cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Electrochemistry and chromatographic detection of monosaccharides, disaccharides, and related compounds at an electrocatalytic chemically modified electrode

Abstract Many carbohydrate compounds undergo electro-oxidation at modest positive potentials at chemically modified electrodes (CMEs) made by adding cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPC) electrocatalyst to a conventional carbon paste mixture. The active carbohydrates which were oxidized at the CME at +0.4 to 0.5 V vs. Ag/AgCl under the very basic pH conditions required, included not only monosaccharides but also oligosaccharides, deoxy sugars, and even simple polyalcohols such as glycerol. When used for carbohydrate detection after liquid chromatography, the CoPC CME yielded detection limits in the 10–50 pmol range. Electrode stability and selectivity was such that no sample preparation other than dilution and particulate filtration was required for carbohydrate determinations in sample matrices including food products and physiological fluids.
The evaporation of drops of pure liquids at elevated temperatures: Rates of evaporation and wet‐bulb temperatures

The rates of evaporation and the wet-bulb temperatures have been correlated for drops of pure liquids evaporating in streams of high-temperature air. The four liquids studied were acetone, benzene, n-hexane, and water. The drops were of a millimeter in diameter and were suspended in a free jet of dry, vapor-free air that ranged in temperature from 27° to 340°C. Reynolds numbers ranged from 24 to 325. Corrections to the Nusselt number to account for the heat lost the outwardly diffusing vapor ranged up to about 35%.
Identifying related L1 retrotransposons by analyzing 3' transduced sequences.

Background: A large fraction of the human genome is attributable to L1 retrotransposon sequences. Not only do L1s themselves make up a significant portion of the genome, but L1encoded proteins are thought to be responsible for the transposition of other repetitive elements and processed pseudogenes. In addition, L1s can mobilize non-L1, 3-flanking DNA in a process called 3 transduction. Using computational methods, we collected DNA sequences from the human genome for which we have high confidence of their mobilization through L1-mediated 3 transduction. Results: The precursors of L1s with transduced sequence can often be identified, allowing us to reconstruct L1 element families in which a single parent L1 element begot many progeny L1s. Of the L1s exhibiting a sequence structure consistent with 3 transduction (L1 with transductionderived sequence, L1-TD), the vast majority were located in duplicated regions of the genome and thus did not necessarily represent unique insertion events. Of the remaining L1-TDs, some lack a clear polyadenylation signal, but the alignment between the parent-progeny sequences nevertheless ends in an A-rich tract of DNA. Conclusions: Sequence data suggest that during the integration into the genome of RNA representing an L1-TD, reverse transcription may be primed internally at A-rich sequences that lie downstream of the L1 3 untranslated region. The occurrence of L1-mediated transduction in the human genome may be less frequent than previously thought, and an accurate estimate is confounded by the frequent occurrence of segmental genomic duplications.
Identification, enumeration and diversity of nitrifying planktonic archaea and bacteria in trophic end members of the Laurentian Great Lakes

Oligotrophic Lake Superior and mesotrophic Lake Erie are trophic end members of the hydrologically connected Laurentian Great Lakes system, and as such exhibit different profiles of dissolved nitrogen species. Nitrification in Lake Superior has led to increasing nitrate concentrations over the past century, as opposed to Erie, where nitrate inventories have declined due to denitrification. In this study, we examined the abundance and diversity of nitrifying microbes involved in the oxidation of ammonia to nitrite, and nitrite to nitrate. By in situ hybridization methods, we enumerated the major planktonic ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) and archaea (AOA) during a July 2011 cruise from Lake Superior to Lake Erie. In Lake Superior, AOA dominated compared to AOB, typically exceeding 5 × 103 mL− 1, whereas in Erie, AOB were more abundant than AOA. These data parallel prior work on Lake Superior and Lake Erie sediments, in which AOA are far more abundant in Superior, but AOB dominate in Erie. The lakes were sampled during stratification, and AOA and AOB were largely restricted to the hypolimnion, consistent with the observation that ammonia oxidizers are photoinhibited in surface waters. In Lakes Superior and Erie, we also detected nitrite oxidizing bacteria (NOB) in a pattern paralleling AOA/AOB abundance. Phylogenetic analysis of archaeal 16S rRNA revealed that the planktonic archaea of Lake Superior are members of the ammonia oxidizing Group I.1a Thaumarchaeota most closely related to Nitrosoarchaeum limnia. These AOA are distinct from the Group I.1a AOA in Lake Superior sediments. The major AOB of Lake Erie form a subcluster within the genus Nitrosospira.
Lymphoepithelial interactions associated with proximal colonic lymphoid tissue in the mouse

