cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Acoustic side-channel attacks on additive manufacturing systems

Additive manufacturing systems, such as 3D printers, emit sounds while creating objects. Our work demonstrates that these sounds carry process information that can be used to indirectly reconstruct the objects being printed, without requiring access to the original design. This is an example of a physical-to-cyber domain attack, where information gathered from the physical domain, such as acoustic side-channel, can be used to reveal information about the cyber domain. Our novel attack model consists of a pipeline of audio signal processing, machine learning algorithms, and context-based post-processing to improve the accuracy of the object reconstruction. In our experiments, we have successfully reconstructed the test objects (designed to test the attack model under various benchmark parameters) and their corresponding G-codes with an average accuracy for axis prediction of 78.35% and an average length prediction error of 17.82% on a Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) based additive manufacturing system. Our work exposes a serious vulnerability in FDM based additive manufacturing systems exploitable by physical-to-cyber attacks that may lead to theft of Intellectual Property (IP) and trade secrets. To the best of our knowledge this kind of attack has not yet been explored in additive manufacturing systems.
An Exploration of Values in Various Cultural Contexts: Discussion Leader Comments

I begin with a brief overview of the session. Subsequently, I discuss each of the papers in tum, paying special attention to potential ideas for future research. The title of the session captures the common theme quite accurately. Each of the papers investigates one or more values within the context of a specific culture. Wolburg investigates the manner by which time, an important cultural value, is depicted in American television advertisements. Jooste and Price identify five values that are used by South African consumers in deciding which shopping center to visit.
Intraoperative management of penile erection with intracorporeal phenylephrine during endoscopic surgery

AbstractIntraoperative penile tumescence during endoscopic surgery is a troublesome complication that often is refractory to recommended methods of management. We report a new approach of pharmacological management with intracorporeal penile injections of phenylephrine (total dose of 0.1mg.), which was successful in 3 successive patients. This approach is prompt, safe and reproducible, and it provides sustained resolution of erection without systemic side effects. It is concluded that local intracorporeal penile administration of this sympathomimetic agent appears to be a potent new tool in the armamentarium of the endoscopic surgeon dealing with this frustrating clinical situation, which merits further clinical trial.
Platelet Uptake of Octopamine and Norepinephrine in Hepatic Encephalopathy

To explore platelets as a model of intracellular amine metabolism in liver disease, we studied platelet uptake of octopamine (OA) in controls and patients with hepatic encephalopathy (HE) and the influence of OA and plasma from patients with HE on platelet norepinephrine uptake. Normal platelets incubated at 37°C actively accumulate OA. A high ratio of platelet OA concentration to plasma concentration (30:1) and inhibition of platelet OA uptake at reduced temperature suggests uptake by an active process. More than 90% of OA accumulated by platelets is recovered intact after 1 hr. Thrombin released 40% of platelet OA, suggesting sequestration within amine storage granules. OA inhibits the uptake of [3H]norepinephrine by platelets, suggesting that these substances share the same transfer system. Platelets of patients with HE demonstrated decreased uptake of OA and norepinephrine. Inhibition of platelet OA uptake was proportional to the clinical stage of HE. Plasma from patients with HE inhibited norepinephrine uptake by normal platelets. These findings suggest that plasma OA and/or other amines are taken up by platelets where they are protected from degradation. The reduced uptake of OA and norepinephrine by platelets from patients with HE could result from uptake blockade by intraplatelet amines and/or inhibition of platelet amine uptake by plasma amines. The demonstration of altered platelet OA and norepinephrine metabolism in patients with encephalopathy suggest that this model may be useful for the study of intracellular amines in liver disease.
Tillage Reduces Survival of Grape Berry Moth (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), via Burial Rather Than Mechanical Injury.

The grape berry moth, Paralobesia viteana (Clemens), is a key pest of vineyards in eastern North America that overwinters as pupae in leaf litter on the vineyard floor. This presents an opportunity for tillage to disturb and bury the pupae, providing a potential nonchemical approach to control of this pest. Using a Lilleston-style rotary cultivator, we determined the distribution of pupae within the soil profile after single tillage passes, measured the type and severity of damage inflicted on pupae, and investigated how these effects on pupae influenced their survival. Survivorship of pupae recovered from the vineyard immediately after tillage and held until emergence was not significantly different from those recovered from an untilled control area, indicating little effect of mechanical damage on this pest. However, a single pass of the tillage implement buried three-quarters of pupae under at least 1 cm of soil. A laboratory experiment to recreate these conditions resulted in significant increase in mortality when pupae were buried in more than 1 cm of sand. We conclude that 1) interference with adult emergence of diapausing pupae via burial is the primary mechanism by which tillage controls grape berry moth, and 2) efforts to optimize the impact of tillage on grape berry moth populations should focus on maximizing the number of pupae buried. We discuss the potential integration of tillage into different vineyard management systems to enhance pest management.
Ceritinib in anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) with ALK abnormalities.

