) resulted in a lack of power for this outcome. Conclusions: A baseline FRCS>20% predicts higher short-term risk of major clinical events in recent ischemic stroke patients.
Establishing Relationships Between Manufacturing Sustainability and Performance

The current LCA methods assess a product’s sustainability over its full life cycle, cradle-to-grave. While the number(s) obtained detail the contributions a process makes to a product in terms of energy intensity or the generation of wastes, it is insufficient to optimize a process for both sustainability and performance objectives. The Economic Input/Output Life Cycle Analysis (EIO-LCA) was used to investigate whether metrics could be identified which address sustainability — performance issues in materials processing. This method lends itself to the assessment of processes on a unit time basis while allowing for calculation of resources used and byproducts expelled. Productivity of manufacturing processes is also based on time. For example, material removal rate is related to processing feed, speed, and the geometry and tolerances established during design. A scaled waterjet cutting process was tested to investigate the unit time relationships. The EIO-LCA was conducted and the subsequent environmental impact in the form of total energy consumed and equivalent CO2 expelled evaluated per unit time, establishing the relationship to cutting speed. Although this is a static LCA at set conditions, it suggests that relationships can be explored between the regulation of resources, productivity, cost and environmental impact by varying the processing parameters.© 2010 ASME
Selection for an Increased Rate of Vertical Transmission of Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus

In a series of laboratory experiments, larvae of Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) were exposed to median lethal concentrations of S. frugiperda nuclear polyhedrosis virus (NPV), and the survivors were reared to the adult stage and mated. Larvae, pupae, and, in later experiments, adults of the second-generation (F1) insects were then examined for signs of nuclear polyhedrosis. When natural isolates of NPV were fed to third instars in the first generation, total infection rates in F1 S. frugiperda larvae and pupae ranged from o to 0.89%. When fifth instars were fed virus in the first generation, infection rates in F1 S. frugiperda ranged from 3.35 to 4.32% in larvae, from 0.75 to 2.08% in pupae, and from 8.05 to 9.92% in adults. NPV was selected for an increased rate of vertical transmission by isolation of virus from infected F1 pupae. The selected NPV exhibited significantly ( P < 0.05) better vertical transmission than did the wild isolate. When fifth instars were fed selected virus in the first generation, infection rates in F1 S. frugiperda were 7.85–12.73% in larvae, 0.73–5.93% in pupae, and 9.72–10.45% in adults. Vertically transmitted NPV caused F1 mortality mainly in early-instar larvae and in prepupae and pupae; there was little F1 mortality in late-instar larvae or adults.
Landing Pitch Control Analysis of a Blended Wing Body UCAV

This paper demonstrates the use of CFD as a critical tool to provide increased fidelity of the aerodynamic analysis for a generic blended wing body UCAV constructed at a conceptual design level. Although the high level of accuracy typically required for a preliminary design was not necessary, a relatively accurate assessment for aerodynamic forces and moments became important even at this stage of design when one has to consider the feasibility in carrier landing. The UCAV designed with low observables in mind typically has issues with the pitch control and generation of sufficient lift for a low speed landing. In this paper, the tailless UCAV with four flaps and elevons on each side was studied to find the optimal location and shape of an additional lift enhancing device such as a belly flap. With the addition of a belly flap, values close to the required maximum lift condition were obtainable. It was also shown that landing pitch trim would be possible with the best flap/elevon deflection schedule and an added rotating canard. Since this study was to support a conceptual design level vehicle, optimal shape design of the aircraft body, flaps/elevons, belly flap or the canard was not attempted but the results were sufficient to help the designers.
“Live” Action Scanning Electron Microscopy

For Entomologists Generally, and especially for those visually enamored of insects, scanning electron microscopy provides an ideal means for high-magnification study and photographic depiction of morphological detail. The technique has only one drawback. It is not suited for study of live specimens and cannot therefore be used for observation of behavior. We circumvent this shortcoming by use of a freeze-immobilization technique, which preserves insects in normal behavioral stances prior to their preparation for scanning electron microscopic viewing. The technique is simple and can yield truly lifelike photographic renditions.
Cal Poly's Motion Flight Simulator and Motion Algorithms

