cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Net alkalinity and net acidity 1: Theoretical considerations

Abstract Net acidity and net alkalinity are widely used, poorly defined, and commonly misunderstood parameters for the characterization of mine drainage. The authors explain theoretical expressions of 3 types of alkalinity (caustic, phenolphthalein, and total) and acidity (mineral, CO2, and total). Except for rarely-invoked negative alkalinity, theoretically defined total alkalinity is closely analogous to measured alkalinity and presents few practical interpretation problems. Theoretically defined “CO2-acidity” is closely related to most standard titration methods with an endpoint pH of 8.3 used for determining acidity in mine drainage, but it is unfortunately named because CO2 is intentionally driven off during titration of mine-drainage samples. Using the proton condition/mass-action approach and employing graphs to illustrate speciation with changes in pH, the authors explore the concept of principal components and how to assign acidity contributions to aqueous species commonly present in mine drainage. Acidity is defined in mine drainage based on aqueous speciation at the sample pH and on the capacity of these species to undergo hydrolysis to pH 8.3. Application of this definition shows that the computed acidity in mg L−1 as CaCO3 (based on pH and analytical concentrations of dissolved FeII, FeIII, Mn, and Al in mg L−1): acidity calculated = 50 { 1000 ( 10 - pH ) + [ 2 ( Fe II ) + 3 ( Fe III ) ] / 56 + 2 ( Mn ) / 55 + 3 ( Al ) / 27 } underestimates contributions from HSO 4 - and H+, but overestimates the acidity due to Fe3+ and Al3+. However, these errors tend to approximately cancel each other. It is demonstrated that “net alkalinity” is a valid mathematical construction based on theoretical definitions of alkalinity and acidity. Further, it is shown that, for most mine-drainage solutions, a useful net alkalinity value can be derived from: (1) alkalinity and acidity values based on aqueous speciation, (2) measured alkalinity minus calculated acidity, or (3) taking the negative of the value obtained in a standard method “hot peroxide” acidity titration, provided that labs report negative values. The authors recommend the third approach; i.e., net alkalinity = −Hot Acidity.
Depth and substrate as determinants of distribution of juvenile flathead sole (Hippoglossoides elassodon) and rock sole (Pleuronectes bilineatus), in Kachemak Bay, Alaska

Abstract Three transects in Kachemak Bay, Alaska, were sampled in September 1994, May and August 1995, and February, May, and August 1996. Juvenile flathead sole, Hippoglossoides elassodon, and rock sole, Pleuronectes bilineatus, were the most abundant flatfishes, comprising 65–85% of all flatfishes captured at any period. Collections of fish and sediments were made at regular depth contour intervals of 10 m. Habitat distribution was described by depth at 10 m increments and sediment percent weights of gravel, sand, and mud. Year-round habitat of flathead sole age-0 was primarily from 40 to 60 m, and age-1 habitat was primarily from 40 to 80 m. Summer habitat of rock sole age-0 and -1 was from 10 to 30 m, and in winter they moved offshore to depths of up to 150 m. Both age classes of flathead sole were most abundant on mixed mud sediments, while age-1 were also in high abundance on muddy sand sediments. Rock sole age-0 and-1 were most abundant on sand, though age-1 were also found on a variety of sediments both finer and coarser grained than sand. Flathead sole and rock sole had distinctive depth and sediment habitats. When habitat overlap occurred between the species, it was most often due to rock sole moving offshore in the winter. Abundances were not significantly different among seasons for age-1 flatfishes.
Determinants of health expenditure growth of the OECD countries: jackknife resampling plan estimates.

Due to the lack of internal consistency across unit root and cointegration test methods for short time-series data, past research findings conflict on whether the OECD health expenditure data are stationary. Stationarity reasonably guarantees that the estimated OLS relationship is nonspurious. This paper departs from past investigations that applied asymptotic statistical tests of unit root to insufficient time-series lengths. Instead, data were calibrated in annual growth rates, in 5-year (1968–72, ... , 1993–97) partitions, for maximum likelihood estimation using flexible Box–Cox transformations model and bias-reducing jackknife resampling plan for data expansion. The drivers of OECD health care spending growth are economic and institutional. Findings from the growth convergence theory affirm that health care expenditure growth accords with conditional β convergence. Statistical significance and optimal functional form models are not unique across the growth period models. Our findings exemplify the benefits of jackknife resampling plan for short data series, and caution researchers against imposing faulty functional forms and applying asymptotic statistical methods to short time-series regressions. Policy implications are discussed.
Assay of cell attachment and spreading factors

Methods are presented for the quantitative assay of proteins influencing cell attachment and spreading. These include assays in which cell-substratum interactions are quantitated directly and a serum-free assay in which cell growth is dependent on attachment under substratum-limited conditions. Procedures are also presented for the identification of active sites of substratum molecules through the use of antibodies and synthetic peptides that are inhibitory for cell attachment.
Attitudes towards homosexuality in American health care literature 1983-1987.