TPS6085 Background: ATC is a rare tumor of thyroid epithelium affecting several hundred patients annually, but causing death in almost 100% of them. It has a dismal prognosis with currently ineffec...
Acute respiratory distress syndrome and septic shock in a cat with disseminated toxoplasmosis.

Objective To describe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and septic shock in a cat with disseminated toxoplasmosis. Case Summary A 2-year-old neutered male domestic shorthair cat was presented for acute respiratory distress. At the time of presentation it had been receiving cyclosporine for treatment of eosinophilic dermatitis. Thoracic radiographs revealed severe mixed nodular interstitial and alveolar patterns. An endotracheal wash was performed, which confirmed a diagnosis of pulmonary toxoplasmosis. Despite initial treatment with oxygen supplementation and intravenous clindamycin, the cat developed refractory hypoxemia and hypotension requiring mechanical ventilation and vasopressor support within 24 hours of hospital admission. Cardiac arrest occurred 56 hours after admission. Necropsy was performed and histopathology revealed protozoal organisms disseminated throughout the heart, lungs, liver, and brain. New or Unique Information Provided The clinical and necropsy findings presented here are consistent with ARDS secondary to disseminated toxoplasmosis in a cat. This is the first detailed report of ARDS in a cat. Toxoplasma titer testing and antimicrobial prophylaxis should be considered in cats prior to immunosuppressive treatment with cyclosporine.
Maximum Likelihood Estimation in Capture-Recapture Models

In many fields, such as biology, ecology, demography, epidemiology and reliability study, it is important to know the abundance of a species, the size of a closed population (Borchers et al., Estimating animal abundance closed populations, 2002), or the number of failed devices in a system. Mark-recapture, or sometimes called capture-recapture, experiments are widely used to collect the necessary data. In such experiments, individuals or animals from a population of interest are captured, marked, and then released. At a later time after the captured and not captured subjects have been mixed, another sample is taken from this population. The mark-recapture experiment is extensively used when it is not practical to count all individuals in the population.
Sinonasal T2R-mediated nitric oxide production in response to Bacillus cereus .

BackgroundUpper airway epithelial cells produce bactericidal nitric oxide (NO) in response to both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Our previous work demonstrated that T2R38, a bitter tast...
Primary care physician experiences with integrated pharmacogenomic testing in a community health system.

Aim: To explore primary care physicians’ views of the utility and delivery of direct access to pharmacogenomics (PGx) testing in a community health system. Methods: This descriptive study assessed the perspectives of 15 healthcare providers utilizing qualitative individual interviews. Results: Three main themes emerged: perceived value and utility of PGx testing; challenges to implementation in practice; and provider as well as patient needs. Conclusion: While providers in this study viewed benefits of PGx testing as avoiding side effects, titrating doses more quickly, improving shared decision-making and providing psychological reassurance, challenges will need to be addressed such as privacy concerns, cost, insurance coverage and understanding the complexity of PGx test results.
Obstacles and Opportunities for Sustaining Performance Management Systems

Measuring performance in public organizations has been a growing trend for several decades. Designing, adopting, and implementing this style of management system have been the topic of much practit...
Intermittent Reprogramming: A Breath of Fresh Air for Lung Regeneration

Recently in Stem Cell Reports, Guo et al. (2017) adopted an intermittent reprogramming strategy to generate "induced Progenitor-Like (iPL)" cells, which can maintain lineage commitment while undergoing controlled expansion. The iPLCs were successfully engrafted into a damaged airway, highlighting this significant advancement for regenerative medicine strategies in the lung.
Commitment among unmarried emerging adults: Meaning, expectations, and formation of relationships

Relational skills gained through forming committed romantic partnerships in emerging adulthood (ages 18–29) provide the foundation for sustained intimacy in later adult relationships. Commitment is a crucial relational factor affecting the quality and longevity of romantic relationships. This qualitative study examined the meaning, expectations, and formation of commitment in romantic relationships among 29 emerging adults using consensual qualitative research methodology. Four categories pertaining to commitment were identified: (a) meaning of commitment; (b) expectations of a committed romantic relationship; (c) considerations made prior to commitment; and (d) experience with commitment talk. Though the majority of the participants could readily identify meanings and expectations of a committed romantic relationship, they hesitated to communicate their desire with their partners. Clinical implications are discussed.
New UV-source catalogs, UV spectral database, UV variables and science tools from the GALEX surveys.

