cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Diurnal patterns of bidirectional vegetation indices for wheat canopies

Abstract The perpendicular vegetation index (PVI) and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) were calculated from Mark II radiometer RED (0.63-0.69 μm) and NIR (0.76–0.90 μ) bidirectional radiance observations for wheat canopies. Measurements were taken over the plant development interval flag leaf expansion to watery ripeness of the kernels during which the leaf area index (LAI) decreased from 40 to 2-5. Spectral data were taken on four cloudless days five times (09.30, 11.00, 12.30, 14.00 and 15.30 hours (central standard time, C.S.T.) at five view zenith, Zv (0, 15, 30,45 and 60°) and eight view azimuth angles relative to the Sun, Av (0, 45, 90, 135, 180, 225, 270 and 315°). The PVI was corrected to a common solar irradiance (PVIC) based on simultaneously observed insolation readings. The PVIC at nadir view (Ž=0°) increased as (l/cosZs) increased on all the measurement days whereas the NDVI changed little as solar zenith angle (Zs) changed. Thus, the PVIC responded to increasing path length thro...
Extremely nonlinear nano-modified liquid and liquid crystal optical metamaterials

We present an overview of nano-dispersed nonlinear organic liquids and liquid crystals and several nonlinear optical processes enabled by these extremely nonlinear optical metamaterials. In particular, we have developed a neat organic liquid that possess extraordinarily large femtoseconds-, picoseconds-, and nanoseconds- nonlinear multi-photon absorption properties well suited for optical limiting applications [1, 2]. Using this liquid as the wave-guiding core in fiber arrays, we have developed wide field of view imaging faceplate that could also act as passive sensor protection devices against visible pulsed lasers in the femtoseconds - nanoseconds time scale. Recent experiments have also confirmed that gold nano-spheres doped neat nonlinear liquids could extend the bandwidth of efficient all-optical switching operation from the visible to near infrared regime, and for time scales ranging through the microseconds to cw regime [3].
Associations of family meal frequency with family meal habits and meal preparation characteristics among families of youth with type 1 diabetes.

Background While benefits of family mealtimes, such as improved dietary quality and increased family communication, have been well-documented in the general population, less is known about family meal habits that contribute to more frequent family meals in youth with type 1 diabetes. Methods This cross-sectional study surveyed 282 youth ages 8–18 years with type 1 diabetes and their parents on measures regarding diabetes-related and dietary behaviours. T-tests determined significant differences in youth's diet quality, adherence to diabetes management and glycaemic control between those with and without regular family meals (defined as ≥5 meals per week). Logistic regression analyses determined unadjusted and adjusted associations of age, socio-demographics, family meal habits, and family meal preparation characteristics with regular family meals. Results 57% of parents reported having regular family meals. Families with regular family meals had significantly better diet quality as measured by the Healthy Eating Index (P < 0.05) and the NRF9.3 (P < 0.01), and adherence to diabetes management (P < 0.001); the difference in glycaemic control approached statistical significance (P = 0.06). Priority placed on, pleasant atmosphere and greater structure around family meals were each associated with regular family meals (P < 0.05). Meals prepared at home were positively associated with regular family meals, while convenience and fast foods were negatively associated (P < 0.05). Families in which at least one parent worked part-time or stayed at home were significantly more likely to have regular family meals than families in which both parents worked full-time (P < 0.05). In the multivariate logistic regression model, greater parental priority given to family mealtimes (P < 0.001) and more home-prepared meals (P < 0.001) predicted occurrence of regular family meals; adjusting for parent work status and other family meal habits. Conclusions Strategies for promoting families meals should not only highlight the benefits of family meals, but also facilitate parents' skills for and barriers to home-prepared meals.
The evolution of endovascular treatment for intracranial arteriovenous malformations

Endovascular therapy for arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) remains a relatively new approach. Beginning in the 1960s with the use of flow-directed techniques for selective embolization, hemodynamic alterations have been used to treat these lesions. In every aspect of treatment, technological advances, including catheters, embolic materials, angiography suites, and pharmacological agents, have improved outcomes while lowering the risk to patients. In this article, the authors review the technical evolution of endovascular AVM therapy. Developments in embolic materials, beginning with foreign bodies and autografts and continuing through to highly engineered contemporary substances, are discussed. Finally, changes in treatment paradigms that have occurred over the years are traced. Within neurosurgery, this specialty has shown some of the fastest growth and development in recent decades. As minimally invasive approaches are embraced in all areas of medicine, it is clear that this treatment modality will continue to be refined.
The trauma of interpersonal violence

Abstract This article weaves together the author's personal, political, and professional route toward an understanding of interpersonal violence and the gradual development of a model of clinical assessment and treatment. Her work is organized around two central concepts: 1) Self‐determination, and 2) Self‐disclosure. The model integrates family systems and psychodynamic theories as well as drawing on the resources of self‐help groups.
Purification of alpha-1-proteinase inhibitor: Preparation and properties of a therapeutic concentrate