The purpose of this paper was to content analyze a purposive sample of American health care literature from 1983-1987 to ascertain what impact if any, the AIDS epidemic has had on the images of gay men and lesbian women in health sciences literature. Empirical studies, letters to the editor, policy statements and opinion papers expressing attitudes towards homosexuality and psychosocial aspects of AIDS in nursing, general medicine, and psychiatric literature were content analyzed. Findings indicate that altbough positive, neutral and negative images were found in the 59 articles which were examined, the largest proportion (61%) were negative. This reflects a change in the literature from previously neutral positions. Implications for patient care and further research are addressed.
Reproductive fitness consequences of filial cannibalism in the flagfish, Jordanella floridae

We investigated the effects of filial cannibalism, which is prevalent in teleosts that display parental care, on components of fitness in the flagfish. Currently, filial cannibalism in care-giving teleosts is thought to reflect an adaptive trade-off between current and future reproduction, in which energy or nutrients gained from consuming eggs is invested into future reproduction. Thus, we expected filial cannibalism to increase future reproductive success. We quantified the reproductive fitness consequences of filial cannibalism in the flagfish by comparing two cannibalism treatments (male access to eggs versus no male access to eggs) crossed with two feeding treatments (high and low food). Males were followed over 90 days, approximately one breeding season (i.e. the expected reproductive lifetime of flagfish), and we considered three fitness components: (1) the total number of eggs received (2) the number of spawnings and (3) the frequency of spawning. Contrary to predictions, filial cannibalism reduced male reproductive success. While there was an effect of food on components of fitness (i.e. number of eggs received, number of spawnings, frequency of spawning), there was no effect of filial cannibalism. An enhanced diet was also related to increased male weight, but filial cannibalism was not. Thus, in the flagfish, we have no evidence that energy or nutrients gained from filial cannibalism is directly translated into increased future reproductive success. We discuss our findings in relation to current and alternative theories of filial cannibalism.
Circuit and System Design for a Homodyne W-CDMA Front-End Receiver RF IC

This paper discusses the RF circuit and system design considerations for W-CDMA homodyne receiver on NF, IIP2, IIP3, LO/TX leakage, I-Q mismatch, DC offsets, etc. A zero-IF receiver front-end SiGe BiCMOS IC is designed, packaged and thoroughly characterized by a set of system-level performance tests across the full frequency band of operation. The measured worst-case cascaded NF for the receiver IC across all channels is 4.3 dB at the max. gain mode, and the in-band/out-of-band IIP2 and IIP3 are +37/+93 and -16.5/+5 dBm, respectively. The I/Q channels exhibit a small mismatch in magnitude (<0.1dB) and in phase (<1deg) without calibration. The receiver RF front-end (i.e., LNA+VGA+ I/Q mixers) draws ~45mW. The system tests results on BER, P1dB, IM2, IM3, and desensing show that the RFIC meets all of the necessary parameters of W-CDMA receiver system specs at room temperature with margin, validating the RF IC block-level circuit design and providing valuable RF-SoC design insights
Microstructural evaluation of ZnO thin films deposited by MOCVD

ZnO films are being used in many emerging technologies such as high frequency RF filters, substrate/buffer layer for GaN deposition, and as active layers in blue-UV LEDs and lasers. These applications require epitaxial films with high structural quality. In the present paper, results on the structure of ZnO films deposited by MOCVD on c-plane and r-plane sapphire substrates are presented. These films have been investigated by XRD, SEM and TEM. X-ray phi-scans show that the films have a single epitaxial relationship with each substrate orientation. (11.0) ZnO grows on (01.2) sapphire (r-plane), while (00.1) oriented films grow on (00.1) sapphire (c-plane). Smooth films are obtained on r-sapphire, while films with a columnar morphology are obtained on c-sapphire. Based on the morphology of the columnar grains grown on c-sapphire, it is expected that the films are oxygen terminated. The interface between ZnO and sapphire is atomically sharp as observed by HRTEM. Misfit dislocations at the interface between ZnO and r-sapphire have been observed. Grain boundaries between coalescing islands during film growth are the main type of defects. Under certain conditions, very long whiskers were observed to grow by the VLS mechanism. By modifying our system, we have been able to prevent the growth of these whiskers.
Glucose metabolism gene polymorphisms and clinical outcome in pancreatic cancer

BACKGROUND: Altered glucose metabolism is the most common metabolic hallmark of malignancies. The authors tested the hypothesis that glucose metabolism gene variations affect clinical outcome in pancreatic cancer. METHODS: The authors retrospectively genotyped 26 single nucleotide polymorphisms from 5 glucose metabolism genes in 154 patients with localized disease and validated the findings in 552 patients with different stages of pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Association between genotypes and overall survival (OS) was evaluated using multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression models with adjustment for clinical predictors. RESULTS: Glucokinase (GCK) IVS1 + 9652C > T and hexokinase 2 (HK2) N692N homozygous variants were significantly associated with reduced OS in the training set of 154 patients (P C, HK2 N692N and R844K in patients with localized disease and GCK IVS1 + 9652C>T in patients with advanced disease were significant independent predictors for OS (P ≤ .001). Haplotype CGG of GPI and GCTATGG of HK2 were associated with better OS, respectively, with P values of .004 and .007. CONCLUSIONS: The authors demonstrated that glucose metabolism gene polymorphisms affect clinical outcome in pancreatic cancer. These observations support a role of abnormal glucose metabolism in pancreatic carcinogenesis. Cancer 2011. © 2010 American Cancer Society.
Neuroinformatics tools for visualizing gene expression in the brain