We present a new, expanded and improved catalog of Ultraviolet (UV) sources from the GALEX All-Sky Imaging survey: GUVcat_AIS (Bianchi et al. in Astrophys. J. Suppl. Ser. 230:24, 2017). The catalog includes 83 million unique sources (duplicate measurements and rim artifacts are removed) measured in far-UV and near-UV. With respect to previous versions (Bianchi et al. in Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc. 411:2770 2011a, Adv. Space Res. 53:900-991, 2014), GUVcat_AIS covers a slightly larger area, 24,790 square degrees, and includes critical corrections and improvements, as well as new tags, in particular to identify sources in the footprint of extended objects, where pipeline source detection may fail and custom-photometry may be necessary. The UV unique-source catalog facilitates studies of density of sources, and matching of the UV samples with databases at other wavelengths. We also present first results from two ongoing projects, addressing respectively UV variability searches on time scales from seconds to years by mining the GALEX photon archive, and the construction of a database of ∼120,000 GALEX UV spectra (range ∼1300-3000 A), including quality and calibration assessment and classification of the grism, hence serendipitous, spectral sources.
Obesity, physical activity, and dietary behaviors in an ethnically-diverse sample of cancer survivors with early onset disease.

Purpose: To assess weight status, physical activity, and dietary behaviors in an ethnically-diverse sample of breast and colorectal cancer survivors with early onset disease (≤ 50 years).Methods: B...
Long-Term Depression (LTD): Endocannabinoids and Cerebellar LTD

Persistent changes in synaptic efficacy are thought to underlie memory storage. One such change is endocannabinoid-dependent long-term depression (eLTD), a decrease in synaptic efficacy that involves endogenous lipid metabolites (the endocannabinoids) activating the CB1 cannabinoid receptor. Most forms of eLTD involve a retrograde endocannabinoid signaling mechanism that links postsynaptic induction to presynaptic expression. Long-term depression (LTD) at glutamatergic synapses to cerebellar Purkinje cells shares common mechanisms with eLTD, including involvement of endocannabinoid retrograde signaling. However, cerebellar LTD involves a postsynaptic expression mechanism. Cerebellar LTD is implicated in refining movement, whereas eLTD probably participates in learning and memory involving other brain regions.
Texturized vegetable proteins

Abstract: This chapter discusses textured soy protein (TSP) also called textured vegetable protein (TVP) and details about the raw materials that can be used to make TSP or TVP. Different steps about processing soybeans into TSP/TVP are discussed in detail. Process details about how to process TVP with extrusion technology are also given. At the end different types of TVP/TSP and their uses are discussed in detail.
Clinical Experience With Pediatric Urolithiasis

Our clinical experience with 47 pediatric patients with stones is reviewed. Surgical therapy was standard with successful stone manipulation in 12 of 13 patients. In 91 per cent of our patients factors causing or predisposing to stone disease were discovered. A thorough metabolic evaluation, including an oral calcium loading test in 20 children, proved to be helpful. A new patient subgroup relating unexplained hematuria to eventual stone formation is described. Our protocol for metabolic evaluation and recommendations for treatment based on the results of such an evaluation are given. We have found the metabolic evaluation of the child with stones meaningful and particularly helpful in planning subsequent therapy for these patients.
Plant Signaling Molecules and Cadmium Stress Tolerance

Abstract Plants, being sessile organisms, constantly face various environmental stresses such as salinity, heavy metal contamination, heat, and cold. Among different toxic heavy metals affecting plants, cadmium (Cd) is noteworthy because of its highly water-soluble and adsorbent nature. Elevated Cd uptake promotes the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in different cellular compartments, thereby causing oxidative damage. However, ROS as defense-signaling molecules are also known to regulate gene expression by exerting their effect on redox state of transcription factors (TFs). Additionally, plant hormonal-regulation-mediating cellular responses and their cross talk with ROS under Cd stress need further validation. This chapter will bring forward the important players in Cd-mediated signal transduction pathways including certain genes belonging to different families performing their roles at different signaling hierarchies. The gene families include receptors, mitogen-activated protein kinases, and TFs in relation to Cd stress and phytohormones. This work should help in developing new and improved strategies for phytoremediation.
A Rat Model of Surgical Brain Injury

The rat model of surgical brain injury (SBI) mimics deleterious sequelae resulting from the unavoidable damage to healthy tissue during many neurosurgical procedures, such as peri-operative hemorrhage, brain edema, and neuroinflammation. The SBI model is ideal for evaluating pre-conditioning, pre-treatment, and peri-operative therapies. The SBI model is characterized by partial frontal lobe resection. First, a 5 × 5 mm cranial window in the right frontal bone is made to expose the underlying brain tissue. Next, partial resection of the frontal lobe is performed along margins of the bone window which is followed by saline irrigation and intraoperative packing to ensure complete hemostasis. The total time for completion of the SBI surgery in a rat is 30–40 min. The partial resection of frontal lobe results in contralateral sensorimotor deficits and anxiety-like behavior in rats. Neurological tests to evaluate anxiety-related behavior in SBI rats have been described in this chapter and are recommended for studies using the SBI rat model. The elevated plus maze test and open field test showed greater sensitivity than the forced swim test to detect anxiety-like behavior in rats after SBI. The rat model of SBI allows for investigation of therapeutics that target SBI-induced complications including intraoperative hemorrhage, post-operative hematoma, brain edema, blood brain barrier disruption, neuroinflammation, cell death and oxidative stress which are also briefly described in this chapter.
An Information Technology Call to Action to Support Healthy Homes.