The proximal colon of the rodent contains an organized lymphoid nodule consistently located 25% of the distance from the cecum to the anus. We have undertaken a morphokinetic evaluation of crypts associated with this lymphoid tissue, as compared to crypts on adjacent plicae. Results demonstrated that the crypts associated with this lymphoid nodule are deeper, contain greater numbers of columnar and goblet cells and have a greater cell production than crypts of adjacent alymphoid plicae. The distribution of metaphases is shifted toward the upper part of lymphoid associated crypts and the binding of radiolabelled recombinant human urogastrone (rhUG/EGF) is greater even in mice treated with steroid to deplete the lymphoid elements. These results indicate a significant lymphoepithelial interaction associated with proximal colonic lymphoid tissue (PCLT), and suggest that this interaction may be mediated by a locally acting paracrine mechanism(s).
Reduced GM1 ganglioside in CFTR-deficient human airway cells results in decreased β1-integrin signaling and delayed wound repair.

Loss of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) function reduces chloride secretion and increases sodium uptake, but it is not clear why CFTR mutation also results in progressive...
Evaluation of vagotomy in chronic, non-specific ulcerative colitis.

ConclusionPreliminary investigation indicates that vagotomy offers sufficient promise in chronic, nonspecific, ulcerative colitis to justify further investigation.
Poetry: Sonnet on pain.

> Pain: the complaint I hear time and again. > > I know what you’ll say when reaching your door; > > Aching all over, still ten out of …
Implementation of UPFC on wind farm interconnected to power grid

Large-scale wind power integration changes the power flow distribution, line transmission power and transient characteristics of the original power grid. This paper applies unified power flow controller(UPFC) to the wind farm interconnected to circular transmission network model and studies the performance of the wind power grid improved by UPFC. The double closed loop feedback control of UPFC shunt-side converter is used to improve the low voltage ride through capability during three phase short circuit fault of wind power output line. The active and reactive power independent control system of UPFC series-side converter is used to output offset voltage to transmission lines to study the power flow optimization of the wind power integration. The model is built by Matlab/Simulink and the simulation result verifies the improvement of the LVRT capability and the optimization of the power flow based on the reactive power compensation and power flow control ability of UPFC.
La trascendencia espacial del ʽser-ahíʼ en la analítica de Heidegger y en la filosofía trascendental de Mullā Sādrā

According to Heidegger, the situation of the circumspect experience that reflects the athematic use of the utensils characterizes away of life of Dasein that is more genuine from the ontological standpoint than the mentalist (representationalist) description of intentionality. This primacy of the circumspect rebuff suggests that it is founded on the spatial condition of Dasein, as one of its characteristic (existentiell) modes. However, the exacerbated caution before the substantialist metaphysic restricts the scope of Heidegger’s analytic in this respect. Mullā Sādrā’s theory of transubstantial movement is an alternative that overcomes this limitation
Impact of Inferior Vena Cava Filter Placement On Short-Term Outcomes In Patients With Acute Pulmonary Embolism

