cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Thinking through affect: Inuit knowledge on the tundra and in global environmental politics

Inuit residents of the Canadian Arctic balance a commitment to the land and to land-based traditions with full engagement in governance across different scales of decision-making. In this article, I suggest that thinking with and through 'affect' offers a promising approach to conceptualizing the dynamic role of Inuit knowledge across these different scales. Food sharing in remote Inuit settlements tangibly demonstrates the affective dimensions of Inuit knowledge, reflecting practices rooted in social and ethical relations with land, animals, and human community. Affect also informs the role of Inuit knowledge in international environmental negotiations. I explore this relationship in the work of the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC), an organization that advocated for a ban on persistent organic pollutants (POP) in the negotiations leading up to the Stockholm Convention. Facilitated by the gift of an Inuit carving, ICC shared a moral and ethical perspective that helped connect negotiators to the physical harms caused by pollutants. Drawing on the philosophy of former ICC Chair Sheila Watt-Cloutier and the non-capitalist framework of J.K. Gibson-Graham (2006), I examine the role this gift played in the POPs negotiations. I conclude that thinking through affect offers new ways of conceptualizing the emergent possibilities of environmental politics and practice.
DAY-ROOST SELECTION BY RAFINESQUE'S BIG-EARED BATS (CORYNORHINUS RAFINESQUII) IN LOUISIANA FORESTS

Availability of bridge roosts is a poorly understood but possibly important component underlying abundance and distribution of the potentially threatened bat Corynorhinus rafinesquii. We analyzed structural characteristics and surrounding habitat of 81 bridges in west-central Louisiana forests to determine which attributes of bridges influenced the selection of roosts by C. rafinesquii. Type of support structure under bridges, material with which bridges were built, proportion of surrounding habitat composed of mature deciduous forest, and road surface of bridges were significantly associated with selection of roost sites. On average, bats tagged with radiotransmitters roosted under bridges 50% of the time and in black gum trees (Nyssa sylvatica) 50% of the time. Preservation of bridges with beam supports and conservation of mature deciduous forest are likely to be important for maintaining populations of C. rafinesquii.
The Paradoxes Of Free Software

This paper describes the legal structure of open source software and analyzes the likely issues to arise. A combination of copyright law and trademark law serves to permit the free distribution of open source software. The software is kept under copyright, but freely licensed under one of various open source licenses. The legal structure of open source is an elegant and robust use of intellectual property law that turns the customary use of intellectual property on its head, by using intellectual property laws, which normally are used to guard exclusive rights, to safeguard free access to and use of software. The paper further discusses how open source challenges economic and philosophical theories of intellectual property. Ironically, the open source movement, with its early roots in a decidedly socialist view of software, appears to vindicate a rather free-market view of intellectual property--that market mechanisms are more efficient in overcoming market failure than corrective legal measures. Philosophically, open sources may fit best with a natural rights/personality theory, especially where open source authors frequently give away all rights except their rights to attribution and to prevent distortion. The paper further explores how open source may affect patent litigation, (especially with respect to the profound prior art problems in software patents) and other aspects of regulation of software (ranging from fair use in copyright to enforcement of licensing terms to restrictions on use of certain algorithms, like encryption). The openness of the software can cut both ways with respect to all those subjects.
Limited Liability Companies and Check the Box ? How They Affect State Tax Planning

The use of a Limited Liability Company ("LLC") as a tax planning vehicle is becoming more widespread. An LLC provides limited liability to the owners while subjecting the owners to only one level of tax. Additionally, the layering of the federal and state tax alternatives that are available through the use of a "check-the-box" election can make a limited liability company an ideal tax planning vehicle. However, care must be taken to fully explore the state and local tax ramifications before using an LLC. This article is intended to outline, in broad form, the multitude of state and local tax issues that lurk before the unwary tax practitioner. One benefit of the LLC/"check-the-box" strategy is to legally minimize a commonly owned group's state income/franchise tax liability by grouping various legal entities in a single state return. For example, this state tax reduction may be accomplished by converting corporations into disregarded entities for federal and state income tax purposes by using the "check-the-box" regulations, thereby effectively combining entities with unused tax benefits (e.g., operating losses) with entities generating taxable income. This article will provide an overview of these subjects and discuss various tax planning opportunities that are available through the use of LLCs in conjunction with the "check-the-box" regulations. This is a general discussion, and both federal and relevant state statutes should be examined carefully before any tax plan is implemented.
The Ontogeny of Encephalization: Tradeoffs Between Brain Growth, Somatic Growth, and Life History in Hominoids and Platyrrhines