Advances in information technology over the last decade offer the opportunity to advance the goals of public health advocates to provide safer and healthier home environments. A call to action in public health informatics is needed to realize the benefits of information technology to support healthy home objectives.
Decline of Pediatric Ambulatory Surgery Cases Performed at Florida General Hospitals Between 2010 and 2018: An Historical Cohort Study.

Background In the province of Ontario, nonphysiologically complex surgical procedures have increased at 4 pediatric hospitals with a reciprocal decline among the other (general) hospitals performing pediatric surgery. Given the differences between the Canadian and US health systems, we studied whether a similar shift occurred in the state of Florida and examined the age dependence of the shift. Methods We used outpatient pediatric surgery data from all nonfederal hospitals, hospital-owned facilities, and independent ambulatory surgery centers in Florida, 2010-2018. Inferential analyses were performed comparing 2010-2011 with 2017-2018. Annual caseloads are reported as cases per workday by dividing by 250 workdays per year. Results Statewide, comparing 2010-2011 with 2017-2018, among children 1-17 years, pediatric hospitals' caseload increased overall by 50.7 cases per workday, overall meaning collectively among all hospitals combined. The caseload at general hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers, combined, decreased by 97.7 cases per workday. The general hospitals performed 54.7 fewer cases per workday. Among the 112 general hospitals, the mean pairwise decline was -0.49 cases per workday (99% confidence interval, -0.87 to -0.10; P Conclusions The decline across all age groups was inconsistent with multiple general hospitals increasing their minimum age threshold for surgical patients because, otherwise, the younger patients would have accounted for a larger share of the decreases in caseload. Pediatric hospitals and their anesthesiologists have greater surgical growth than expected from population demographics. Many general hospitals can expect either needing fewer pediatric anesthesiologists or that their pediatric anesthesiologists, who also care for adults, will have smaller proportions of pediatric patients in their practices.
Deutschtum und Judentum Zu Erich Kahlers Bedeutung für Thomas Mann

Ausgehend von Thomas Manns auserordentlich ehrerbietigem Geburtstagsartikel zu Erich Kahlers Sechzigstem werden ihre personlichen Beziehungen und intellektuellen Affinitaten untersucht. Kahler vollzog nach dem Ersten Weltkrieg eine ahnliche Neuorientierung wie Mann; beide verband die Opposition gegen den Nationalsozialismus. Wahrend beider Exiljahre in Zurich und Princeton entfaltete sich eine enge Beziehung, die sich in Manns intensiver Rezeption von zwei Werken Kahlers niedergeschlagen hat: Israel unter den Volkern sowie Der deutsche Charakter in der Geschichte Europas. Eine Kenntnis dieser beiden Schriften ist unerlasslich fur ein tieferes Verstandnis der Deutschland-Thematik des Doktor Faustus.
Addressing Accreditation Criteria Related to Sustainable Construction in the United States: A Case Study

The requirement to incorporate sustainability into the curriculum of construction management programs in the United States has only been required since July 2015. At this time the American Council for Construction Education (ACCE) introduced the revised Document 103: Standards and Criteria for Accreditation of Construction Education Bachelor Degree Programs. The curriculum requirements of the standards in previous versions had been prescriptive in nature, requiring construction programs to demonstrate the inclusion of a required number of credit hours of prescribed subject matter and topical content. The previous standard had no requirement to teach sustainability. A series of workshops was conducted with construction industry participants to gather data in order to develop a set of learning outcomes that would define the capabilities of students graduating from a 4-year ACCE accredited program. The new standard requires programs to demonstrate graduates of their program have achieved 20 Student Learning Outcomes, one of which is that upon graduation students should be able to “understand the basic principles of sustainable construction.” The approach for delivering sustainable construction subject matter across the curriculum at an ACCE accredited university is presented, together with method of academic assessment of students during their senior year. Course learning outcomes addressing the principles of sustainable construction were developed and subject matter taught across several courses from freshman through senior level students. Academic assessment is achieved by senior students conducting an individual assessment of a project building to demonstrate understanding of how the design and construction of the building reflects the basic principles of sustainable construction. Students are set six specific tasks that address: LEED Certification; Erosion & Sedimentation Control; Building Commissioning; Environmentally Preferred Products; Construction Waste & Indoor Air Quality. Students are graded using a five criteria grading rubric. Results from academic assessment conducted since the Fall of 2015 suggest students are consistently meeting performance criteria.
Influence of mini-screw implant-assisted intrusion on orthodontically induced inflammatory root resorption: a systematic review

