cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Optimization of Cellular ELISA for Assay of Surface Antigens on Human Synoviocytes

The cellular enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (CELISA) permits assay of cell surface antigens on intact fixed cells. Using a monolayer of cells as the solid phase, the CELISA offers an inexpensive alternative to flow cytometry. In addition, this protocol has the decided advantages of miniaturization (small numbers of cells) and ease of replication (the 96-well cluster plate format). In efforts to optimize CELISA for detecting surface antigens on human fibroblastlike synoviocytes, the authors found that cell number, serum proteins, choice of culture plate, pipetting technique and fixatives may all impact the results of the CELISA.
What Should Secondary Users Do Upon Incumbents' Return?

In a cognitive radio network (CRN), secondary users (SUs) opportunistically utilize idle licensed spectrum bands. We address the natural questions that arise when the incumbents or primary users (PUs) return to the channel the SUs are using opportunistically. Instead of immediately switching to another idle channel as proposed in almost all existing approaches, the SUs may opt to wait silently in their current channel until the PUs depart. This option would be beneficial to the SUs if the returned PUs stay at the channel only for a short period of time and the SUs' channel-switching incurs a non-negligible overhead. We determine how long the SUs should wait in their current channel before switching to a new idle channel. The SUs should also occasionally sense those (called em out-of-band) channels currently not in use for sensing the availability of spectrum opportunities. We propose an efficient, adaptive spectrum-sensing technique to detect when a busy out-of-band channel becomes idle. We also present a spectrum-management architecture that integrates the SUs' strategies and facilitates fast discovery of spectrum opportunities.
Pollinator community structure and sources of spatial variation in plant–pollinator interactions in Clarkia xantiana ssp. xantiana

The structure of diverse floral visitor assemblages and the nature of spatial variation in plant-pollinator interactions have important consequences for floral evolution and reproductive interactions among pollinator-sharing plant species. In this study, I use surveys of floral visitor communities across the geographic range of Clarkia xantiana ssp. xantiana (hereafter C. x. xantiana) (Onagraceae) to examine the structure of visitor communities, the specificity of the pollination system, and the role of variation in the abiotic vs. biotic environment in contributing to spatial variation in pollinator abundance and community composition. Although the assemblage of bee visitors to C. x. xantiana is very diverse (49 species), few were regular visitors and likely to act as pollinators. Seventy-four percent of visitor species accounted for only 11% of total visitor abundance and 69% were collected in three or fewer plant populations (of ten). Of the few reliable visitors, Clarkia pollen specialist bees were the most frequent visitors, carried more Clarkia pollen compared to generalist foragers, and were less likely to harbor foreign pollen. Overall, the core group of pollinators was obscured by high numbers of incidental visitors that are unlikely to contribute to pollination. In a geographic context, the composition of specialist pollinator assemblages varied considerably along the abiotic gradient spanning the subspecies' range. However, the overall abundance of specialist pollinators in plant populations was not influenced by the broad-scale abiotic gradient but strongly affected by local plant community associations. C. x. xantiana populations sympatric with pollinator-sharing congeners were visited twice as often by specialists compared to populations occurring alone. These positive indirect interactions among plant species may promote population persistence and species coexistence by enhancing individual reproductive success.
Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-induced chemotaxis does not require the G protein-coupled receptor S1P1 in murine embryonic fibroblasts and vascular smooth muscle cells

Sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P), a bioactive lipid mediator, signals via G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR). The prototypical S1P receptor, S1P1 (also known as EDG-1), a Gi-linked receptor, is critical for vascular maturation during development. Recent work suggested that platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)-induced cell migration required the S1P1 receptor, representing a novel mechanism for cross-talk between receptor tyrosine kinases and GPCRs. Since both S1P and PDGF are implicated in vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) pathobiology and development, we investigated this issue in rat VSMC and in embryonic fibroblasts derived from S1P1 null mice. Our data suggest that the S1P1 receptor is critical for S1P-induced, Gi-dependent migration but not for PDGF-BB-induced, receptor tyrosine kinase-dependent chemotaxis in VSMC. In addition, lack of S1P1 receptor in mouse embryonic fibroblasts did not significantly affect PDGF-induced cell migration. These data question the generality of the concept that S1P1 GPCR is a critical downstream component of PDGF-induced chemotaxis.
Discriminating among novel foods: effects of energy provision on preferences of lambs for poor-quality foods