Abstract Central nervous system diseases constitute a major target for drug development. Genes expressed by the nervous system may represent half or more of the mammalian genome, with literally tens of thousands of gene products. Better methods are therefore required to accelerate the pace of mapping gene expression patterns in the mouse brain and to evaluate the progressive phenotypic changes in genetic models of human brain diseases. Recent studies of mouse models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease illustrate how such data could be used for drug development.
Anticholinergic Delirium: Etiology, Presentation, Diagnosis and Management

(1978). Anticholinergic Delirium: Etiology, Presentation, Diagnosis and Management. Journal of Psychedelic Drugs: Vol. 10, No. 3, pp. 237-241.
Assessing Literary Interpretation Skills

Along with other foreign language colleagues, the author has been participating in a comprehensive assessment project. Having accepted the principle of assessment based on proficiency rather than fact-acquisition for the four language skills, the group tried to apply the same principle to literary interpretation. ACTFL has no rating scale in this area, so the author undertook to elaborate one. The four levels of the author's scale are based on a graduated arrangement of interpretive activities, each composed of an action and a textual or contextual component. Since literary interpretation requires strong reading comprehension, the novice level presupposes an intermediate-high level of reading comprehension. The notional components are sequenced from the specific and concrete to the general and abstract (e.g., from plot events to temporal structures). They are also arranged to move readers out of a self-oriented (biographical) perspective into a more world-oriented one (e.g., from character description to the work's relation to its socio-cultural or historical contexts). Finally, the components are increasingly self-conscious. The functions progress from recognizing and distinguishing through describing to understanding and finally to analyzing critically. The same textual/contextual component may appear at several levels, each time, however, matched with a different action. The group is here concerned with the assessment of interpretive proficiency, not coverage. Consequently, the focus is on literary components that can be used to interpret any work, both as a coherent textual structure and as an element in larger contextual frameworks.
Adam Smith y la Igualdad

El autor explora en este ensayo la importancia de la norma de la igualdad humana en la teoria moral y en la economia politica de Adam Smith. Sostiene que, para Smith, es de la esencia de la virtud que reconozcamos que todos los seres humanos tienen el mismo valor. Senala que Smith pensaba que la necesidad de justificar las desigualdades economicas y sociales era imperiosa de una manera que solo lo habia sido para unos pocos antes que el, y que estimaba injustificable la desigualdad en numerosos casos. Smith, por tanto, habria sido un efusivo defensor de los derechos de los pobres, y no sin razon fue visto mas tarde como una fuente para modelos de economia politica tanto de izquierdas como de derechas. El intento de considerar a Smith un antecesor evidente del liberalismo clasico en vez del liberalismo progresivo, sostiene Samuel Fleischacker, es un error y, en rigor, el liberalismo progresivo tal vez tenga mayores titulos para reclamar su herencia.
Remote sensing of coastal environmental hazards

Examples of the application of NOAA High Resolution Picture Transmission (HRPT) data to natural hazards and disasters are reviewed. The examples discussed include flooding of the Ganges River Delta; detecting effects of salt water intrusion into freshwater marshes; detecting fires, smoke plumes, and oil slicks; and monitoring of ocean currents and eddies. The present limitations of the HRPT data and future prospects are briefly discussed.
Formal verification of digital systems by automatic reduction of data paths

Verification of properties (tasks) on a system P containing data paths may require too many resources (memory space and/or computation time) because such systems have very large and deep state spaces. As pointed out by Kurshan, what is needed is a reduced system P' which behaves exactly as P with respect to the properties that must be proved, but more compact than P, so that the verification can be easily performed. The process of finding P' from P is called reduction. P is specified by a network of interacting finite-state machines for data paths and controllers, and tasks are specified by finite-state automate. The verification of a task T on P is performed by the language containment check L(P)/spl sube/L(T), where L(P) is the language generated by P and L(T) is the language accepted by T. It has been shown that, under appropriate conditions, the system P can be reduced to P' and the task T to T' such that L(P')/spl sube/L(T')/spl hArr/L(P)/spl sube/L(T). The direct language containment check L(P)/spl sube/L(T) is no longer needed; it is replaced by L(P')/spl sube/L(T'), which is less expensive. More specifically, for the purpose of simplifying the verification of some properties, the system implementation is abstracted locally with respect to the behavior under observation (i.e., bottom-up reduction), in the context of an integrated top-down design/verification technique. The tasks that one may want to verify can express both safety and fairness constraints. In this paper, we prove that the reduction of some data paths to four-state, nondeterministic finite-state machines, and the redundancy removal performed on the controllers is a homomorphic transformation, so that the simplified language containment check can automatically be applied without testing the validity of the homomorphism. This homomorphism correctness verification, required when a formal proof is not available, can be executed using a tool like Cospan, but it may not be completed when the state space to be traversed is too large and deep. The redundancy removal performed on the controllers is important because it eliminates the spurious behaviors introduced in the system by the nondeterminism of the reduced data paths. Redundancy, in fact, may induce a failure in the verification of L(P')/spl sube/L(T'), while L(P)/spl sube/L(T) actually holds. In order to show the effectiveness of the proposed methodology, we verify properties on an extended version of the Mead-Conway Traffic Light Controller, on a modified IRQ communication protocol, and on a relatively prime integers checker and generator.
Influence of Helical Serrations on the Aerodynamic Properties of a Spinning Body