To systematically review indexed literature related to the influence of mini-screw implant (MSI)-assisted intrusion on orthodontically induced inflammatory root resorption (OIIRR). Indexed databases were searched without time and language restrictions using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The inclusion criteria were: (a) original studies; (b) patients/subjects undergoing MSI-assisted intrusion; and (c) tomographic and/or histological assessment of OIIRR. Letters to the Editor, commentaries, case reports/series, reviews, and studies based on two-dimensional radiographic assessment of OIIRR were excluded. For experimental and clinical studies, the risk of bias assessment was performed using the Systematic Review Centre for Laboratory animal Experimentation risk of bias tool and the Risk of Bias in Non-randomized Studies of Interventions guidelines, respectively. The initial search yielded 453 studies, out of which 6 (3 clinical and 3 on animal-models) were included. The clinical studies were performed on males and females with a mean age ranging between 16.07 and 25.5 years. Duration of the clinical studies ranged from 3.8 to 9 months. The animal studies were performed on mini-pigs, rats, and dogs. The mean age in the studies on rats and mini-pigs was 2.76 and 18 months, respectively. In the study on canine models, mean age was not reported. In all studies, MSI-assisted intrusion was shown to cause OIIRR. Power analysis was performed in one study. All studies had a moderate risk of bias. MSI-assisted intrusion is a risk factor for OIIRR; however, from a clinical perspective, further well-designed and power-adjusted studies are needed.
A Single Center Study of Donor Age & Lung Transplant Type in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

Purpose Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) accounts for the largest proportion of diagnoses on the US lung transplant (LTx) list. LTx type (single vs double) and donor age are associated with differences in outcomes, yet their independent and combined effects in patients with IPF remain unclear and are investigated in this study. Methods This study retrospectively analyzed survival of patients with IPF receiving LTx at a single center from Feb-2012 to Mar-2020. LTx recipients were grouped by single (SLT) or double (DLT) LTx type and donor lung age Results Of 742 LTx patients, 305 (41%) were diagnosed with IPF, of which 204 (67%) were SLT and 97 (32%) were DLT (4 patients underwent either heart-lung transplant or single-sequential LTx and were excluded). There was no significant difference in survival due to LTx type (p=0.368). Similarly, no significant difference in survival was found for patients with donor age Conclusion Demand for donor lungs far exceeds supply, and with IPF accounting for a large percentage of this need, finding effective sources of supply has become increasingly important. Use of SLT and donors aged 50≥ can serve as important supply sources with non-inferior survival outcomes.
James M. Buchanan and the Corrupting Quality of Public Indebtedness

This paper explains that James Buchanan’s theory of public debt entailed more than the shifting of cost forward in time from the current generation of taxpayers to future generations of taxpayers. The possibility of such shifting is dubious, for public debt really entails a shifting of cost among a current set of taxpayers. Beyond this cost shifting, public debt engenders a corruption of the meaning of contract through elevating public law to a position of superiority to the institutional processes of private law. In contrast, genuine liberal governance requires public ordering to proceed concordantly with private ordering.
Psychological and eating disorder symptoms as predictors of starting eating disorder treatment.

Objective Little is known about the treatment uptake rate for adults diagnosed with an eating disorder through formal assessment. This study aimed to identify psychological and eating disorder symptoms that predict whether individuals with diagnosed eating disorders start treatment after receiving a diagnostic assessment and recommendation to begin treatment. Identifying barriers to starting treatment can inform interventions to improve the uptake of treatment. Method After a diagnostic assessment at an eating disorder specialty clinic, 223 adults were recommended to begin treatment and completed self-report measures of psychological functioning, clinical impairment, and eating psychopathology. Patient attendance was assessed to determine rates and predictors of starting treatment within 3 months of the assessment. Results Of the 223 patients recommended to begin treatment, approximately two-third started treatment within 3 months of the assessment. Logistic regression identified greater avoidance of eating, greater laxative use frequency, more social eating concerns, and lower weight dissatisfaction as predicting lower likelihood of beginning treatment after assessment. A chi-square test for independence found no significant differences between diagnostic groups on starting treatment. Discussion Findings identify eating disorder symptoms that predict treatment enrollment after diagnostic assessment and recommendation to begin treatment. Assessing for these symptoms at the diagnostic assessment stage is recommended to address potential treatment barriers. Future research should identify strategies that increase treatment uptake at this stage of the process.
EUS-guided celiac plexus neurolysis for pain in pancreatic cancer patients - a meta-analysis and systematic review.

Background: Endoscopic ultrasound guided celiac plexus neurolysis (EUS- CPN) has been reported to be an effective way to help with pain in pancreatic cancer patient. The aim of our updated meta-ana...
Gender Differences in Medical Specialty Decision Making: The Importance of Mentorship.

