cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
How mountains get made

The formation of mountain belts (orogens) in subduction-collision settings, where an oceanic plate subducts beneath continental material, is a fundamental process in plate tectonics. However, the mechanisms by which the continental crust deforms to produce shortening and uplift, and thus high topography, has been a matter of debate. This uncertainty is largely due to the difficulty of making direct observations of deformation in the deep crust to test the predictions made by conceptual models. On page 720 of this issue, Huang et al. ( 1 ) use observations of seismic anisotropy to constrain the geometry of deformation in the continental crust beneath the Taiwan orogen, and thus shed light on how the crust deforms as mountains are formed.
Crystal structure of a Smad MH1 domain bound to DNA: insights on DNA binding in TGF-beta signaling.

Abstract The Smad family of proteins, which are frequently targeted by tumorigenic mutations in cancer, mediate TGF-β signaling from cell membrane to nucleus. The crystal structure of a Smad3 MH1 domain bound to an optimal DNA sequence determined at 2.8 A resolution reveals a novel DNA-binding motif. In the crystals, base-specific DNA recognition is provided exclusively by a conserved 11-residue β hairpin that is embedded in the major groove of DNA. A surface loop region, to which tumorigenic mutations map, has been identified as a functional surface important for Smad activity. This structure establishes a framework for understanding how Smad proteins may act in concert with other transcription factors in the regulation of TGF-β-responsive genes.
OPTICAL DIFFUSION OF CONTINUOUS-WAVE, PULSED, AND DENSITY WAVES IN SCATTERING MEDIA AND COMPARISONS WITH RADIATIVE TRANSFER

We discuss several outstanding theoretical problems in optical diffusion in random media. Specifically, we discuss which of several diffusion theories most closely approximates exact solutions of the equation of transfer. We consider a plane wave impinging upon a plane-parallel slab of a random medium as a model problem to compare the diffusion theories with a numerical solution of the equation of transfer for continuous-wave, pulsed, and photon density waves. In addition, we discuss the validity of the diffusion approximation for a variety of parameter settings to ascertain the diffusion approximation’s applicability to imaging biological media.
Stochastic models reveal conditions for cyclic dominance in sockeye salmon populations

The cause of population cycles is a common question in ecology, and one especially puzzling case is the cycles over the past century in populations of sockeye salmon, Oncorhyncus nerka. Some populations of this semelparous species in British Columbia, Canada, exhibit a phenomenon termed cyclic dominance: every four years there is a dominant cohort of primarily four-year-old spawners, orders of magnitude more abundant than other cohorts, producing a distinctive four-year cycle. In some populations, these cycles stop, start, or shift phase. We used a stochastic age-structured model to investigate the conditions allowing cycles and the events that could cause them to move in and out of cyclic dominance. We first defined cyclic dominance as high values of cyclicity, the fraction of time the population is cyclic, and dominance, the difference in abundance between the dominant cohort and the other three cohorts. We then used simulations to determine the values of (1) relative population persistence (i.e., proxi...
Belief in Heaven and Hell among Christians in the United States: Denominational Differences and Clinical Implications:

In situations involving impending death or bereavement, afterlife beliefs may become salient. Although prior studies have examined afterlife beliefs, little attention has been devoted to the specific constructs of Heaven and Hell. Using data from United States Christians in the 1998 General Social Survey, the current analysis revealed that the majority believed in both Heaven and Hell. Fundamentalist Protestants reported greater belief in Heaven and Hell than Catholics, Mainline Protestants, or Liberal Protestants. Regardless of denomination, greater religious participation was associated with greater belief in an afterlife, Heaven, and Hell. Clinical implications are discussed. For example, whereas thoughts of Heaven should comfort those facing death, the possibility of Hell could intensify distress around the loss. When practitioners work with individuals facing death—either the client's own impending death or the death of another person—it may be helpful to carefully assess the client's specific belief...
Do double layers separate an electronegative core and an electropositive halo in weakly collisional negative ion plasmas

Summary form only given. Weakly collisional electronegative plasmas were investigated in a dc multidipole chamber. The plasmas were generated by primary electrons emitted from hot thoriated tungsten filaments. The working gases consisted of combinations of Ar and neutral feedgases that easily form negative ions. Measurements were made near a negatively biased stainless steel plate located in the center of the chamber. A planar Langmuir probe indicated the electron density ne and the effective electron temperature Te. Laser-induced fluorescence (LIF), using a tunable diode laser (668.614 nm), was used to determine the profile of Ar+ drift velocity. An emissive probe using the inflection point method in the limit of zero emission measured the plasma potential. In an Ar-O2 plasma with Ar neutral pressure = 0.10 mTorr and 02 at 0.30, ne ~ 3.8 X 109 cm"3 and the Te ~ 0.69 eV, an electronegative core and an electropositive halo were observed. The density ratio of negative ions to electrons (a) in the non-drifting bulk was found to be 0.43 from the phase velocity of an ion acoustic wave (IAW) using CW excitation at 100 kHz. The profile of a was found using both the phase velocity of the IAW and the drift velocity of positive ions determined by LIF. These measurements showed that the negative ions were in Boltzmann equilibrium with a temperature of 0.06 Acircplusmn 0.02 eV. Consistent with the small value of a, double layers were not found separating the electronegative core and the electropositive halo in this plasma. Measurements with other feed gases, which should have larger values of a, are now underway and will be reported.
The Fate of the Unexpected Positive Intraoperative Cultures After Revision Total Knee Arthroplasty