This paper describes Cal Poly’s motion flight simulator, a student-designed, built and maintained facility on the college campus in San Luis Obispo. The simulator is the source of many student projects and continued development improves its fidelity each year. The many safety aspects of constructing and operating a motion simulator on a college campus are discussed, and special emphasis is given to the selection of the motion algorithms implemented in the simulation. The final set of algorithms that were developed uses a hybrid system of “washed-out” acceleration cues that is fine-tuned using pilot feedback. The resulting motion algorithms provide all the necessary motion cues for a pilot flying an aircraft in a typical traffic pattern.
Otitis Media in Children

The frequency of otitis media is one of a number of factors causing physicians to seek out the most cost-effective clinical strategies for managing the condition. It is estimated that, by the time they reach two years of age, all the children in the United States currently under that age will have had a total of 9.3 million episodes of acute otitis media,1 and that approximately 17 percent of children have three or more episodes during a six-month period.2 Frequent episodes of otitis disrupt child-care arrangements and work schedules and generate parental anxiety and stress. The annual cost of the . . .
Diurnal rhythms of hepatic carbohydrate metabolism during development of the rat.

Abstract The 8+16'feed∈gschede–(8hfeed∈gand16hwithoutf∞d∈each24hcyc≤)wasapplied→νrsingmotherrats→studyenzymedevelo±ent∈≠onatalrats∈the|e|nceofsol∞d.A8+16′feed∈gschede(8hfeed∈gand16hwithoutf∞d∈each24hcyc≤)wasapplied→νrsingmotherrats→studyenzymedevelo±ent∈≠onatalrats∈the|e|nceofsol∞d.A16+8' suckling schedule (16h with the mother and 8h while the mother is fed in a separate cage) was used to show that the increases in pyruvate kinase, glucokinase and aldolase B activities that occur in the late suckling period of liver development do not require the intake of solid food at this time. Their activities may, however, be modulated by the composition of the diet at the time of weaning. Adaptation to the composition of the diet can occur within one feeding period, and to the periodicity of food provision in one or two feeding periods. In the early neonatal period, diurnal rhythms of tyrosine aminotransferase, liver glycogen and glucokinase are either greatly suppressed or absent, but develop rapidly after weaning. Food-dependent rhythms of glycogen and tyrosine aminotransferase were included in the late suckling period (day 14).
Trickle-down professionalism: hidden curriculum and the pediatric hospitalist.

The orthopedic surgeon was adamant that the Gram-positive cocci growing from the blood culture of a patient with hip pain represented a true infection and that the patient needed to be started on antibiotics. He told me this over the phone, and reiterated it to my team in no uncertain terms while I was out of the workroom. I was less convinced. The child had defervesced without treatment, and his inflammatory markers had remained low. The next day, when the culture was identified as coagulase-negative staph, and the child was discharged from the hospital without further intervention, I remarked to my team: “Surgeons are very concrete thinkers, who see the world in black and white. Hospitalists are abstract thinkers, who see the world in shades of gray.” I might as well have spouted off the old cliche: “Surgeons cut, but don’t think. Primary care physicians think, but don’t cut.” But inadvertently, I was telling my team something else: those who disagree with me are not worthy of my respect, and in so doing, I was indoctrinating them in a destructive verse of the “hidden curriculum” of medicine. The hidden curriculum is defined as those values that are primarily implicitly, rather than explicitly, learned in the workplace, and they typically deal with issues of professionalism, or, often, the lack thereof.1–3 Medical students pick up these ideas from day 1: physician knowledge is superior to nurse knowledge; those beneath you on the educational ladder can be treated with less respect than those above you; questioning a superior is a sign of disrespect; psychiatric patients bring their diseases on themselves and deserve …
An Efficient Synthesis Strategy for Metal-Organic Frameworks: Dry-Gel Synthesis of MOF-74 Framework with High Yield and Improved Performance