Abstract Introduction While there have been many studies reviewing factors considered by medical students in deciding on a specialty, there is a relative paucity of data in how these factors differ between males and females. The aim of this study was to determine if there are differences in how male and female medical students’ value various factors in choosing a career path in medicine. Methods A survey of basic demographic information and a Likert-based questionnaire addressing various factors in specialty choice was sent to all military medical students in the class of 2019. Results The survey response rate was 30%. Amongst the students that completed the survey, 72% were male and 28% were female. The majority of students were less than 27 years old (52%) and Caucasian (76%). Female medical students placed more importance in exposure to third year clerkships (P = 0.004) and gender diversity within the specialty (P = 0.03) than their male counterparts. There was no statistical difference in opinions of significant others or family members, desire to have a family, or having a well-balanced life between female, and male medical students. Conclusion Female medical students valued exposure to third year clerkships and gender diversity more than their male colleagues when choosing a future specialty. These findings suggest that a strategic focus should be placed on mentoring female medical students in order to promote a diverse medical workforce.
A Scoping Review of Health Outcomes Among Transgender Migrants

Purpose: Transgender people constitute diverse populations who experience a range of adverse health outcomes. Despite increasing awareness of adverse health outcomes among migrant populations, ther...
Open Rotor Test Status

Testing of low noise, counter-rotating open rotor propulsion concepts has been ongoing at Glenn Research Center in collaboration with General Electric Company. The presentation is an overview of the testing that has been completed to date and previews the upcoming test entries. The NASA Environmentally Responsible Aviation Project Diagnostics entry is the most recent to finish. That test entry included acoustic phased array, pressure sensitive paint, particle image velocimetry, pylon installed measurements and acoustic shielding measurements. A preview of the data to be acquired in the 8x6 high-speed wind tunnel is also included.
BAFFLED APRON AS SPILLWAY ENERGY DISSIPATOR

Hydraulic model investigations were performed to determine basic design criteria for a baffled apron spillway as an energy dissipator. Described are the effects of baffle block heights and spacing of the hydraulic efficiency of the system. Impact pressures were measured on the upstream faces of the blocks to determine impact forces. Pressures on the side, top, and back of the blocks were also measured to determine the possibility of cavitation damage. Special consideration was given to develop alternative entrances to the baffled spillway. Three entrance configurations are proposed, two of which will not increase the upstream water level. The third entrance is similar to the conventional type used in contemporary designs. Typical design procedures are outlined. Included are the determination of ideal design discharge criteria which might be less than the expected maximum and how to modify the structure to handle discharges greater than the design.
High-power--density carbon dioxide laser therapy for early cervical neoplasia.

Abstract A total of 115 women with various grades of CIN were treated with high-power-density, continuous time mode CO 2 laser beams. During the 2-year follow-up period, residual tumor was noted in 4.34% of the treated cases. Detailed observations of the rapid healing of tissues after laser exposure were carried out in 50 women who were colposcoped every other day for 4 weeks. The CO 2 laser is an acceptable instrument for use in treating early gynecologic malignancy, with its principal advantage being the precision with which it destroys tissue.
An iron-sulfur center essential for transcriptional activation by the redox-sensing SoxR protein.

Abstract The soxRS oxidative stress regulon of Escherichia coli is triggered by superoxide (O2.-) generating agents or by nitric oxide through two consecutive steps of gene activation. SoxR protein has been proposed as the redox sensing gene activator that triggers this cascade of gene expression. We have now characterized two forms of SoxR: Fe-SoxR contained non-heme iron (up to 1.6 atoms per monomer); apo-SoxR was devoid of Fe or other metals. The spectroscopic properties of Fe-SoxR indicated that it contains a redox active iron-sulfur (FeS) cluster that is oxidized upon extraction from E. coli. Fe-SoxR and apo-SoxR bound the in vivo target, the soxS promoter, with equal affinities and protected the same region from DNase I in vitro. However, only Fe-SoxR stimulated transcription initiation at soxS in vitro > 100-fold, similar to the activation of soxS expression in vivo. This stimulation occurred at a step after the binding of RNAP and indicates a conformational effect of oxidized Fe-SoxR on the soxS promoter. The variable redox state of the SoxR FeS cluster may thus be employed in vivo to modulate the transcriptional activity of this protein in response to specific types of oxidative stress.
The Impact of Negative Campaign Ads

We compared negative and positive ads in the context of a fictitious election. Participants read a strong or weak message supporting one candidate (positive ad) or derogating the opposition candidate (negative ad). The strong positive message had a greater impact on attitudes toward the candidates than the weak positive message, but message strength had no significant effect for negative messages, suggesting that positive messages are centrally processed, and negative messages serve mainly as peripheral cues. Accordingly, a strong positive message was more effective than a weak positive message, but a weak positive message was less effective than a weak negative message. We conclude that negative political ads are advisable only when candidates cannot provide strong arguments to support their candidacy.
iModel: interactive co-segmentation for object of interest 3d modeling