Of a consecutive series of 692 revision total knees at 3 centers, intraoperative cultures were unexpectedly found to be positive in 41 cases (5.9%). Of the 41, 29 (71%) cases had a single positive intraoperative culture and were determined to be a probable false positive based on absence of any other evidence of infection, of which 5 were treated with extended course of intravenous antibiotics after hospital discharge and the remaining 24 received no further treatment. None of these 24 patients manifested any sign of infection at follow-up, averaging 46 months (range, 24-74 months). Twelve patients were determined to have probable type 1 periprosthetic infection, 11 of which were treated with a course of antibiotics. Two of these patients became reinfected within a year. A single positive intraoperative culture after revision total knee arthroplasty does not mandate further treatment in the absence of any other signs of infection.
Better Quality of Care or Healthier Patients? Hospital Utilization by Medicare Advantage and Fee-for-Service Enrollees

Do differences in rates of use among managed care and Fee-for-Service Medicare beneficiaries reflect selection bias or successful care management by insurers? I demonstrate a new method to estimate the treatment effect of insurance status on health care utilization. Using clinical information and risk-adjustment techniques on data on acute admission that are unrelated to recent medical care, I create a proxy measure of unobserved health status. I find that positive selection accounts for between one-quarter and one-third of the risk-adjusted differences in rates of hospitalization for ambulatory care sensitive conditions and elective procedures among Medicare managed care and Fee-for-Service enrollees in 7 years of Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project State Inpatient Databases from Arizona, Florida, New Jersey and New York matched to Medicare enrollment data. Beyond selection effects, I find that managed care plans reduce rates of potentially preventable hospitalizations by 12.5 per 1,000 enrollees (compared to mean of 46 per 1,000) and reduce annual rates of elective admissions by 4 per 1,000 enrollees (mean 18.6 per 1,000).
Alternative Polyadenylation Regulates CELF1/CUGBP1 Target Transcripts Following T Cell Activation

Alternative polyadenylation (APA) is an evolutionarily conserved mechanism for regulating gene expression. Transcript 3' end shortening through changes in polyadenylation site usage occurs following T cell activation, but the consequences of APA on gene expression are poorly understood. We previously showed that GU-rich elements (GREs) found in the 3' untranslated regions of select transcripts mediate rapid mRNA decay by recruiting the protein CELF1/CUGBP1. Using a global RNA sequencing approach, we found that a network of CELF1 target transcripts involved in cell division underwent preferential 3' end shortening via APA following T cell activation, resulting in decreased inclusion of CELF1 binding sites and increased transcript expression. We present a model whereby CELF1 regulates APA site selection following T cell activation through reversible binding to nearby GRE sequences. These findings provide insight into the role of APA in controlling cellular proliferation during biological processes such as development, oncogenesis and T cell activation.
Level of Service Analysis of Freeway Weaving Segments

This paper reports on the product of NCHRP Project 3-75, which resulted in the development and calibration of new models for freeway weaving segments, including a draft chapter for the forthcoming Highway Capacity Manual (HCM). The most critical element of the current procedures in the HCM 2000 is the prediction of the average speeds of weaving and nonweaving vehicles in the weaving segment. These speeds are converted to an overall density for the segment that determines the prevailing or expected level of service. The proposed method does away with the strict assignment of weaving geometries to one of three configuration categories and also the need to determine whether the operation of the weaving segment is constrained or unconstrained. That approach led to the need to calibrate 12 equations to predict speeds. In research, this greatly increased the size of the desirable database for calibration. The new approach relies on the prediction of lane-changing activity within the weaving segment to quantify ...
Response to Letter Regarding Article, “Intracranial Dural Arteriovenous Fistulae: Clinical Presentation and Management Strategies”

We thank Gross and Du1 for their comments on our recent review of dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF).2 We disagree with their suggestion that meningeal vessels exclusively supply DAVFs. Although pial supply is rare, we have observed it on several occasions, and it has been described in the literature.3 We recognize the contributions made by Houser et al and Djindjian in the identification of cortical venous drainage (CVD) as a risk factor for hemorrhage associated with DAVF. However, the aim of our article was not to provide an historical overview of the development of our modern understanding of these lesions. We highlighted the report by Malik et al4 because they had also performed a fairly extensive meta-analysis of 27 previously published cases of DAVF associated with hemorrhage (out of a total of 213 …
A reactive architecture for planning and executing robot motions with incomplete knowledge