Vapor-assisted dry-gel synthesis of the metal-organic framework-74 (MOF-74) structure, specifically Ni-MOF-74 produced from synthetic precursors using an organic-water hybrid solvent system, showed a very high yield (>90% with respect to 2,5-dihydroxyterepthalic acid) and enhanced performance. The Ni-MOF-74 obtained showed improved sorption characteristics towards CO2 and the refrigerant fluorocarbon dichlorodifluoromethane. Unlike conventional synthesis, which takes 72 hours using the tetrahydrofuran-water system, this kinetic study showed that Ni-MOF-74 forms within 12 hours under dry-gel conditions with similar performance characteristics and exhibits its best performance characteristics even after 24 hours of heating. In the dry-gel conversion method, the physical separation of the solvent and precursor mixture allows for recycling of the solvent. We demonstrated efficient solvent recycling (up to three times) that resulted in significant cost benefits. The scaled-up manufacturing cost of Ni-MOF-74 synthesized via our dry-gel method is 45% of conventional synthesis cost. Thus, for bulk production of the MOFs, the proposed vapor-assisted, dry-gel method is efficient, simple and inexpensive when compared to the conventional synthesis method.
Mathematical Models of Hemostasis

Coagulation is a complex, nonlinear system that is regulated by an ever growing number of biochemical, cellular, and biophysical processes. Mathematical models have emerged as computational tools that can synthesize this information. Moreover they have shown their utility in revealing new mechanisms, answering questions that are experimentally intractable, and making novel predictions. Here, we provide a primer for the non-expert on the fundamental mathematics of many coagulation models, namely ordinary and partial differential equations. We then review the features of some of the seminal coagulation models and their contribution to the field. We focus on models of ex vivo coagulation such as thrombin generation assays that primarily focus on biochemical kinetics and models of in vivo thrombus formation that contain essential biophysical processes related to blood flow. Finally, we discuss the future research needs and challenges that are needed to pave the way for more widespread use of mathematical models in research, and their potential use in clinical applications.
Role of uteroferrin in placental iron transport: effect of maternal iron treatment on fetal iron and uteroferrin content and neonatal hemoglobin.

Uteroferrin, an Fe-containing, progesterone-induced glycoprotein is involved in maternal to fetal Fe transport in swine. These studies examined the effect of im Fe injection of dam on conceptus and piglet Fe stores. In Exp. I, eight gilts were bred and assigned to either treatment I (no Fe injections) or treatment II (total of 22 mg iron-dextran/kg body weight on d 40, 45, 50, 55 and 60 of gestation) and hysterectomized on d 90 to determine whether Fe injections increased Fe stores in the conceptus. Total Fe in allantoic fluid (P less than .10) as well as uteroferrin concentration (P less than .05) and total uteroferrin (P less than .05) in placentae were greater for gilts in treatment II. In Exp. II, 19 cross-bred sows were bred and assigned to treatments I and II (d 40, 50 and 60 of gestation), as in Exp. I, and treatment III (total of 22 mg iron-dextran/kg body weight on d 90, 100 and 110 of gestation) to determine effects of treatment on hemoglobin (Hb) values of the piglets at 8 +/- 1 h and d 4 postpartum. Piglets from treatment II had higher (P less than .01) Hb at 8 +/- 1 h, but not on d 4 postpartum. Experiment III was a replication of Exp. II except that Hb values were determined at 8 +/- 1 h, d 4 and d 7 postpartum. On d 7, piglets from treatment II had higher (P less than .05) Hb, but differences at 8 +/- 1 h and d 4 were not significant (P greater than .10).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Experimental Parameter Determination and Laboratory Verification of the Inverse Hysteresis Model for Single-Phase Toroidal Transformers

This paper presents a laboratory test procedure to determine the parameters of the inverse hysteresis model (IHM) applicable to single-phase toroidal transformer low-frequency modeling. The model parameters are obtained through a fitting procedure of the history-independent IHM of a series of open-circuit experiments and waveform recordings. These experiments can be easily executed during the transformer acceptance testing at the factory laboratory. The performance of the model is verified under various operational conditions, such as sinusoidal excitation, varied frequencies and voltages, and non-sinusoidal excitations. The results show that the model performs very well under all tested conditions giving great confidence that the proposed method can be used for parameter determination.
Anycast Planning in Space Division Multiplexing Elastic Optical Networks With Multi-Core Fibers