Alpha-1-proteinase inhibitor (human) (A1PI) has now been prepared as a lyophilized concentrate and has been tested clinically in humans with A1PI deficiency (also called alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency). The protein was purified from plasma (Cohn fraction IV-1) by precipitation and ion-exchange chromatography. The resulting product behaves almost indentically to the A1PI in plasma, showing that the process is gentle and nondenaturing. In order to lower the risk of transmission of disease, the product has been heat-treated. Although this resulted in some aggregation of protein, no new antigenic sites were created. Biologic, immunologic, and physiologic studies have shown that the protein behaves normally.
A partial order approach for low complexity control of block triangular hybrid automata

This paper addresses the safety control problem for a class of block triangular order preserving hybrid automata. In particular, the partial order structure of the system is exploited to obtain two main contributions. First, conditions are provided for the termination of the proposed algorithm. Second, the control algorithm has linear complexity in the number of variables.
Pathologic quiz case: A 46-year-old woman with a brain tumor

A woman initially presented to our institution with sudden onset of headache, retro-orbital eye pain, nausea, and vomiting. Over the preceding several months, she suffered from ‘‘forgetfulness.’’ The patient’s past medical history was significant for a herniated disk and a tonsillectomy. Physical examination documented mild anisocoria and normal mini-mental status examination. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain showed a 3.7 3 2.2 3 3.0-cm, lobulated, homogeneously enhancing, extra-axial mass in the right middle cranial fossa, abutting the greater wing of the sphenoid bone and invaginating into the right temporal lobe (Figure 1). Edema of the right temporal lobe, displacement of the right middle cerebral
Differences in Teacher Efficacy Related to Career Commitment of Novice Agriculture Teachers

This exploratory descriptive study investigated the differences between teacher efficacy of novice teachers based on relatively low and high levels of career commitment. The population was 91 novice teachers in their first, second, and third years of teaching in agricultural education in Ohio. The teachers were split into two groups based on their median scores of career commitment. Although the two groups had the same teacher efficacy at the beginning of the school year, teachers with higher career commitment were more efficacious after the first 10 weeks of the school year than the teachers with lower career commitment. Moreover, teachers with lower career commitment experienced a decline in their teacher efficacy while teachers with higher career commitment did not change in their teacher efficacy from week 1 to week 10. There was a small relationship between career commitment and tenth week teacher efficacy.
Optical processes for middle atmospheric Doppler lidars: Cabannes scattering and laser-induced resonance fluorescence

The problem of light scattering from a monochromatic laser beam by an ensemble of atmospheric atoms or molecules in thermal equilibrium under ambient wind and temperature is revisited with two emphases. First, the essence of and difference between laser Cabannes scattering (CS) and laser-induced resonance fluorescence (LIF), which permit atmospheric temperature and wind measurements, are simply presented. A classical model is shown to yield the same angular distribution in scattered power for both, a factor of two larger Doppler shift for the former (CS), in the backward direction with the same line-of-sight (LOS) wind, and a dramatic 17 order larger backscattering cross section for the latter (LIF). Second, the LIF process is developed from first principles, and we present the relations between absorption cross section, differential scattering cross sections, and LIF emission spectrum for atoms with hyperfine structure. By doing this, we (1) equate the decoherence rate among the mixed excited substates to half of the Einstein coefficient to comply with energy conservation, and (2) present a clear physical insight into the origin of the Hanle effect, whose quantitative evaluation for these atoms requires quantum mechanical treatment. We then derive LIF emission rates for each of the eight and 10 pathways associated with the D1 and D2 transitions, and deduce the temperature and LOS wind dependence in differential backscattering cross sections of atmospheric sodium and potassium atoms. Using these cross sections allows retrieval of atmospheric parameters in the mesopause region (80–110 km in altitude) by a metal resonance lidar.
Colonization of internal organs by Salmonella Enteritidis in experimentally infected laying hens housed in enriched colony cages at different stocking densities

Epidemiologic analyses have linked the frequency of human infections with Salmonella enterica subspecies enterica serovar Enteritidis to the consumption of contaminated eggs and thus to the prevalence of this pathogen in commercial egg-laying flocks. Contamination of the edible contents of eggs by Salmonella Enteritidis is a consequence of the colonization of reproductive tissues in systemically infected hens. The animal welfare implications of laying hen housing systems have been widely debated, but no definitive consensus has yet emerged about the food safety significance of poultry housing options. The present study sought to determine the effects of two different bird stocking densities on the invasion of internal organs by Salmonella Enteritidis in groups of experimentally infected laying hens housed in colony cages enriched with perching and nesting areas. In two trials, groups of laying hens were distributed at two different stocking densities into colony cages and (along with a group housed in conventional cages) orally inoculated with doses of 1.0 × 10(7) cfu of Salmonella Enteritidis. At 5 to 6 d post-inoculation, hens were euthanized and samples of internal organs were removed for bacteriologic culturing. For both trials combined, Salmonella Enteritidis was recovered at a significantly (P < 0.05) greater frequency from hens in enriched colony cages at the higher stocking density than at the lower density from livers (75.0% vs. 51.4%) and ovaries (51.4% vs. 30.6%). However, spleens from hens in enriched colony cages at the higher stocking density were significantly less often positive for Salmonella Enteritidis than from hens in conventional cages at that same density (90.3% vs. 68.1%). These results suggest that stocking density can influence the susceptibility of hens to Salmonella Enteritidis, but other housing systems parameters may also contribute to the outcome of infections.
Why medicine residencies

