cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
ROOSI-version one of a generative expert system for the design of building layou

ROOSI is the first version of a generative expert system for the design of building layouts that can be adapted to various problem domains. The system docs not reproduce the behavior of human designers; rather, it intends to complement their performance through (a) its ability to systematically search for alternative solutions with promising trade-offs; and (b) its ability to take a broad range of design concerns into account. Work on the system also aims at providing insights into the applicability of Artificial Intelligence techniques to space planning and building design in general. The system is based on a general generate-and-test paradigm. Its main components are a generator, a tester and a control strategy (which is to be expanded later into a genuine planner). The generator is restricted to the allocation of rectangles. The spatial relations above, below, to the left and to the right are defined for pairs of objects in a layout and serve as basic design variables which define differences between solutions and govern the enumeration of alternatives. Within the class of layouts it is able to produce, the generator is completely general and able to generate all realizable sets of spatial relations for a given number of objects. In contrast, the tester is domain-specific and incorporates knowledge about the quality of layouts in a specific domain. The system can be applied to various domains by running it with the appropriate tester and, possibly, the appropriate control strategy. The control strategy itself mediates between planner and tester and, when expanded into a planner, is able to streamline the search for alternatives. The system will go through a sequence of versions with increasing complexity. Each version will have a conceptually clean and clear architecture, and it is our intention to evaluate each architecture explicitly in terms of its promises and limitations with respect to various domains. The first of these versions is described in the present paper.
New Developments in Fluid Resuscitation

Hemorrhagic shock is the leading cause of death in civilian and military trauma. Effective hemorrhage control and optimal resuscitation are the main goals in the management of severely injured patients. This article addresses the changing trends in fluid resuscitation in regards to who, when, and how. Much of these changing trends are caused by the recognition that the current method of resuscitation with crystalloid fluids may not be optimal and may even have detrimental consequences. This article summarizes a number of studies that have evaluated the cellular toxicities of commonly used resuscitation fluids, to highlight the need for the development of new fluids.
Five years of ground deformation monitoring on axial seamount using a bottom pressure recorder

The results of five years of pressure measurements collected by a Bottom Pressure Recorder deployed within the summit caldera of Axial Seamount, on the central Juan de Fuca Ridge, are interpreted for monotonic offsets related to vertical seafloor movements. Results indicate five significant subsidence events during the observation period (3.7 years), or an average of 1.35 events per year. The displacements range from 3–10 cm with durations of 10–14 days. These results indicate an active volcanic system and can be viewed as positive evidence for future attempts at seafloor volcanic observatories and response to active events on oceanic ridge crests. Advanced instrumentation based on multiple sensors has been deployed at the site to reinforce the results of this pilot experiment.
Identification and decentralized adaptive control of robotic manipulators using dynamical neural networks

Summary form only given, as follows. A multilayer dynamical neural network together with a supervised training scheme that employs an LMS updating rule was used for the online identification and decentralized adaptive control of multijointed robotic manipulators. Some characteristic features of the control scheme were obtained, and a quantitative evaluation of its performance in terms of tracking desired motions was carried out. >
An Efficient Certification Approach for New SN-AG-CU Solder Alloy

This poster presentation showcase the certification methodologies employed for Intel's cellular handheld products in qualifying the Sn-Ag-Cu solder alloy, SAC105, on wire bonded packages. SAC 105 which contains 98.5% tin, 1.0% silver and 0.5% copper was identified as another viable solution to enhance package solder joint reliability performance.
TESTING THE NULL OF NO COINTEGRATION WHEN COVARIATES ARE KNOWN TO HAVE A UNIT ROOT

A number of tests have been suggested for the test of the null of no cointegration. Under this null, correlations are spurious in the sense of Granger and Newbold (1974) and Phillips (1986). We examine a set of models local to the null of no cointegration and derive tests with optimality properties in order to examine the efficiency of available tests. We find that, for a sufficiently tight weighting over potential cointegrating vectors, commonly employed full system tests have power that can, in some situations, be quite far from the power bounds for the models examined.
Fast and Adaptive Online Training of Feature-Rich Translation Models

We present a fast and scalable online method for tuning statistical machine translation models with large feature sets. The standard tuning algorithm—MERT—only scales to tens of features. Recent discriminative algorithms that accommodate sparse features have produced smaller than expected translation quality gains in large systems. Our method, which is based on stochastic gradient descent with an adaptive learning rate, scales to millions of features and tuning sets with tens of thousands of sentences, while still converging after only a few epochs. Large-scale experiments on Arabic-English and Chinese-English show that our method produces significant translation quality gains by exploiting sparse features. Equally important is our analysis, which suggests techniques for mitigating overfitting and domain mismatch, and applies to other recent discriminative methods for machine translation.
High-performance bottom electrode organic thin-film transistors