5) Finally, these corrections are applied to the series describing the burn arc thrust direction schedules. Then the nominal trajectory is updated and the calculation sequence repeated. Burn cutoff times for the second and subsequent iterations are determined by the switching function Eq. (14). The iteration process converges to an optimum finite-thrust transfer trajectory while observing optimality criteria along the path at all times. Sample Application To illustrate the validity of the approach, a Hohmahn transfer is considered. Figure 1 shows the excess characteristic speed required when replacing the two thrust impulses by finite-thrust burn arcs, as determined by this method.8 The excess characteristic speed AFis presented here as a function of the orbit radius ratio r2/rv with the initial rocket thrust acceleration as a parameter. As expected, lower initial rocket accelerations give rise to greater fuel penalties since the burn arcs replacing the impulses grow longer resulting in more work which has to be done against gravity and which is not accounted for in the impulsive solution. For this particular application, gravity losses are quite small since the optimum burn arcs are executed at nearly constant radius from the force center. The salient features of nonzero periods of thrust application are, however, apparent. The situation will of course change when transfers with significant radius excursions during the powered phases are encountered.
Fault Diagnosis Implementation of Induction Machines based on Advanced Digital Signal Processing Techniques

In this paper, a comprehensive cross correlation-based fault diagnostic method is proposed for real time DSP implementation. It covers both fault monitoring and decision making stages. In practice, a motor driven by an adjustable speed drive is run at various operating points where the frequency, amplitude and phase of the fault signatures varies with time. These dynamic changes are considered as one of the common factor that yields erroneous fault tracking and unstable fault detection. In this paper, the proposed algorithms deals with the operating point dependent ambiguities and threshold issues. It is theoretically and experimentally verified that the motor fault can continuously be tracked when the operating point changes within a limited range.
Evaluation of the setup accuracy of a stereotactic radiotherapy head immobilization mask system using kV on-board imaging*

The purpose of this study was to evaluate setup accuracy and quantify random and systematic errors of the BrainLAB stereotactic immobilization mask and localiza­tion system using kV on-board imaging. Nine patients were simulated and set up with the BrainLAB stereotactic head immobilization mask and localizer to be treated for brain lesions using single and hypofractions. Orthogonal pairs of projections were acquired using a kV on-board imager mounted on a Varian Trilogy machine. The kV projections were then registered with digitally-reconstructed radiographs (DRR) obtained from treatment planning. Shifts between the kV images and refer­ence DRRs were calculated in the different directions: anterior-posterior (A-P), medial-lateral (R-L) and superior-inferior (S-I). If the shifts were larger than 2mm in any direction, the patient was reset within the immobilization mask until satisfying setup accuracy based on image guidance has been achieved. Shifts as large as 4.5 mm, 5.0 mm, 8.0 mm in the A-P, R-L and S-I directions, respectively, were measured from image registration of kV projections and DRRs. These shifts represent offsets between the treatment and simulation setup using immobilization mask. The mean offsets of 0.1 mm, 0.7 mm, and -1.6 mm represent systematic errors of the BrainLAB localizer in the A-P, R-L and S-I directions, respectively. The mean of the radial shifts is about 1.7 mm. The standard deviations of the shifts were 2.2 mm, 2.0 mm, and 2.6 mm in A-P, R-L and S-I directions, respectively, which represent random patient setup errors with the BrainLAB mask. The Brain­LAB mask provides a noninvasive, practical and flexible immobilization system that keeps the patients in place during treatment. Relying on this system for patient setup might be associated with significant setup errors. Image guidance with the kV on-board imager provides an independent verification technique to ensure accuracy of patient setup. Since the patient may relax or move during treatment, uncontrolled and undetected setup errors may be produced with patients that are not well-immobilized. Therefore, the combination of stereotactic immobilization and image guidance achieves more controlled and accurate patient setup within 2mm in A-P, R-L and S-I directions.
Making Eco‐Efficiency the Foundation of Environmental Policy Reform

Environmental policy in the United States should refocus on eco-efficiency and pollution prevention. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Penalty processes for combining roughness and smoothness in spectral multivariate calibration