This paper describes a type of contingency-tolerant navigation system for an autonomous mobile robot performing transportation tasks in an office-like environment. A prior model of the environment is available, but this model is incomplete. The system combines a planning component that makes use of the available knowledge to plan a lesser-committed motion plan and a reaction component that pilots the robot according to this plan through the unexpected obstacles detected by the robot's sensors. These two components embody practical answers to several important questions such as what a lesser-committed motion plan is, how it can be represented and used; and how computations should be organized so that the most common situations are handled quickly. The navigation system described has been implemented and a robot called GOFER tested on. >
Low-harmonic rational Bezier and spline curves for joint trajectory synthesis with actuator dynamics response limitations

This paper deals with joint trajectory synthesis for robot manipulators with consideration of the dynamic response limitations of their actuators. During a robot motion, the higher harmonics present in the actuating torques (forces) may excite the natural modes of oscillation of the robot manipulator. The purpose of this paper is to develop a method for synthesizing joint trajectories that are least susceptible to vibrational excitation. The authors show that a four-harmonic trajectory pattern corresponds to a special class of rational Bezier curves with a set of specially selected weights. The authors study C/sup 3/ conditions for piecing two low-harmonic rational Bezier curve-segments and develop a geometric algorithm for constructing low-harmonic rational spline curves. Finally, the authors discuss how these low-harmonic curves may be used to design joint trajectories that are least susceptible to vibrational excitation.
Engaging Colonial Nostalgia

When contemporary Africans express nostalgia for the colonial past, how are we to make sense of such sentiments? Anthropologists have tended to ignore colonial nostalgia, reacting with dismissal or distaste. This article seeks to account for this avoidance, exploring nostalgia as a crucial source for anthropology and a constitutive feature of Western modernity. Nostalgic sentiments of loss and longing are shaped by specific cultural concerns and struggles; like other forms of memory practice, these desires must be engaged with in ethnographic terms and located within the changing contours of a contested social landscape. In urban Zanzibar, I argue that colonial nostalgia has emerged in a postrevolutionary context and is best understood as a diverse set of responses to neoliberal policies of urban restructuring.
Determination of Oxalate in Urine

A method has been developed for the determination of oxalate in urine. This method has proved superior, in the experience of the authors, to the older titrimetric determination of this urinary component.
Design considerations of SOI digital CMOS VLSI

This paper reviews the recent advances of SOI for CMOS VLSI memory and logic applications with particular emphasis on the design issues and advantages resulting from the unique SOI device structure. Static random access memories (SRAMs), dynamic random access memories (DRAMs), and digital CMOS logic circuits are considered. The impact of floating body effects in partially-depleted devices on circuit operation, stability, and functionality are addressed. The use of smart body contacts to improve the power and delay performance are discussed. Global design issues for high-performance microprocessor applications are addressed.
Leukaemogenesis: more than mutant genes

Acute leukemias are characterized by recurring chromosomal aberrations and gene mutations which are critical to disease pathogenesis. It is now evident that epigenetic modifications including DNA methylation and histone modifications contribute significantly to the leukemogenic phenotype. An additional layer of epigenetic complexity is the pathogenetic role of microRNAs in leukemias, and their key role in the transcriptional regulation of tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes. The genetic heterogeneity of acute leukemias poses therapeutic challenges, but pharmacologic agents that target components of the epigenetic machinery hold promise as a part of the therapeutic arsenal for this group of diseases.
Influence of Bill and Foot Morphology on the Ectoparasites of Barn Owls

Abstract: Preening is the principle behavioral defense used by birds to combat ectoparasites. Most birds have a small overhang at the tip of their bills that is used to shear through the tough cuticle of ectoparasitic arthropods, making preening much more efficient. Birds may also scratch with their feet to defend against ectoparasites. This is particularly important for removing ectoparasites on the head, which birds cannot preen. Scratching may be enhanced by the comb-like serrations that are found on the claws of birds in many avian families. We examined the prevalence and intensity of ectoparasites of barn owls (Tyto alba pratincola) in southern Idaho in relation to bill hook length and morphological characteristics of the pectinate claw. The barn owls in our study were infested with 3 species of lice (Phthiraptera: Ischnocera): Colpocephalum turbinatum, Kurodaia subpachygaster, and Strigiphilus aitkeni. Bill hook length was associated with the prevalence of these lice. Owls with longer hooks were mor...
The septomaxilla of fossil and recent synapsids and the problem of the septomaxilla of monotremes and armadillos

The septomaxilla is a paired intramemhranous ossification in the external nares that occurs in Lepidosauria among Recent Sauropsida and is purported to he present in Monotremata and Dasypodidae (armadillos) among Recent Mammalia. A review of neontological and palaeontological evidence regarding this element in mammals supports the following conclusions: (I) monotremes have a true septomaxilla resembling that known for non-mammalian therapsids and some Mesozoic mammals; (2) the element in dasypodids is a neomorph; it neither resembles the septomaxilla of other synapsids nor does it exhibit the same relationship to the developing nasal-floor cartilage as the septomaxilla of lepidosaurs and monotremes; (3) a septomaxilla is lacking 111 all Recent therians, and there is no evidence that this hone is fused to the premaxilla in Recent thrrians, as has been suggested by previous authors.
Performance assessment of scaled strained-Si channel-on-insulator (SSOI) CMOS

