cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effective permeability of fractal fracture rocks: Significance of turbulent flow and fractal scaling

Abstract In this study, we develop a new approach to calculate hydraulic gradient dependent effective permeability of a fractal fracture network where both laminar and turbulent flows may occur in individual fractures. The cubic law is used to calculate flow behaviors in fractures where flow is laminar, while the Forchheimer’s law is used to quantify turbulent flow behaviors. A critical fracture length is used to distinguish flow characteristics in individual fractures. While flows in some fractures may be turbulent, we assume that the fractal fracture network can still be treated as a porous medium where Darcy’s law applies and our objective is to determine an effective permeability for the network. The developed new solutions can also be used for the case of a general scaling relationship, an extension to the linear scaling. We examine the impact of fractal fracture network characteristics on the effective permeability of the network. These characteristics include: fractal scaling coefficient and exponent, fractal dimension, ratio of minimum over maximum fracture lengths. The influence of imposed hydraulic gradient and critical length on the effective permeability is also examined and discussed. Results demonstrated that the developed solution can explain more variations of the effective permeability in relation to the fractal dimensions estimated from field observations. At high hydraulic gradient the effective permeability decreases with the fractal scaling exponent, but increases with the fractal scaling exponent at low gradient. The effective permeability increases with the scaling coefficient, fractal dimension, fracture length ratio and maximum fracture length.
Phosphorylation regulates connexin43/ZO-1 binding and release, an important step in gap junction turnover

To investigate whether connexin phosphorylation regulates the known role of zonula occludens-1 protein (ZO-1) in gap junction (GJ) function, we generated and analyzed a series of phosphomimetic and phosphorylation-dead mutants by mutating known conserved regulatory serine (S) residues 255, 279/282, 365, 368, and 373 located in the C-terminal domain of connexin43 (Cx43) into glutamic acid (E) or alanine (A) residues. All connexin mutants were translated into stable, full-length proteins and assembled into GJs when expressed in HeLa or Madin-Darby canine kidney epithelial cells. However, mutants with S residues exchanged at positions 365, 368, and 373 exhibited a significantly altered ZO-1 interaction profile, while mutants with S residues exchanged at 255 and 279/282 did not. Unlike wild-type Cx43, in which ZO-1 binding is restricted to the periphery of GJ plaques, S365A, S365E, S368A, S368E, and S373A mutants bound ZO-1 throughout the GJ plaques, while the S373E mutant did not bind ZO-1 at all. Inability to disengage from ZO-1 correlated with increased GJ plaque size and increased connexin protein half-life, while maintaining GJ channels in an open, functional state. Quantitative clathrin-binding analyses revealed no significant alterations in clathrin-binding efficiency, suggesting that the inability to disengage from ZO-1 prevented maturation of functional into nonfunctional/endocytic channels, rather than ZO-1 interfering with GJ endocytosis directly. Collectively, our results indicate that ZO-1 binding regulates channel accrual, while disengagement from ZO-1 is critical for GJ channel closure and transitioning GJ channels for endocytosis. Intriguingly, these transitional ZO-1 binding/release and channel-aging steps are mediated by a series of hierarchical phosphorylation/dephosphorylation events at S373, S365, and S368, well-known Cx43 Akt, protein kinase A, and protein kinase C phosphorylation sites located in the vicinity of the ZO-1 binding site.
Lithium enhancement of megakaryocytopoiesis in culture: mediation via accessory marrow cells.

To examine the effect of lithium (Li) on early megakaryocytopoiesis, murine marrow megakaryocytic (CFU-M) and granulocyte-macrophage (CFU-C) progenitors were assayed in vitro with and without addition of lithium chloride (LiCl) to culture. At 2 mM LiCl, the numbers of CFU-M- and CFU- C-derived colonies were increased to 146% +/- 8% and 128% +/- 6% of controls, respectively (p less than 0.005). Enumeration of megakaryocytes per colony showed a 78% increase of colonies (p less than 0.05) containing from 6 to 22 cells, suggesting an increased proliferative capacity of CFU-M in the presence of LiCl. Conditioned media from spleen cells cultured in the presence of both pokeweed mitogen (PWM-SCM) and 2 mM Li increased the numbers of CFU-M and CFU-C to 157% +/- 8% and 183% +/- 8%, respectively (p less than 0.025), compared to control cultures stimulated by PWM-SCM alone. Since the production of active colony-stimulating activities (CSA) from mitogen- stimulated conditioned media requires T lymphocytes, we hypothesized that the enhancement of the growth of early hematopoietic progenitors in marrow cultures was due to a Li-induced CSA production by accessory marrow cells, rather than a direct effect of Li on stem cells. To test this, cyclosporin-A (CyA), a T-lymphocyte function inhibitor known to suppress CSA production in PWM-SCM, was added to marrow cultures in the presence of 2 mM Li. CyA (3 micrograms/ml) abrogated the Li-induced enhancement of CFU-M and CFU-C growth, but had no effect on colony formation when added alone. The data suggest that the Li-induced enhancement of early megakaryocytopoiesis and granulocytopoiesis is due to local production of CSA(s) by an accessory cell population and requires the integrity of T-lymphocyte function.
The Webs of Neoantistea riparia (Araneae: Hahniidae): Are Dew Drops Helpful in Prey Capture?