Tikhonov regularization (TR) has been successfully applied to form spectral multivariate calibration models by augmenting spectroscopic data with a regulation operator matrix. This matrix can be set to the identity matrix I (ridge regression), yielding what shall be considered rough regression vectors. It can also be set to the i-th derivative operator matrix iL to form smoothed regression vectors. Two new penalty (regularization) methods are proposed that concurrently factor both roughness and smoothness in forming the model vector. This combination occurs by augmenting calibration spectra simultaneously with independently weighted I and iL matrices. The results of these two new methods are presented and compared with results using ridge regression forming rough model vectors and only using the smoothing TR processes. Partial least squares regression is also used to combine roughness and smoothness, and these results are compared with the TR variants. The sum of ranking differences algorithm and the two fusion rules sum and median are used for automatic model selection, that is, the appropriate tuning parameters for I and iL and partial least squares latent vectors. The approaches are evaluated using near-infrared and ultraviolet-visible spectral data sets. The near-infrared set consists of corn samples for the analysis of protein and moisture content. The ultraviolet-visible set consists of a three-component system of inorganic elements. The general trends found are that when spectra are originally generally smooth, then using the smoothing methods provides no improvement in prediction errors. However, when spectra are considered noisy, then smoothing methods can assist in reducing prediction errors. This is especially true when the spectroscopic noise is more widespread across the wavelength regions. There was no difference in the results between the different smoothing methods. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Carbene stabilization of highly reactive main-group molecules

This article highlights recent efforts of this laboratory in the stabilization of highly reactive, low-oxidation-state, main-group molecules using bulky N-heterocyclic carbene ligands [L: = :C{N(2,6-Pri2C6H3)CH}2; L′: = :C{N(2,4,6-Me3C6H2)CH}2; L′′: = :C{(i-Pr)NC(Me)}2]. The syntheses, structures, and computational studies of carbene-stabilized neutral diborenes [L:(H)B═B(H):L and L′:(H)B═B(H):L′], a neutral Ga6 octahedron (L′′:Ga[Ga4Mes4]Ga:L′′), disilicon (L:Si═Si:L), bis-silylene [L:(Cl)Si–Si(Cl):L], dipnictogens (L:E–E:L, E = P, As; L′:P–P:L′), and parent phosphinidene (L:PH) are discussed. Some of the unique challenges associated with this “carbene-stabilization” strategy are also presented.
A study of permeation and diffusion of aqueous salt solutions through polyurethane and polysiloxane and their laminates

Abstract Effect of ion size on water permeation through polyurethane, polysiloxane, and their laminates has been studied. The results of these studies for the polyurethane membranes correlated well with the reported values of water permeation through a variety of other polyurethane elastomers. Permeation rates and the Arrhenius relationship of polyurethane and polysiloxane membranes were found to be similar. Solute size showed no observable effect on water permeation through polyurethane, polysiloxane, or their bilayer laminates, within experimental error. A small effect of solute size was observed for diffusion of water into polyurethane. Permeation rates of the bilayer laminates demonstrated a small directional dependence or “valving” effect. In the light of this evidence, it may be suggested that highly permeable systems, such as polyurethane and polysiloxane, are relatively insensitive to permeant composition.
Stenocephalum, a new genus for Rhinotrichum subalutaceum (Hyphomycetes)

Peck (1881) described Rhinotrichum subalutaceum from decaying wood in New York. The fungus formed brownish-alutaceous colonies with verrucose, tan-colored hyphae and conidio? phores. One-celled, echinulate conidia were borne on short denticles and were produced sympodially on the tips ofthe conidiogenous cells (Fig. !)? The genus Basifimbria was erected by Subramanian and Lodha (1968) with the single species B. aurea Subramanian & Lodha, isolated from horse dung in India. This fungus was character? ized by a light golden-colored colony on agar; hyaline, smooth hyphae; and pale yellow, smooth, simple or branched conidiophores. One-celled echinulate conidia were borne on denticles and produced sympodially on the upper half of the conidiogenous cell, with rhexolytic conidium secession. Holubova-Jechova (1982) considered B. aurea to be conspecific with R. subalutaceum, transferring R. subalutaceum to Basifimbria. Previ? ously Arx (1981) had reduced Basifimbria to syn? onymy with Dicyma, and proposed the combination Dicyma aurea (Subramanian & Lodha) Arx. Seifert and Kendrick (Seifert et al, 1983) later determined that B. aurea was conspecific with Cephalosporium succineum Massee & Salmon, known from sheep dung (Massee and Salmon, 1902), and made the combination Basifimbria succineum (Massee & Salmon) Seifert & Ken? drick. The "type" of C. succineum is a drawing in Massee and Salmon (1902). In our opinion the drawing agrees well with the illustration of Seifert et al. (1983), and with our dung isolates (Wang 1194 and 1218). Other species having supposed affinities with Basifimbria include B. peruviana (Matsu.) de Hoog (de Hoog and Hermanides-Nijhof, 1977), and Dicyma olivacea (Emoto & Tubaki) Arx (Arx, 1981). In our opinion neither of these species belongs either in Basifimbria or Stenocephalum. Basifimbria peruviana (= Rhinocladiella peru? viana Matsushima, 1975) has close affinities with Rhinocladiella. We agree that D. olivacea belongs in Dicyma. In 1982, a suspected tomentelloid fungus was collected in New York on decaying wood (GPC 1350). The specimen proved to be identical mor? phologically with the type specimen of R. subalutaceum. Two cultures (Wang 1194 and 1218) identified as B. succinea were later isolated from
Nipah Virus Entry into Host Cell: Inter-Monomer Rearrangement Signaled by Receptor Binding at Allosteric Site