Over the last several decades the context of the medicine residency has changed. These changes are described and attributed in considerable degree to bureaucratic impositions. I consider it paradoxic that there is finally a move afoot to reverse the changing nature of medicine residencies, yet this effort appears in the form of yet another bureaucratic imposition.
Species Distribution Modeling of Deep Pelagic Eels

The ocean's midwaters (the mesopelagic and bathypelagic zones) make up the largest living space on the planet, but are undersampled and relatively poorly understood. The true distribution of many midwater species, let alone the abiotic factors most important in determining that distribution, is not well known. Because collecting specimens and data from the deep ocean is expensive and logistically difficult, it would be useful to be able to predict where species of interest are likely to occur so that sampling effort can be concentrated in appropriate areas. The distribution of two representative midwater fishes, the gulper eel Eurypharynx pelecanoides and the bobtail eel Cyema atrum (Teleostei: Saccopharyngiformes), were modeled with MaxEnt software to examine the viability of species distribution modeling (SDM) for globally distributed midwater fishes using currently available environmental data from the ocean surface and bottom. These species were chosen because they are relatively abundant, easily recognized, and unlikely to have been misidentified in database records, and are true midwater fishes, not known to undertake significant vertical diurnal migration. Models for both species show a generally worldwide distribution with some exceptions, including the Southern Ocean and Bering Sea. Variable contributions show that surface and bottom environmental variables correlate with species presence. Both species are more likely to be found in areas with low levels of silicate. SDM is a promising method for better understanding the ecology of midwater organisms.
A Novel Non-Replication Competent Cytomegalovirus Capsid Mutant Vaccine Strategy Is Effective in Reducing Congenital Infection

ABSTRACT Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is a leading cause of mental retardation and deafness in newborns. The guinea pig is the only small animal model for congenital CMV infection. A novel CMV vaccine was investigated as an intervention strategy against congenital guinea pig cytomegalovirus (GPCMV) infection. In this disabled infectious single-cycle (DISC) vaccine strategy, a GPCMV mutant virus was used that lacked the ability to express an essential capsid gene (the UL85 homolog GP85 ) except when grown on a complementing cell line. In vaccinated animals, the GP85 mutant virus (GP85 DISC) induced an antibody response to important glycoprotein complexes considered neutralizing target antigens (gB, gH/gL/gO, and gM/gN). The vaccine also generated a T cell response to the pp65 homolog (GP83), determined via a newly established guinea pig gamma interferon enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot assay. In a congenital infection protection study, GP85 DISC-vaccinated animals and a nonvaccinated control group were challenged during pregnancy with wild-type GPCMV (10 5 PFU). The pregnant animals carried the pups to term, and viral loads in target organs of pups were analyzed. Based on live pup births in the vaccinated and control groups (94.1% versus 63.6%), the vaccine was successful in reducing mortality ( P = 0.0002). Additionally, pups from the vaccinated group had reduced CMV transmission, with 23.5% infected target organs versus 75.9% in the control group. Overall, these preliminary studies indicate that a DISC CMV vaccine strategy has the ability to induce an immune response similar to that of natural virus infection but has the increased safety of a non-replication-competent virus, which makes this approach attractive as a CMV vaccine strategy. IMPORTANCE Congenital CMV infection is a leading cause of mental retardation and deafness in newborns. An effective vaccine against CMV remains an elusive goal despite over 50 years of CMV research. The guinea pig, with a placenta structure similar to that in humans, is the only small animal model for congenital CMV infection and recapitulates disease symptoms (e.g., deafness) in newborn pups. In this report, a novel vaccine strategy against congenital guinea pig cytomegalovirus (GPCMV) infection was developed, characterized, and tested for efficacy. This disabled infectious single-cycle (DISC) vaccine strategy induced a neutralizing antibody or a T cell response to important target antigens. In a congenital infection protection study, animals were protected against CMV in comparison to the nonvaccinated group (52% reduction of transmission). This novel vaccine was more effective than previously tested gB-based vaccines and most other strategies involving live virus vaccines. Overall, the DISC vaccine is a safe and promising approach against congenital CMV infection.
Sequent calculus as a compiler intermediate language