The webs of hahniid spiders are poorly known. Those of Neoantistea riparia (Keyserling, 1887) all included sheets near the surface of the ground, but were more complex and variable than the simple sheets mentioned in previous accounts. Additional components included: sparse tangles of variable size above the sheet; lines below the sheet; small, dense tangles near some edges of the sheet; and a temporary feeding chamber below the sheet built near a recently captured prey. Webs were close to the surface of damp ground and, as a result, spent long periods coated with droplets of water. These droplets may aid in prey capture, as water accumulated on struggling prey and may have hindered their escape. In contrast, droplets seldom adhered to the spiders.
Thickness dependence of ferrimagnetic compensation in amorphous rare-earth transition-metal thin films

Magnetic compensation in ferrimagnets plays an important role in spintronic and magnetic recording devices. Experimental results have demonstrated a thickness dependence of the compensation temperature (Tcomp) in amorphous TbFeCo thin films. It was speculated that this thickness dependence originated from a variation in the short-range order. In this work, we have investigated the depth-resolved compositional and magnetization profiles using polarized neutron reflectometry. We find that although the composition is uniform across the film thickness, near the substrate interface, the magnetization exhibits a different temperature dependence from that of the rest of the sample. Monte Carlo simulations show that it is this difference in interfacial magnetization that causes the aforementioned thickness dependence of the compensation. These results demonstrate the critical role of the substrate interface in determining the magnetic properties of amorphous ferrimagnetic thin films for spintronic applications.
Anti-Asialo GM1 treatment during secondary Toxoplasma gondii infection is lethal and depletes T cells

Using vaccine challenge model of T. gondii infection, we found that treatments with two commonly used for NK cell depletion antibodies resulted in different survival outcomes during secondary infection. Anti-ASGM1 resulted in 100% death and greater parasite burden at the site of infection than anti-NK1.1. Anti-NK1.1 treatment resulted in increased parasite burdens, but animals did not die. Further we found that anti-ASGM1 treatment depleted T cells. CD8+ T cells were more susceptible that CD4+ T cells to the treatment. ASGM1 was expressed on a higher percentage of CD8+ T cells than CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells. In T. gondii-immunized animals ASGM1 was enriched on effector memory (Tem) and central memory (Tcm) CD8+ T cells. However, Tem were more susceptible to the treatment. After secondary infection, Tem, Tcm, effector (Tef) and naive (Tn) CD8+ T cells were positive for ASGM1. Anti-ASGM1 treatment during reinfection resulted in greater depletion of activated IFN{gamma}+, Granzyme B+, Tem and Tef than Tcm and Tn CD8+ T cells. Anti-ASGM1 also depleted IFN{gamma}+ CD4+ T cells. Recombinant IFN{gamma} supplementation prolonged survival of anti-ASGM1 treated mice, demonstrating that this antibody eliminated IFN{gamma}-producing T and NK cells important for control of the parasite. These results highlight that anti-ASGM1 antibody is not an optimal choice for targeting only NK cells and more precise approaches should be used. This study uncovers ASGM1 as a marker of activated effector T cells and the potential importance of changes in sialylation in lipid rafts for T cell activation during T. gondii infection.
Editorial: The year 1992 in review

This PDF file contains the editorial “Editorial: The year 1992 in review” for OE Vol. 32 Issue 01
Heart V5 predicts cardiac events in unresectable lung cancer patients undergoing chemoradiation.

Background: Recent studies incorporating dose escalated radiation identified heart dose as a predictor of cardiac toxicity in unresectable lung cancer patients. Whether conventionally dosed radiation impacts cardiac events remains unclear. Methods: Stage III lung cancer patients undergoing definitive chemoradiation to 60–70 Gy were analyzed. Clinical and dosimetric factors (mean heart dose, heart V5-60 in 5 Gy increments) were analyzed against freedom from ≥ grade 3 cardiac events and overall survival (OS) by log-rank test. Multivariable analysis (MVA) for factors significant on univariate analysis was performed by Cox proportional hazards. Results: A total of 108 patients were identified. Median follow-up was 18.0 months. One- and two-year OS were 79% and 61%, respectively. On MVA, gross tumor volume (GTV) ≥98.6 cm 3 [hazard ratio (HR): 2.11, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.15–3.93, P=0.02] and female gender (HR: 2.01, 95% CI: 1.09–3.73, P=0.03) predicted for worse survival. Twelve patients (11%) developed ≥ grade 3 cardiac events. One- and two-year freedom from cardiac events (FFCE) was 94% and 84% respectively. On MVA, heart V5 ≥49% predicted for cardiac events (HR: 11.44, 95% CI: 1.31–111.60, P=0.03) while female gender was nearly significant (HR: 3.49, 95% CI: 0.97–16.80, P=0.06). Females presented with similar comorbidity scores, GTVs, and relapse rates but experienced higher heart doses than their male counterparts. Conclusions: Heart V5 ≥49% predicted for cardiac events after chemoradiation. However, cardiac dosimetry was not associated with survival. Rather, female gender and GTV ≥98.6 cm 3 led to worse survival. This study corroborates emerging data that low-dose radiation to the heart impacts cardiac toxicity.
Deweyan educational philosophy in occupation-centered curricula