This study examines variation in brain growth relative somatic growth in four hominoids and three platyrrhines to determine whether there is a trade-off during ontogeny. I predicted that somatic growth would be reduced during periods of extensive brain growth, and species with larger degrees of encephalization would reach a smaller body size at brain growth completion because more energy is directed towards the brain. I measured cranial capacity and skeletal size in over 500 skeletal specimens from wild populations. I calculated nonlinear growth curves and velocity curves to determine brain/body growth allometry during ontogeny. In addition, I calculated linear regressions to describe the brain/body allometry during the postnatal period prior to brain size reaching an asymptote. The results showed that somatic growth is not substantially reduced in species with extensive brain growth, and body size at brain growth completion was larger in species with greater degrees of encephalization. Furthermore, large body size at brain growth completion was not correlated with interbirth interval, but was significantly correlated with prolonged juvenile periods and late age at maturity when data were corrected for phylogeny. These results indicate that neither reduction in body growth nor reproductive rate are compensatory mechanisms for the energetic costs of brain growth. Other avenues for meeting energetic costs must be in effect. In addition, the results show that somatic growth in encephalized species is particularly slow during the juvenile period after brain growth at or near completion, suggesting that these growth patterns are explained by reasons other than energetic costs.
Coordinated Excitation and Inhibition of Prefrontal Ensembles during Awake Hippocampal Sharp-Wave Ripple Events

Interactions between the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex (PFC) are critical for learning and memory. Hippocampal activity during awake sharp-wave ripple (SWR) events is important for spatial learning, and hippocampal SWR activity often represents past or potential future experiences. Whether or how this reactivation engages the PFC, and how reactivation might interact with ongoing patterns of PFC activity, remains unclear. We recorded hippocampal CA1 and PFC activity in animals learning spatial tasks and found that many PFC cells showed spiking modulation during SWRs. Unlike in CA1, SWR-related activity in PFC comprised both excitation and inhibition of distinct populations. Within individual SWRs, excitation activated PFC cells with representations related to the concurrently reactivated hippocampal representation, while inhibition suppressed PFC cells with unrelated representations. Thus, awake SWRs mark times of strong coordination between hippocampus and PFC that reflects structured reactivation of representations related to ongoing experience.
Study of two-phase flow in simulated microgravity condition

The paper presents current results from an experimental investigation of interfacial structures in a two-phase flow under simulated microgravity condition. Experiments have been performed in a ground based facility wherein microgravity is simulated using two immiscible liquids of similar density. The justification for such an approach along with the selection of appropriate working fluids and some important features of the test facility are discussed. Experiments are currently being carried out in the bubbly flow and bubbly to slug flow transition regions. The flow regime map, based on visual observations, is presented and compared with those available in the literature. Local two-phase flow parameters are presented for two flow conditions.
An Evaluation of Naphthalene-Based Mesophase as a Carbon Fiber Precursor

Naphthalene-based mesophase, supplied by Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Co., Inc., (under the commercial name “AR” mesophase) and a heat-soaked mesophase pitch were melt-spun into fiberform using a pilot-scale extruder. The oxidation conditions of the as-spun fibersformed from each mesophase were optimized (based on tensile strength), and all fibers were graphitized at 2400°C. The naphthalene-based mesophase was found to be more spinnable, despite the fact thatits viscosity was more temperature-dependent than that of the heat-soaked mesophase. Also, fibers formed from the naphthalene-based mesophase were found to stabilize more rapidly than those formed from the heatsoaked mesophase. After carbonization, the naphthalene-based mesophase fibers exhibited much higher tensile strengths and moduli than equal-sized fibers produced from heat-soaked mesophase. The naphthalene-based mesophase fibers also exhibited lower electrical resistivities. Wide angle X-ray diffraction showed that the naphthalene-based mesophase fibers developed a smaller average interplanar spacing of the graphite basal planes and a larger average crystallite size than the heat-soaked mesophase pitch-based fibers.
Simulating Turbulence and Mixing in Supersonic Combustors Using Hybrid RANS/LES

Simulation results are presented for non-reacting flow within a supersonic cavity flameholder. The freestream is air at Mach 2. A case is simulated with no fuel injection and with ethylene fuel injected through holes located on the back face of the cavity. The simulations correspond to a series of experiments for which particle image velocimetry measurements of two velocity components were made within the cavity. The flow within the cavity is computed using unsteady hybrid Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes/large-eddy simulation. A thorough grid resolution study is presented in which the resolution required to resolve the flow within the cavity is determined. The influence of the level of turbulence within the oncoming boundary layer is examined and found to significantly affect the velocity field and mixing within the cavity. The effect of the side walls is investigated by comparing simulations of the full-width duct to simulations of a partial-width duct that uses periodic boundary conditions. Differences in resolved turbulence kinetic energy and mixing are seen between the full-width and partial width simulations. The results of the simulations are also compared to the velocity measurements from the experiments, and the hybrid Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes/large-eddy simulation results are found to compare reasonably well with the experiment in most locations. Improved agreement with fluctuating velocity components is found when the simulation results are filtered to a resolution corresponding to the resolution of the velocity measurement technique.
Uterus didelphia with left hematocolpos and ipsilateral renal agenesis.