We present an interactive system to create 3D models of objects of interest in their natural cluttered environments. A typical setting for 3D modeling of an object of interest involves capturing images from multiple views in a multi-camera studio with a mono-color screen or structured lighting. This is a tedious process and cannot be applied to a variety of objects. Moreover, general scene reconstruction algorithms fail to focus on the object of interest to the user. In this paper, we use successful ideas from the object cut-out literature, and develop an interactive-cosegmentation-based algorithm that uses scribbles from the user indicating foreground (object to be modeled) and background (clutter) to extract silhouettes of the object of interest from multiple views. Using these silhouettes, and the camera parameters obtained from structure-from-motion, in conjunction with a shape-from-silhouette algorithm we generate a texture-mapped 3D model of the object of interest.
Implementation of a parallel DFE using residue number system

A parallel decision feedback equalizer (DFE) implementation using residue number system (RNS) is considered When the DFE implementation for a system requires a wide input data width and high sampling rates, RNS provides a speed advantage over conventional approaches. This speed advantage can be obtained without an overall increase in hardware complexity. We present the results of our initial feasibility study implementing a DFE using RNS. A comparison of RNS and conventional approaches is given in terms of gate counts and gate delays. >
A 2.25 gbytes/s 1 Mbit smart cache SRAM

The wide-word architecture is widely regionized as the next generation CPU architecture by most of the system vendors. This type of architecture requires high speed, high bandwidth second level cache memory to support it. Since the efficiency and the flexibility of the cache line transaction in between the CPU and the memory control unit would greatly affect the overall system performance, those important cache data transferring functions such as byte write, bypass, compare and swap capabilities have to be included in the second level cache to achieve the optimal performance. One of the project goals within HP wide-word program is to design a 16 K/spl times/72 synchronous, pipelined smart cache SRAM which is capable of sending out data at a rate of 2.25 Gbyte data per second.
The C terminus of the Escherichia coli RecA protein modulates the DNA binding competition with single-stranded DNA-binding protein.

The nucleation step of Escherichia coli RecA filament formation on single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) is strongly inhibited by prebound E. coli ssDNA-binding protein (SSB). The capacity of RecA protein to displace SSB is dramatically enhanced in RecA proteins with C-terminal deletions. The displacement of SSB by RecA protein is progressively improved when 6, 13, and 17 C-terminal amino acids are removed from the RecA protein relative to the full-length protein. The C-terminal deletion mutants also more readily displace yeast replication protein A than does the full-length protein. Thus, the RecA protein has an inherent and robust capacity to displace SSB from ssDNA. However, the displacement function is suppressed by the RecA C terminus, providing another example of a RecA activity with C-terminal modulation. RecAΔC17 also has an enhanced capacity relative to wild-type RecA protein to bind ssDNA containing secondary structure. Added Mg2+ enhances the ability of wild-type RecA and the RecA C-terminal deletion mutants to compete with SSB and replication protein A. The overall binding of RecAΔC17 mutant protein to linear ssDNA is increased further by the mutation E38K, previously shown to enhance SSB displacement from ssDNA. The double mutant RecAΔC17/E38K displaces SSB somewhat better than either individual mutant protein under some conditions and exhibits a higher steady-state level of binding to linear ssDNA under all conditions.
Speeding on the Information Superhighway: Strategies for Saving Time on the Web

Because of the recent trend toward commercialization of the Internet, and the immense proliferation of information online, searching has become one of the most time-consuming tasks of our workdays. Technology is meant to help us save time and make more time for the things in our lives that are important to us. We can control our work with technology or allow it to control us. Because creators of some Web sites are trying harder and harder to get you to buy things online and to build up ecommerce, they are set up with the intent of distracting you into areas that are not likely to help you find the information you really need. Avoid the “impulse buying” and time-usurping aspects of the Web by controlling your own interactions with it. Plan, set goals, remind yourself of your task, and enjoy happy andefficient searching.
Hydrogeologic processes of large-scale tectonomagmatic complexes in Mongolia–southern Siberia and on Mars