In occupational science and occupational therapy there is a remarkable association of the subject of occupation and the occupations of learning and teaching. In the same way that theories of action inform our understanding of occupation, these theories can be applied to enlighten teaching processes in occupational therapy and occupational science. In this chapter, John Dewey’s philosophy of experience as it relates to progressive education serves as a pedagogical basis to interpret and inform an occupation-centered curriculum and significant learning experiences. I draw upon Dewey’s original work on pedagogy to understand conditions that optimize learning situations in occupational therapy and occupational science. Dewey argued for education to be an integrated process of inquiry that contains social and intellectual properties, art and science, discipline, and imagination. His work offers guidance to educators to consider habits of students and teachers as well as the progression of content through the curriculum. The chapter concludes with a case example illustrating how habits, peer-interaction, deliberation, creativity, imagination, morality, and other constituents of learning situations are at play in occupation-centered education.
A History of Physician “Truth Telling,” Informed Consent, Legal and Religious Perspectives on End-of-Life Care

While patients’ and family preferences for nondisclosure of life-threatening illness found among contemporary Native Americans and Asian Americans may seem to be a cultural anomaly, a brief review of physician practices and legal rulings in the 20th century suggests that disclosure of this information to patients is a relatively recent practice.
Effective prevention of ACEs

Abstract Since the original ACE Study was published in 1998, the challenge to the medical, social services, legal, and policy communities has been how to prevent the occurrence and/or recurrence of these and other adversities, given the poor health outcomes with which they are associated. Understanding the root causes of some of these experiences, and developing a prevention framework around those experiences, helps to better target interventions for vulnerable children and families. Many attempts have been made to establish valid, reliable detection methods with targeted screening of patients and families that can then be coupled with proven evidence-based interventions to reduce the long-term negative outcomes from these childhood adversities. These interventions include a number of different approaches, including home visitation programs, positive parenting programs, enhanced medical homes, and community-based interventions.
Reading Utopia in the Reformation of Punishment

Recent scholarship on the first English translation of Thomas More's “Utopia” has asked how its publication in the 1550s fits with the larger agenda of Protestant Reformers who promoted the book alongside their other civic projects. This article argues that the initiatives of greatest relevance were the new house of correction at Bridewell (est. 1553–57) and the infamous Vagrancy Act of 1547–49, which failed to introduce slavery as a punishment in English law. Evidence of user interactions with the 1550s editions, including indexing, annotation, commonplacing, and quotation, helps to analyze how the text's complicated ideas about penal labor were received and reemphasized by early English readers.
A transdiagnostic examination of affective motivations for drug use.

Abstract Introduction Substance use often co-occurs with both internalizing and externalizing disorders, highlighting the importance of understanding reciprocal relations among problematic drug use and psychopathology. We examined affective (approach and avoidance) motivations for drug use as potential transdiagnostic constructs that relate to symptoms of common clinical disorders. Methods 175 community adults with a lifetime history of drug use reported on their motivations for use, frequency of use, and DSM-5 lifetime psychopathology symptoms. Linear regression was used to examine associations between drug use motivations and psychopathology. Results Avoidance motivations for drug use (e.g., using to cope with distress) correlated positively with symptoms of both internalizing and externalizing disorders, borderline personality disorder, and psychiatric comorbidity. In contrast, approach motivations for drug use (e.g., using to get a thrill) correlated only with substance use disorder symptoms. Notably, motivations for drug use continued to show these transdiagnostic associations after accounting for general approach-avoidance motivational tendencies. Conclusion These findings suggest that affective motivations for drug use provide a useful framework for conceptualizing substance problems that cuts across traditional dimensions of psychopathology.
Severity of Tricuspid Regurgitation on the Long-term Outcomes In Patients with Group I Pulmonary Hypertension Vs. Group Ii Pulmonary Hypertension