The λ-calculus is popular as an intermediate language for practical compilers. But in the world of logic it has a lesser-known twin, born at the same time, called the sequent calculus. Perhaps that would make for a good intermediate language, too? To explore this question we designed Sequent Core, a practically-oriented core calculus based on the sequent calculus, and used it to re-implement a substantial chunk of the Glasgow Haskell Compiler.
Light Sources, Drugs, and Dosimetry

This chapter will address the technical and physical aspects of the light sources, delivery devices, and photosensitizers used in ENT photodynamic therapy (PDT). Effective delivery of treatment light to the target tissue requires appropriate matching of the light source to the tissue, the sensitizer, and the delivery device. Lasers, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and lamps are three main conventional categories of light sources used for PDT applications. Tumor location, photosensitizer, and optical dose are determining factors for the choice of the light source for PDT. Head and neck cases present a particular challenge, as the geometry is often minimally accessible to external optical fibers. The delivery device, typically an optical fiber with a directional or diffusing termination, must be chosen to match the target area and the surrounding geometry. Tissue optics also plays a critical role in the distribution of treatment light in tissue. Scattering is the dominant mechanism of light attenuation in tissue, except in highly pigmented tissues and short wavelengths, where absorption is the dominant attenuation process. In this chapter, we summarize the basic physics of drugs, and light sources, and describe the methods available to assess the dose delivered to the patient.
Approaches to Region of Interest Tomography

The objective of computed tomography is to obtain good quality images while keeping the dose to the patient as low as possible. Unfortunately, the interdependence of patient dose, contrast and spatial resolution puts limitations on the arbitrary variations of these parameters. In other words, one can not change one without affecting the others. In some clinical situations, reconstruction of the whole slice is not needed, especially when a disease is well localized from a previous study and a follow-up scan of the same area is required. If one could scan and reconstruct only the region of interest (ROI) one could increase the spatial resolution within the region of interest and reduce the dose in the outside region. However, it should be remembered that since the same dose-contrast-resolution relation mentioned earlier still applies, in order to improve the resolution within the ROI one would also have to increase the dose in that region. Thus the region of interest tomography techniques could involve a redistribution of the dose within the whole slice if one tries to improve the resolution within the ROI.
Effects of terrain variations in Wireless Sensor Network deployments

This research highlights the need for more accurate wireless sensor network deployments (WSN) models to support decision-making. Specifically, it presents the effects of terrain variations on network connectivity in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) deployments. Through use of statistical hypothesis testing, visualization, and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), results support significant difference in network connectivity when comparing deployment performance under ideal versus more practical or irregular terrains. These results point to the inadequacy of current simulation environments for supporting deployment decision-making, and point to the need for future research that that improves WSN performance via better deployment techniques.
Engineering the performance of metal/insulator/metal devices with ALD nanolaminate insulators

Thin film metal-insulator-metal (MIM) devices find application not only as back-end-of-line (BEOL) capacitors (MIMCAPs), but also as tunnel diodes for optical rectenna based IR energy harvesting, IR detectors, large area macroelectronics, hot electron transistors, and as selector devices to avoid sneak leakage in resistive memory (RRAM) crossbar arrays. This invited talk will highlight how nanolaminate combinations of insulators deposited via atomic layer deposition (ALD) can be used to enhance the performance of MIIM diodes and MIIM capacitors as well as discuss reliability issues.
I've Got a Testimony: James Baldwin and the Broken Silences of Black Queer Men

James Baldwin writes within and against the testimonial tradition emerging from the Black Church, challenging the institution’s refusal to acknowledge the voices and experiences of black queer men. Baldwin’s autobiographical novel, Go Tell It on the Mountain , creates a space for Baldwin’s testimony to be expressed, and also lays the foundation for a tradition of black queer artists to follow. In the contemporary moment, poet Danez Smith inhabits Baldwin’s legacy, offering continuing critiques of the rigidity of conservative Christian ideologies, while publishing and performing poetry that gives voice to their own experiences, and those of the black queer community at large. These testimonies ultimately function as a means of rhetorical resistance, which not only articulates black queer lives and identities, but affirms them.
ENVIRONMENTAL MINERALOGY: MICROBIAL INTERACTIONS, ANTHROPOGENIC INFLUENCES, CONTAMINATED LAND, AND WASTE MANAGEMENT.J.D. Cotter-Howells, L.S. Campbell, E. Valsami-Jones, and M. Batchelder, Eds. (2000) The Mineralogical Society Series, no. 9, 414 p. The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain & Ireland, London. $70 ($45 for members of the Mineralogical Society, $55 for members of associated societies.)