Pentacene-based organic field effect transistors (FETs) exhibit enormous potential as active elements in a number of applications. One significant obstacle to commercial application remains: no completely lithographic process exists for forming high-performance devices. Processing constraints prevent electrodes from being lithographically patterned once the semiconductor is deposited, but depositing the electrodes before the semiconductor leads to low-performance transistors. By using self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) to change the surface energy of the metal electrodes and morphology of the pentacene subsequently grown on the electrodes, high-performance transistors may be formed using a process compatible with lithographic definition of the source and drain electrodes.
Role of Incidental Microflora in Natural Decomposition of Mucilage Layer in Kona Coffee Cherriesa

SUMMARY The mucilage layer of ripe Kona coffee cherries decomposes naturally during processing. Mucilage breakdown does not occur if the cherry surface is disinfected chemically or if the outer skin remains unbroken. Decomposition depends upon the presence of pectinolytic bacteria, not, as sometimes reported, upon enzymatic activity of the coffee cherry.
Modeling insect societies: From genes to colony behavior

Abstract The workshop, Modeling Complexity Across Levels: Social Insect Societies as Multilevel Integrated Systems, was held in Santa Fe, NM, USA, from 23 to 26 May 2002.
From Local Strongman to Facilitator Institutional Incentives for Participatory Municipal Governance in Latin America

Efforts to engage citizens in democratic forms of governance in developing societies are complicated by deeply rooted socioeconomic and political inequalities. In this article, the authors analyze ...
Selected Methods of Aquifer Test Analysis

Changes in groundwater levels due to a well discharging at a constant rate are used with various formulas to determine hydraulic properties of aquifers and their confining bed and to detect the presence of aquifer boundaries. These formulas are generally solved by graphical methods.
Design of self-calibrating controllers for heliostats in a solar power plant

A self-calibrating controller is developed for reducing installation and drive errors in a heliostat (steerable mirror used in solar/electric energy conversion). In this scheme, the heliostat periodically tracks the sun, which serves as a precision position reference. The difference between commanded and actual drive angles is used to estimate the coefficients of a model representing installation and drive errors. The calibrated model is then used to correct the drive actuator commands for these error sources when the heliostat is in a tracking mode (its principle mode of operation). Simulation results are given for a typical heliostat configuration with realistic errors. The algorithm is very effective in reducing beam steering errors. The concept is demonstrated using a prototype test apparatus and is shown to achieve an error reduction of more than 5:1.
Counting colorings on varieties

We present a combinatorial mechanism for counting certain objects associated to a variety over a finite field. The basic example is that of counting conjugacy classes of the general linear group. We discuss how the method applies to counting these and also to counting unipotent matrices and pairs of commuting matrices.
Oscillator design for maximum added power

We report on a linearized technique for the determination of embedding networks that maximize the added power in a two-port oscillator design. The embedding networks are similar to the optimum networks presented by Kotzebue (1975), but they are determined without the assumption of a constant voltage at the input port of the active device. The method presented here will result in a more accurate determination of the embedding networks for maximum power output from a device with a given set of two-port parameters. >
A survey of adaptive bandwidth control algorithms

In packet-switched network traffic management and control, efficiently allocating bandwidth to provide quantitative packet-level QoS to aggregate traffic has been difficult due to unpredictable, unknown statistical characteristics of the aggregate traffic. With inaccurate traffic information, using static bandwidth allocation results in the network being underutilized, or the QoS requirement not being satisfied. An alternative is to use adaptive bandwidth control (ABC), whereby the allocated bandwidth is regularly adjusted over the packet-level time scale to attain a given QoS requirement. This paper provides a literature review of ABC algorithms that guarantee aggregate traffic packet-level QoS metrics, such as the average queue length, packet loss, and packet delay. We describe different ABC algorithms, identify their advantages and shortcomings, and provide some comparative performance evaluation results. Open issues in ABC for future research directions are also discussed.
Rat renal cortical slices demonstrate p-aminohippurate/glutarate exchange and sodium/glutarate coupled p-aminohippurate transport.