Background Severity of tricuspid regurgitation (TR) is implicated in the prognosis of different cardiac diseases, however little is known about this association in different types of pulmonary hypertension (PH) patients. Methods Single center study where 80 patients were recruited (40 with group I PH and 40 with group II PH). Echocardiogram was performed at 6 months and 12 months intervals after starting pulmonary vasodilators. Right heart cath was done at the beginning and after 12 months follow up. RV free-wall speckle-tracking strain, s’, TAPSE were used to assess RV function. TR severity was measured by echocardiogram and confirmed by cardiac MRI. Non ischemic LGE pattern and RV insertion site LGE were assessed. Patients were followed for a total of 24 months. Results Kaplan-Meier curve showed that patients with more than moderate TR had overall worse outcomes especially in group II PH (log-rank p=0.06). There was noticeable reduction in severity of TR after starting pulmonary vasodilators in the 2 groups, however p value was not significant. RV function improved when TR severity went from severe to mild and this was confirmed both by echo and cardiac MRI especially in group II PH with p value of 0.09. The presence of LGE was associated with worse outcomes regardless of type of PH, p value was 0.001. RV free wall speckle tracking strain improved as severity of TR improves especially from severe to mild and this was mostly noticed in group II PH with overall better outcome. Conclusion Improvement of TR and RV free wall speckle tracking strain was associated with better outcomes especially in group II PH. The presence of LGE regardless of type of PH, was associated with worse outcomes in the long term.
Polygenic risk for autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, and neuroticism is associated with the experience of childhood abuse

People who experience childhood abuse are at increased risk of mental illness. Twin studies suggest that inherited genetic risk for mental illness may account for some of these associations. Yet, the hypothesis that individuals who have experienced childhood abuse may carry genetic loading for mental illness has never been tested with genetic data. Using polygenic risk scores for six psychiatric disorders—attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), bipolar disorder (BPD), major depressive disorder (MDD), neuroticism, and schizophrenia—we tested whether genetic risk for mental illness was associated with increased risk of experiencing three types of childhood abuse: physical/emotional abuse, physical assault, and sexual abuse, in a cohort of white non-Hispanic women (n = 11,315). ADHD and MDD genetic risk scores were associated with a higher risk of experiencing each type of childhood abuse, while neuroticism, schizophrenia, BPD, and ASD genetic scores were associated with a higher risk of experiencing physical/emotional abuse and physical assault, but not sexual abuse. Sensitivity analyses examining potential bias from the differential recall of childhood trauma, parental socioeconomic status, and population stratification were consistent with the main findings. A one-standard-deviation increase in genetic risk for mental illness was associated with a modestly elevated risk of experiencing childhood abuse (OR range: 1.05–1.19). Therefore, inherited genetic risk may partly account for the association of childhood abuse with mental illness. In addition, future treatments for mental illness will benefit from taking into consideration the co-occurrence of childhood trauma and genetic loading.
Procedural episode-based cost measures: anesthesia matters.

Purpose of review Episode-based cost measures (EBCM) is a method of combining all services related to a defined episode of care, identified as either a procedure, acute illness or chronic disease, and providing expected cost for that episode or bundle of care. Procedural EBCM has become a major scheme for payment methodology and patient quality of care evaluation. Anesthesiologists need to know how EBCM can impact their clinical practice. Recent finding Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) pays physicians with fee-for-service payment for Clinical Episodes and, in 2020, the EBCM are increasing and currently, represents 4.5% of the total Medicare Part A and B spending [1]. With the recent changes in CMS, it is important, for anesthesia providers to know how cost attribution identifies the cost for all services and complications under anesthetic management. Summary EBCM can impact the anesthesiologist's quality performance, efficiencies measures, and payment. To preserve practice viability, anesthesiologists must understand how their compensation is impacted by services ordered. Anesthesiologists will increasingly be expected to improve quality and efficiencies in EBCM.
Antiviral Therapy Reduces Risk of Cirrhosis in Noncirrhotic HBV Patients Among 4 Urban Safety-Net Health Systems.

INTRODUCTION To evaluate the impact of chronic hepatitis B virus infection (CHB) treatment on risk of cirrhosis, liver-related outcomes, and death among a diverse CHB cohort with a large proportion of African Americans. METHODS Adults with noncirrhotic CHB without human immunodeficiency virus from 2010 to 2018 were retrospectively evaluated across 4 US safety-net health systems. CHB was identified with International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision/Tenth Revision diagnosis coding and confirmatory laboratory data. Propensity-score matching, Kaplan-Meier methods, and adjusted Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate impact of CHB treatment on risk of cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), death, and composite of cirrhosis, HCC, or death. RESULTS Among 4,064 CHB patients (51.9% female, 42.0% age <45 years, 31.6% African American, 26.6% Asian, 26.7% Hispanic), 23.2% received CHB antiviral therapy and 76.8% did not. Among the propensity score-matched cohort (428 treated and 428 untreated), CHB treatment was associated with lower risk of cirrhosis (hazards ratio 0.65, 95% confidence interval 0.46-0.92, P = 0.015) and composite of cirrhosis, HCC, or death (hazards ratio 0.67, 95% confidence interval 0.49-0.94, P = 0.023). Females vs males and African Americans vs non-Hispanic whites had significantly lower risk of cirrhosis. When treatment effects were stratified by age, sex, and ethnicity, the benefits of antiviral therapies in reducing risk of cirrhosis were seen primarily in CHB patients who were females, age <45 years, and of Asian ethnicity. DISCUSSION Our propensity score-matched cohort of noncirrhotic CHB patients demonstrated significant reductions in risk of cirrhosis due to CHB treatment.
More than two-dozen prescription drug-based risk scores are available for risk adjustment: A systematic review.