Elastic optical networks (EONs) play an important role for the next generation core networks, especially for supporting cloud computing. However, network traffic has been growing exponentially and almost reached the physical capacity limit of single-mode fibers. Space division multiplexing (SDM) can be potentially employed to increase the fiber capacity. Multi-core fibers (MCFs) make use of SDM to aggregate multiple cores together into the cladding of one fiber, which can greatly increase the capacity of EONs but incurs new crosstalk constraints. Anycast is more flexible as compared with unicast, and anycast communications are widely used in cloud computing, distributed computing, distributed storage system, and content delivery networks. This letter formulates the anycast planning problem in the SDM EONs with MCFs. Evaluation results show that CVX and Gurobi tools can solve small size problems, but do not scale well. Therefore, we propose a heuristic algorithm to efficiently solve the problem. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work that considers ancyast routing in the SDM EONs with MCFs.
COSBID-M3: a platform for multimodal monitoring, data collection, and research in neurocritical care.

Neuromonitoring in patients with severe brain trauma and stroke is often limited to intracranial pressure (ICP); advanced neuroscience intensive care units may also monitor brain oxygenation (partial pressure of brain tissue oxygen, PbtO2), electroencephalogram (EEG), cerebral blood flow (CBF), or neurochemistry. For example, cortical spreading depolarizations (CSDs) recorded by electrocorticography (ECoG) are associated with delayed cerebral ischemia after subarachnoid hemorrhage and are an attractive target for novel therapeutic approaches. However, to better understand pathophysiologic relations and realize the potential of multimodal monitoring, a common platform for data collection and integration is needed. We have developed a multimodal system that integrates clinical, research, and imaging data into a single research and development (R&D) platform. Our system is adapted from the widely used BCI2000, a brain-computer interface tool which is written in the C++ language and supports over 20 data acquisition systems. It is optimized for real-time analysis of multimodal data using advanced time and frequency domain analyses and is extensible for research development using a combination of C++, MATLAB, and Python languages. Continuous streams of raw and processed data, including BP (blood pressure), ICP, PtiO2, CBF, ECoG, EEG, and patient video are stored in an open binary data format. Selected events identified in raw (e.g., ICP) or processed (e.g., CSD) measures are displayed graphically, can trigger alarms, or can be sent to researchers or clinicians via text message. For instance, algorithms for automated detection of CSD have been incorporated, and processed ECoG signals are projected onto three-dimensional (3D) brain models based on patient magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomographic (CT) scans, allowing real-time correlation of pathoanatomy and cortical function. This platform will provide clinicians and researchers with an advanced tool to investigate pathophysiologic relationships and novel measures of cerebral status, as well as implement treatment algorithms based on such multimodal measures.
Pharmacognosy of Black Cohosh: The Phytochemical and Biological Profile of a Major Botanical Dietary Supplement

The ethnobotanical, Black Cohosh, a preparation from the roots/rhizomes of Actaea racemosa, has been the subject of extensive investigations. Despite the fact that sales figures place it among the top ten U.S. dietary supplements, the mechanisms of its amelioration of the adverse effects of menstruation and menopause remain largely undefined. The plant is a prodigious “factory” of complex secondary metabolites, with almost 50 cycloartane triterpenes, over 70 alkaloids, and 11 phenolic acids characterized so far, and this chapter discusses the chemistry of the A. racemosa secondary metabolome in detail. While numerous in vitro and in vivo pharmacological and biological studies attribute diverse specific biochemical effects to individual metabolites or defined extracts, an adequate explanation of potencies and drug(-like) concentrations is still lacking. As many of the effects may play a role in the alleviation of menopausal symptoms, the possibility exists that the overall effect may be the result of a combination of both multiple bioactive principles and several synergistic interactions. On careful analysis, a purported hepatotoxicity risk raised has been relegated to “a possible rare idiosyncratic reaction”. More than 50 clinical studies defy definitive analysis, other than confirming that the material is safe, in part because of poor study design and differences in preparations used. The global literature on Black Cohosh is almost unanimous in a call for larger, more well-designed clinical studies, and recent advances in the understanding of the phytoconstituents justify a more thorough secondary metabolomics analysis of this interesting North American plant.
Comparative Efficacy of Bilateral Thoracoscopic Splanchnicectomy for Intractable Pain Secondary to Pancreatic Cancer vs Chronic Pancreatitis