In isolated basolateral membrane vesicles p-aminohippurate (PAH) transport may be coupled indirectly to the sodium gradient through PAH/glutarate [or alpha-ketoglutarate (alpha-KG)] exchange and Na/glutarate cotransport. In this study, rat renal cortical slices were used to examine indirect coupling of PAH transport to sodium in intact renal tissue. Like basolateral membrane vesicles, slices demonstrated avid uptake of 50 microM [14C]glutarate. Steady-state tissue/medium ratios of 30 were achieved by 90 to 120 min. Uptake was inhibited markedly by lithium and fumarate. PAH also inhibited glutarate accumulation, but through acceleration of glutarate efflux i.e., PAH/glutarate exchange, rather than direct inhibition of uptake. PAH-driven efflux of glutarate from slices was blocked by probenecid, which inhibits PAH/glutarate exchange in vesicles. Inasmuch as slices showed both Na/glutarate uptake and PAH/glutarate exchange, externally added glutarate should stimulate PAH uptake in slices. Indeed, in the presence of sodium, 50 microM external glutarate approximately doubled PAH accumulation by the slices. Stimulation by glutarate was abolished by either lithium or fumarate, or by elimination of sodium from the external buffer. The stimulatory effect was specific for glutarate or alpha-KG. Acetate, fumarate and succinate stimulated PAH uptake poorly, if at all. Neither fumarate nor lithium was able to eliminate concentrative PAH uptake completely, suggesting that a portion of PAH transport may occur without Na-dependent glutarate or alpha-KG recycling, i.e., that it may run directly off metabolic alpha-KG production or via a completely glutarate/alpha-KG independent mechanism.
Stimulation of Chromosomal Rearrangements by Ribonucleotides

We show by whole genome sequence analysis that loss of RNase H2 activity increases loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae diploid strains harboring the pol2-M644G allele encoding a mutant version of DNA polymerase e that increases ribonucleotide incorporation. This led us to analyze the effects of loss of RNase H2 on LOH and on nonallelic homologous recombination (NAHR) in mutant diploid strains with deletions of genes encoding RNase H2 subunits (rnh201Δ, rnh202Δ, and rnh203Δ), topoisomerase 1 (TOP1Δ), and/or carrying mutant alleles of DNA polymerases e, α, and δ. We observed an ∼7-fold elevation of the LOH rate in RNase H2 mutants encoding wild-type DNA polymerases. Strains carrying the pol2-M644G allele displayed a 7-fold elevation in the LOH rate, and synergistic 23-fold elevation in combination with rnh201Δ. In comparison, strains carrying the pol2-M644L mutation that decreases ribonucleotide incorporation displayed lower LOH rates. The LOH rate was not elevated in strains carrying the pol1-L868M or pol3-L612M alleles that result in increased incorporation of ribonucleotides during DNA synthesis by polymerases α and δ, respectively. A similar trend was observed in an NAHR assay, albeit with smaller phenotypic differentials. The ribonucleotide-mediated increases in the LOH and NAHR rates were strongly dependent on TOP1. These data add to recent reports on the asymmetric mutagenicity of ribonucleotides caused by topoisomerase 1 processing of ribonucleotides incorporated during DNA replication.
Nitrite reductase is critical for Pseudomonas aeruginosa survival during co-infection with the oral commensal Streptococcus parasanguinis

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the major aetiological agent of chronic pulmonary infections in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. However, recent evidence suggests that the polymicrobial community of the CF lung may also harbour oral streptococci, and colonization by these micro-organisms may have a negative impact on P. aeruginosa within the CF lung. Our previous studies demonstrated that nitrite abundance plays an important role in P. aeruginosa survival during co-infection with oral streptococci. Nitrite reductase is a key enzyme involved in nitrite metabolism. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the role nitrite reductase (gene nirS) plays in P. aeruginosa survival during co-infection with an oral streptococcus, Streptococcus parasanguinis. Inactivation of nirS in both the chronic CF isolate FRD1 and acute wound isolate PAO1 reduced the survival rate of P. aeruginosa when co-cultured with S. parasanguinis. Growth of both mutants was restored when co-cultured with S. parasanguinis that was defective for H2O2 production. Furthermore, the nitrite reductase mutant was unable to kill Drosophila melanogaster during co-infection with S. parasanguinis. Taken together, these results suggest that nitrite reductase plays an important role for survival of P. aeruginosa during co-infection with S. parasanguinis.
Simulated and Experimental Verification of CMM Feature Fitting Algorithms

Coordinate Measuring Machines (CMMs) collect a sampling of points on measured features for use in dimensional metrology. Conformance to specified geometric tolerances is done by analyzing the point cloud to fit the corresponding feature to the point cloud to determine if the simulated feature lies within the specified tolerance limits. Different types of feature fitting algorithms are needed: nominal, minimal/maximal, circumscribing/inscribing, and zone. Studies have shown that the same point cloud data sent to different vendors CMM software, produces different results. It is suspected that some of these algorithms may be inconsistent with the tolerance class definitions in tolerance standards and, in some cases, with shop floor conventional practices. We have previously reported on the development of normative algorithms and a feature fitting library that could be used by all CMMs. This paper gives a summary of those algorithms and then reports on methods used for verification. Three different types of verification methods were used to validate the algorithms developed. The scope of the current work is limited to linear, planar, circular, and cylindrical features. This set of algorithms described conforms to the international Standards for GD&T. In order to reduce the number of points to be analyzed, and to identify the possible candidate points for linear, circular and planar features, 2D and 3D convex hulls are used. For minimum, maximum, and Chebyshev cylinders, geometric search algorithms are used. Algorithms are divided into three major categories: least square, unconstrained, and constrained fits. Primary datums require one sided unconstrained fits for their verification. Secondary datums require one sided constrained fits for their verification. For size and other tolerance verifications, we require both unconstrained and constrained fits. Use of three different methods has validated the robustness, efficiency and accuracy of the algorithms.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Comparison of Eulerian-Granular and Discrete Element Models for Simulation of Proppant Flows in Fractured Reservoirs