We report a rare case of uterus didelphia with left hematocolpos and ipsilateral renal agenesis, associated with contralateral vesicoureteral reflux and chronic atrophic pyelonephritis. In the literature 9 cases of uterus didelphia with left hematocolpos but without concomitant reflux and recurrent bacterial pyelonephritis are reported. The embryogenesis of mullerian duct abnormalities, associated clinical findings, including abdominal tenderness and pelvic mass, diagnostic modalities of cystoscopy, excretory urography, laparoscopy and hysterosalpinography are discussed. Early accurate diagnosis and treatment will decrease morbidity and unnecessary surgical procedures.
Expression of specific granule markers on the cell surface of neutrophil cytoplasts

The widespread assumption that cytoplasts generated from human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) are vesicles consisting solely of cytoplasm surrounded by plasma membrane and devoid of granule activity remains to be tested. PMN cytoplasts were prepared by centrifugation of intact cells on a Ficoll step gradient in the presence of cytochalasin B. Two granule membrane markers, Mol, a fluorometrically detectable antigen, and cytochrome b, both of which have been shown to translocate to the plasma membrane during granule release, were compared for their activity in cytoplasts and intact PMNs. We found that the amount of Mol detected on the plasma membrane of intact PMNs, as compared with other membrane markers (such as antigens LFA-1 and beta 2m), increased 1.6-fold upon exposure of PMNs to Ficoll plus cytochalasin B prior to centrifugation. Another twofold increase in Mol expression occurred upon cytoplast preparation. Release of the granule enzymes, vitamin B12-binding protein, and lysozyme were also followed and correlated well (r = .78 and .92) with the amount of Mol antigen present on the cell surface. Cytochrome b was also found to be higher (1.4-fold) on plasma membranes isolated from cytoplasts than on plasma membranes isolated from intact control cells. These results indicate that some fusion of granule membranes and plasma membranes occurred during treatment of PMNs with Ficoll plus cytochalasin b and during cytoplast preparation.
The Role of Artifacts and Values in Project Success

Quantitative and qualitative evidence support that building activities, e.g., artifacts, affect employees’ emotions, attitudes and behavioral norms which are focused on expected project outcomes. These affect employees’ contextual performance behavior which in turn affects success. Implicatins are that, leaders can be trained to use informal levers to increase contextual performance behavior and project success.
Plasma metabolic profile delineates roles for neurodegeneration, pro-inflammatory damage and mitochondrial dysfunction in the FMR1 premutation

Carriers of premutation CGG expansions in the fragile X mental retardation 1 ( FMR1 ) gene are at higher risk of developing a late-onset neurodegenerative disorder named Fragile X-associated tremor ataxia syndrome (FXTAS). Given that mitochondrial dysfunction has been identified in fibroblasts, PBMC and brain samples from carriers as well as in animal models of the premutation and that mitochondria are at the center of intermediary metabolism, the aim of the present study was to provide a complete view of the metabolic pattern by uncovering plasma metabolic perturbations in premutation carriers. To this end, metabolic profiles were evaluated in plasma from 23 premutation individuals and 16 age- and sex-matched controls. Among the affected pathways, mitochondrial dysfunction was associated with a Warburg-like shift with increases in lactate levels and altered Krebs9 intermediates, neurotransmitters, markers of neurodegeneration and increases in oxidative stress-mediated damage to biomolecules. The number of CGG repeats correlated with a subset of plasma metabolites, which are implicated not only in mitochondrial disorders but also in other neurological diseases, such as Parkinson9s, Alzheimer9s and Huntington9s diseases. For the first time, the identified pathways shed light on disease mechanisms contributing to morbidity of the premutation, with the potential of assessing metabolites in longitudinal studies as indicators of morbidity or disease progression, especially at the early preclinical stages.
Neoadjuvant therapy for treatment of breast cancer: the way forward, or simply a convenient option for patients?

The complexity of managing early stage breast cancer is well known. Optimal treatment is increasingly multidisciplinary and in the modern era informed by sophisticated molecular tools to help select and guide therapy. Major phase III trials have determined that the order of systemic therapy relative to surgery does not influence important endpoints such as event free survival and overall survival (OS), but questions remain as to how best to utilize these most essential services. For example, there is still uncertainty regarding the ideal timing, intensity, and duration of proposed therapy. For treating physicians, evidence based standardization of these practices is both possible and critically important. Optimization of care will increasingly rely on well-designed studies that have addressed the choice as well as the timing of the steps involved in multidisciplinary breast cancer treatment. Understanding when factors under the oncologist’s control will influence outcome, cost and convenience is essential in the era of quality and value-based medical decision making. The timing of surgery before or after chemotherapy for breast cancer is one such factor. Investigators are to be commended for addressing these questions, which may generate additional hypotheses concerning the biology of metastasis and the nature of recurrence.
Diversity and Abundance of Ice Nucleating Strains of Pseudomonas syringae in a Freshwater Lake in Virginia, USA.