Abstract Objective While several prescription drug-based risk indices have been developed, their design, performance, and application has not previously been synthesized. Study design and setting We searched Ovid MEDLINE, CINAHL and Embase from inception through March 3, 2020 and included studies that developed or updated a prescription drug-based risk index. Two reviewers independently performed screening and extracted information on data source, study population, cohort sizes, outcomes, study methodology and performance. Predictive performance was evaluated using C statistics for binary outcomes and R2 for continuous outcomes. The PROSPERO ID for this review is CRD42020165498. Results Of 19,112 articles that were retrieved, 124 were full-text screened and 25 were included, each of which represented a de novo or updated drug-based index. The indices were customized to varied age groups and clinical populations and most commonly evaluated outcomes including mortality (36%), hospitalization (24%) and healthcare costs (24%). C statistics ranged from 0.62 to 0.92 for mortality and 0.59 to 0.72 for hospitalization, while adjusted R2 for healthcare costs ranged from 0.06 to 0.62. Seven of the 25 risk indices included used global drug classification algorithms. Conclusions More than two-dozen prescription drug-based risk indices have been developed and they differ significantly in design, performance and application.
Surrogate Warfare: The Transformation of War in the Twenty-First Century: by AndreasKrieg and Jean-MarcRickli Washington, DC, Georgetown University Press, 2019, 244 pp., $34.95 (paperback), ISBN:9781626166783 (1626166781)

Surrogate Warfare: The Transformation of War in the Twenty-First Century by Andreas Krieg and Jean-Marc Rickli is a rigorous exploration of how patrons – state or nonstate actors – externalize the ...
Temporal Bone Osteoradionecrosis: An 18-year, Single-Institution Experience.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS To report the largest single-institution review of temporal bone osteoradionecrosis (TBORN), and characterize the disease's natural history, prognostic factors, management, and outcomes. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective chart review. METHODS Retrospective review was conducted to identify patients with TBORN. Pertinent data were extracted. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize patient, tumor, and treatment characteristics. Multivariable analyses were conducted to explore associations between these characteristics and time to TBORN diagnosis and risk of developing diffuse disease. RESULTS TBORN was identified in 145 temporal bones from 128 patients. Mean age at diagnosis was 62 years, and mean time to diagnosis after radiotherapy was 10 years. Age greater than 50 years was associated with earlier diagnosis. According to the Ramsden criteria, 76% of TBs had localized and 24% had diffuse disease at initial diagnosis; 37% had diffuse disease at last follow-up. On multivariable analysis, diabetes, three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT), and periauricular skin malignancy were significant risk factors for developing diffuse disease. Localized disease was successfully managed with conservative measures, whereas surgery was often necessary for diffuse disease. When TBORN spread outside the mastoid or infratemporal fossa, conservative measures were always unsuccessful. CONCLUSIONS TBORN occurs earlier in older patients. While diffuse disease is less common than localized disease, it occurs more frequently in patients with diabetes, history of 3D-CRT, and periauricular skin malignancies. Conservative management is appropriate for localized disease, while surgery is often necessary for diffuse disease. The prognostic factors identified helped propose a TBORN staging system and treatment guidelines which may improve patient risk stratification and disease management. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE 4 Laryngoscope, 131:2578-2585, 2021.
Functional Characterization of Multiple Ehrlichia chaffeensis Sodium (Cation)/Proton Antiporter Genes Involved in the Bacterial pH Homeostasis.

Ehrlichia chaffeensis causes human monocytic ehrlichiosis. Little is known about how this and other related tick-borne rickettsia pathogens maintain pH homeostasis in acidified phagosomes and the extracellular milieu. The membrane-bound sodium (cation)/proton antiporters are found in a wide range of organisms aiding pH homeostasis. We recently reported a mutation in an antiporter gene of E. chaffeensis (ECH_0379) which causes bacterial in vivo attenuation. The E. chaffeensis genome contains 10 protein coding sequences encoding for predicted antiporters. We report here that nine of these genes are transcribed during the bacterial growth in macrophages and tick cells. All E. chaffeensis antiporter genes functionally complemented antiporter deficient Escherichia coli. Antiporter activity for all predicted E. chaffeensis genes was observed at pH 5.5, while gene products of ECH_0179 and ECH_0379 were also active at pH 8.0, and ECH_0179 protein was complemented at pH 7.0. The antiporter activity was independently verified for the ECH_0379 protein by proteoliposome diffusion analysis. This is the first description of antiporters in E. chaffeensis and demonstrates that the pathogen contains multiple antiporters with varying biological functions, which are likely important for the pH homeostasis of the pathogen’s replicating and infectious forms.
Healthy for whom? Equity in the spatial distribution of cycling risks in Los Angeles, CA