Strained-Si channel devices have recently become of interest for future high-performance applications due to higher carrier mobility and preservation of conventional device structure/geometry. One important feature in the strained-Si devices is the heterostructural band offset in the channel and buffer layer, which reduces V/sub t/, thereby increasing I/sub off/. We assess the circuit performance of strained-Si devices including SSOI via a physics-based circuit model calibrated against fabricated 70 nm strained and unstrained (control) devices. Device design point and performance projection and trade-off are presented, thus allowing exploitation of maximum performance in the strained-Si devices.
Applications of T(r)

Theorem. If f is holomorphic and \( M(r) = \sup [\{ |f(z)|:|z| \leqslant r\} \), then for any R>r $$ T(r) \leqslant {{\log }^{ + }}M(r) \leqslant \frac{{R + r}}{{R - r}}T(R). $$
Glycosphingolipids from rabbit aorta, plasma, and red blood cells: effects of high cholesterol-high fat diets on fatty acid distribution and quantity of glycosphingolipids

Four glycosphingolipids were isolated from rabbit aorta, plasma, and red blood cells. They were identified, by thin-layer chromatography and by quantitative analysis of hexose and fatty acid, as cerebroside, diglycosyl ceramide, triglycosyl ceramide, and globoside. The rabbits had been maintained on a normal diet or on one of three high cholesterol diets for 180 days. The quantities of the glycosphingolipids and their fatty acid distributions were determined, and comparisons were made between the control and experimental animals. Aorta and plasma glycosphingolipids were more affected by the high cholesterol diets than were those from red blood cells. The effects on aorta and plasma glycosphingolipids were similar. The amount of cerebroside was increased in aorta and plasma in all animals in the experimental groups. The amount was also increased in red blood cells in rabbits from two of the experimental groups. The average fatty acid chain length was greater in the lipids from the experimental animals than in those from the control animals for all measured glycosphingolipids from aorta. The average chain length was also greater in cerebrosides from the experimental animals from all three tissues. Probably the most notable differences in the experimental animals were the increased 24:1/24:0 ratios and the increased concentrations of 24:2. These increases occurred in nearly all samples from plasma and aorta, but not in red blood cells. There was also an increase of total unsaturated fatty acids in aorta cerebrosides from the experimental animals. Except for the increase in 24:2, lard generally caused more deviation from normal than did cottonseed oil when the level of cholesterol in the diet was 1%.
Bank Entry Competition, Group Reputation, and Underwriting Incentive

This paper studies how competition lowers underwriters' incentive to screen clients in the bond market during 1996-2000. Responding to the intensified competition due to commercial bank entry, underwriters appeared to co-lead (work in groups) in lower quality deals but maintained their individual reputations by sole-leading higher quality deals. The findings imply that reputation matters in bond underwriting and, ex ante, underwriters knew more about their clients' quality than did investors. The evidence suggests that underwriters played a role in financial scandals during the Internet bubble period. Although underwriters may not initiate these scandals, they did not curtail those lemon clients, either.
Acute Urinary Retention Secondary to Herpes Simplex Meningitis

We report a case of acute urinary retention in a 24-year-old man with Herpes simplex meningitis without genital lesions. Since the differential diagnosis in young patients who present with acute urinary retention also includes multiple sclerosis, lumbosacral disk herniation, rheumatological disorders and drug intoxication, a thorough history and careful neurological examination are of paramount importance in distinguishing these syndromes. As part of a directed neurological evaluation prompt performance of lumbar puncture is indicated; a lymphocytic pleocytosis is suggestive of herpetic meningitis. Culture of Herpes simplex virus from the cerebrospinal fluid should be attempted. We recommend conservative management only, typically with intermittent catheterization, since bladder function usually normalizes within 10 to 14 days.
Biophysical EPR Studies Applied to Membrane Proteins

Membrane proteins are very important in controlling bioenergetics, functional activity, and initializing signal pathways in a wide variety of complicated biological systems. They also represent approximately 50% of the potential drug targets. EPR spectroscopy is a very popular and powerful biophysical tool that is used to study the structural and dynamic properties of membrane proteins. In this article, a basic overview of the most commonly used EPR techniques and examples of recent applications to answer pertinent structural and dynamic related questions on membrane protein systems will be presented.
Size dependent and micromechanical modeling of strain gradient-based nanoparticle composite plates with surface elasticity