Our objective was to better understand how lambs discriminate among novel foods based on flavor and post-ingestive effects. We first determined how temporal sequence of food ingestion and post-ingestive feedback affected preference when lambs were fed flavored wheat straw (a poorly nutritious novel food) immediately after eating milo grain (an energy-rich novel food), or after milo was infused in the rumen. Lambs did not acquire a preference for flavored straw when they were fed straw immediately after eating milo (P>.10), evidently because they quickly discriminated the flavor-feedback effects of milo from straw. However, lambs infused with milo prior to eating straw in one flavor or another preferred the flavored straw eaten after the milo infusions (P flavored straw eaten after milo infusions>flavored straw eaten without milo infusions (P<0.001). Thus, when the flavor cue (milo) was removed, lambs did not discriminate milo from straw to as great a degree as when they first ate milo and then ate straw. We next attempted to better understand how lambs quickly discriminated between novel foods — grape pomace–starch (70–30%) and grape pomace–cellulose (70–30%) — that differ in digestible energy content. Lambs preferred pomace–starch from first exposure (P<0.001), and we hypothesized that they generalized a preference from eating familiar foods like barley and milo that are about 80% starch to the novel grape pomace–starch mixture. To test this hypothesis, we gave lambs a toxin (LiCl) dose after they ate milo, and then measured their preference for pomace–starch. Intake of pomace–starch was lower in the Milo–LiCl group than in controls that received only LiCl (P<0.001), which is consistent with the hypothesis that lambs generalized a preference from familiar foods (barley and milo) to a novel food (pomace–starch). Finally, we determined how duration and amount of exposure to two novel foods — grape pomace–starch (70–30) and grape pomace (100) — influenced preference. When both foods were offered for only 20 min/day, intake of pomace and pomace–starch did not differ on day 1 to 8, and pomace was preferred to pomace–starch during day 9 to 15 (P<0.05). This pattern quickly reversed — pomace–starch became preferred to pomace — when the foods were offered for 8 h/day for the next 6 days (P<0.001). These findings suggest that energy deprivation and the amount of food ingested both affected how quickly lambs discriminated between foods that differed in energy, and that lambs needed to eat a threshold amount of an energy-rich novel food before they acquired a preference for that food.
MIDLIFE FRIENDSHIPS IN AN AMERICAN FACULTY SAMPLE

This study explored midlife same-sex friendship patterns in an American sample of married faculty members. of particular interest were perceived changes in friendship behavior from young adulthood to midlife and sex differences in friendship interactions. 14 men and 14 women between the ages of 40 and 55 yr. provided responses in a structured interview and completed a comprehensive friendship survey, the Acquaintance Description Form. Analysis showed that while both men and women spend less time now with their close friends than they did formerly, the strength of relationship and expressed self-disclosure were perceived to increase with time. Women, compared to men, reported relating more intimately with their friends and rated their current friendships as more important to them than did men. The durations of men's friendships, both currently and retrospectively, were longer than women's.
A zero-equation turbulence model for two-dimensional hybrid Hall thruster simulations

We present a model for electron transport across the magnetic field of a Hall thruster and integrate this model into 2-D hybrid particle-in-cell simulations. The model is based on a simple scaling of the turbulent electron energy dissipation rate and the assumption that this dissipation results in Ohmic heating. Implementing the model into 2-D hybrid simulations is straightforward and leverages the existing framework for solving the electron fluid equations. The model recovers the axial variation in the mobility seen in experiments, predicting the generation of a transport barrier which anchors the region of plasma acceleration. The predicted xenon neutral and ion velocities are found to be in good agreement with laser-induced fluorescence measurements.
Structure—Reactivity Relationships for Ionic Transition Metal Carbonyl Cluster Fragments

Many parallels have been made between transition metal clusters and metal surfaces. The geometric features of the metal-cluster-bound ligands are similar to those of adsorbed molecules on a metal surface, and the average metal-ligand and metal-metal binding energies of transition metal clusters are comparable to the binding energies of the metal surfaces and chemisorbed molecules.(1)) The cluster/surface analogy (in terms of chemical properties) begins to break down, however, when the coordination saturation of the transition metal cluster is considered. Typically, the coordination number for metal-ligand interactions of metal clusters is high, and the coordination number for metal-metal interactions is low. Conversely, the high coordination number for metal surfaces is due to the metal-metal interaction. Because most clusters are stable, coordinatively saturated molecules which obey the 18-electron rule,(2) experimental methods for probing coordinatively unsaturated clusters and cluster fragments, e.g., matrix isolation(3) and fast time-resolved infrared spectrscopy,(4) are being developed. The target species for many of these studies are the reactive 17-electron species and higher coordinatively unsaturated species. For the past several years the development of methods for preparing coordinatively unsaturated ionic transition metal cluster fragments has been actively pursued in our laboratory. As a direct result of this work, ionic transition metal cluster fragments have a range of numbers of metal atoms (typicallly 2–8) and ligands (typically CO) can be prepared.
HYDRODYNAMIC INTERACTIONS BETWEEN CELLS ON REACTIVE SURFACES