The bacterium Pseudomonas syringae is found in a variety of terrestrial and aquatic environments. Some strains of P. syringae express an ice nucleation protein (hereafter referred to as Ice+) allowing them to catalyze the heterogeneous freezing of water. Though P. syringae has been sampled intensively from freshwater sources in France, little is known about the genetic diversity of P. syringae in natural aquatic habitats in North America. We collected samples of freshwater from three different depths in Claytor Lake, Virginia, USA between November 2015 and June 2016. Samples were plated on non-selective medium (TSA) and on medium selective for P. syringae (KBC) and closely related species to estimate the total number of culturable bacteria and of P. syringae, respectively. A droplet freezing assay was used to screen colonies for the Ice+ phenotype. Ice+ colonies were then molecularly identified based on the cts (citrate synthase) gene and the 16S rDNA gene. Phylogenetic analysis of cts sequences showed a surprising diversity of phylogenetic subgroups of P. syringae. Frequencies of Ice+ isolates on P. syringae selective medium ranged from 0 to 15% per sample with the highest frequency being found in spring. Our work shows that freshwater lakes can be a significant reservoir of Ice+ P. syringae. Future work is needed to determine the contribution of P. syringae from freshwater lakes to the P. syringae populations present in the atmosphere and on plants and, in particular, if freshwater lakes could be an inoculum source of P. syringae-caused plant disease outbreaks.
Shock Persistence and the Choice of Foreign Exchange Regime - an Empirical Note from Mexico

The Agricultural Development Bank of Pakistan (ADBP), which provides most formal loans in Pakistan's rural areas, lends to largeholders far more than to smallholders, although the impact of credit is greater for the smallholders. Targeting credit to smallholders would make ADBP's credit scheme more cost-effective. To reach poor farmers and farmers without assets - in other words, to reduce poverty-stringent collateral requirements should be relaxed and outreach should be broadened. Both formal and informal loans matter in agriculture. But formal lenders provide much more in production lending than do informal lenders, often at a higher cost than what they can recover. The Agricultural Development Bank of Pakistan (ADBP), for example, providing about 90 percent of formal loans in rural areas, incurs high costs on loan defaults. Like other governments, the Government of Pakistan subsidized the formal scheme on the grounds that lending to agriculture is a high-risk activity because of covariate risk. Because farm credit schemes are subsidized, policymakers must know if these schemes are worth supporting. Using recent data from a large household survey from rural Pakistan, Khandker and Faruqee estimate the cost-effectiveness of the ADBP loans. To estimate credit's impact, they use a two-stage method, which takes into account the endogeneity of borrowing. Clearly, formal lenders are biased toward larger farmers with collateral. Large landowners, who tend to represent only 4 percent of rural households, get 42 percent of formal loans. Landless and subsistence farmers, who represent more than 69 percent of rural households, receive only 23 percent of formal loans. ADBP loans improve household welfare but, although large farmers receive most of the ADBP finance, the impact of credit is greater for small farmers than for large farmers. Large landowners use formal loans unproductively. Because the ADBP scheme is subsidized, it is not cost-effective for delivering rural credit. It would be more cost effective if small farmers were better targeted instead. This paper - a product of Rural Development, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to understand the cost-effectiveness of alternative credit delivery systems and their impact on rural poverty.
The Contemporary Role of Stents and Angioplasty for the Treatment of Infrapopliteal Disease in Critical Limb Ischemia

Purpose of Review Critical limb ischemia (CLI) is associated with significant morbidity, mortality, and increased health care expenses. Revascularization has a central role in the treatment of CLI. Following publication of BASIL (bypass versus angioplasty in severe ischemia of the leg) trial a decade ago, an “endovascular first” approach had gained momentum and the technologies available for endovascular therapy have exponentially increased. Both the development of technology and technique, highlighted in this review, have allowed operators to treat complex infrapopliteal lesions which are central to CLI pathology.
Geographic Information System–Based Spatial and Statistical Analysis of Severe Crash Hotspot Accessibility to Hospitals:

Previous studies have examined hospital accessibility issues, and other work has exhaustively investigated several aspects of roadway crashes, such as their severity and frequency, possible causal factors, and their clustering on networks. However, the nature of the relationship between them, in the accessibility of severe crash hotspots to hospitals with emergency services, is relatively unexplored. Looking at both elements simultaneously is especially critical, given the need to provide the necessary aid to crash victims in a timely manner to help reduce roadway deaths. To the authors’ knowledge, such an assessment has not been attempted before. The objective of this study was twofold. First, the study investigated accessibility through the use of geographic information systems and statistical analysis to detect high-risk locations. Second, the study used hierarchical multinomial logistic regression analysis to examine several environmental, traffic, and human factors to identify the determinants of the...
Antroduodenal Manometry for the Evaluation of Patients with Suspected Gastroparesis