Large-scale tectonomagmatic complexes are common on Earth and Mars. Many of these complexes are created or at least influenced by mantle processes, including a wide array of plume types ranging from superplumes to mantle plumes. Among the most prominent complexes, the Mongolian plateau on Earth and the Tharsis bulge on Mars share remarkable similarities in terms of large domal uplifted areas, great rift canyon systems, and widespread volcanism on their surfaces. Water has also played an important role in the development of the two complexes. In general, atmospheric and surface water play a bigger role in the development of the present-day Mongolian plateau than for the Tharsis bulge, as evidenced by highly developed drainages and thick accumulation of sediments in the basins of the Baikal rift system. On the Tharsis bulge, however, water appears to have remained as ground ice except during periods of elevated magmatic activity. Glacial and periglacial processes are well documented for the Mongolian plateau and are also reported for parts of the Tharsis bulge. Ice-magma interactions, which are represented by the formation of subice volcanoes in parts of the Mongolian plateau region, have been reported for the Valles Marineris region of Mars. The complexes are also characterized by cataclysmic floods, but their triggering mechanism may differ: mainly ice-dam failures for the Mongolian plateau and outburst of groundwater for the Tharsis bulge, probably by magma-ice interactions, although ice-dam failures within the Valles Marineris region cannot be ruled out as a possible contributor. Comparative studies of the Mongolian plateau and Tharsis bulge provide excellent opportunities for understanding surface manifestations of plume-driven processes on terrestrial planets and how they interact with hydro-cryospheres.
Secondary descriptor development for zeolite framework design: an informatics approach

An analytical foundation for statistically identifying key crystallographic descriptors for zeolite frameworks is presented in this paper. A new set of descriptor formulations containing various aspects of information about zeolite crystal structure is introduced. Selected crystallographic structure data for all known zeolite structure types were analyzed using principal components (PC) and partial least squares in order to understand the statistical distribution and hence help design new zeolites. Critical crystallographic ratios and transformed variables with good correlations to average ring size were calculated. The principal components of the framework descriptors were used to identify the important linear combinations of critical descriptors and to identify statistical outliers. Partial least squares was used to predict the average ring size based on these descriptors. These new secondary descriptors were tested against experimental findings of zeolite analogue structures demonstrating the value of these secondary descriptors as a guide for future combinatorial experiments.
Resilience certification for commercial buildings: a study of stakeholder perspectives

Infrastructure resilience has become a primary objective for homeland and national security organizations over the past decade. Recent initiatives have focused on resilient building design, and one approach under consideration is a voluntary resilience certification program for commercial buildings. The intent of this program would be to encourage the adoption of resilient design practices in construction and planning of the buildings. While resilience may be a frequently discussed concept within the security communities, its level of awareness within the construction, design, insurance, and building owner communities is not well known. Given the voluntary nature of the certification program under consideration, program development requires a comprehensive understanding of resilience as defined by the commercial building stakeholders. Toward this end, Sandia National Laboratories conducted a study of stakeholder perspectives on resilience to ascertain factors that would serve as motivation for participation in the resilience certification program. This paper describes how Sandia performed the study and the resulting conclusions. One of the key conclusions that the study found is that the term resilience is unfamiliar to many and inconsistently defined across the industries. Those familiar with the term frequently linked it to sustainability concepts. The study also found that increased participation in the resilience certification program is very likely affected by demonstrable returns on resilience investments and a public–private partnership model for program administration.
The preparation and characterization of new eight-coordinate vanadium(IV) dithiocarbamate complexes

Abstract The reaction between oxovanadium(IV) and the potassium salts of the four dithiocarbamates derived from indole, indoline, carbazole and pyrrole in a mixed acetonitrile-water solvent and subsequent recrystallization of the product gave pure VL 4 complexes. An IR, optical and electron spin resonance spectral characterization is reported. The data are consistant with a VS 8 chromophore with an approximate D 2 d geometry.
Egg size, offspring quality and food level in planktonic rotifers

1. For two species of planktonic rotifers, Brachionus calyciflorus and Synchaeta pectinata, neonates from larger eggs were more resistant to starvation than neonates from smaller eggs, so egg size was positively correlated with offspring quality. 2. Theories of optimal offspring size in zooplankton predict either a decrease in offspring size with increasing food level, or maximum offspring size at intermediate food levels. In experiments using acclimated, even-aged individuals, neither rotifer species changed its egg size as predicted by theory. B. calyciflorus egg size increased with increasing food concentration, while S. pectinata egg size did not change. 3. The lack of fit to theory may have occurred because of constraints on minimum or maximum egg size, constraints on total reproductive effort, or because offspring fitness is influenced by traits in addition to neonate starvation time.
A novel method to reuse paper sludge and co-generation ashes from paper mill

Abstract The purpose of this study is to develop a technology for reusing the paper sludge and co-generation ashes generated by the paper industry. The study will include the following: (1) employing granulation technology to produce a light-weight aggregate with a specific gravity less than 1.0 from paper wastes sludge, and a light-weight aggregate with a specific gravity less than 1.5 from co-generation ashes; (2) employing compounding technology to mix co-generation ashes with ceramic materials, and then to make it into constructional bricks through forming and sintering processes. The physical property tests have proved that the granulated light-weight aggregates having potential to replace the natural aggregate to make light-weight concrete. The constructional bricks made from co-generation ashes and other raw materials have a water absorption rate lower than 15%, and compressive strength greater than 150 kgf/cm 2 , can conform to CNS specifications.