Leukocyte recruitment to sites of inflammation is initiated by adhesive tethering and rolling on the activated vascular wall under shear flow. Although the binding kinetics between adhesion molecules is primarily responsible for leukocyte recruitment, we have found that hydrodynamic interactions between cells near adhesive surfaces affect leukocyte behavior in the initial recruiting step onto the vascular endothelial wall. Previous experimental evidence has shown that cell–cell physical adhesion is one multicellular mechanism that accelerates cell recruitment to an adhesive surface. Our laboratory has shown, however, that hydrodynamic collisions between cells induce the capture of free-stream cells to a ligand-presenting surface under shear flow, verified by monitoring leukocytes in postcapillary venules, as well as by using carbohydrate-coated microspheres or neutrophils in flow chambers. We also demonstrate that neighboring cells roll more slowly as two rolling cells become closer due to cell–cell and cell–surface hydrodynamic interactions, not only in vitro but also in vivo. To explain and probe these phenomena, we developed the multipartlcle adhesive dynamics (MAD) theoretical simulation that fuses an adhesive dynamics model with a boundary integral calculation of suspension flow. Our simulation results show good agreement with experiments measuring binary cell capture and pair rolling velocity. In this chapter, therefore, we compile evidence that a distinct hydrodynamic mechanism of cell-surface interaction in blood flow plays a significant role in the inflammation cascade.
Skylon Aerospace Plane and Its Aerodynamics and Plumes

The Skylon concept incorporates the highly innovative synergetic air-breathing rocket engine concept that has the potential to revolutionize the mode of propulsion for transportation of medium-weight payloads to low Earth orbits. An independent partial assessment is provided of the technical viability of the Skylon concept. Pressure lift and drag coefficients derived from Euler simulations for unpowered flight compare very well and fairly well, respectively, with those from engineering methods. The engineering-method coefficients for powered flight are increasingly less acceptable as the freestream Mach number is increased beyond 8.5 because these methods did not account for the increasing favorable (in terms of pressure forces) effect of underexpanded rocket engine plumes on the aft fuselage. At Mach numbers greater than 8.5, the thermal environment around the aft fuselage is a known unknown: a potential design and/or performance risk issue. The adverse effects of shock waves on the aft fuselage and plum...
Pharmacokinetics of loracarbef in pediatric patients

Loracarbef is an investigational oral antibiotic but its pharmacokinetics have not been studied after multiple oral doses in pediatric patients. The pharmacokinetics of loracarbef were determined in 18 pediatric patients after multiple oral doses. 8 patients with streptococcal pharyngitis received 7.5 mg/kg every 12 h, and 10 patients with otitis media were given 15 mg per kg every 12h. Multiple blood and urine samples were collected to measure loracarbef concentrations. In patients with streptococcal pharyngitis, the mean maximum serum concentration (Cmmax), the time to achieve maximum concentration (Tmax), area under the serum concentration-time curve (AUC) and elimination half-life (t1/2) were 10.6±3.6 mcg/ml, 0.78±0.21 h, 21.4±7.2 mcg.h/ml, and 1.2 ±0.4 h, respectively. The mean Cmax, Tmax, AUC and t1/2 were 18.0±5.4 mcg/ml, 0.83±0.44 h, 35.6±9.4 mcg.h/ml, and 1.1±0.5 h, respectively, in patients with otitis media. The Cmax exceeded the minimum inhibitory concentration of common susceptible pathogens causing pharyngitis and otitis media by severalfold. Nearly 60% of the dose was excreted unchanged in the urine during the dosage interval. The pharmacokinetics were independent of dose. Loracarbef was well tolerated in all patients. These data suggest that loracarbef may be used safely at doses of 7.5 mg/kg every 12 h in pediatric patients with streptococcal pharyngitis and 15 mg/kg every 12 h in those with otitis media.
Effect of In-Plane Fiber Tow Waviness Upon the Tensile Strength Characteristics of Fiber Reinforced Composites of Carbon/Epoxy AS4/3501-6

The purpose of this study was to investigate the strength and effectiveness when induced with ‘in-plane fiber tow waviness’ in a composite ply of carbon/epoxy AS4/3501-6. Fiber waviness is usually induced by infusion processes and inherent in fabric architectures. Composite structural details like ply drops and ply joints can cause serious fiber misalignment. These are usually dependent on parameters such as ply thickness, percentage of plies dropped, and mold geometry and pressure, and pressure of the resin which slides the dry fibers during the resin transfer molding process. Fiber disorientation due to fiber tow waviness in ‘in-plane’ direction has been the subject of recent studies on wind turbine blade materials and other aerospace laminates with reports of compression strengths and failure strains that are borderline, depending upon the reinforcement architecture, matrix resin and environment. Waviness is expected to reduce compressive strength due to two primary factors. The fibers may be oriented in such a way that the geometry that results because of the orientation may exacerbate the basic fiber, strand, or layer buckling mode of failure. The waviness could also shift the fiber orientation of the axis of the ply longitudinal direction which eventually results in matrix dominated failures for plies normally orientated in the primary load direction (0°). Both global and local stress & strain values generated by the finite element model were validated by the traditional mechanical methods using ply/local stiffness matrix and global/reduced stiffness matrix. A precise geometry of waviness on different materials was modeled with different wave severity factor and a parametric study was conducted. Three different defects were modeled where the angle of misalignment ranged from 5 to 15 degrees with wavelength ranging from 1 inch to 1.5 inches and amplitude ranging from 0.03 inches to 0.7 inches. This revealed the effect of ‘in-plane fiber tow waviness’ on the stress distribution and loss of strength in carbon/epoxy AS4/3501-6. The results clearly show that the effect of ‘in-plane fiber tow waviness’ leads to resin rich areas which causes high stress concentrations and decrease in the strength ratio, ultimately leading to delamination’s.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Key Issues in the General Design of Motor-Vehicle Gas-Turbine Engines