The editors of this book, whose subtitle could as well have been Cose Fan Tutti , tell us in its Preface that Environmental Mineralogy is but a new application of traditional mineralogy, one fomented by growing concern (evidently among mineralogists) “regarding the environments in which we live.” More specifically, there appears to be concern among mineralogists that not enough is known about mineral structure and reactivity in surficial environments, where humans now hold sway over the “brutes and vegetables,” as the savants in simpler times used to aver. In other words, Environmental Mineralogy …
Gibbs Sampler-Based λ-Dynamics and Rao–Blackwell Estimator for Alchemical Free Energy Calculation

λ-dynamics is a generalized ensemble method for alchemical free energy calculations. In traditional λ-dynamics, the alchemical switch variable λ is treated as a continuous variable ranging from 0 to 1 and an empirical estimator is utilized to approximate the free energy. In the present article, we describe an alternative formulation of λ-dynamics that utilizes the Gibbs sampler framework, which we call Gibbs sampler-based λ-dynamics (GSLD). GSLD, like traditional λ-dynamics, can be readily extended to calculate free energy differences between multiple ligands in one simulation. We also introduce a new free energy estimator, the Rao–Blackwell estimator (RBE), for use in conjunction with GSLD. Compared with the current empirical estimator, the advantage of RBE is that RBE is an unbiased estimator and its variance is usually smaller than the current empirical estimator. We also show that the multistate Bennett acceptance ratio equation or the unbinned weighted histogram analysis method equation can be derive...
Enzymatic Characterization of Fructose 1,6-Bisphosphatase II from Francisella tularensis , an Essential Enzyme for Pathogenesis

The glpX gene from Francisella tularensis encodes for the class II fructose 1,6-bisphosphatase (FBPaseII) enzyme. The glpX gene has been verified to be essential in F. tularensis, and the inactivation of this gene leads to impaired bacterial growth on gluconeogenic substrates. In the present work, we have complemented a ∆glpX mutant of Escherichia coli with the glpX gene of F. tularensis (FTF1631c). Our complementation work independently verifies that the glpX gene (FTF1631c) in F. tularensis is indeed an FBPase and supports the growth of the ΔglpX E. coli mutant on glycerol-containing media. We have performed heterologous expression and purification of the glpX encoded FBPaseII in F. tularensis. We have confirmed the function of glpX as an FBPase and optimized the conditions for enzymatic activity. Mn2+ was found to be an absolute requirement for activity, with no other metal substitutions rendering the enzyme active. The kinetic parameters for this enzyme were found as follows: Km 11 μM, Vmax 2.0 units/mg, kcat 1.2 s−1, kcat/Km 120 mM−1 s−1, and a specific activity of 2.0 units/mg. Size exclusion data suggested an abundance of a tetrameric species in solution. Our findings on the enzyme’s properties will facilitate the initial stages of a structure-based drug design program targeting this essential gene of F. tularensis.
Periodontal Disease Associated with Aortic Arch Atheroma in Patients with Stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack

Background Periodontal disease (PD) is associated with recurrent vascular event in stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). In this study, we investigated whether PD is independently associated with aortic arch atheroma (AA). We also explored the relationship PD has with AA plaque thickness and other characteristics associated with atheroembolic risk among patients with stroke or TIA. Finally, we confirmed the association between AA and recurrent vascular event in patients with stroke or TIA. Methods In this prospective longitudinal hospital-based cohort study, PD was assessed in patients with stroke and TIA. Patients with confirmed stroke and TIA (n = 106) were assessed by calibrated dental examiners to determine periodontal status and were followed over a median of 24 months for recurrent vascular events (stroke, myocardial infarction, and death). The extent of AA and other plaque characteristics was assessed by transesophageal echocardiography. Results Within our patient cohort, 27 of the 106 participants had recurrent vascular events (including 16 with stroke or TIA) over the median of 24-month follow-up. Severe PD was associated with increased AA plaque thickness and calcification. The results suggest that PD may be a risk factor for AA. In this cohort, we confirm the association of severe AA with recurrent vascular events. Conclusions In patients with stroke or TIA, severe PD is associated with increased AA plaque thickness, a risk factor for recurrent events. Further studies are needed to confirm this finding and to determine whether treatment of PD can reduce the rate of AA plaque progression and recurrent vascular events.
Poster: ARM Errata and their Software Workarounds

Like software, hardware also has bugs. These bugs, or errata, can cause unexpected behaviors, reducing performance and causing malfunctions in the entire system. As there is no way to fix an erratum after hardware is deployed, its harmful effects are often mitigated by software workarounds, usually in low-level software such as operating system. The goal of our work is to ensure system correctness and security against the harmful effects of errata and their workarounds. The first step is to systematically understand them in the wild. In this poster, we present our early results from analyzing errata in the ARM Cortex-A family of microarchitecture, introduced by ARM itself, and their workarounds. We studied publicly available ARM errata documentations and examined source code of low-level software, namely Linux kernel, U-Boot and ARM Trusted firmware.
Use of RNA-Protein Complexes for Genome Editing in Non-albicans Candida Species