Background Inferior vena cava filters (IVCFs) have been associated with improved survival in patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE) in some studies. However, without randomization, those with early mortality who did not receive an IVCF might have died prior to treatment decision about filter placement, falsely contributing a survival advantage to those receiving IVCF and biasing the results of previous observational studies. The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of IVCF on in-hospital mortality after adjusting for this survivor treatment selection. Methods National Inpatient Sample data sets from 2009 to 2012 were analyzed to assess the impact of IVCF placement on in-hospital mortality in all patients with acute PE. Subgroup analyses were performed in those with high-risk PE (hemodynamic shock) and also for those with both shock and concomitant thrombolysis. Inverse propensity-score weighting was used to balance clinical and comorbid differences between filter and nonfilter groups. To account for survivor treatment selection bias, an extended Cox model was fitted with IVCF placement as a time-dependent covariate. Results We identified 263,955 patients with acute PE over this period; 36,702 (13.9%) received IVCF. Those receiving IVCF in the unadjusted cohort were older (IVCF: 66.3 ± 15.9 vs. non-IVCF: 62.4 ± 17.4; P Conclusions Placement of IVCF in all patients with acute PE, in high-risk patients, or in high-risk patients concurrently treated with thrombolysis is not significantly associated with improvement of in-hospital mortality when accounting for survivor treatment selection bias.
Mississippi missionaries’ workplace spirituality and organizational commitment (1698–1725): a case study

AbstractThe relationship between workplace spirituality and organizational commitment in modern settings is often examined using models focused on personal and organizational performance. Meant for contemporary practices, such tools can enhance understanding of organizations in the historic record, benefiting not only historians but researchers who wish to ameliorate commitment in organizations. Utilizing a recent model focused on workplace spirituality and organizational commitment, this study examines the leadership of the Seminaire de Quebec and the Seminaire des Missions Etrangeres de Paris as well as their secular missionaries assigned to work in villages on the Mississippi River in the early eighteenth century. Analyses demonstrate that the inability to maintain communication, support, and community between leadership and missionaries greatly hampered commitment to the organization and to the Mississippi missions. Only Father Bergier remained strongly committed to his work and the Seminaries due to ...
Oncotic effects across isolated perfused renal tubular basement membrane

Peritubular protein concentration affects the rate of volume absorption by the proximal tubule, and this effect may be mediated across the tubular basement membrane. To examine the permeability properties of this membrane, segments of mouse proximal straight tubule were isolated and perfused, and cells were removed using deoxycholate. Volume loss from the isolated perfused basement membrane was measured using blue dextran as a volume marker. Each segment was exposed alternately to solutions containing either no colloid or 6% bovine serum albumin. With rates of perfusion averaging 15.9 +/- 1.3 nl/min, rates of volume loss averaged 0.7 +/- 1.7 with no protein in the bath but were significantly higher with albumin, 16.5 +/- 2.1 nl.min-1.mm-1 (n = 14; mean length = 0.4 +/- 0.04 mm). Significant volume flux was also seen when the bath was changed to contain dextran [weight-averaged mol wt (Mw) approximately 70,000 or approximately 500,000]. In separate experiments, the net flux of albumin with albumin in the bath averaged 4.2 +/- 1.2 pmol.min-1.mm-1 (n = 5). The results show that this basement membrane has a high water permeability and significantly restricts the movement of albumin. Permeabilities for osmotic water flow and albumin were estimated from modeling fluxes in individual segments and found to average 70.6 +/- 9.8 cm/s (sigma = 0.1; 11.4 +/- 1.6 for sigma = 1) and 1.6 +/- 0.3 micron/s (assuming sigma = 0.1; 0.8 +/- 0.2 for sigma = 1), respectively. Using these permeabilities, it is demonstrated that interstitial protein may significantly reduce hydrostatic pressure in the intercellular space by oncotic action across the basement membrane.
Abstract 782: A network approach to study the effect of chemical exposures on gene regulatory system in rats