Ideas and concepts are suggested for producing a motor-vehicle gas-turbine engine able to compete in performance and most likely in cost with similarly rated motor-vehicle spark-ignition and compression-ignition engines. Several of these ideas are discussed qualitatively, while others arc shown through simple performance analyses. Results predict the possibility of thermal efficiencies of over 50% and marked increases in the fuel economy (over 90%) if the gas-turbine engine is used, for instance, as a direct replacement for a standard motor-vehicle engine. The latter calculations were based on Federal-Test-Procedure driving cycles.Copyright © 1995 by ASME
Le TN GeminiTM : un emballage de transport pour les déchets technologiques issus de la déconstruction des installations nucléaires

Cet article a ete redige a partir d’une intervention de la journee technique organisee par la Section Technique SFEN ST14 “Transport de Matieres Radioactives” sur le theme “Les transports associes a la deconstruction des installations nucleaires”, le 17 novembre 2011.
Critical Care Stress and Burnout

Burnout may be one of the most common problems affecting critical care physicians. Burnout can best be defined as disillusionment and a flattening of the effervescence of life.
Representation of Mechanosensory Forces in Somatosensory Cortex during Object Localization

Our understanding of active touch is still in its infancy. The rodent vibrissal system offers us the perfect model to study touch from mechanosensation to perception. Rodents have whiskers in their mystacial pad that correlate on a 1:1 ratio to a specific column of cells within the somatosensory cortex (S1), known as barrels. The lemniscal pathway is the primary afferent responsible for relaying touch information from each whisker to the cortex, specifically to layer (L) 4 before proceeding to L3 and L5b. We currently know that L4 is highly correlated to touch onset and phase characteristics in whisking. However, knowing just one aspect of touch does not allow us to fully decode ‘when’ the object was touched and most importantly ‘where’ it is in space. This present study seeks to examine how L3 and L5b represent mechanosensory forces to aid in object localization. Mice are trained to locate objects by active whisking while in-vivo juxtacellular loose-seal patch records single neuron spike patterns, and high-speed video (1000Hz) captures whisker movement. Optogenetics is used to differentiate between inhibitory and excitatory neurons. Whisker kinematics and touch forces are quantified with micron and sub-microNewton resolution. Initial analysis reveals firing rates of 3.5 and 70 spikes/second for L3 and L5b, respectively. Excitatory neurons in L3 code for touch onset and offset whereas L5b codes for both mechanosensory forces and whisker motion. These studies will provide insight into how mechanosensory information is transformed in the cortex to aid in object localization.
Quantitative Raman Spectroscopy when the Signal-to-Noise is Below the Limit of Quantitation due to Fluorescence Interference: Advantages of a Moving Window Sequentially Shifted Excitation Approach

Raman spectroscopy is a useful analytical tool. However, its application is often limited because shot noise from fluorescence obscures the Raman signal. In such cases, quantitative analysis is not possible when the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) drops below two. A method is described for performing quantitative Raman spectroscopy that not only removes fluorescence backgrounds, but also results in a significant improvement in the SNR. The Raman data is extracted using a moving window sequentially shifted excitation algorithm. To demonstrate the capabilities of the method, a binary mixture of two analytes at varying concentrations is quantified in the presence of a highly fluorescent dye. Linear calibration plots were constructed and validated for the binary model using individual Raman peaks with SNR ranging from 0.073-12.6; r(2) values are greater than 0.96 in all cases, with all but the weakest peaks yielding values greater than 0.997. The presented method demonstrates a universal and autonomous approach for the quantitative analysis of highly fluorescent samples via Raman spectroscopy. The lower limit on the SNR ratio for quantitative Raman analysis with the described method is 0.1. In order to assess the effectiveness of the presented method, the entire set of experiments was also processed using the more common shifted excitation Raman difference spectroscopy (SERDS) approach. The advantages of the proposed method over SERDS are demonstrated for both the detection limit and the SNR of the processed spectra.
Edge Tooth Addendum Thickness of Hindley Worm

For a Hindley worm, the addendum thickness of its edge tooth intensely affects its working performance and the manufacturability of its mating worm gear, whose computation is thus taken into consideration. The analytical solution to the addendum thickness is obtained for the edge tooth. The numerical results declare that the TA worm has a stronger resisting ability to the pointing of its edge tooth. Even though the number of worm thread is more or the velocity ratio is less, the edge tooth is also able to be kept thick enough. The further related research should focus on the influence of the modification on the pointing of the edge tooth.
HIFU power network optimization for catheter based cardiac interventions