The bending and free vibration behaviors of strain gradient-based Kirchhoff plates made of nanoparticle composites are investigated with the incorporation of the plate's surface effects. The modified strain gradient theory is used to capture the first-order deformation of the material structure while the impacts of the surface energy and surface tension are represented according to Gurtin and Murdoch surface elasticity theory. The plate is made of a composite material with nanocrystalline matrix and nanoparticles reinforcement. A size-dependent micromechanical model for multi-phase materials is developed to estimate the elastic moduli of the composite plate. This model has the merit to account for the effects of the surface energy of the inhomogeneities inside the composite structure. In addition, the impacts of the interface, grain size of the nanocrystalline matrix, porosity, and size of the reinforcing particles are incorporated into the micromechanical model. A simply supported composite plate consisting of nanocrystalline-silicon as the matrix and Al2O3-nanoparticles as the reinforcement is considered to study the influences of the size of the Si-grains, Al2O3-particles, voids, strain gradient deformation, and plate surface energy and tension on the deflection and natural frequencies of the plate. The results show that a decrease in the plate's thickness is accompanied with a decrease in the plate's deflection and an increase in the plate's natural frequency. Furthermore, the plate's strain gradient and surface tension contribute to its stiffness through a hardening effect while the interface and porosities inside the material structure affect the plate's stiffness with a softening mechanism. The plate's surface energy could stiffen or soften the plate depending on the values of the surface Lame constants. The surface energy of the inhomogeneities inside the material structure may increase or decrease the plate's stiffness, deflection, and natural frequencies depending on the inhomogeneities' sizes, their bulk material parameters, their surface material parameters, and their volume fractions.
Cloud-Based Verification of Concurrent Software

Logic model checkers are unparalleled in their ability to reveal subtle bugs in multi-threaded software systems. The underlying verification procedure is based on a systematic search of potentially faulty system behaviors, which can be computationally expensive for larger problem sizes. In this paper we consider if it is possible to significantly reduce the runtime requirements of a verification with cloud computing techniques. We explore the use of large numbers of CPU-cores, that each perform small, fast, independent, and randomly different searches to achieve the same problem coverage as a much slower stand-alone run on a single CPU. We present empirical results to demonstrate what is achievable.
Rape Against Adolescent and Emerging Adult Females Using NIBRS to Compare Contexts and Inform Policy

Increased research attention to sexual violence in recent decades has resulted in greater understanding about these crimes. This work consistently finds that younger females are at the greatest ris...
Residual serum rituximab induces false positive flow cytometric B cell crossmatch more than 6 months post-infusion

Case 1 : 18 year old female patient was listed for transplant due to glomerulonephritis and kidney failure. She was diagnosed with microscopic polyangiitis since childhood. Her transplant workup indicated the absence of HLA class I and class II antibodies, but unexpectedly, she had a positive B cell crossmatch with a virtually matched deceased donor. Case 2 : 58 year old female patient with autoimmune glomerulonephritis was listed for transplant due to end stage renal disease. She was scheduled to receive a living donor kidney from her sister. Her transplant workup showed no detectable HLA class I or class II antibodies, but she had an unexpected positive B cell crossmatch. Further investigation revealed that both patients received rituximab treatment for their autoimmune disease 7, and 8 months earlier. With no HLA explanation, it seemed likely that the positive B cell crossmatch was caused by residual rituximab in the patients’ sera. Rituximab is a chimeric monoclonal antibody that binds to CD20 expressed on B cells, inducing depletion. Initially approved for the treatment of B cell lymphoma, it is increasingly used for the treatment of autoimmune diseases. Although the expected half-life of the drug is 14–21 days, significant variations have been reported, complicated by the lack of standardized dosing in various autoimmune diseases. Detected in the serum many months post-infusion, rituximab interferes with cytotoxic crossmatch due to inducing complement-dependent cytotoxicity, and with flow cytometric crossmatch due to being recognized by the anti-human antibody used in the assay. To confirm interference by the drug, the patients’ sera were pre-treated with an idiotype-specific antibody to rituximab, which resulted in negative B cell crossmatch. Both patients were successfully transplanted. Although rituximab was previously reported to interfere with B cell crossmatch 2–3 months after the dose, these cases demonstrate that false positive B cell crossmatch can occur as long as 7 or 8 months post-infusion. Thorough record of the patients’ medication history is essential for the transplant workup. Methodologies that eliminate cell surface CD20 such as pronase treatment, or remove rituximab by antibody absorption should be added to the routine procedure, when rituximab-containing serum is used for crossmatch.
Circulating Plasma Tumor DNA

Circulating cell-free DNA (ccfDNA)--first identified in 1947--is "naked" DNA that is free-floating in the blood, and derived from both normal and diseased cells. In the 1970s, scientists observed that patients with cancer had elevated levels of ccfDNA as compared to their healthy, cancer-free counterparts. The maternal fetal medicine community first developed techniques to identify the small fraction of fetal-derived ccfDNA for diagnostic purposes. Similarly, due to the presence of tumor-specific (somatic) variations in all cancers, the fraction of circulating cell-free plasma tumor DNA (ptDNA) in the larger pool of ccfDNA derived from normal cells can serve as extremely specific blood-based biomarkers for a patient's cancer. In theory this "liquid biopsy" can provide a real-time assessment of molecular tumor genotype (qualitative) and existing tumor burden (quantitative). Historically, the major limitation for ptDNA as a biomarker has been related to a low detection rate; however, current and developing techniques have improved sensitivity dramatically. In this chapter, we discuss these methods, including digital polymerase chain reaction and various approaches to tagged next-generation sequencing.
Chapter 12 - INFORMATION INPUT STATISTICS