Exposure to environmental chemicals during early development may increase the risk of developing breast cancer later in life. In this context, we are interested in characterizing which microRNA (miRNA) and mRNA expressions change in a coherent manner across the lifespan, and whether the co-expression pattern is affected by environmental exposures. miRNAs contribute to tumor progression via the regulation of post-transcriptional gene expressions. Thus, information on different interaction patterns among miRNAs and mRNAs measured in mammary tissues from chemical exposed vs. non-exposed rats can cast light on how chemical exposures may alter mammary gland development. Specifically, we consider three common environmental chemicals: diethyl phthalate (DEP), methyl paraben (MPB) and triclosan (TCS). Female Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with these chemicals at four windows of susceptibility (prenatal, neonatal, prepubertal and pubertal) respectively with oral doses shown to produce urinary metabolite levels similar to those measured in US population. We implemented a new algorithm, Joint Random Forest (JRF), for simultaneous estimation of multiple related networks to characterize co-expression patterns among mRNAs and miRNAs. JRF is designed to borrow information across different treatment conditions, so that regulatory relationships shared across conditions can be detected with increased power, while those specific to each condition can be detected with fewer false positives. We focused on 1403 mRNAs and 283 miRNAs with larger variability across rats, and derived four co-expression networks of these mRNAs/miRNAs for each environmental chemical treatment plus a control group. Overall we observed a substantial loss of connectivity in networks of chemical exposed groups (DEP: 1813 edges, MPB: 1539 edges and TCS: 1013 edges) compared to that of the control group (2641 edges). Interestingly, despite the overall loss of connectivity in networks of chemical exposed groups, some microRNAs such as rno-miR-126b (MIMAT0017843) and rno-miR-3596b (MIMAT0017871) showed many connecting edges in networks of chemical exposed groups but zero in that of the control group. In particular, rno-miR-3596b is a member of the Let-7 family which is well known to regulate self-renewal and tumorigenicity in breast cancer cells. Findings like this can lead to better understanding of how chemical exposures could alter gene regulatory activities. Our study also demonstrates the great potential of using JRF to investigate changes in gene regulatory system across different conditions. Citation Format: Francesca Petralia, Vasily Aushev, Kalpana Gopalakrishnan, Susan Teitelbaum, Jia Chen, Pei Wang. A network approach to study the effect of chemical exposures on gene regulatory system in rats. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 107th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2016 Apr 16-20; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(14 Suppl):Abstract nr 782.
Fact, Fiction, and Fantasy: Conspiracy and Rebellion in The Tudors

Michael Hirst, creator and writer of The Tudors, weaves conspiracy and rebellion into the plotline from beginning to end. Among the many story lines are the 3rd Duke of Buckingham’s alleged conspiracy to overthrow Henry VIII, a fictitious papal plot to kill Anne Boleyn, Thomas Cromwell’s very real conspiracy to remove her from power, the most dangerous rebellion that any Tudor monarch faced—the Pilgrimage of Grace of 1536–1537—and the Exeter Conspiracy. In assessing the series’ depiction of these and other events, it is important to keep in mind that Hirst’s primary objective was to produce an entertaining series, which he certainly did. However, if portions of his story have some historical basis, he often abandons proven fact, fictionalizing history or indulging in outright fantasy and leaving his viewers to decide which is which.
Security as a dimension of quality of service in active service environments

Presents our approach to handling security as a QoS dimension and discusses how variability in network security services and their associated costs can be managed in a middleware environment. We present our "quality of security service" (QoSS) concepts in terms of various security mechanisms and dynamic security policies. We also briefly describe our QoSS costing framework and demonstration, which illustrate how costs associated with network security services can be calculated and supplied to a middleware resource management system (RMS). Finally, we discuss our experiments on linking QoSS conditions to an underlying security mechanism, such as IPsec. Our aim is to demonstrate an approach through which security can be treated as a QoS dimension. We have illustrated that a security mechanism like IPsec can be modulated to provide levels of security that are in harmony with QoSS requests.
The “Loving Parent” analogy

A crucial part of William Rowe’s evidential argument from evil implies that God, like a loving parent, would ensure that every suffering person would be aware of his comforting presence. Rowe’s use of the “loving parent” analogy however fails to survive scrutiny as it implies that God maximally loves all persons. It is the argument of this paper that no one could maximally love every person; and whatever variation there is in the divine love undercuts the claim that every suffering person would be aware of the divine presence.
Spectrally shaped filter bank multicarrier systems for L-band aeronautical communication systems