An optimized, self-contained system platform to support both thermal strain imaging (TSI) and HIFU is desirable for multi-functional catheter-based devices. Our catheter is designed for real-time interventional feedback during therapeutic treatment of cardiac substrates which contribute to ventricular tachycardia. We are using high frequency (8–10 MHz) catheter-based HIFU to address relatively shallow (5–20 mm) tissue target depths from the epicardial aspect of the heart. An imaging system which can provide both high acoustic power at high frequencies while also providing the signal processing needed for TSI is very attractive. Our principal objective is to produce very high focal intensities (> 2000 W/cm2) to ablate moving cardiac tissue quickly, implementing both electronic axial steering and mechanical angulation to scan step-wise through a 4×4×4 mm3 target volume in several minutes. The catheter and system are designed for TSI temperature monitoring feedback during HIFU.
Abstract 3663: Discovery of sulfonamide-piperidinones as potent inhibitors of the MDM2-p53 protein-protein interaction

The p53 tumor suppressor is controlled by MDM2, which binds p53 and negatively regulates its transcriptional activity and stability. Many tumors overproduce MDM2 to impair p53 function. Therefore, restoration of p53 activity by inhibiting p53-MDM2 binding represents an attractive, novel approach to cancer therapy. We previously reported the discovery of AM-8553, a potent and selective piperidinone inhibitor of the MDM2-p53 interaction (Rew et al. J. Med. Chem. 2012, 55, 4936). We report here continued optimization of the N-alkyl substituent of this series, focused in particular on a previously underutilized interaction in a shallow cleft on the MDM2 surface that led to the discovery of a variety of extremely potent sulfonamides such as 14 with an IC50 of 5.3 nM in the cell proliferation assay. The compound 14 interacts specifically with the p53-binding pocket of MDM2 and releases the p53 protein from negative control. Treatment of cancer cells expressing wild-type p53 with sulfonamide 14 stabilizes p53 and activates the p53 pathway, leading to cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. The compound 14 showed excellent efficacy and caused tumor regression in the SJSA-1 tumor xenograft model. Citation Format: Zhihong Li, Jiasheng Fu, Yosup Rew, Michael W. Gribble, Jude Canon, Ada Chen, John Eksterowicz, Xin Huang, Lixia Jin, Mei-Chu Lo, Lawrence R. McGee, Tao Osgood, Anne Y. Saiki, Paul Shaffer, Daqing Sun, Sarah Wortman, Qiuping Ye, Dongyin Yu, Xiaoning Zhao, Jing Zhou, Jonathan D. Oliner, Steve H. Olson, Julio C. Medina. Discovery of sulfonamide-piperidinones as potent inhibitors of the MDM2-p53 protein-protein interaction. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 3663. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-3663
Impact of an ERP simulation game on online learning

Abstract The ever increasing use of online education dictates that the use of traditional face-to-face tools for students be expanded into the virtual classroom. Business students in online MBA courses at two universities are tasked with making decisions using SAP's ERPSim Manufacturing Game. The students are polled before and after their simulation experience on five dimensions including attitude toward SAP and several dimensions in Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) knowledge. Students were found to have increased their attitudes toward SAP and knowledge of ERP upon completing the three-period simulation game. These results are significant for business educators of online courses because it shows that increased learning due to ERPSim not only takes place in face-to-face education classrooms but in an asynchronous environment as well. A comparison of our results with those reported in prior studies involving traditional classes revealed additional insights and potential topics for future research.
Heather Boushey: Finding Time

“To all those too busy to read this book, in the hope that it reaches those with the power to find and return our lost time,” reads the opening dedication of Heather Boushey’s Finding Time. Those i...
Portraits that illustrate scientific genius

Scientific greatness can be as elusive to describe as it is difficult to attain. Undoubtedly William Cropper – professor emeritus of chemistry at St Lawrence University in New York – was well aware of this when he picked up his pen and began writing Great Physicists. In the book he tells a series of interrelated stories of 30 men and women who made lasting contributions to our modern understanding of the physical world. Along the way, he offers broad-ranging remarks and opinions about the quality and character of their creative achievements.
Direct comparison of oligochaete erythrocruorins as potential blood substitutes.

While many blood substitutes are based on mammalian hemoglobins (e.g., human hemoglobin, HbA), the naturally extracellular hemoglobins of invertebrates (a.k.a. erythrocruorins, Ecs) are intriguing alternative oxygen carriers. Specifically, the erythrocruorin of Lumbricus terrestris has been shown to effectively deliver oxygen in mice and rats without the negative side effects observed with HbA. In this study, the properties of six oligochaete Ecs (Lumbricus terrestris, Eisenia hortensis, Eisenia fetida, Eisenia veneta, Eudrilus eugeniae, and Amynthas gracilis) were compared in vitro to identify the most promising blood substitute candidate(s). Several metrics were used to compare the Ecs, including their oxidation rates, dissociation at physiological pH, thermal stability, and oxygen transport characteristics. Overall, the Ecs of Lumbricus terrestris (LtEc) and Eisenia fetida (EfEc) were identified as promising candidates, since they demonstrated high thermal and oligomeric stability, while also exhibiting relatively low oxidation rates. Interestingly, the O2 affinity of LtEc (P50 = 26.25 mmHg at 37 °C) was also observed to be uniquely lower than EfEc and all of the other Ecs (P50 = 9.29-13.62 mmHg). Subsequent alignment of the primary sequences of LtEc and EfEc revealed several significant amino acid substitutions within the D subunit interfaces that may be responsible for this significant change in O2 affinity. Nonetheless, these results show that LtEc and EfEc are promising potential blood substitutes that are resistant to oxidation and denaturation, but additional experiments will need to be conducted to determine their safety, efficacy, and the effects of their disparate oxygen affinities in vivo.
Experimental Investigations of the Effects of Surface Tension on Convection Caused by Heating from Below