Abstract Introduction The health benefits of cycling have widely been recognized, but cycling is also associated with health risks (e.g., pollution exposure, crash risk). Past studies of these competing health impacts have been limited in their treatment of social equity, rarely considering spatial variations in risk that could be highly salient for marginalized populations. This study investigates the health risks of cycling through the lens of social equity by considering variations in PM2.5 concentrations and crash risk across space and across sociodemographic groups. Methods We conducted this analysis in Los Angeles County, CA, which has a relatively high bicycle fatality rate and consistent non-attainment status for traffic-related PM2.5. We used publicly available data, including PM2.5 concentrations, crash locations, bicycle counts, and street network data, to derive measures of pollution exposure and crash risk. We performed descriptive, visualization, and regression analyses to assess how pollution exposure and crash risk vary across census block groups and are associated with area-level sociodemographic characteristics. Results We found that the health risks of cycling are disproportionately high among marginalized populations (i.e. in block groups with lower income, lower educational attainment, and higher shares of racial/ethnic minority populations). Census block groups with worse outdoor air quality and higher crash risk are particularly likely to be home to low-income people of color. Even in these places, the health benefits of cycling could outweigh the risks; however, the net health benefits of cycling, accounting for these risks, are likely to be lower in marginalized communities. Conclusions Health impact assessments related to cycling should incorporate neighborhood-level data to better assess the distribution of benefits and risks across space and across population groups. Efforts to promote cycling should focus on making cycling safer and healthier, placing emphasis on communities where it is associated with the greatest health risks.
Datasheets for Datasets help ML Engineers Notice and Understand Ethical Issues in Training Data

The social computing community has demonstrated interest in the ethical issues sometimes produced by machine learning (ML) models, like violations of privacy, fairness, and accountability. This paper discovers what kinds of ethical considerations machine learning engineers recognize, how they build understanding, and what decisions they make when working with a real-world dataset. In particular, it illustrates ways in which Datasheets for Datasets, an accountability intervention designed to help engineers explore unfamiliar training data, scaffolds the process of issue discovery, understanding, and ethical decision-making. Participants were asked to review an intentionally ethically problematic dataset and asked to think aloud as they used it to solve a given ML problem. Out of 23 participants, 11 were given a Datasheet they could use while completing the task. Participants were ethically sensitive enough to identify concerns in the dataset; participants who had a Datasheet did open and refer to it; and those with Datasheets mentioned ethical issues during the think-aloud earlier and more often than than those without. The think-aloud protocol offered a grounded description of how participants recognized, understood, and made a decision about ethical problems in an unfamiliar dataset. The method used in this study can test other interventions that claim to encourage recognition, promote understanding, and support decision-making among technologists.
Effect of Redox Modulation on Xenogeneic Target Cells: The Combination of Nitric Oxide and Thiol Deprivation Protects Porcine Endothelial Cells from Lysis by IL-2-Activated Human NK Cells

Evidence suggests that NK cells contribute to the pathogenesis of delayed rejection of vascularized xenografts, and NK cells have been suggested to participate in hyperacute xenograft rejection. Endothelial cells have been shown to be the primary target of the recipient’s immune responses that mediate both hyperacute and delayed xenograft rejection. Under conditions of oxidative stress induced by thiol deprivation, but not under normal conditions, pretreatment of porcine aortic endothelial cells (PAECs) with the NO donor, S -nitroso- N -acetyl-penicillamine, dramatically inhibited killing of PAEC target cells by IL-2-activated human NK cells. This same combined treatment reduced both surface expression and mRNA levels of E-selectin. Moreover, anti-E-selectin mAb, but not Ab to VCAM-1, protected PAEC from lysis by human IL-2-activated NK cells in a dose-dependent manner. These findings suggest that expression of porcine E-selectin is important for the cytotoxicity of PAEC mediated by activated human NK cells and may be involved in the redox-mediated modulation of that cytotoxicity. It is known that NF-κB activation is required for transcription of E-selectin, and the current data show that the suppression of E-selectin expression by S -nitroso- N -acetyl-penicillamine pretreatment and thiol deprivation was associated with reduced NF-κB DNA-binding activity in PAEC. These data suggest that the regulation of porcine E-selectin may be important for modulating delayed xenograft rejection and that manipulation of cellular redox systems may provide a means to protect xenogeneic endothelial cells from NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity.
The State and Development

The state and development is a critical issue in speaking to contemporary debates about whether prosperity is best served by small or large government. The definition of foundational versus cutting-edge research differs depending on whether the discipline is economics or sociology. There was an early agreement that government should be big for “big pushes” or “modernization.” Economics turned antistatist as a reaction to Soviet planned economies and to corruption in general. This led to a neoliberal attempt to create growth by shrinking state programs—an initiative that failed very badly. New work in economics emphasizes flexible approaches as to what states should do, promotes states building education, infrastructure and encouraging technology transfer, and puts great weight on institutional quality. Sociology emphasized the state as a protector of poor nations from the predations of international trade and multinational corporations. Emphasis was placed on hard bargaining by states in the Global South and in developmentalist states such as those in East Asia, which administratively allocate public investment monies to overcome inefficiencies. New work suggests that more modest programs emphasizing simple public goods can be effective. Emerging work also questions traditional specifications of the adverse effects of international trade leading to a different set of suggested remedies. Future directions need to focus on palliative development—strategies of state development that build the multiplier effect rather than base industries. Methodologically, within nation studies that residualize employment from market factors offer ways to identify new government programs that are effective. Keywords: development; economic development; state; economic growth; dependency theory; neoliberalism; developmentalist state
The nucleus for restricted Lie algebras