Background Splanchnicectomy has been evaluated for treatment of chronic pain in both pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis patients, although its efficacy has not been compared in these 2 patient populations. This study aimed to compare bilateral thoracoscopic splanchnicectomy in treatment of abdominal pain secondary with pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis. Study Design A University of Louisville database was evaluated from July 1998 to March 2016 for patients undergoing bilateral thoracoscopic splanchnicectomy for intractable pain secondary to pancreatic cancer (n = 48) or chronic pancreatitis (n = 75). Patients were evaluated pre- and postoperatively with regard to abdominal pain and related symptoms, narcotic analgesic requirements, and hospital admissions. Narcotic use was quantified using the Kentucky All Schedule Prescription Electronic Reporting system. Results After bilateral thoracoscopic splanchnicectomy, 28% of pancreatic cancer patients continued to experience abdominal pain compared with 57% of chronic pancreatitis patients. Daily narcotic dose decreased for 74% of pancreatic cancer compared with 32% of chronic pancreatitis patients (p Conclusions Bilateral thoracoscopic splanchnicectomy safely, effectively, and durably relieves abdominal pain in patients with both pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis. However, it is more effective in providing pain relief and preventing pain-related hospitalizations in patients with pancreatic cancer compared with those with chronic pancreatitis.
Dysfunctional T cell metabolism in the tumor microenvironment

Metabolic and signaling pathways are integrated to determine T cell fate and function. As stimulated T cells gain distinct effector functions, specific metabolic programs and demands are also adopted. These changes are essential for T cell effector function, and alterations or dysregulation of metabolic pathways can modulate T cell function. One physiological setting that impacts T cell metabolism is the tumor microenvironment. The metabolism of cancer cells themselves can limit nutrients and accumulate waste products. In addition to the expression of inhibitory ligands that directly modify T cell physiology, T cell metabolism may be strongly inhibited in the tumor microenvironment. This suppression of T cell metabolism may inhibit effector T cell activity while promoting suppressive regulatory T cells, and act as a barrier to effective immunotherapies. A thorough understanding of the effect of the tumor microenvironment on the immune system will support the continued improvement of immune based therapies for cancer patients.
Gamma Rhythms and Communication

During a PING oscillation, the pyramidal cells are subject to inhibition of oscillating strength. Inputs to the pyramidal cells should be more effective at times when inhibition is weak than when it is strong. Pascal Fries [56] has suggested that the brain may make use of this fact, making neuronal communication more or less effective by shifting the phase differences between rhythmic senders and oscillating receivers. This hypothesis, called the communication through coherence (CTC) hypothesis, has attracted considerable interest in the neuroscience literature.
Effects of the Surface Morphology and Conformations of Lignocellulosic Biomass Biopolymers on Their Nanoscale Interactions with Hydrophobic Self-Assembled Monolayers.

The effects of the morphology and conformations of the surface biopolymers present on lignocellulosic biomass as well as their steric hindrance on enzymatic adsorption to biomass surfaces remain elusive. In a step to better understand these effects, nanoscale steric forces between a model surface that represents the hydrophobic residues of a cellulase enzyme and a set of reference lignocellulosic substrates were measured using atomic force microscopy (AFM) in liquid media. The reference substrates investigated were prepared by kraft, sulfite, and organosolv pulping pretreatment methods and varied in their surface lignin, xylan, and acetone extractives’ contents. Measured steric forces were quantified through fitting to a model developed to describe polyelectrolytes brushes in terms of a brush thickness and a brush grafting density. Our data indicated that cellulose microfibrils extend from the microfibril matrix leading to a long-range steric repulsion and low attractive forces to the hydrophobic model of...
Errors and improvements in the use of archived meteorological data for chemical transport modeling