Paramyxoviruses cause numerous diseases in humans and farm animals. Their entry into host cells is facilitated by the concerted action of two of their membrane glycoproteins - the attachment protein, which binds host receptors, and the fusion protein (F) that mediates virus-host membrane fusion. The attachment proteins have separate receptor binding domain (RBD) and F-activation domain separated by > 2 nm. However, little is known about the mechanism of allosteric coupling between these domains, and how the F-activating domain activates F. Here we investigate a recent proposition for the Nipah virus, an emerging, highly-lethal member of the paramyxovirus family. Experiments and simulations suggest the likelihood that the binding of host receptor to the RBD alters the interface between two RBDs of the attachment protein, and in a manner that enhances the exposure of the F-activation domain, allowing it to activate F. This proposition is intriguing because the RBDs themselves undergo only minor receptor-induced structural changes, and the receptor-RBD interface is not contiguous with the RBD-RBD interface. We address this through a combination of standard and enhanced conformational sampling molecular mechanics simulations. We find that despite inducing only minor changes in individual RBDs, receptor binding indeed alters the RBD-RBD interface significantly. Also, the nature of the change is such that ephrin-binding enhances exposure of the F-activating domain. While this finding is in line with the proposed model, the causality between enhanced exposure of the F-activating domain and F-activation still remains to be established. We also find that the proposed interface between the RBD-RBD dimer and the F-activating domain contains a cluster of residues whose conformational ensembles are modified by receptor binding, which suggests a possible mechanistic role of this interface.
Microfluidic impedimetric sensor for soil nitrate detection using graphene oxide and conductive nanofibers enabled sensing interface

Abstract This paper reports on a microfluidic impedimetric nitrate sensor using a graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) nanofibers (PEDOT-NFs) enabled electrochemical sensing interface. The sensor has demonstrated the ability to accurately detect and quantify nitrate ions in real samples extracted from soil. The PEDOT NFs-GO composite serves as an effective matrix for immobilization of nitrate reductase enzyme molecules. The oxygenated functional groups available at GO allows an increased charge transfer resistance of the electrochemical electrode. Microscopic, spectroscopic, and electrochemical studies were systematically conducted to illustrate synergic interactions between the GO and PEDOT NFs. The sensor provides a sensitivity of 61.15 Ω/(mg/L)/cm 2 within a wide concentration range of 0.44–442 mg/L for nitrate ions in agricultural soils. The detection limit of the sensor is 0.135 mg/L with good specificity, reliability, and reproducibility.
Application of CVS and VRS method for correlation of logic CMOS wear out to discrete device degradation based on ring oscillator circuits

Device level reliability margins are reducing for advanced MG/HK technology nodes, hence it is essential to comprehend product level reliability margin using CMOS circuits like ring oscillators (RO). In this paper we explore RO degradation for both bias temperature instability (BTI) and dielectric breakdown (DB). For BTI we demonstrate frequency independence up to ∼3GHz. The observed AC relief is critical for determination of product reliability margin. In addition, we demonstrate for the first time Poisson scaling of dielectric breakdown in logic CMOS circuits confirming applicability of device level TDDB scaling models for product failure rate assessments.
Schiff base thorium(IV) and uranium(IV) chloro complexes: synthesis, substitution and oxidation chemistry

New tetradentate Schiff base chloro complexes of U(IV) and Th(IV) are prepared by salt metathesis approaches. These compounds undergo clean salt metathesis with NaN3 to generate stable pseudo-trans azide compounds. The uranium dichloro complex also undergoes 2 e− oxidation with excess NaNO2 to generate the uranyl derivative. All classes of complexes are characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction and NMR spectroscopy.
Engineering Rubisco in Higher Plant Chloroplasts

Attempts to alter the characteristics of higher plant Rubisco by applying the usual molecular biological procedures of construction and over-production from plasmids in the usual bacterial hosts is fraught with difficulties. A major problem, so far not surmounted is the inability of the recombinant protein to assemble into any aggregate that remotely resembles a competent functioning entity. Most examples of successful manipulation of an L8S8 form of the enzyme in E.coli have been forthcoming using the dicistronic gene of cyanobacteria (see refs cited in 1). Even plant — cyanobacteria chimeric constructions resulted in only limited success in recovering active enzyme.
A larger role for preventive medicine.