The symptom pattern of patients with a documented delay in gastric emptying has been evaluated recently in a large cohort of patients entered in the Gastroparesis Registry supported by the NIH. The predominant symptoms of gastroparesis are nausea, vomiting, and in a large percentage of patients, abdominal pain. Nausea is the predominant symptom in 34.5% of 319 patients and occurs in 84.3% of patients. Similar numbers of these patients have vomiting (28.9%/68.7%) and abdominal pain (19.8%/71.8%) (personal communication). Interestingly, patients with chronic nausea, vomiting, or abdominal pain may have a normal gastric emptying. This chapter addresses how antroduodenal manometry can assist in managing patients with chronic nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain by measuring baseline gastric, pyloric, and small intestinal contractions and the response to a meal or drugs.
Gunshot Wound of the Aortic Arch and Esophagus: Unusual Indication for Ascending to Abdominal Aortic Bypass Graft

Repair of a gunshot wound of the aortic arch produced severe "coarctation" of the aorta at the origin of the left subclavian artery, requiring the placement of an ascending-to-abdominal aortic bypass graft. This produced an acceptable hemodynamic result, although 10 days later the patient died of infection caused by a concomitant injury of the esophagus. The operative approach for repair of complex injuries of the intrathoracic great vessels can be improved by experience with multiple approaches to elective repair of thoracic vessels.
Commonsense Reasoning in and Over Natural Language

ConceptNet is a very large semantic network of commonsense knowledge suitable for making various kinds of practical inferences over text. ConceptNet captures a wide range of commonsense concepts and relations like those in Cyc, while its simple semantic network structure lends it an ease-of-use comparable to WordNet. To meet the dual challenge of having to encode complex higher-order concepts, and maintaining ease-of-use, we introduce a novel use of semi-structured natural language fragments as the knowledge representation of commonsense concepts. In this paper, we present a methodology for reasoning flexibly about these semi-structured natural language fragments. We also examine the tradeoffs associated with representing commonsense knowledge in formal logic versus in natural language. We conclude that the flexibility of natural language makes it a highly suitable representation for achieving practical inferences over text, such as context finding, inference chaining, and conceptual analogy.
It Takes a Village to Raise an Early Childhood Music Teacher

In this column, I consider the important supporting players for an early childhood music educator: classroom teachers, administrators, support staff, parents and caregivers, and children. I argue t...
Simultaneous Transmit and Receive System with 1 GHz RF Cancellation Bandwidth

To address the challenges of the ever increasing spectrum demands, one approach is to implement in-band full duplex wireless systems. A popular approach for implementing full duplex communication without increasing resource utilization is the simultaneous transmit and receive (STAR) scheme. However, coupling of the high power transmit signals onto the colocated receiver leads to high signal interference in the operating frequency. Suppressing the high power self-interference is necessary for a successful STAR transceiver implementation, but is very challenging. In this paper, we present the design and implementation of RF self-interference cancellation filters, by suppressing the coupled signal 25dB across 1GHz bandwidth. This wideband cancellation should be contrasted to past cancellation that were narrowband and did not exceed ~100MHz bandwidth.
Trends in cervical cancer incidence rates by age, race/ethnicity, histological subtype, and stage at diagnosis in the United States.

Abstract Recent trends of cervical cancer incidence by histology and age in the United States (U.S.) have not been reported. We examined contemporary trends in cervical squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and adenocarcinoma (AC) incidence rates in the U.S. by age group, race/ethnicity, and stage at diagnosis after accounting for hysterectomy. Incidence data (1999–2015) were obtained from the U.S. Cancer Statistics Incidence Analytic Database. Hysterectomy prevalence was estimated using National Health Interview Survey data (2000–2015). Overall SCC incidence rates continued to decrease in all racial/ethnic groups except among non-Hispanic whites in whom rates stabilized in the 2010s, largely driven by stable trends in ages
Strong equivalence for $\rm LP^{MLN}$ programs.

Strong equivalence is a well-studied and important concept in answer set programming (ASP). $\rm LP^{MLN}$ is a probabilistic extension of answer set programs with the weight scheme adapted from Markov Logic. Because of the semantic differences, strong equivalence for ASP does not simply carry over to $\rm LP^{MLN}$. I study the concept of strong equivalence in $\rm LP^{MLN}$ with the goal of extending strong equivalence to $\rm LP^{MLN}$ programs. My study shows that the verification of strong equivalence in $\rm LP^{MLN}$ can be reduced to equivalence checking in classical logic plus weight consideration.The result allows us to leverage an answer set solver for checking strong equivalence in $\rm LP^{MLN}$. Furthermore, this study also suggests us a few reformulations of the $\rm LP^{MLN}$ semantics using choice rules, logic of here and there, and the second-order logic. I will present my work result of strong equivalence for $\rm LP^{MLN}$ and talk about my next steps for research: one is approximately strong equivalence, and another is the integration of fuzzy logic with neural network.
Coupled-cluster impurity solvers for dynamical mean-field theory