Numerical simulations provide an effective technique to understand the proppant behavior within hydraulic fractures and determine fracking efficiency. Numerical techniques currently available for simulating particulate flow include a range of methods, from resolved direct numerical simulation (DNS) to Eulerian-Eulerian models. Employing high fidelity techniques, such as DNS, that fully resolve the physics are most often impractical for regular engineering applications due to exorbitant computational resource requirements. Hence, alternative simplified methods with reasonable computing power are generally used in regular engineering practice and design. In the present study, the Eulerian-Granular method, which is based on a simplified continuum approximation of the particulate phase, is compared with a relatively more detailed discrete element method (DEM), where individual particles are tracked in a Lagrangian sense. Numerical simulation of proppant flow through a representative fracture has been carried out to understand the relative suitability of these two different multiphase flow simulation techniques. Simulations are carried out for an idealized fracture geometry with a specified leak-off rate along the fracture wall. Computed results for the spreading rate of the proppant obtained from the Eulerian-Granular method are found to be marginally higher than the spreading rate of the proppant obtained from the DEM simulations. As DEM explicitly simulates particle movement; it is expected to provide results that are closer to the actual physical processes. The computational time required to perform the DEM simulations, however, is almost an order of magnitude greater than for the Eulerian-Eulerian technique. Hence, the efficiency of the Eulerian-Granular method probably offsets some modeling shortcomings in resolving particle setting characteristics for regular engineering applications.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Spectroscopy of /sup 140/Ce and /sup 138/Ce via the /sup 140/Ce(p,p'), /sup 142/Ce(p,t), and /sup 140/Ce(p,t) reactions at E/sub p/ = 30 MeV. [Angular distributions, L transfer, DWBA]

The nuclei $^{138,140}\mathrm{Ce}$ have been studied by means of the $^{140}\mathrm{Ce}(p, t)$, $^{142}\mathrm{Ce}(p, t)$, and $^{140}\mathrm{Ce}(p, {p}^{\ensuremath{'}})$ reactions at 30 MeV. Angular distributions have been measured from ${\ensuremath{\theta}}_{\mathrm{lab}}=16\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} \mathrm{to} 64\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$. The inelastic scattering data were analyzed with distorted-wave Born approximation to confirm multipolarities and extract deformation parameters for the strongly excited levels. The ($p, t$) data were also analyzed with distorted-wave Born approximation to obtain limits on the two-nucleon orbital angular momentum ($L$) transfer. This analysis, plus the empirical angular distribution shapes of levels with known ${J}^{\ensuremath{\pi}}$, permits us to suggest (or at least limit) ${J}^{\ensuremath{\pi}}$ values for many new levels. The ($p, t$) differential cross sections have been further analyzed in terms of simple two-neutron configurations through the enhancement factor concept. The two-neutron transfer results are discussed in terms of the pair vibration model.NUCLEAR REACTIONS $^{142,140}\mathrm{Ce}(p, t)$, $^{140}\mathrm{Ce}(p, {p}^{\ensuremath{'}})$, ${E}_{p}=30$ MeV; measured level energies and $\ensuremath{\sigma}(\ensuremath{\theta})$; DWBA analysis, deformation parameters, enhancement factors.
Multiple-Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis

The modern era of tuberculosis recently has been characterized by a rise in the number of cases of infection with multiple-drug-resistant (MDR) Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This acquisition of resistance to various established antituberculosis drugs has compromised both treatment and control programs worldwide. The rising prevalence of MDR strains has resulted in outbreaks and individual cases that are
Analysis of fetal heart rate variability obtained by magnetocardiography.

Objective To obtain fetal magnetocardiogram (fMCG) recordings in preterm fetuses in both shielded and unshielded clinical settings. Methods Seventeen fMCG recordings were obtained from 6 low-risk fetuses of 26-35 weeks' postmenstrual age. The superconducting quantum interference device biomagnetometer was positioned over the gravid abdomen, and the signals, associated with the bioelectrical activity of the fetal heart, were digitized at a sampling rate of 1 kHz. The fMCG signal was recorded for 5 minutes along with the reference maternal electrocardiogram in both the shielded and unshielded environment. A nonsyntactic QRS detection algorithm based on Pan-Tompkins scheme was employed for extracting fetal RR time series. Results The growth rate of 1.97 decibels (dB) exhibited by the low-frequency (LF) band is almost 2 1/2 times that of the high-frequency (HF) band. HF/LF power ratio was calculated to have a negative growth rate of -0.17 dB/wk (P = .004). Total power increased at approximately 1.35 dB/wk (P = .031). Conclusions Consistent with the literature, the total power, or the variance, as well as the LF and HF powers independently, indicates an increasing trend with increasing postmenstrual age.
In vitro inhibition of radiophosphate uptake and growth of a neurotropic virus by 5-chlorouridine.