Specialty training in preventive medicine best equips physicians to address the population health challenges that confront U.S. and global health care in the 21st century. Virtual Mentor is a monthly bioethics journal published by the American Medical Association.
How surgery became a global public health issue

•Documents reconstruction in late 1990s and 2000s of surgery as a worldwide public-health issue.•Considers cultural tensions between individualistic values of surgical culture and bureaucratic mandates.•Examines WHO’s Safe Surgery Saves Lives, which enacts and describes a shift toward applying public-health principles to surgery.
On Approximate Speculative Lock Elision

Each synchronization point represents a point of serialization, and thereby can easily hurt parallel scalability. As demonstrated by recent studies, approximating, i.e., relaxing synchronization by eliminating a subset of synchronization points spatio-temporally can help improve parallel scalability, as long as approximation incurred violations of basic execution semantics remain predictable and controllable. Even if the divergence from fully-synchronized execution renders lower computation accuracy rather than catastrophic program termination, for approximation to be viable, the accuracy loss must be bounded. In this paper, we assess the viability of approximate synchronization using Speculative Lock Elision (SLE), which was adopted by hardware transactional memory implementations from industry, as a baseline for comparison. Specifically, we investigate the efficacy of exploiting semantic and temporal characteristics of critical sections in preventing excessive loss in computation accuracy, and devise a light-weight, proof-of-concept Approximate Speculative Lock Elision (ASLE) implementation, which exploits existing hardware support for SLE.
Behavioral toxicology: a developing discipline.

Exposure to toxic chemicals may adversely affect a number of organ systems and hepatic, cardiac, pulmonary and central nervous system function may be severely compromised. In some instances, the concomitant behavioral changes may be unremarkable, as in the case of asbestos exposure which may eventually result in the development of a rapidly fatal mesothelioma, as long as 25 to 30 years after initial contact (16). In contrast, other toxic agents such as lead and methylmercury may produce early and direct behavioral effects which range from interference with sensory and motor integration to profound intellectual deficits and emotional disturbances (3, 13).
Grit, anxiety, and stress in emergency physicians.

Abstract Introduction The personality traits of emergency physicians are infrequently studied, though interest in physician wellness is increasing. The objective of this study is to acquire pilot data about the amount of grit, anxiety, and stress in emergency physicians using established psychological survey instruments, and to examine their associations of each of these traits with each other. Methods Thirty-six emergency medicine resident and attending physicians from an urban academic medical center consented for enrollment. Participants were administered the Duckworth 12-point Grit Scale, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), which measure grit, anxiousness, and perceived stress, respectively. These are the gold standard psychological instruments for each of their areas. We analyzed the results with descriptive statistics, Spearman correlations, and linear regression. Results Nineteen residents and 17 attending physicians completed the surveys during the first quarter of a new academic year. The mean grit score was 3.7 (95% CI 3.5–3.8, SD: 0.56), the mean trait-anxiety score was 32.61 (95% CI 30.15–35.07, SD: 7.26), and the mean PSS score was 12.28 (95% CI 10.58–13.97, SD: 4.99). Only trait-anxiety and perceived stress were significantly correlated (Spearman's rho: 0.70, p Conclusions In this pilot study at a single institution, emergency physicians demonstrated a range of grit, trait-anxiety, and perceived stress. Trait-anxiety and stress were strongly associated, and individuals who were more anxious reported more stress. Levels of grit were not associated with trait-anxiety. These psychological concepts should be studied further as they relate to the function and health of emergency medicine providers.
Ventilator associated pneumonia caused by Raoultella ornithinolytica in two immunocompetent trauma patients

Infections with Raoultella ornithinolytica have recently been reported more frequently in the medical literature. This pathogen has the potential to cause many types of infections, including pneumonia. Here, we report the first two cases of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) in trauma patients caused by Raoultella ornithinolytica. Both of these infections were successfully treated with antibiotics based on susceptibilities and the patients were able to be transferred out of the intensive care unit.
Simultaneous locallzation and mapping using UAVs equipped with inexpensive sensors

In many real-world situations, sending Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) to scan and map out an area is very beneficial as it gives valuable intel on the terrain conditions and the location of the entity. Previous proposals in the literature have made use of a single UAV with expensive hardware such as Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) and high-end graphics processing units. We propose a solution that involves one or two UAVs equipped with inexpensive distance and gyro sensors that can achieve comparable scanning accuracy to the ones proposed in the literature.
Durability of TAVR

This chapter discusses the durability of TAVR valves over time using the PARTNER database and CoreValve registry.
Probing the mechanism of inhibition of amyloid-β(1-42)-induced neurotoxicity by the chaperonin GroEL.

The human chaperonin Hsp60 is thought to play a role in the progression of Alzheimer’s disease by mitigating against intracellular β-amyloid stress. Here, we show that the bacterial homolog GroEL (51% sequence identity) reduces the neurotoxic effects of amyloid-β(1–42) (Aβ42) on human neural stem cell-derived neuronal cultures. To understand the mechanism of GroEL-mediated abrogation of neurotoxicity, we studied the interaction of Aβ42 with GroEL using a variety of biophysical techniques. Aβ42 binds to GroEL as a monomer with a lifetime of ∼1 ms, as determined from global analysis of multiple relaxation-based NMR experiments. Dynamic light scattering demonstrates that GroEL dissolves small amounts of high–molecular-weight polydisperse aggregates present in fresh soluble Aβ42 preparations. The residue-specific transverse relaxation rate profile for GroEL-bound Aβ42 reveals the presence of three anchor-binding regions (residues 16–21, 31–34, and 40–41) located within the hydrophobic GroEL-consensus binding sequences. Single-molecule FRET analysis of Aβ42 binding to GroEL results in no significant change in the FRET efficiency of a doubly labeled Aβ42 construct, indicating that Aβ42 samples a random coil ensemble when bound to GroEL. Finally, GroEL substantially slows down the disappearance of NMR visible Aβ42 species and the appearance of Aβ42 protofibrils and fibrils as monitored by electron and atomic force microscopies. The latter observations correlate with the effect of GroEL on the time course of Aβ42-induced neurotoxicity. These data provide a physical basis for understanding how Hsp60 may serve to slow down the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.
Children and youth in out-of-home care: What can predict an initial change in placement?