This chapter discusses increment thresholds. Increment thresholds, or noticing changes from a prevailing stimulus level, can be regarded as a problem in detection theory. The human eye is so sensitive that a single light quantum can evoke a rod response, and only some six quanta are necessary to produce a visual sensation in an otherwise dark environment. Increment thresholds may be measured by projecting a small spot of light onto a larger and dimmer background field or by comparing two fields of slightly differing brightness. The additional number of quanta from the brighter stimulus absorbed by the retina is relatively small and the probability of a receptor absorbing additional quanta can be described by a Poisson distribution. The chapter discusses information acquisition by sampling.
Fabrication of Tapered Microtube Arrays and Their Application as a Microalgal Injection Platform

A template-synthesis method that enables fabrication of tapered microtube arrays is reported. Track-etched poly(ethylene terephthalate) membranes are used as the template, with closed-tipped conical pores having length and base diameter of 6.27 ± 0.28 and 1.21 ± 0.05 μm, respectively. A conductive layer of Pt is deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) to enable the successive electrodeposition of Ni. By decreasing the Pt precursor pulse duration from 10 to 1 s during the ALD step, the heights of the microtubes are controlled from the maximal full length (∼6 μm) to only a fraction (1-2 μm) of the template pore. Using a pulsed-current electrodeposition (PCD) method, a smooth and uniform Ni deposit is achieved with a thickness that can be controlled as a function of the PCD cycle. The microtubes' lumen is confirmed to stay open even after 2000 cycles of Ni PCD. A potential application of the prepared array as a microinjection platform is demonstrated via successful injection of 10 nm sized CdZnS/ZnS core/shell quantum dots into Chlamydomonas reinhardtii microalgae cells with intact cell walls. The direct delivery method demonstrated in this paper offers novel opportunities for extending the growing interest in array-based microinjection platform to microalgal systems.
Towards trustworthy automation: User interfaces that convey internal and external awareness

Suppose we are given an autonomous vehicle that has limitations, meaning that it may need to transfer control back to the human driver to guarantee safety in certain situations. This paper presents work on designing a user interface to assist this hand off by considering the effects of the expression of internal and external awareness. Internal awareness is the concept of knowing whether or not the system is confident in its ability to handle the current situation. External awareness is the concept of being able to identify the limitations as the car is driving in terms of situational anomalies. We conduct a user study to examine what information should be presented to the driver, as well as the effects of expressing these levels of awareness on the driver's situational awareness and trust in the automation. We found that expressing uncertainty about the autonomous system (internal awareness) had an adverse effect on driver experience and performance. However, by effectively conveying the automation's external awareness on the anomaly, improvements were found in the driver's situational awareness, increased trust in the system, and performance after the transfer of control.
Moral Reasons and Reasons to be Moral

From the thirties to the sixties the three moralists honored in this volume dominated ethical theory in this country. There are few areas on which none of them has left a lasting imprint. Where they disagree — and that is not infrequently — the controversy continues to be lively and illuminating.
Catalytic Site-Selective Acylation of Carbohydrates Directed by Cation–n Interaction

Site-selective functionalization of hydroxyl groups in carbohydrates is one of the long-standing challenges in chemistry. Using a pair of chiral catalysts, we now can differentiate the most prevalent trans-1,2-diols in pyranoses systematically and predictably. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations indicate that the key determining factor for the selectivity is the presence or absence of a cation–n interaction between the cation in the acylated catalyst and an appropriate lone pair in the substrate. DFT calculations also provided a predictive model for site-selectivity and this model is validated by various substrates.
Surveillance of handwashing episodes in adult intensive-care units by measuring an index of soap and paper towel consumption.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether handwashing surveillance could be conducted by measurements of soap and towel consumption. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS: In the medical intensive-care unit (MICU) of the Omaha Veterans' Affairs Medical Center, 10 4-hour day-time observation periods encompassing 409 handwashing episodes were scheduled in a 51-day period. In the surgical intensive-care unit (SICU), 7 4-hour periods encompassing 350 episodes were scheduled in a 49-day period. An observer measured paper towel height, towel weight, and soap weight at each sink. The observer also counted handwashing episodes and bed occupancy. Using handwashing episodes as a dependent variable, stepwise linear regression was performed with changes in towel height, towel weight, and soap weight as independent variables. RESULTS: Mean handwashing episodes per hour per occupied bed were 2.39 +/- 0.80 (standard deviation) in the MICU and 2.83 +/- 0.72 in the SICU. Correlation r with handwashing episodes for MICU changes was 0.891 for towel height, 0.950 for towel weight, and 0.882 for soap weight. Corresponding correlations for the SICU were 0.881, 0.918, and 0.904. For both units, stepwise regression retained changes in the weight of towels and soap as independent variables (P < .0001), with R2 0.965 (MICU) and 0.981 (SICU). CONCLUSION: Because soap and towel consumption measurements are closely related to handwashing frequency and because these measurements are easy to obtain, they offer a means of handwashing surveillance that can be sustained indefinitely. This can facilitate feedback-based interventions to improve handwashing frequency.
Earnings Management and the Emergence of Profitability