We shall in the following discuss the essential results of various experiments which deal with surface tension driven convection. We assume that the reader is familiar with the results of linear theory of buoyancy driven convection, as originally developed by Rayleigh (1916), and the results of the linear theories of Pearson (1958) and Nield (1964), describing surface tension driven convection. We begin logically with Benard’s (1900) experiments, which were only 56 years later recognized as being a case of surface tension driven convection. Since then a few more experiments have been made which have, as their starting point, the consequences of surface tension in mind. These experiments are few and far between. Until now a systematic series of experiments which would have tried to elucidate critical features of surface tension driven convection has not been made. The reader will therefore not find a complete and satisfying picture of surface tension driven convection in the notes presented in the following. We will, in general, discuss experimental technique only cursorily, but focus on the results of the experiments.
Performance, Return to Play, and Career Longevity After Ulnar Collateral Ligament Reconstruction in Professional Catchers

Purpose The purpose of our study was to evaluate return to play and postinjury performance of professional catchers who sustained an ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) rupture requiring surgical reconstruction. We looked to evaluate these players to determine the rate of return to play, the level of return to play, and career longevity after surgery as well as how statistical performance is affected by reconstruction. Methods Twenty-five professional catchers who underwent UCL reconstruction between 1985 and 2015 were identified and compared with an age-, position-, and competition-matched control group. Priority was placed on level of play, year of injury, age, and years played prior to injury in matching controls. Injury information and demographic data (age at injury, level of play, and career length) were collected from publicly available team websites and press releases. Offensive and defensive performance statistics were collected for 3 years prior to injury and 3 years after return. Return to play, return to level of play, and career after return were also analyzed. Results The average age at time of UCL injury was 24.4 (standard deviation, 4.5) years old. Return to play for all catchers was 80% (20/25), with only one player not returning to the same previous level of play (95%). Average years in Major League Baseball (MLB) after return was 2.3 years versus 2.6 years in the control group ( P = .07), with 4.3 years total (MLB and minors) versus 3.8 years total in the control group ( P = .28). There were no changes in offensive or defensive performance before and after injury. Conclusions UCL reconstruction in professional catchers can lead to successful outcomes. Catchers can expect a high rate of return to play with high rate of return to previous level of play, similar performance, and no change in career longevity following return from UCL reconstruction. Study Design Level III, case-control series.
A Case Study Approach to Evaluation of Computer Conferencing

The use of computer conferencing in collaborative learning involves a complex interplay of three sets of conditions: the basic elements of a planned collaborative learning experience; the characteristics of the computer conferencing system; and individual and group characteristics. The understanding of such complex interactions among the numerous variables involved does not emerge from a particular analytic approach, be it statistical manipulation, content analysis, or other single quantitative or qualitative technique. Rather, an encompassing approach is needed to provide a comprehensive view and broader insight into the multifaceted phenomenon that occurs when a group of individuals, embarking on a collective task, mediate their communication through a computer conferencing system. A case study approach is proposed that combines selected quantitative and qualitative techniques.
Sharp conditions for the compactness of the Sobolev embedding on Musielak–Orlicz spaces

We prove the compactness of the Sobolev embedding for Musielak–Orlicz spaces by way of simple conditions on the Matuszewska index of the underlying space. We provide counterexamples to show the sharpness of our conditions.
Out on Proudmoore: Climate Issues on an MMO

Over the past four years, programmer Zoe Quinn, Reddit CEO Ellen Pao, video game critic Anita Sarkeesian, and scholar and activist Melissa Click all received death threats and experienced other forms of symbolic violence after coordinated online campaigns against them. Documenting these instances remains a critical project for feminist media studies. But the interactive context of online gaming offers examples of resistance to oppressive practices and harassment from which scholars and activists can learn. This chapter examines one such example: the struggle over online climate and culture on World of Warcraft (WoW) server Proudmoore. Through its focus on the agency people exercise within the constraints of online spaces, this chapter documents how a specific play culture was transformed and how the fantastic effectively transformed the mundane.
A Model of Human Cognitive Biases and Complacency Toward Opportunities for the Disabled

Research by Daniel Kahneman and others has demonstrated that people in general tend to predominantly engage in effortless, associational System 1 thinking (i.e., intuition), whereas slower, rule-governed System 2 thinking (i.e., reasoning) offers a higher probability for making correct decisions. This chapter weaves this, our species’ nonrational decision-making “disability” as being problematic for the way that we inefficiently address and advance the rights and full inclusion of people living with mobility and other disabilities. Technological advances continue to help this population, but innovation, cost reduction, and overall societal buy-in to the urgency for access to these technologies and universal access to inclusive exercise and health care require a shift in social/organizational leadership and systems thinking.
Reduced risk of pneumonia after changes in anesthetic procedures for dogs receiving repeated anesthesia for radiation treatment.