Global simulations of atmospheric chemistry are generally conducted with off-line chemical transport models (CTMs) driven by archived meteorological data from general circulation models (GCMs). The off-line approach has advantages of simplicity and expediency, but incurs errors due, in part, to temporal averaging in the meteorological archive and the inability to reproduce the GCM transport algorithms exactly. The CTM simulation is also often conducted at coarser grid resolution than the parent GCM. Here we investigate this cascade of CTM errors by using 222 Rn- 210 Pb- 7 Be chemical tracer simulations off-line in the GEOS-Chem CTM at rectilinear 0.25° x 0.3125° (a 25 km) and 2° x 2.5° (a 200 km) resolutions, and on-line in the parent GEOS-5 GCM at cubed-sphere c360 (a 25 km) and c48 (a 200 km) horizontal resolutions. The c360 GEOS-5 GCM meteorological archive, updated every 3 hours and remapped to 0.25° x 0.3125°, is the standard operational product generated by the NASA Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) and used as input by GEOS-Chem. We find that the GEOS-Chem 222 Rn simulation at native 0.25° x 0.3125° resolution is affected by vertical transport errors of up to 20 % relative to the GEOS-5 c360 on-line simulation, in part due to loss of transient organized vertical motions in the GCM (resolved convection) that are temporally averaged out in the 3-hour meteorological archive. There is also significant error caused by operational remapping of the meteorological archive from cubed-sphere to rectilinear grid. Decreasing the GEOS-Chem resolution from 0.25° x 0.3125° to 2° x 2.5° induces further weakening of vertical transport as transient vertical motions are averaged out spatially as well as temporally. The resulting 222 Rn concentrations simulated by the coarse-resolution GEOS-Chem are overestimated by up to 40 % in surface air relative to the on-line c360 simulations, and underestimated by up to 40 % in the upper troposphere, while the tropospheric lifetimes of 210 Pb and 7 Be against aerosol deposition are affected by 5–10 %. The lost vertical transport in the coarse-resolution GEOS-Chem simulation can be partly restored by re-computing the convective mass fluxes at the appropriate resolution to replace the archived convective mass fluxes, and by correcting for bias in spatial averaging of boundary layer mixing depths.
Oxime Ether Lipids as Transfection Agents: Assembly and Complexation with siRNA

RNAi-based therapeutic approaches to combat cancer and other diseases are currently an area of great interest. However, practical applications of this approach rely on optimal tools to carry and deliver siRNA to the desired site. Oxime ether lipids (OELs) are a class of molecules among other various carriers being examined for siRNA delivery. OELs, relatively new candidates, belong to a class of non-glycerol based lipids and have begun to claim their place as an siRNA delivery carrier in the field of RNAi therapy. Chemical synthesis steps of OELs are considered relatively simple with the ability to modify the functionalities as desired. OEL-siRNA complexes can be assembled in the presence of serum-containing buffers (or cell culture media) and recent data from our and other groups have demonstrated that OELs are viable carriers for siRNA delivery in the cell culture systems. In this chapter, we provide the details of experimental protocols routinely used in our laboratory to examine OEL-siRNA complexes including their assembly, stability, and transfection efficiencies.
From Granada to Havana: Federico García Lorca, the Avant-Garde, and Orientalism

This essay explores Federico Garcia Lorca’s work through the lens of Orientalism. In his idealization of flamenco deep song, gypsy culture, and Granada’s Arabic past, Lorca stressed Andalusia’s Oriental roots while engaging in the widespread avant-garde practice of turning to “primitive” art for inspiration. Daringly blending the archaic and the modern, he debunked Jose Ortega y Gasset’s denigration of Andalusia as a backward land incompatible with vanguard art. Simultaneously, Lorca’s iconoclastic Orientalism provided a framework to understand cultural exchange across the Hispanic Atlantic beyond limiting colonial and postcolonial paradigms.