This paper examines whether discretionary accruals help explain firms' ability to sustain profitability, after experiencing a prolonged series of quarterly losses. We posit that when firms approach profitability, they will use reserves to a greater extent in anticipation of reversing those reserves when the firm becomes profitable. We find results consistent with this behavior, specifically documenting that firms remaining profitable have a consistent pattern of income decreasing discretionary accruals in the preceding loss quarters. For these firms we also find consistently positive discretionary accruals in the quarters following initial profitability. The accrual behavior for firms sustaining profitability is in direct contrast to that of other firms. In the quarters preceding and including the initial reported profit, those firms use markedly higher income increasing discretionary accruals, a pattern that does not continue in future quarters as they again revert to a loss state. In our final analysis we document that past discretion relates inversely to future profitability, but only for those firms able to sustain profitability. We interpret these findings as initial evidence toward discretionary accrual planning that extends beyond a single period.
“How You Mean?” Speech, Resistance, and the Contemporary Relevance of Paule Marshall

" This article centralizes Paule Marshall’s own conception of language and voice as vehicles of acculturation and resistance. Drawing from textual analyses of Brown Girls, Brownstones (1959), The Chosen Place, The Timeless People (1969), her own reflections upon language, and literary scholarship, this article contends that Marshall’s use of language seeks to give voice to the marginalized, pay homage to the “mother poets” who influenced her, and offer a rebuke to a Fanonian “white gaze” in its unapologetic embrace of culture and history. With specific attention to intricacies of Bajan Creole and African American Vernacular English, I show how Marshall preserves the intricate tapestry and potency of black speech as a political instrument. Her embrace of the “beautiful/ugly” offers a framework for understanding the grittiness and grace of the language she employs, a language which reflects the world it describes. This framework can be applied to better understand, for example, the black vernacular’s place (or lack thereof) within political/juridical spaces in the twenty-first century – such as Rachel Jeantel’s testimony in defense of her friend Trayvon Martin –, and digital spaces, such as Black Twitter. I locate her continued relevance in her intentional deployment of language as both resistance and refuge. "
Lessons learned from the management of adults who have undergone augmentation for spina bifida and bladder exstrophy: Incidence and management of the non‐lethal complications of bladder augmentation

The present review provides clinical insights and makes recommendations regarding patient management garnered by the long-term follow up of patients undergoing enteric bladder augmentation for the management of congenital anomalies. A prospectively maintained database on 385 patients that have experienced an enteric bladder augmentation, using either the ileum or colon, was reviewed. Evaluations included methods used to prevent bladder calculi formation and recurrence, the incidence and etiology of renal calculi development, the incidence and treatment of vitamin B12 deficiency, and the complications and need for surgical revisions for continent catheterizable stomas. A significantly increased risk for continent catheterizable stomal complications occurred after Monti-Yang tube formation, 70% (21/30 patients), compared with appendicovesicostomy, 41% (27/66 patients), P = 0.008. Both procedures had significantly more complications than continent catheterizable stomas using tapered ileum with a reinforced ileal-cecal valve, 21% (13/63 patients), P < 0.0001 and P < 0.013, respectively. Approximately 50% of the patient population developed a body mass index ≥30 during adulthood. The onset of obesity resulted in significantly more complications developing in patients with a Monti-Yang tube (87%; 13/15 patients) or appendicovesicostomy (55%; 18/33 patients) compared with a tapered ileum with a reinforced ileal-cecal valve (27%, 8/30 patients), P < 0.00015 and P < 0.025, respectively, with a median follow-up interval of 16 years, range 10-25 years. Long-term follow-up evaluations on patients undergoing an enteric bladder augmentation are necessary to prevent the long-term sequela of this procedure. The key to improving patient prognosis is the nutritional management of the patient as they mature, especially if a continent abdominal stoma is going to be carried out.
The application of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats genome engineering to the study of host antiviral factors (VIR9P.1160)

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), is a retrovirus that infects cells of the human immune system, including CD4­ + T cells, macrophages and dendritic cells. Previously, two of the candidate genes identified showed a capacity to protect cells from HIV-1 infection were Tripartite motif containing 56 (TRIM56) and 2’, 3’-cyclic-nucleotide 3’-phosophodiesterase (CNP). Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and the CRISPR-associated (CAS) protein 9 is a nuclease system involved in defense against invading phages and plasmids in bacteria. This system can be programmed to induce DNA double stranded breaks (DSBs), which when targeting coding regions of genes can create frame shift insertion/deletion (indel) mutations that result in gene knock-out cell lines. Using the CRISPR/Cas9 system, we were able to clone guide sequences targeting TRIM56 and CNP into a LentiCRISPR and LentiGuide plasmid. The cloned plasmids were then used to generate viruses that would deliver the necessary machinery to target and cleave TRIM56 and CNP genes. To test the efficiency of the CRISPR/Cas9 system, guide sequence targeting GFP were cloned. GFP deletion was observed in a 293T-GFP stable cell line and knockout efficiency was determined by analysis. Knockout results of TRIM56 and CNP are still pending, but we expect that TRIM56 and CNP deleted cell lines will demonstrate the contribution of each of these innate immune factors to the interferon response to HIV-1.
Targeted Nrf2 activation therapy with RTA 408 enhances regenerative capacity of diabetic wounds.