Abstract Background A significant proportion of children placed in out of-home care experience placement disruptions in the United States. Placement instability has deleterious effects on children’s well-being. Objectives (a) To measure the time-to-initial placement change in different types of settings, including non-relative foster homes, kinship care, residential treatment centers (RTC), group homes and other types of settings; and (b) To identify predictors of the initial placement change. Participants and setting Data were obtained from the State Automated Child Welfare Information System operated by the child welfare agency in a Mid-Atlantic state. The sample included 4177 children who entered into the foster care and were followed over three years. Method Descriptive, bivariate, and survival Cox regression models were conducted. Results More than half (53%) of the children had experienced placement change within 3 years. The mean length for an initial change in placement was longer for children in RTC and kinship care compared to children in foster and group homes, and other placements (χ2 = 322.31, p Conclusions Providing early interventions and services to these children and their families is essential to increase placement stability.
Autoethnography as a Poetics of Worlding and a Politics of Becoming: Claudia Rankine’s Citizen and Kathleen Stewart’s Ordinary Affects:

This article analyzes the anthropologist Kathleen Stewart’s Ordinary Affects and the poet Claudia Rankine’s Citizen: An American Lyric as autoethnographies of affective encounter in which the autho...
Language policy and transitional justice: rights and reconciliation

Transitional justice (TJ) scenarios are where a society is moving from war to peace or from authoritarianism to democracy. A key goal of TJ is to balance atoning for past abuses of human rights with creating the conditions for social and political stability in the future, and this requires avoiding forms of “victor’s justice” whereby one system of oppression is simply replaced with another. TJ questions, then, are not merely about justice, but about justice and prudence: not merely whom to punish and by what authority, but to what ends (Arthur in Hum Rights Q 31:321–367, 2009). These ends, according to de Greiff (Nomos 51:31–77, 2012), are reconciliation and democratization, achieved primarily via the recognition of wrongdoings and victims, and the rebuilding of civic trust. It is questionable, therefore, whether the emphasis on legality and punishment should be the primary mechanism of TJ or, as Roht-Arriaza (in: Roht-Arriaza, Mariezcurrena (eds) Transitional justice in the twenty-first century: beyond truth versus justice, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, p 1, 2006) suggests, more emphasis should be placed on education, identities, and culture. By extension, TJ scenarios may have sociolinguistic dimensions, particularly where linguistic repression has been a cipher for broader political repression, and where abuses of human rights are linked to abuses of language-based rights. In this article, I argue that language policy reform has been empirically a crucial site for the operation of TJ, but that the relationship between the two has so far been undertheorized. I thus present a theoretical framework of TJ-focused language policy that is applied broadly to Sri Lanka, South Africa, Taiwan, and indigenous residential schools in Canada as case studies. I conclude by calling for scholars to further develop this framework, so that it can be used by activists, practitioners, and policymakers in real-world contexts.
Constructing the ghetto: an analysis of the representation of Black urban communities in urban and community sociology courses

ABSTRACTThis article uses analysis of 72 syllabi to investigate portrayals of Black urban communities in undergraduate Urban and Community Sociology courses taught in colleges and universities in t...
Integration of Evolutionary Theory into Cancer Biology and Caspase Signaling

The caspase family of cysteine proteases consists of evolutionarily ancient regulators of the programmed cell death (PCD) cascade known as apoptosis. Indeed, homologous caspase genes even predate multicellularity. Caspases are persistent throughout all kingdoms of life because they play a crucial role in cellular organization and homeostasis. Cancer occurs when mechanisms that maintain cellular homeostasis are compromised. For example, healthy anchorage-dependent cells commit anoikis – apoptosis triggered by cell detachment – while malignant cancers survive through metastasis by evading PCD signaling. The goal of many cancer therapies is to indirectly initiate PCD, but the future of targeted personalized medicine requires a comprehensive understanding of the genes involved in cancer signaling. Such an approach offers to improve current nonspecific chemotherapies. In this regard, evolutionary theory offers promising new insights into cancer biology because >90% of disease-related genes emerged before the bilaterian radiation, also known as the Cambrian explosion. Thus, the lineage of every extant animal has survived through an evolutionary arms race between growth signaling and tumor suppression while starting with a very similar genetic tool kit. The results are many successful strategies that prevent the occurrence of cancer, and the strategies can be examined through a scientific lens. This review describes how the integration of evolutionary theory serves to enhance our understanding of caspase family signaling in the context of cancer biology.