ABSTRACT Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)-Cas9 genome modification systems have greatly facilitated the genetic analysis of fungal pathogens. In CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing methods designed for use in Candida albicans, DNAs that encode the necessary components are expressed in the target cells. Unfortunately, expression constructs that work efficiently in C. albicans are not necessarily expressed well in other pathogenic species within the genus Candida or the related genus Clavispora. To circumvent the need for species-specific expression constructs, we implemented an expression-free CRISPR genome editing system and demonstrated its successful use in three different non-albicans Candida species: Candida (Clavispora) lusitaniae, Candida glabrata, and Candida auris. In CRISPR-Cas9-mediated genome editing methods, a targeted double-stranded DNA break can be repaired by homologous recombination to a template designed by the investigator. In this protocol, the DNA cleavage is induced upon transformation of purified Cas9 protein in complex with gene-specific and scaffold RNAs, referred to as RNA-protein complexes (RNPs). In all three species, the use of RNPs increased both the number of transformants and the percentage of transformants in which the target gene was successfully replaced with a selectable marker. We constructed mutants defective in known or putative catalase genes in C. lusitaniae, C. glabrata, and C. auris and demonstrated that, in all three species, mutants were more susceptible to hydrogen peroxide than the parental strain. This method, which circumvents the need for expression of CRISPR-Cas9 components, may be broadly useful in the study of diverse Candida species and emergent pathogens for which there are limited genetic tools. IMPORTANCE Existing CRISPR-Cas9 genome modification systems for use in Candida albicans, which rely on constructs to endogenously express the Cas9 protein and guide RNA, do not work efficiently in other Candida species due to inefficient promoter activity. Here, we present an expression-free method that uses RNA-protein complexes and demonstrate its use in three Candida species known for their drug resistance profiles. We propose that this system will aid the genetic analysis of fungi that lack established genetic systems.
Disorazole C1: A potent antimitotic agent that induces premature senescence

1219 Disorazole C 1 is a potent, cytotoxic natural product, with IC 50 values of 1 disrupted microtubules in cells as early as 24 h after treatment, causing multinucleation and disorganized microtubules at interphase and misaligned chromosomes at the metaphase plate during mitosis. A549 cells that survived a 7 day treatment of disorazole C 1 displayed an enlarged, flattened morphology similar to senescent cells treated with doxorubicin. These surviving cells displayed the characteristic β-galactosidase staining at pH 6.0 seen in senescent cells and changes in cell cycle markers indicative of premature or hypermitogenic senescence. A549 cells treated with the IC 50 concentration of disorazole C 1 (2 nM) for 7 days had increased protein levels of cyclin D, p53 and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21 as detected by Western blot. This resulted in decreased phosphorylation of Rb (Ser780) and a decrease in total Rb protein levels. A dramatic decrease in BrdU incorporation was also observed in disorazole C 1 treated cells, further implicating the induction of senescence. Finally, DC3F/VCRd-5L cells, which are >2000-fold resistant to vincristine as compared to DC3F cells, were only 5-fold resistant to disorazole C 1 . These results provide the first evidence of a microtubule disrupter that induces premature senescence.
Low Temperature Soldering Surface-Mount Electronic Components with Hydrogen Assisted Copper Electroplating

Copper growth for the development of electroplating technique as a low-temperature soldering procedure represents a useful method for the formation of metal deposits, allowing modification of the thickness and morphology of the soldering joints. The approach is particularly useful for soldering electronic components to a plastic 3D printed substrate. To accelerate the soldering process hydrogen assisted electroplating (HAE) method was employed at room temperature. The experiments were designed by making a small electrochemical cell around the gap on a printed circuit board (PCB) or a 3D printed conductive track. During the experiment, water electrolysis was observed, which released hydrogen bubbles. The hydrogen bubbles caused the structure of the electroplated layer to be more porous, but with a similar conductivity as solid copper and a remarkable mechanical strength suitable for use as interconnects on an electronic circuit. Our electrochemical data and video recorded images show a fast and reliable copper electrodeposition in less than 1 minute. The morphology of copper deposits on a 3D printed structure was studied with the scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A reliable soldering process was demonstrated for a surface mount light emitting diode (LED) on a PCB. Further experiments are required to optimize the soldering process for faster and more reliable electroplating, particularly for 3D printed substrates.
Using Game of Thrones to Teach International Relations

Despite the known benefits of long-term, game-based simulations they remain underutilized in Political Science classrooms. Simulations used are typically designed to reinforce a concept and are sho...
Impulse force reductions and their effects on WBV exposures in high impact shovel loading operations