Abstract Aims Though unmitigated oxidative stress in diabetic chronic non-healing wounds poses a major therapeutic challenge, currently, there are no effective pharmacological agents. We targeted the cytoprotective Nrf2/Keap1 pathway, which is dysfunctional in diabetic skin and the regenerative environment in the diabetic wound. We assessed the efficacy of a potent Nrf2-activator, RTA 408, a semi-synthetic oleanane triterpenoid, on accelerating diabetic wound healing. Methods Using Leprdb/dbmice, we made 10 mm-diameter excisional humanized wounds in dorsal skin. We administered RTA 408 formulations daily, and used ANOVA for comparison of time to closure, in vivo real-time ROS, histology, molecular changes. Results We found that RTA 408, specifically a 0.1% formulation, significantly reduced wound healing time and increased wound closure rate. While either systemic or topical administration of RTA 408 is effective, wound closure time with the latter was far superior. RTA 408-treated diabetic wounds upregulated Nrf2 and downstream antioxidant genes, and exhibited well-vascularized granulation tissue that aided in re-epithelialization. Reintroduction of redox mechanisms via RTA 408-induced Nrf2 resulted in reduction of the oxidative status of wounds, to coordinate successful wound closure. Conclusions This preclinical study shows that promoting Nrf2-mediated antioxidant activity in the localized regenerative milieu of a diabetic wound markedly improves the molecular and cellular composition of diabetic wound beds. RTA 408 treats and corrects the irregularity in redox balance mechanisms involving Nrf2, in an avenue not explored previously for treatment of diabetic wounds and tissue regeneration. Our study supports development of RTA 408 as a therapeutic modality for chronic diabetic wounds.
Metals geochemistry and mass export from the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River system to the Northern Gulf of Mexico

Abstract Discharging 680 km3 of freshwater annually to the Northern Gulf of Mexico (NGOM), the Mississippi-Atchafalaya River System (MARS) plays a significant role in transporting major and trace elements to the ocean. In this study, we analyzed total recoverable concentrations of thirty-one metals from water samples collected at five locations along the MARS during 2013–2016 to quantify their seasonal mass exports. The Atchafalaya River flows through a large swamp floodplain, allowing us to also test the hypothesis that floodplains function as a sink for metals. We found that the seven major elements (Ca, Na, Mg, Si, K, Al, and Fe) constituted 99% of the total annual mass load of metals (7.38 × 107 tons) from the MARS. Higher concentrations of Al, Ba, B, Ca, Fe, Mg, Mn, Ag, and Ti were found in the Mississippi River, while significantly higher Si and Na concentrations were found in the Atchafalaya River. Significant relationships were found between daily discharge and daily loads of Ba, Ca, Fe, K, Sr, and Ti in both rivers, while significant relationships were also found for Al, Mg, Mn, V, and Zn in the Atchafalaya River and B in the Mississippi River. Overall, the Mississippi River contributed 64–76% of the total annual loading of metals from the MARS to the NGOM. Daily loads of Al, Ba, B, Fe, Li, Mn, P, K, Si, Ag, Ti, V, and Zn regularly decreased upstream to downstream in the Atchafalaya River, partially accepting the initial hypothesis on metals transport in river floodplains.
Irreplaceable avian specimens, ransacked

On 23 June 2009, after closing time, Edwin Rist broke a pane of glass at the back of the Natural History Museum at Tring, in Hertfordshire, U.K., and lowered himself into the quiet, darkened building. Within a few hours, he had hauled armfuls of bird skins—some of which had been collected more than a century earlier—from drawers and stowed them in a cavernous suitcase on wheels. Rist walked through the darkness to the train station, caught the 3:54 a.m. train to London, and disappeared. The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson is a true and carefully researched account of Rist9s incredible theft and what came afterward.
Mapping subsurface utilities with mobile electromagnetic geophysical sensor arrays

Abstract: This chapter reviews the remote sensing of buried utilities and explores its uses in today’s commercial devices and in research systems that may become commercially available in the next ten years. Our survey concentrates on techniques that use electromagnetic (EM) waves to probe a few meters underground. These technologies have advanced dramatically during the last decade by combining broadband sensors with modern positioning systems and sophisticated signal processing. Sensors moving just above the ground, while transmitting and recording induction signals at kilohertz frequencies or ground-penetrating radar (GPR) at megahertz to gigahertz frequencies, have so far been easiest to deploy and interpret.
The connection between program-size complexity and algorithmic probability: H(x) =-log 2 P(x) + O (1). Occam’s razor: there are few minimum-size programs

The first half of the main theorem of this chapter is trivial: $$ P(x) \geqslant 2^{ - H(x)} , $$ therefore $$ - \log _2 P(x) \leqslant H(x). $$