Summary5-Chlorouridine inhibits the propagation of Theilers GD VII virus and the uptake of P3204 by the ribonucleic acid fraction of minced, 1-day-old mouse brain but had no effects on other tissue fractions studied. Uridine partially reverses the inhibiting effects of 5-chlorouridine on virus propagation and on the uptake of P3204 by the ribonucleic acid fraction. Virus propagation has been shown to be associated both with an increased turnover and increased net amount of ribonucleic acid phosphorus.
High-Density Lithium-Ion Energy Storage Utilizing the Surface Redox Reactions in Folded Graphene Films

Reduced graphene oxides are active as positive electrodes for lithium-ion energy storage based on the surface redox reactions between oxygen functional groups and Li ions. For effective Li-ion energy storage within a confined mass and volume, free-standing, high-packing density, and redox-active graphene films were fabricated by a simple two-step compression and vacuum-drying process from a hydrothermally reduced graphene hydrogel. The assembled graphene films showed a folded microstructure with high packing densities up to ∼0.64 g/cm3. Redox-active oxygen functional groups on the graphene oxide were activated and controlled by the hydrothermal reduction temperature. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed that the carbonyl and epoxide groups among various oxygen functional groups on graphene were the main contributors for the high potential redox reactions with Li ions. The folded graphene film electrodes delivered both a high gravimetric energy of ∼419 Wh/kg and a high volumetric energy of...
Manipulation of Hydrogen Binding Energy and Desorption Kinetics by Boron Doping of High Surface Area Carbon

Boron-doped high surface area carbon is shown to have unique chemical and structural properties that are advantageous for hydrogen storage. High surface area boron-doped carbon sorbents were produced by chemical vapor deposition of a boron-doped carbon (BCX) layer onto CM-Tec activated carbon. Photoelectron spectroscopy indicates the incorporation of boron at levels up to 14.3 at. % into sites with varying bonding environments. High-resolution microscopy characterization demonstrates that the turbostratic boron–carbon layer has a c-plane spacing of 4.02 ± 0.24 A, large enough to allow the diffusion of hydrogen intercalated between BCX layers. Slower adsorption and desorption kinetics that depend sensitively on H2 charging duration and temperature suggest the presence of hidden surface area of the turbostratic BCX and enhanced binding energy sites. Our study suggests that the increased c-plane spacing, together with a significant concentration of electron-deficient sp2 boron sites, combine to create a stro...
Comparison of coded aperture and slit-based Raman spectroscopy for measuring analytes beneath turbid biological tissue and tissue-simulating phantoms

We compare coded aperture and traditional slit-based instruments for measuring Raman spectra of analytes beneath turbid media. The results highlight the regimes where coded apertures provide the greatest advantages over traditional spectrometers.
Current Status of Serologic Testing for Parasitic Diseases

Reflecting growing concern at the clinical level, there has been a recent upsurge in the number of commercially available kits and reagents for parasitic serology, making such testing less and less the exclusive domain of federal or state public health agencies. An important parameter is the level of reactivity; it speaks to the need to distinguish between a past and a recent or ongoing infection.
Ordinal time series model for forecasting air quality index for ozone in Southern California

Air quality index (AQI) for ozone is currently divided into six states depending on the level of public health concern. Generalized linear type modeling is a convenient and effective way to handle the AQI state, which can be characterized as non-stationary ordinal-valued time series. Various link functions which include cumulative logit, cumulative probit, and complimentary log-log are considered, and the partial maximum likelihood method is used for estimation. For a comparison purpose, the identity link, which yields a multiple regression model on the cumulative probabilities, is also considered. Random time-varying covariates include past AQI states, various meteorological processes, and periodic components. For model selection and comparison, the partial likelihood ratio tests, AIC and SIC are used. The proposed models are applied to 3 years of daily AQI ozone data from a station in San Bernardino County, CA. An independent year-long data from the same station are used to evaluate the performance of day-ahead forecasts of AQI state. The results show that the logit and probit models remove the non-stationarity in residuals, and both models successfully forecast day-ahead AQI states with almost 90 % of the chance.
The Routledge Companion to Labor and Media edited by Richard Maxwell

Media management scholars will value the focus on human capital in the edited volume, The Routledge Companion to Labor and Media. Richard Maxwell of Queens College, City University of New York has ...
New species of Mentzelia (Loasaceae) and Phacelia (Hydrophyllaceae) from New Mexico