The nucleus was a concept first developed in the cohomology theory for finite groups. In this paper the authors investigate the nucleus for restricted Lie algebras. The nucleus is explicitly described for several important classes of Lie algebras.
AI assignments in a CS1 course: reflections and evaluation

Artificial Intelligence offers a compelling backdrop for student assignments and projects even very early in the computer science curriculum. We have leveraged so-called high-level AI, in the form of automated game-playing and reasoning about language in order to motivate students in CS 1. More recently we have added activities that might be described as low-level AI: robotics programming via simulated and real platforms, as well as audio processing and classification. This work presents both student and faculty responses to these CS 1 assignments and concludes that, with appropriate scaffolding, topics from AI's full breadth succeed equally as hooks into early CS.
Sparse time-frequency representations in audio processing, as studied through a symmetrized lognormal model

Time-frequency representations are ubiquitous in speech and audio signal processing, their use being motivated by both auditory physiology and the mathematics of Fourier analysis. Nonpara-metric statistical models (or equivalently transform based signal processing methods) formulated in this space provide a principled way to decompose sounds into their constituent parts, as well as an effective means of exploiting the local correlation present in the time-frequency structure of naturally generated acoustic signals. Here we describe how an appropriate generative statistical model, even under very simple assumptions, provides a means of exploring sparse time-frequency representations in audio. We introduce a symmetrized lognormal model for spectral coefficients, which shows good agreement across a broad range of speech samples taken from the TIMIT database, and demonstrate preliminary speech enhancement results based on a maximum a posteriori shrinkage estimator.
Moving from Aquifer Stress to Sustainable Management with Remote Sensing and Local Knowledge

doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.15447/sfews.v13iss3art3 Copyright Information: Copyright 2015 by the article author(s). This work is made available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution4.0 license, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Wave effects in Si-micromachined multilayer guiding structures operating at W-band

High-density ICs must contend with the issue of circuit isolation while maintaining performance integrity. With multilayer configurations, appropriate packaging is necessary to avoid unwanted parasitic modes from nearby circuit lines. To this end, two coplanar waveguide (CPW) architectures are examined with regard to propagating wave effects due to the surrounding multilayer environment. By introducing Si micromachined cavities, which create an air-dielectric interface between metal layers as well as providing packaging for the circuits, parasitic coupling is eliminated. This paper presents theoretical and experimental results which confirm the utilization of Si micromachining for optimal performance three-dimensional circuit integration.
Institutions and dynamic comparative advantage: the electronics industry in South Korea and Taiwan

If development proceeds by stages, then Taiwan (as a more developed economy) should have preceded South Korea into high technology (capital--and knowledge intensive) production. In fact, Korea has overtaken Taiwan in many respects. The resolution of the paradox is traced principally to differences in industrial and firm structures in the two countries. The conglomerate organizational mode in Korea has permitted entry into many markets; the smaller Taiwanese firms have been unable to sustain themselves in these markets. As there firms head onto the 1990s, the limitations of their present industrial structures presage a possible convergence, with each moving towards the other. This paper suggests the importance of studying flexible institutional response, and particularly the inner workings of a firm, as an integral element of a theory of dynamic comparative advantage. Copyright 1990 by Oxford University Press.
Bones and Bread: Knowing God in Our Bodies Through the Communion Table

The mind/body dualism that has long pervaded western society has also found its way into the church. Such dualism in the church leads to an ignoring of the needs, abilities, and disabilities of peoples’ bodies. It also overlooks the crucial fact that Christ himself had a body. The author proposes a theology of the body that is centered in the sacrament of communion. In the sacrament, Christ touches us in and through his own body that is broken for us. In so doing, Christ binds us to himself and to one another. By approaching communion and embodiment in this way, the church can correct its all-too common dismissal of bodies and can be welcoming and inclusive of all people.
Digital Instrumentation and Control Systems Upgrades in Current Generation Nuclear Power Plants