Abstract When shovels load the dump trucks with over 100-ton passes under gravity dumping conditions, they will create a large impact force on the dump truck body which generates high frequency shock waves which expose the operators to whole body vibrations (WBV). The main cause of such truck vibrations is the large impact force due to the gravity dumping of large tonnage passes. Therefore a rigorous mathematical model has been developed for the impact force containing all the necessary factors upon which it depends. Latter, a thorough analysis shows that percentage reduction of 7.19%, 9.40%, 13.27%, 14.8%, 17.30% and 18.13% can be achieved by reducing the dumping distance to 6.33 m, 6.0 m, 5.5 m, 5.33 m, 5.0 m and 4.9 m, respectively, as compared to when the dumping distance was 7.33 m. Even more reduction in the magnitude of impact force can be observed if the shovel pass gets divided into more than two sub-passes. Therefore, these models can be used to figure out the number of sub-passes into which a single ore pass can be divided and/or the extent to which the dumping distance can be reduced which would reduce the impact force significantly enough to obtain safer yet economic operations.
University Restructuring: The Role of Economic and Political Contexts

Within the study of higher education, restructuring is a term commonly used to characterize contemporary university responses to financial stress. While the study of responses to fiscal challenges has been prominent in the higher education literature since the 1970s, this chapter proposes that the substantive focus in the literature must shift from studies of retrenchment and cost containment to analyses of university repositioning and selective reinvestment in light of changing environmental demands (Gumport and Pusser, 1997).
Traditional vs Internet vs Mobile: Which is More Effective Way to Reach Potential Customers

Smartphones have provided their users many niches, particularly for mobile commerce, known as mcommerce. As smartphone penetration around the globe, it has rapidly altered the phone users and the market places, as US mobile devices have penetrated more than 80% of the population in 2017. The average adult daily usage of mobile devices outpaced personal computers for the first time, and the users have conducted more commerce activities on their mobile devices than on their personal computers. As a result, predicted by eMarketer, US mcommerce will be a half of the total ecommerce by 2022. The marketers realize that they can better find their customers on the move, and enable them to better target these customers for their products. This research, through an empirical survey, focuses on the smartphone user behavior. The research results provide some useful insights for marketers in their future marketing endeavors.
A computational study of the role of spatial receptive field structure in processing natural and non-natural scenes

Abstract The center-surround receptive field structure, ubiquitous in the visual system, is hypothesized to be evolutionarily advantageous in image processing tasks. We address the potential functional benefits and shortcomings of spatial localization and center-surround antagonism in the context of an integrate-and-fire neuronal network model with image-based forcing. Utilizing the sparsity of natural scenes, we derive a compressive-sensing framework for input image reconstruction utilizing evoked neuronal firing rates. We investigate how the accuracy of input encoding depends on the receptive field architecture, and demonstrate that spatial localization in visual stimulus sampling facilitates marked improvements in natural scene processing beyond uniformly-random excitatory connectivity. However, for specific classes of images, we show that spatial localization inherent in physiological receptive fields combined with information loss through nonlinear neuronal network dynamics may underlie common optical illusions, giving a novel explanation for their manifestation. In the context of signal processing, we expect this work may suggest new sampling protocols useful for extending conventional compressive sensing theory.
Toll-Like Receptors in the Airway Epithelium

The immune response to infection is initiated by the detection of pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs) by pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) distributed on the cell surface, within endosomal structures, and in the cytoplasm (Kawai and Akira 2011; Kumar et al. 2011). The mammalian network of PRRs includes toll-like receptors (TLRs), which signal responses to a broad range of microbial ligands (Kawai and Akira 2011); C-type lectin receptors such as dectin-1, which recognizes fungal beta-glucan (Kawai and Akira 2011; Osorio and Reis e Sousa 2011); the large family of nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptors that respond to diverse microbial components (Broz and Monack 2011; Elinav et al. 2011); the RIG-I-like helicases that detect viral RNA (Loo and Gale 2011); and incompletely characterized cytosomal DNA sensors (Barbalat et al. 2011; Hornung and Latz 2010). Recognition of specific microbial ligands by these receptors triggers signaling events that activate components of the innate immune response, including the induction of pro-inflammatory cytokines, the release of antimicrobial peptides, and phagocyte activation. TLRs are the best characterized PRRs for activation of immune responses to bacteria in the lungs, and are the focus of this chapter.
Comparison of mothers and grandmothers physical and mental health and functioning within 6 months after child NICU/PICU death.