We describe the use of coupled-cluster theory as an impurity solver in dynamical mean-field theory (DMFT) and its cluster extensions. We present numerical results at the level of coupled-cluster theory with single and double excitations (CCSD) for the density of states and self-energies of cluster impurity problems in the one- and two-dimensional Hubbard models. Comparison to exact diagonalization shows that CCSD produces accurate density of states and self-energies at a variety of values of U/t and filling fractions. However, the low cost allows for the use of many bath sites, which we define by a discretization of the hybridization directly on the real frequency axis. We observe convergence of dynamical quantities using approximately 30 bath sites per impurity site, with our largest 4-site cluster DMFT calculation using 120 bath sites. We suggest that coupled-cluster impurity solvers will be attractive in ab initio formulations of dynamical mean-field theory.
Magnetically tunable terahertz metamaterial by polymeric microactuators (Conference Presentation)

Tunable THz metamaterials has shown great potential to solve the material challenge due to the so called “THz gap”. However, the tunable mechanism of current designs relies on using semiconductors insertions, which inevitably results in high ohmic loss, and thereby significantly degrades the performance of metamaterials. In this work, we demonstrate a novel tunable mechanism based on polymetric microactuators. Our metamaterials are fabricated on the surface of patterned pillar array of flexible polymers embedded with magnetic nanoparticles. The transmission spectrum of the metamaterial can be tuned as the pillars are mechanically deformed though applied magnetic field. Compared to previous semiconductor based tunable mechanism, our structure has shown much lower loss.
A simulation study of the influence of the traveling wave patterns on ion mobility separations in structures for lossless ion manipulations

Probing molecular properties in the gas phase requires the integration of complementary ion manipulation approaches such as ion mobility spectrometry. Structures for lossless ion manipulations (SLIM) have recently been developed to perform ultra-high resolution ion mobility separations using traveling waves as well as providing other advanced capabilities. Despite its success, the design aspects of SLIM have not been fully explored and remained largely unchanged. Here, we report on a computational study using SIMION simulations of a number of traveling wave (TW) patterns that can be used in SLIM. The TW pattern used in the current SLIM device is a set of 8 electrodes where, at any time, 4 electrodes are held at high voltage (i.e., 1111), while the other 4 electrodes are held at low voltage (i.e., 0000), forming one micro-trapping region of 11110000 pattern. Ion trajectory simulations demonstrated the feasibility to simplify the 8-electrode set to a shorter pattern (e.g., 6-electrode or 4-electrode set) while maintaining or improving the performance. The RF and TW amplitudes, guard voltage, and TW speed were optimized subsequently on the symmetric patterns of the 4-, 6-, and 8-electrode sets to further improve the performance. The resolution, peak broadening, peak capacity, and peak generation rate of each pattern were evaluated, showing that the 111000 pattern of the 6-electrode set has comparable performance to the current 11110000 pattern and is always better than the 1100 pattern. This work provides insight into the feasibility for simplification and modification of the TW configuration in SLIM and other traveling wave devices.
Evaluation of altered environmental conditions as a decontamination approach for nonspore-forming biological agents.

Aims The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of altered environmental conditions on the persistence of Francisella tularensis bacteria and Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV), on two material types. Methods and results Francisella tularensis (F.t.) and VEEV were inoculated (c. 1 × 108 colony-forming units or PFU), dried onto porous and nonporous fomites (glass and paper), and exposed to combinations of altered environmental conditions ranging from 22 to 60°C and 30 to 75% relative humidity (RH). Viability of test organism was assessed after contact times ranging from 30 min to 10 days. Inactivation rates of F.t. and VEEV increased as both temperature and/or RH were increased. Greater efficacy was observed for paper as compared to glass for both test organisms. Conclusions The use of elevated temperature and RH increased rate of inactivation for both organisms and greater than six log reduction was accomplished in as little as 6 h by elevating temperature to approximately 60°C. Significance and impact of the study These results provide information for inactivation of nonspore-forming select agents using elevated temperature and humidity which may aid incident commanders following a biological contamination incident by providing alternative methods for remediation.
O-GlcNAc transferase inhibits visceral fat lipolysis and promotes diet-induced obesity

Excessive visceral fat accumulation is a primary risk factor for metabolically unhealthy obesity and related diseases. The visceral fat is highly susceptible to the availability of external nutrients. Nutrient flux into the hexosamine biosynthetic pathway leads to protein posttranslational modification by O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) moieties. O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) is responsible for the addition of GlcNAc moieties to target proteins. Here, we report that inducible deletion of adipose OGT causes a rapid visceral fat loss by specifically promoting lipolysis in visceral fat. Mechanistically, visceral fat maintains a high level of O-GlcNAcylation during fasting. Loss of OGT decreases O-GlcNAcylation of lipid droplet-associated perilipin 1 (PLIN1), which leads to elevated PLIN1 phosphorylation and enhanced lipolysis. Moreover, adipose OGT overexpression inhibits lipolysis and promotes diet-induced obesity. These findings establish an essential role for OGT in adipose tissue homeostasis and indicate a unique potential for targeting O-GlcNAc signaling in the treatment of obesity.
Effects of inorganic and organic dietary copper supplementation on growth performance and tissue composition for juvenile red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus L.)

A feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the dietary copper requirement of red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) and compare the bioavailability of copper sulphate (CuSO₄) and copper‐ethanolamine. A basal diet was formulated using semi‐purified ingredients and analysed to contain 3 mg Cu/kg. Both copper sources were supplemented to the basal diet at either 5, 10 or 20 mg Cu/kg of dry diet. No significant differences were observed in growth performance of fish fed the various diets. However, red drum fed all copper‐supplemented diets retained more copper in liver and whole‐body tissues compared to fish fed the basal diet. Within both inorganic and organic copper treatments, the highest tissue copper concentrations were observed in fish fed diets supplemented with 10 mg Cu/kg. No significant differences were detected in net copper retention regardless of the nature of the copper source; hence, the bioavailability of copper sulphate and copper‐ethanolamine complex was not different in the diets for juvenile red drum. Furthermore, the minimum copper requirement for growth performance of juvenile red drum appeared to be satisfied when fish were fed the basal diet containing 3 mg Cu/kg diet, and no detrimental effects were observed in red drum fed diets supplemented with 20 mg Cu/kg.
Some Implications of Invariant Model of Boltzmann Statistical Mechanics to the Gap Between Physics and Mathematics

Some implications of a scale-invariant model of Boltzmann statistical mechanics to physical foundation of the gap between physics and mathematics, Riemann hypothesis, analytic number theory, Cantor uncountability theorem, continuum hypothesis, Goldbach conjecture, and Russell paradox are studied. Quantum nature of space and time is described by introduction of dependent internal measures of space and time called spacetime and independent external measures of space and time. Because of its hyperbolic geometry, its discrete fabric, and its stochastic atomic motions, physical space is called Lobachevsky-Poincare-Dirac-Space.
The Effect of Atmospheric Transmissivity on Model and Observational Estimates of the Sea Ice Albedo Feedback

AbstractThe sea ice-albedo feedback (SIAF) is the product of the ice sensitivity (IS), that is, how much the surface albedo in sea ice regions changes as the planet warms, and the radiative sensiti...
Dimensionality, symmetry and the Inverse Square Law

Kant suggested that Newton's Inverse Square Law (ISL) determines the dimensions of space to be three. Much has been written in the philosophical literature about Kant's suggestion, including specif...
Variable Topology “Tree-Like” Continuum Robots for Remote Inspection and Cleaning

We discuss a novel variable topology continuum robot designed and constructed under NASA-funded research. The robot features a seven degree of freedom continuous backbone “trunk”, with two pairs of “branches”: two “tendril” effectors and two support “roots”. Each of the pairs of branches can be fully retracted inside the trunk, allowing it to penetrate congested environments as a single slender unit, and subsequently deploy the branches to perform a variety of tasks. The “roots” provide physical support, while the two effectors and trunk tip enable independent but coordinated functionality: sensing (vision) in one tendril, and manipulation at two scales, via the second tendril and the trunk tip. The specifics of the new design are described and discussed in detail. We illustrate the operation and potential applications of the new design via a series of demonstrations, particularly cleaning of dust from solar panels.
Brain metabolites in cholinergic and glutamatergic pathways are altered by pancreatic cancer cachexia.

Background Cachexia is a major cause of morbidity in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients. Our purpose was to understand the impact of PDAC-induced cachexia on brain metabolism in PDAC xenograft studies, to gain new insights into the causes of cachexia-induced morbidity. Changes in mouse and human plasma metabolites were characterized to identify underlying causes of brain metabolic changes. Methods We quantified metabolites, detected with high-resolution 1 H magnetic resonance spectroscopy, in the brain and plasma of normal mice (n = 10) and mice bearing cachexia (n = 10) or non-cachexia (n = 9) inducing PDAC xenografts as well as in human plasma obtained from normal individuals (n = 24) and from individuals with benign pancreatic disease (n = 20) and PDAC (n = 20). Statistical significance was defined as a P value ≤0.05. Results The brain metabolic signature of cachexia-inducing PDAC was characterized by a significant depletion of choline of -27% and -21% as well as increases of glutamine of 13% and 9% and formate of 21% and 14%, relative to normal controls and non-cachectic tumour-bearing mice, respectively. Good to moderate correlations with percent weight change were found for choline (r = 0.70), glutamine (r = -0.58), and formate (r = -0.43). Significant choline depletion of -38% and -30%, relative to normal controls and non-cachectic tumour-bearing mice, respectively, detected in the plasma of cachectic mice likely contributed to decreased brain choline in cachectic mice. Similarly, relative to normal controls and patients with benign disease, choline levels in human plasma samples of PDAC patients were significantly lower by -12% and -20% respectively. A comparison of plasma metabolites from PDAC patients with and without weight loss identified significant changes in glutamine metabolism. Conclusions Disturbances in metabolites of the choline/cholinergic and glutamine/glutamate/glutamatergic neurotransmitter pathways may contribute to morbidity. Metabolic normalization may provide strategies to reduce morbidity. The human plasma metabolite changes observed may lead to the development of companion diagnostic markers to detect PDAC and PDAC-induced cachexia.
Effects of milk banking procedures on nutritional and bioactive components of donor human milk.