Radiation therapy requires repeated anesthetic administration to patients who often have multiple comorbidities contributing to an increased rate of anesthetic complications such as pneumonia. This is a retrospective observational study in which data were collected from 146 medical records of dogs receiving repeat anesthesia for radiation treatment from prior to management changes and compared to data from 149 cases treated after completion of management changes. The objective was to determine if changes in case management protocol that were put in place decreased the risk of pneumonia development among these patients. Management changes that were made included the following: decrease in anticholinergic and pure-mu opioid use, change in positioning during intubation and recovery, prophylactic treatment of nausea, timing of cuff inflation and deflation, and aseptic handling of intubation equipment. There was a significant association between diagnosis of pneumonia and the following: pre- vs. post-changes to protocol, presence of a neurologic tumor, presence of respiratory disease, presence of megaesophagus, and number of radiation fractions completed. Diagnosis of pneumonia did not vary significantly by age group, body weight category, or sex. In a multivariable logistic regression model that controlled for the effects of the three concurrent diseases and fractions completed, the odds of being diagnosed with pneumonia were approximately 10 times greater among dogs anesthetized prior to management changes (odds ratio = 9.9, 95% CI = 2.0-48.7, P = 0.005).
The association between religiosity and pregnancy acceptability among Latino/a young adults: does generational status matter?

AbstractThe US Latino/a population is considered to be at high risk for unintended pregnancy; some research indicates that Latino/a parents are more likely to express happiness about an unintended ...
demetR: a Bayesian population simulation web-application for harvest management

Management of large carnivore populations represents an important challenge in conservation, requiring balancing their cultural, economic, and ecological value with potential risks of human–wildlife conflicts. Harvest can provide an effective tool for managing populations, but it can be difficult to define appropriate harvest quotas or assess the consequences of other conservation measures. We introduce the web-application ‘demetR’ (“Dynamic Environment for Modeling and Estimating Trajectories in R,” available at https://pop-eco.shinyapps.io/demetR/) to evaluate the effects of harvest scenarios and other conservation policies on brown bear (Ursus arctos) and American black bear (U. americanus) populations. We developed a Bayesian population trajectory model to simulate brown bear and black bear populations in response to user-defined demographic parameters and harvest. Model simulations are performed using fixed or stochastic demographic parameters, allowing for informative and non-informative priors. We provide an overview of the general layout, along with descriptions of model inputs and outputs. We then provide examples of bear populations simulated using deterministic and stochastic approaches with varying levels of harvest. Performing computer simulations of different management scenarios offers an economical and efficient way to test practices before their application, and can be valuable for decision-making. This model can also be applied to other species with similar life-history traits. Future developments will provide users with greater input flexibility and adaptations to specific population structures of other large carnivores. Management decisions can be costly, with long-lasting ecological and economic consequences. Models such as the one we present here, in the context of structured decision-making and adaptive management, can improve the quality and quantity of information needed to make these decisions.
Data demonstrating distinct embryonic developmental defects induced by bisphenol a alternatives

Abstract Embryos of Xenopus laevis (African clawed frog) were exposed to the widespread environmental plasticizers bisphenol AF (BPAF; 0.003–3 μM), bisphenol A (BPA; 1–50 μM), or 17β-estradiol (E2; 10 μM) from just after fertilization through 96 hours of development. The potencies and cellular and morphological effects were compared across chemical treatments and controls. The embryos were staged, counted and imaged, and time-lapse movies collected, on an inverted stereomicroscope and camera. The data show there were both shared and unique effects of BPAF, BPA, and E2, on early cleavage divisions and development of the spinal cord, head, and gut, with BPAF having the greatest potency and toxicity (1000 times more potent than BPA). Specifically, cleavage divisions, within 1–6 hours of exposure had severe irregularities including asymmetrical division, slowed mitosis and cytokinesis, cellular dissociation, and fewer numbers of cells per embryo. By 48 hours of exposure the embryos had curved body axis defects, neural tube defects including curved, incomplete, or two neural tubes, ventral and gut blisters, and overall extreme abnormalities. By 96 hours of exposure estradiol caused tail flexures/bent spines, severe pigmentation reduction, long loosely coiled gut, and a ventral blister in 100% of embryos. BPA caused truncated body axis defects, tail flexures, and head and eye malformations in over 60% of embryos. BPAF, at the lowest doses tested, caused craniofacial defects, shorter tails, ventral blisters, edema and peritoneal effusion in over 75% of the surviving embryos. For a complete description, interpretation of the data and a discussion refer to the article in press Arancio et al., 2018.
Six temperature and precipitation regimes of the contiguous United States between 1895 and 2010: a statistical inference study