New species of Mentzelia and Phacelia are described from northwestern New Mexico, USA, as Mentzelia todiltoensis , N. Duane Atwood & Stanley L. Welsh, and Phacelia sivinskii N. D. Atwood, sp. nov. The new Mentzelia is compared to M. humilis based on similarities in seed, fruit, leaf, and flower morphology and to M. memorabalis in stem, leaf, and fruit morphology. Phacelia sivinskii is compared to P. constancei N. D. Atwood on the basis of seed, leaf, and flower morphology.
Cellulose dissolution: insights on the contributions of solvent-induced decrystallization and chain disentanglement

The dissolution of cellulose is a critical step for the efficient utilization of this renewable resource as a starting material for the synthesis of high value-added functional polymers and chemicals and also for biofuel production. The recalcitrance of semicrystalline cellulose microfibrils presents a major barrier to cellulose dissolution. Despite research efforts, important aspects of cellulose dissolution such as solvent-induced decrystallization and chain disentanglement are not well-understood. Here we address these fundamental issues with the practical goal of gaining insights into the swelling and dissolution of cellulose that cannot be obtained from macroscopic experimental data. To this end, we have used a newly-developed phenomenological model that captures the phenomena governing the dissolution of semicrystalline polymers as well as the thermodynamics and kinetics of dissolution. This model fits well experimental data for swelling and dissolution of cotton fibers in the ionic liquid [bmim]Cl, and allows the quantification of two important aspects, i.e., solvent effectiveness in cellulose (1) decrystallization and (2) chain disentanglement, the balance of which controls the mechanism and kinetics of cellulose dissolution. The activation parameters of cellulose decrystallization, estimated using the obtained decrystallization constant values, reveal that the decrystallization of cellulose in [bmim]Cl is associated with positive enthalpy and entropy and it is also very sensitive to temperature. When the solvent effectiveness in the disruption of cellulose crystals is relatively lower than its ability to disentangle the chains, the kinetics of dissolution are controlled by decrystallization. Furthermore, conditions that facilitate cellulose chain disentanglement, in addition to increasing the rate of dissolution, can result in faster decrystallization. The solvent effectiveness in chain disentanglement is the only factor that determines the decrease of the cellulose fiber radius. In cases where the fiber dissolution rate is lower than the decrystallization rate, the dissolution of cellulose is mostly controlled by the solvent ability to disentangle the chains. The insights obtained from this study improve the understanding of cellulose–solvent interactions underlying decrystallization and disentanglement and their contributions in controlling the kinetics of cellulose swelling and dissolution.
Studies of the astrovirus signal that induces (-1) ribosomal frameshifting.

Human astroviruses use a (−1) ribosomal frameshift mechanism to regulate expression of the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase gene. To evaluate the efficiency of the astrovirus frameshift signal in cell culture, different regions of the frameshift signal were cloned into the rhesus rotavirus VP4 gene and expressed in an infection-transfection transient expression cell culture system. The various astrovirus-VP4 constructs were transfected into BHK-21 cells infected with a recombinant vaccinia virus that expresses T7 RNA polymerase (vTF7—3). All constructs contain a T7 promoter, a picornavirus internal ribosome entry site, and a T7 terminator. Frameshifted and non-frameshifted proteins were distinguished by immunoprecipitation with monoclonal antibodies specific for either the VP4 amino-or carboxy-terminus. Frameshifting efficiency was calculated as the ratio of radioactive counts in the frameshifted protein to the total counts in both the frameshifted and nonframeshifted proteins as determined by Phosphorimager analysis. We found the efficiency of astrovirus frameshifting in intact cells to be 25–28%, significantly greater than the 5–7% efficiency reported previously in a cell-free uncoupled translation system. Since the transfected plasmid is expressed in the cytoplasm in the infection-transfection system, the frameshifting efficiency determined by this assay may be a more accurate reflection of the level of frameshifting for this RNA virus in which transcription and translation are likely coupled in the cytoplasm of infected cells. This hypothesis is supported by the observation that the level of astrovirus frameshifting is increased three-fold when evaluated in a cell-free coupled transcription-translation system. These studies also confirm in intact cells what was previously determined in cell-free studies: the shifty hep-tamer is an absolute requirement for astrovirus ribosomal frameshifting, but deletion of sequences downstream of the stem-loop that are potentially involved in pseudoknot formation does not affect the efficiency of frameshifting.
Time course of disassociation of bone formation signals with bone mass and bone strength in sclerostin antibody treated ovariectomized rats