Over the past 20 years, the nuclear power industry in the United States (U.S.) has been slowly replacing old, obsolete, and difficult-to-maintain analog technology for its nuclear power plant protection, control, and instrumentation systems with digital systems. The advantages of digital technology, including more accurate and stable measurements and the ability to improve diagnostics capability and system reliability, have led to an ever increasing move to complete these upgrades. Because of the difficulties with establishing digital systems safety based on analysis or tests, the safety demonstration for these systems relies heavily on establishing the quality of the design and development of the hardware and software. In the United States, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has established detailed guidelines for establishing and documenting an appropriate safety demonstration for digital systems in NUREG-0800, “Standard Review Plan for the Review of Safety Analysis Reports for Nuclear Power Plants: LWR Edition,” Chapter 7, “Instrumentation and Controls,” Revision 5, issued March 2007 [1], and in a number of regulatory guides and interim staff guidance documents. However, despite the fact that the United States has a well-defined review process, a number of significant challenges associated with the design, licensing, and implementation of upgrades to digital systems for U.S. plants have emerged. Among these challenges have been problems with the quality of the systems and the supporting software verification and validation (V&V) processes, challenges with determining the optimum balance between the enhanced capabilities for the new systems and the desire to maintain system simplicity, challenges with cyber security, and challenges with developing the information needed to support the review of new systems for regulatory compliance.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Dopamine inhibits calcium flux in the 7315a prolactin-secreting pituitary tumour

Cells of the 7315a prolactin-secreting tumour express biochemically normal cell-surface receptors for dopamine. However, dopamine inhibits prolactin release from these cells only when the basal rate of prolactin release is augmented by increasing the intracellular and/or extracellular calcium concentration of the tumour cells. This suggests that dopaminergic modulation of calcium ion flux could have a central physiological role in these neoplastic cells. In 7315a cells we examined the ability of dopamine to regulate 45Ca2+ influx and fractional 45Ca2+ efflux under conditions of enhanced calcium flux using the calcium channel activator, maitotoxin. It was observed that unidirectional calcium influx stimulated by maitotoxin was significantly inhibited by dopamine. Maitotoxin stimulated fractional efflux and prolactin release from the tumour cells and dopamine simultaneously inhibited both processes by a haloperidol-reversible mechanism. Therefore, in 7315a cells dopamine receptor activation is coupled to inhibition of calcium flux as at least one component in the regulation of prolactin release. These cells may provide further opportunity to study intracellular signalling mechanisms that are modulated by dopamine receptor activity.
Charge-Separation Electric Fields in Laser Plasmas

Space-charge-separation electric fields have been measured in the expansion of laser plasmas generated by 40-psec, 1.06-\ensuremath{\mu}m laser pulses. The measurements were made at 2.5 and 5.0 mm from the carbon targets and on nanosecond time scales. Measured electric fields were as high as 1900 V/cm and exceed those expected from theory.
Dynamics of switching total internal reflection to transmission in a dielectric-cladded nonlinear film

The time dependence of switching from total internal reflection to the transmission mode of a cw step turned-on laser is analyzed. The nonlinear thin film is bounded by linear dielectric media and possesses an intensity-dependent refractive index. Our theory accounts for the intense reflection and feedback interferences from the two interfaces at the total-internal-reflection state and for the nonlinear medium’s finite response time. We have explicitly evaluated the dependence of turn-on time on various optical and geometrical factors. The theory can be generalized to describe pulsed lasers and various forms of intensity-dependent refractive-index changes. Our theoretical results are important for constructing practical total-internal-reflection switching devices.
Equivalence of several methods for efficient best subsets selection in generalized linear models

In the recent past, five methods for reducing computational intensity in best subset selection for Generalized Linear Models (GLM) have been proposed. We review these methods and explicitly show their mutual equivalence. Further, we show how the existing linear regression software can be used for such efficient best subset selection. Using the summary results presented in this paper, efficient best subset selection can easily be made available for all nonlinear GLM already present in statistical packages. This is of special importance for computing environments where computational efficiency has a high priority.
ALCOHOLISM, MENTAL ILLNESS, AND STRESS IN 96 DRIVERS CAUSING FATAL ACCIDENTS

Surviving and deceased drivers responsible for 96 fatal accidents during a 38-month period in Washtenaw County, Michigan, and a like number of matched controls were evaluated to determine the prevalence of alcoholism, psychopathology, and social stress, as well as other medical and social variables. Information was obtained through interviews of the drivers, their relatives, friends, and employers as well as from traffic and arrest records. Thirty-six of the 96 fatality drivers and three control drivers were chronic alcoholics. In addition, 11 fatality drivers and six control drivers were classified as ldquofrequent, high quantity usersrdquo of beverage alcohol as herein defined. The 96-driver fatality group differed significantly in many respects from the control group. However, the magnitude of discrepancy was often due to the presence of the 36 alcoholics in the fatality group.The 96 fatality drivers averaged significantly more previous accidents (1.2 versus 0.8) and moving violations (3.1 versus 1.7) than the control group, exhibited significantly more psychopathology (41 percent versus 17 percent) and social stress (52 percent versus 18 percent), and included more low-social-class persons (76 percent versus 54 percent) and fewer higher-social-class persons (5 percent versus 29 percent) than the control group.The 36 alcoholic fatality drivers were significantly overrepresented in fatal accidents involving only one vehicle and in those occurring at night. In addition, they had significantly more previous accidents, serious psychopathology (69 percent versus 25 percent) and social stress (72 percent versus 42 percent) than the 60 nonalcoholic fatality drivers.