This paper describes six different temporal climate regimes of the contiguous United States (CONUS) according to interdecadal variations of surface air temperature (SAT) and precipitation using the United States Historical Climatology Network (USHCN) monthly data (Tmax, Tmin, Tmean, and precipitation) from 1895 to 2010. Our analysis is based on the probability distribution, mean, standard deviation, skewness, kurtosis, Kolmogorov-Smirnov (KS) test, and Welch’s t test. The relevant statistical parameters are computed from gridded monthly SAT and precipitation data. SAT variations lead to classification of four regimes: 1895–1930 (cool), 1931–1960 (warm), 1961–1985 (cool), and 1986–2010 (warm), while precipitation variations lead to a classification of two regimes: 1895–1975 (dry) and 1976–2010 (wet). The KS test shows that any two regimes of the above six are statistically significantly different from each other due to clear shifts of the probability density functions. Extremes of SAT and precipitation identify the ten hottest, coldest, driest, and wettest years. Welch’s t test is used to discern significant differences among these extremes. The spatial patterns of the six climate regimes and some years of extreme climate are analyzed. Although the recent two decades are the warmest among the other decades since 1895 and many hottest years measured by CONUS Tmin and Tmean are in these two decades, the hottest year according to the CONUS Tmax anomalies is 1934 (1.37 °C), which is very close to the second Tmax hottest year 2006 (1.35 °C).
Assessing and Exploiting Security Vulnerabilities of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

The demand for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), popularly known by their generic term drones, is rapidly increasing not only for recreational UAVs but also for sophisticated and professional UAVs largely deployed for sensitive and critical missions. This exponential growth of UAVs and it’s applications has necessitated the need to assess their resilience to security and privacy threats. This paper primarily focuses on assessing the security vulnerabilities of two drones, Parrot Mambo FPV and Eachine E010. While the former drone was found to be vulnerable against de-authentication and FTP service attacks, successful attacks on the latter were radio frequency (RF) replay attack and custom made controller attack. Besides exploiting the security vulnerabilities of two UAVs, the paper also discusses potential countermeasures to improve the resilience of UAVs against the identified attacks.
Living Bits: Opportunities and Challenges for Integrating Living Microorganisms in Human-Computer Interaction

There are trillions of living biological "computers" on, inside, and around the human body: microbes. Microbes have the potential to enhance human-computer interaction (HCI) in entirely new ways. Advances in open-source biotechnology have already enabled designers, artists, and engineers to use microbes in redefining wearables, games, musical instruments, robots, and more. "Living Bits", inspired by Tangible Bits, is an attempt to think beyond the traditional boundaries that exist between biological cells and computers for integrating microorganism in HCI. In this work we: 1) outline and inspire the possibility for integrating organic and regenerative living systems in HCI; 2) explore and characterize human-microbe interactions across contexts and scales; 3) provide principles for stimulating discussions, presentations, and brainstorms of microbial interfaces. We aim to make Living Bits accessible to researchers across HCI, synthetic biology, biotechnology, and interaction design to explore the next generation of biological HCI.
Spaces of rebellion: the use of multi-user virtual environments in the development of learner epistemic identity

This paper discusses the role of Multi-User Virtual Environments (MUVEs) in the development of epistemic learner identity. MUVEs might help educators create the types of tasks and intellectual open...
Smoothed analysis for tensor methods in unsupervised learning

Smoothed analysis is a powerful paradigm in overcoming worst-case intractability in high-dimensional data analysis and unsupervised learning. While polynomial time smoothed analysis guarantees have been obtained for worst-case intractable problems like tensor decomposition and learning mixtures of Gaussians, such guarantees have been hard to obtain for several other important problems in data analysis. A core technical challenge in analyzing algorithms is obtaining lower bounds on the least singular value for random matrix ensembles with dependent entries, that are given by low-degree polynomials of a few base underlying random variables. In this work, we address this challenge by obtaining high-confidence lower bounds on the least singular value of new classes of structured random matrix ensembles of the above kind. We then use these bounds to design algorithms with polynomial time smoothed analysis guarantees for the following three important problems in high-dimensional data analysis:
Pharmacoepidemiology and pharmacovigilance

Abstract Pharmacoepidemiology is a field of study that seeks to understand the beneficial and harmful effects of drug utilization in populations of people. The discipline is an amalgam of clinical pharmacology, clinical epidemiology, medical informatics, and biostatistics. Also, pharmacoepidemiology can include the misuse/abuse of pharmaceutical drugs or even the study of drugs taken outside of the health-care system, such as illicit drugs. The purpose of this chapter is to provide a broad overview of pharmacoepidemiology from multiple experts currently working in this field.