Sclerostin antibodies increase bone mass by stimulating bone formation. However, human and animal studies show that bone formation increases transiently and returns to pre-treatment level despite ongoing antibody treatment. To understand its mechanism of action, we studied the time course of bone formation, correlating the rate and extent of accrual of bone mass and strength after sclerostin antibody treatment. Ovariectomized (OVX) rats were treated with a sclerostin-antibody (Scle-ab) at 20mg/kg sc once weekly and sacrificed at baseline and 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8weeks post-treatment. In Scle-ab treated rats, serum PINP and OCN rapidly increased at week 1, peaked around week 3, and returned to OVX control levels by week 6. Transcript analyses from the distal femur revealed an early increase in bone formation followed by a sustained decrease in bone resorption genes. Lumbar vertebral (LV) osteoblast surface increased 88% by week 2, and bone formation rate (BFR/BS) increased 138% by week 4. Both parameters were below OVX control by week 8. Bone formation was primarily a result of modeling based formation. Endocortical and periosteal BFR/BS peaked around week 4 at 313% and 585% of OVX control, respectively. BFR/BS then declined but remained higher than OVX control on both surfaces through week 8. Histomorphometric analyses showed LV-BV/TV did not further increase after week 4, while BMD continued to increase at LV, mid femur (MF), and femoral neck (FN) through week 8. Biomechanical tests showed a similar improvement in bone strength through 8weeks in MF and FN, but bone strength plateaued between weeks 6 and 8 for LV. Our data suggest that bone formation with Scle-ab treatment is rapid and modeling formation dominated in OVX rats. Although transient, the bone formation response persists longer in cortical than trabecular bone.
Beyond machismo: intersectional Latino masculinities

Que no se nos olviden los hombres [Let us not forget the men] (Anzaldua, 1987, p. 83). Almost three decades have passed since Gloria Anzaldua published Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza, whi...
Interoception and the Neurovisceral Axis as a Modal Basis for Computational Neuroecology

The defining parameters of neuroecology stand to benefit from a phenomenological expansion that includes the role of affect qua interoception as entailing a multimodal storehouse for specialized signal processing and brain architecture within the neurovisceral axis. The relationship between the gut and the brain represents an integral axis of communication drawing from the ecosystem of the microbiome as an environment for nerve-cell processes reflecting our habits of living and the influence of the luminal environment in higher-ordered cognition. This is shown to apply in both feedforward and inferential models of interoception. A surplus of evidence in recent years indicates that interoception and interoceptive awareness play a key role in influencing adaptive behavioral strategies, cognition, homeostatic regulation, decision-making, social relations and action. The groundwork for this expansion has already been positioned by preliminary efforts to offer a physiological basis for computational neuroecology and emotion qua somatic markers. Building off of their maiden report, this paper develops the richer neuroscientific landscape underwriting somatic markers in the context of the neurovisceral axis qua interoception and biological intuition. In the process we encounter an evolutionarily-rare and morphologically-specialized type of neuron conjectured to provide an advantage for social processing that eclipses the rudimentary notion of somatic markers, alone, and thereby enriches the descriptive landscape of neuroecological phenomena. Finally, we examine the inherent signal processing dynamics in cortical laminar layers as rendered in a newly-fashioned predictive coding account of interoception as a â€œlimbic workspace theoryâ€ that interfaces with sensory signals between agranular and granular cells. Advances in predictive coding models and the free-energy principle stand poised to provide a unified model of neural signal processing encompassing sensory coding as well as adaptation in neurons, mood and behavior.The incorporation of interoceptive inference sheds critical light on anticipatory (feedback) signal-processing mechanisms in the brain. This suggests that an incorporation of interoceptive affect-in combination with cognition and adaptation-will shed critical light on further efforts to organize the driving epistemic structure and phenomenology associated with neuroecology.
Quantum chemistry as a tool to assess energetic and spectroscopic properties of C1 and C2 hydrocarbons in MOF-74-Mg

Periodic boundary conditions as implemented within a linear combination of atomic orbital approach are applied to determine the infrared spectra of methane, acetylene, ethylene, and ethane in MOF-74-Mg. Intensities and frequency shifts with respect to the molecules in the gas phase are described and discussed with respect to geometrical arrangements and structural modifications of the molecules adsorbed in the framework. Given the predictive nature of the work and in the attempt of providing a better ground for comparison with experimental spectroscopic observations, different molecular loadings are considered where one (low loading), three (medium loading), and six (full loading) molecules are adsorbed at the primary adsorption binding site identified by the MgO5 inorganic brick of the MOF structure. In addition, enthalpies of adsorption are reported for methane and acetylene whose addition to previous works by the same authors, provides an overall assessment at electronic structure level of the energetic behavior of C1–C4 hydrocarbons in MOF-74-Mg. Calculations are conducted at B3LYP-D2* level of theory as implemented in the Crystal14 program.
What Consumers Say About Nursing Homes in Online Reviews.