Abstract Pasteurized donor human milk is in wide use for preterm infants in neonatal intensive care units when maternal milk is unavailable. Pasteurization of donor milk is required to prevent bacterial contamination, and multiple methods are used in the non-profit and commercial milk banking industries. Pasteurization results in changes in the nutrient and bioactive components in donor milk compared to unpasteurized human milk, and these changes vary by the type of pasteurization process. Other milk bank practices including freezing of milk, pooling of milk from multiple donors and use of pre-processing macronutrient analysis also affect the nutritional composition of donor milk. This review compiles evidence regarding three common pasteurization techniques for donor milk: Holder pasteurization, vat pasteurization, and retort pasteurization and their effects on the nutritional content and bioactive factors in human milk. It also includes review of literature investigating the impact of freezing and storage, and best practices for multi-donor milk pooling.
The interaction between lifetime depression severity and BMI is related to altered activation pattern in the right inferior frontal gyrus during food anticipation

BackgroundDepression and obesity often co-occur but the underlying neural mechanisms for this bidirectional link are not well understood. Using fMRI, we examined how the relationship between Body Mass Index (BMI) and dimensional lifetime depression severity was associated with brain activation during food anticipation and pleasant/unpleasant rating. Methods90 participants (48 healthy controls, 42 with unipolar depression (UD), 69 female, age=28.5{+/-}6.6) were fMRI-scanned while performing the Food and Object Cued Encoding task consisting of food/object anticipation and food/object pleasant/unpleasant rating phases. ResultsThe analysis across all participants revealed a significant BMI-by-lifetime depression severity interaction on RIFG activation during food anticipation (p<0.0125). Most symptomatic and overweight/obese individuals with UD showed decreased right inferior frontal gyrus (RIFG) activation during food anticipation, while less symptomatic and/or normal-weight individuals with UD showed increased RIFG activation during food anticipation. RIFG activation during food anticipation was negatively correlated with RIFG activation during pleasant/unpleasant rating (r= -0.63, p<0.001). Individuals with UD who showed higher RIFG activation for food items during pleasant/unpleasant rating reported liking or wanting those food items less than those with lower RIFG activation (p<0.05). ConclusionsThe IFG is involved in emotion regulation and response inhibition necessary to control appetitive behavior. Greater RIFG activation during pleasant/unpleasant rating of food coupled with low ratings of food liking and wanting could be associated with inhibition of cognitive and emotional response to food in UD. This process may be cognitively challenging and stressful thus putting affected individuals with UD at risk for weight gain and worsening of depression.
4CPS-322 Adalimumab concentrations prior to the implementation of therapeutic drug monitoring in patients with inflammatory bowel disease

Background and importance Adalimumab (ADA), an anti-TNF agent, has been shown to effectively induce and maintain remission in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The usual recommended dose in the maintenance phase is 40 mg every 14 days. The formation of anti-adalimumab antibodies (AAA) reduces plasma ADA serum concentrations (ADAsc), as well as its efficacy. Aim and objectives The aim of the study was to analyse ADAsc and the presence of AAA in patients with IBD prior to the implementation of dose optimisation through therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM). The secondary objectives were to evaluate changes in the posology and to characterise the symptoms of IBD. Material and methods A retrospective observational study was conducted in patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) or ulcerative colitis (UC) on maintenance therapy with ADA during a follow-up period of 3 years (July 2016 to April 2019) before applying TDM in a tertiary referral centre. The concentrations of ADA and AAA were determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. The therapeutic range (TR) of ADA, according to the hospital protocol, is 8–12 µg/mL. Biodemographic, analytical and clinical data were collected from the clinical history. Results 165 patients (53.0% women) were included, 132 (80.0%) with CD. Mean age was 40.00 (SD 12.4) years. At the beginning of the study, 119 (72.1%) patients received ADA 40 mg every 14 days and 46 (27.1%) intensified regimens. The average concentration of ADA was 7.24 (SD 3.6) µg/mL and 82 (49.7%) patients had ADAsc outside the TR. We observed AAA in 16 (9.7%) patients. Of these, 15 (93.7%) had ADAsc outside the TR. During the study, regimen intensification was conducted in 34 (20.6%) patients. Finally, regarding patients with ADAsc outside the TR, 35 (42.7%) presented with abdominal symptoms and/or systemic manifestations. Conclusion and relevance ADAsc outside the TR were observed in half of the patients, in approximately 1 in every 10 patients AAA were detected and 42.7% of patients with ADAsc outside the TR presented with symptoms. Implementation of a TDM might be a useful tool for managing patients with IBD on biologic therapy to reduce the number of patients with ADAsc outside the TR. References and/or acknowledgements Conflict of interest No conflict of interest