Losing a child is devastating for parents and grandparents. Family and friends generally focus on comforting and supporting the bereaved parents, unintentionally ignoring the bereaved grandparents. Grandmothers and grandfathers often struggle with wanting to help their adult children (deceased child’s parents) without usurping the parents’ responsibilities and decisions regarding the deceased child. Research on mothers’ and grandmothers’ health at about the same time after the same child’s death in the neonatal or pediatric intensive care unit is lacking. The aim of this study was to compare mothers and grandmothers on physical health, mental health, and functioning in the first 1–6 months after the same child’s death in a neonatal or pediatric intensive care unit. This cross-sectional secondary analysis compared 32 mothers with 32 grandmothers of the same 32 deceased children (newborn-6 years). Grandmothers were recruited through these 32 mothers. Most grandmothers and mothers were Hispanic (25%, 34%) or Black (44%, 41%), respectively. Mothers and grandmothers separately completed questions about their Physical Health, Mental Health [depression (Beck Depression Inventory), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD, Impact of Events-R), grief (Hogan Grief Reaction Checklist)], and Functioning (social support [MSPSS] and Employment) since the child’s/grandchild’s death. Paired t-tests and Chi Square tests were used to compare grandmothers with mothers of the same deceased infant/child on their private and separate responses to study measures. Mothers had significantly more acute illnesses than grandmothers. More mothers (63%) than grandmothers (37%) were categorized as clinically depressed. More mothers (69%) than grandmothers (44%) had clinical PTSD. Mothers reported significantly higher levels of despair and detachment than grandmothers. Only 4 mothers and 2 grandmothers were in therapy at the time of interview. Grandmothers and mothers rated their ability to concentrate on their work and their level of social support similarly. Mothers had more acute illnesses, more severe depression, and a higher level of grief than grandmothers. However, few received therapy despite their high levels of depressive and PTSD symptoms.
A daily spatially explicit stochastic rainfall generator for a semi-arid climate

Abstract Many semi-arid regions of the world experience rainfall patterns characterized by high spatial variability. Accurate spatial representation of different types of rainfall will facilitate the application of distributed hydrological models in these areas. This study presents a daily, spatially distributed, stochastic rainfall generator based on a first-order Markov chain model, calibrated using 50 years of rainfall observations at 88 gages from 1967 through 2016 in the 148-km2 Walnut Gulch Experimental Watershed. Three types of rainfall, including convective, frontal, and tropical depression storms, were simulated separately in the generator using biweekly parameterization. Convective storms were simulated based on an elliptical shape rain cell conceptual model, whereas frontal and tropical depression storms were simulated as uniform rainfall fields over the whole watershed with introduced random variability. The rainfall generator was evaluated by comparing the mean statistics of 30 sets of 50-year simulated data versus the 50-year rain gage observed data. Most individual storm statistics and aggregated seasonal rainfall statistics were similar to the measured rainfall observations. The long-term mean values of both summer and winter rainfall amount were statistically satisfactory. This model can serve as a guide for application in areas with convective, frontal, and tropical depression storms.
The Unruh-DeWitt Detector and Entanglement Harvesting

As a model of a two-level quantum system interacting with a quantum field, the Unruh-DeWitt detector is introduced and physically motivated. Both the transition probability and transition rate of this detector model are defined and expressed to leading order in terms of the vacuum Wightman function for a scalar field living on a curved spacetime. The entanglement harvesting protocol is introduced in which two detectors begin in a separable state and as a result of their local interaction with the field become entangled. This entanglement is interpreted as being extracted from entanglement present in the vacuum state of the field and is quantified by various measures. The measurement model induced by a collection of such detectors is constructed, identifying the POVMs associated with the field that such a collection of detectors measures.
Introduction to Multimodality Intravascular Imaging

Atherosclerosis is a progressive disease that is characterized by the accumulation of lipids, cholesterol, fibrous constituents, monocytes, and various other inflammatory cells in the arterial wall. Atherosclerosis is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in developed countries. An integrated intravascular imaging modality that can detect and characterize vulnerable plaques will provide a critically important tool for monitoring the progression of disease and evaluating the efficacy of intervention.
21 Women's Health Psychology

Despite recent advances, the field of women's health psychology remains an important research area that warrants continued attention. In this chapter, we review women's health from a global perspective, including information on gender health disparities, ethnic and racial differences, and social and cultural contexts and influences. This chapter includes a review of prevalent physical and mental health issues experienced by women with attention to gender-specific research and clinical considerations relevant to psychologists and medical providers. We include a discussion of stressful, yet common, women's reproductive life events, such as infertility and miscarriage. The chapter also explores women's relationships with the health care system, including their roles as health care consumers, interactions with health care providers, and decision making and information seeking in the context of advancing and emerging technologies, such as the Internet. The influence of socioeconomic status and gender roles as they relate to women's health and quality of life is also addressed. We conclude the chapter with a commentary regarding the current status of women's health, the unique experiences and contributions of women in health care and mental health fields, and our expectations regarding future research directions and clinical applications of women's health psychology. Keywords: women; physical health; mental health; reproductive issues; health care
Design of Wireless Body Area Network with Motion Sensors Using New Materials

Motion detection plays a critical role in wireless body area networks (WBANs) to facilitate patients for physical rehabilitation after an injury or illness. In this paper, we develop motion sensors with new materials and apply these new sensors to monitor motions of fingers as a demonstration. The new materials are low-cost active materials for motion sensors with high compressibility and sensitivity. We design and implement a flexible two-tier WBAN system to remotely monitor and display the motion information of fingers. The system is composed of wireless sensor nodes, wireless receiver, database, Web server, and HMIs. System integration and performance demonstration are conducted. Results show that the proposed WBAN system is capable of remotely detecting finger motions. Furthermore, the proposed WBAN system can be easily extended in other applications by adopting desired sensors.