Background Although patient-centered care is an expressed value of our healthcare system, no studies have examined what consumers say in online reviews about nursing homes (NHs). Insight into themes addressed in these reviews could inform improvement efforts that promote patient-centered NH care. Research Design and Methods We analyzed nursing home (NH) Yelp reviews. From a list of all NHs in California, we drew a purposeful sample of 51 NHs, selecting facilities representing a range of geographical areas and occupancy rates. Two research teams analyzed the reviews using grounded theory to identify codes and tracked how frequently each code was mentioned. Results We evaluated 264 reviews, identifying 24 codes, grouped under five categories: quality of staff care and staffing; physical facility and setting; resident safety and security; clinical care quality; and financial issues. More than half (53.41%) of Yelp reviewers posted comments related to staff attitude and caring and nearly a third (29.2%) posted comments related to staff responsiveness. Yelp reviewers also often posted about NHs' physical environment. Infrequently mentioned were the quality of health care provided and concerns about resident safety and security. Discussion and Implications Our results are consistent with those from related studies. Yelp reviewers focus on NH aspects that are not evaluated in most other NH rating systems. The federal Nursing Home Compare website, for instance, does not report measures of staff attitudes or the NH's physical setting. Rather, it reports measures of staffing levels and clinical processes and outcomes. We recommend that NH consumers consult both types of rating systems because they provide complementary information.
Agents for Social (Media) Change

We are addicted to the Internet and spend a significant portion of our waking hours engaged to that virtual world through the "window" of our electronic devices. A large majority of these interactions occur on online social media. From advertising campaigns to political debates and from trending news topics to communications from family and social circles, social media platforms and services have become invaluable and irreplaceable tools for most of us. Our beliefs and preferences are increasingly shaped and defined by what we see and experience on social media. With this increased reliance also comes the uneasy realization that information and knowledge of value to us is being drowned out in the deluge of forwarded messages and targeted communication from paid advertisers on various social media platforms. This paper seeks to highlight the research challenges underlying the potential for intelligent agents to help stem the tide, to help us deliberate, prioritize and process information of value to us and to our communities, as well as help us reach out, connect to, share and disseminate mutually interesting knowledge with other users. We posit an agent-based ecosystem, where both individual users and organizations see the value and creative possibilities of agent-based solutions to critical problems of connectivity, relevance, varying interest profiles, context, etc.
Consequences of Increasing the Functional Impact of Internal Emotional Stimuli

Traditional clinical psychology has long emphasized the importance of assisting clients with emotional problems to “get in touch with their feelings” in an effort to resolve these problems. Classic learning theory applications to clinical phenomena have viewed such a process as far less relevant to the therapeutic endeavor, relative to an emphasis on changing environment-response relationships. Recent research suggests, however, that the learning position has perhaps disregarded some fundamentally important dimensions of emotional behavior which are quite deducible from learning theory on the one hand, and yet, may be analogous to some of the outcomes, if not the goals or methods, of the traditional approaches. Specifically, internal stimuli (cognitive and physiological) are very much a part of the functional environment of the individual and probably represent fundamental units of the feeling states of concern to traditional therapy. As response-produced cues, they may provide some of the most important stimuli entering into relationships with emotional responses and, consequently, represent critical variables for the modification of emotional disorders. Certainly the emergence of cognitive behavior modification (e.g., Meichenbaum, 1974) rests upon such a position and has heralded an increased attention to the critical role of cognition in mediating maladjustment and modification within the field of behavior change research.
Coating Techniques for Functional Enhancement of Metal Implants for Bone Replacement: A Review

To facilitate patient healing in injuries and bone fractures, metallic implants have been in use for a long time. As metallic biomaterials have offered desirable mechanical strength higher than the stiffness of human bone, they have maintained their place. However, in many case studies, it has been observed that these metallic biomaterials undergo a series of corrosion reactions in human body fluid. The products of these reactions are released metallic ions, which are toxic in high dosages. On the other hand, as these metallic implants have different material structures and compositions than that of human bone, the process of healing takes a longer time and bone/implant interface forms slower. To resolve this issue, researchers have proposed depositing coatings, such as hydroxyapatite (HA), polycaprolactone (PCL), metallic oxides (e.g., TiO2, Al2O3), etc., on implant substrates in order to enhance bone/implant interaction while covering the substrate from corrosion. Due to many useful HA characteristics, the outcome of various studies has proved that after coating with HA, the implants enjoy enhanced corrosion resistance and less metallic ion release while the bone ingrowth has been increased. As a result, a significant reduction in patient healing time with less loss of mechanical strength of implants has been achieved. Some of the most reliable coating processes for biomaterials, to date, capable of depositing HA on implant substrate are known as sol-gel, high-velocity oxy-fuel-based deposition, plasma spraying, and electrochemical coatings. In this article, all these coating methods are categorized and investigated, and a comparative study of these techniques is presented.
Children's Rights and the Educational Enterprise: Form versus Function.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Children includes sections that set forth mandates regarding educating children in a manner that affirms the rights of children and supports education...