Aeronautical communication systems will play an increasingly important role in the future. Due to increasing flight traffic, which is estimated to double by 2025, and the inadequacy of current aeronautical communication systems to support such an increase, the demand for new and state of the art communication systems is increasing. In this paper we investigate a new spectrally shaped Filter Bank Multicarrier (SS-FBMC) based communication system for air to ground communication. We study a 0.5 MHz spectrally shaped communication system as an inlay system between the 1 MHz separated distance measurement equipment (DME) channels in the L-band. The idea of using the gap in the spectrum that exists between DME channels was first proposed by EUROCONTROL in their L-DACS1 communication system. In the L-DACS1 communication system, which is based on CP-OFDM, the transmitting power is equally distributed among all subcarriers. In this paper we deviate from this convention by using FBMC and assigning different power levels to the subcarriers to mitigate DME interference. We propose a method to find the required guard subcarriers and optimize the amount of allocated power for each remaining subcarrier in order to obtain the best bit error ratio (BER) performance, without any error floor, for different QAM modulation orders and communication links. In so doing we increase the communication system's efficiency and performance. In prior work we have shown that our original FBMC system has higher spectral efficiency and better resilience to DME interference than L-DACS1, but in some cases still incurs a BER floor (as does L-DACS1). Via our spectral shaping approach we remove these BER floors.
Money well spent? A cost and utilization analysis of prophylactic inferior vena cava filter placement in high-risk trauma patients.

Abstract Background Inferior vena cava filters (IVCF) for venous thromboembolic prophylaxis in high-risk trauma patients is a controversial practice. Utilization of IVCF prophylaxis was evaluated at a level 1 trauma center. Daily cost of IVCF prophylaxis, time to IVCF, duration between IVCF and chemoprophylaxis, and number of patients needed to treat (NNT) to prevent pulmonary embolism (PE) was calculated. Methods A retrospective review of prophylactic IVCF over a 5-year period (2010-2014). Demographic, physiologic, injury, procedural, and outcome data were abstracted from the administrative trauma database. Medicare fees and days without chemoprophylaxis were used to determine daily IVCF cost. NNT was calculated using PE events in a cohort without IVCF. Results Over the 5-year period, 146 patients with mean age 56.3 y (SD ± 24.2), 67.8% male, underwent prophylactic IVCF. Predominant mechanisms of injuries were falls (45.9%) and motor vehicle accidents (20.5%) with median Injury Severity Score of 25 (intraquartile range [IQR] 16-29) and head Abbreviated Injury Score of 3 (IQR 3-5). Most common operative interventions required in 24.7% were orthopedic (25.3%) and neurosurgical (21.9%). Median time to IVCF was 78 h (IQR 48-144). Most common IVCF indications were closed head injury (48.6%) and spinal injuries (30.8%). Median time to administration of chemoprophylaxis was 96 h after IVCF (IQR 24-192) in 57.5%. Median IVCF cost was $759/d (IQR $361-$1897) compared with $4.32 for chemoprophylaxis. PE occurred in 0.26% without IVCF. PE did not occur with prophylactic IVCF. Estimated NNT was 379 (95% CI 265, 661). Conclusions Prophylactic IVCF placement is a costly practice with relatively low benefit. Anticipated time without chemoprophylaxis and patient criteria should be considered before routine IVCF placement.
Direct Anonymous Attestation (DAA) in More Depth

Direct Anonymous Attestation is TPM2’s method of providing mathematically-proven anonymity or pseudonymity for signing keys in trusted platforms. The simple explanation of how DAA works is that it has a single verification (public) key but a plethora of signing (private) keys. One cannot tell which of many platforms created the signature. This chapter provides a more thorough explanation and enables one to understand (amongst other things) why one can’t tell whether two anonymous DAA signatures were created under the same private key, but can tell whether two pseudonymous DAA signatures were created under the same private key. This chapter is intended for readers with a background or interest in mathematics and/or cryptography.
Success Factors for Information Systems Outsourcing: A Meta-Analysis

This paper develops a new model for interpreting the critical success factors for information systems (IS) outsourcing. Ten meta-analyses are performed, each representing a common outsourcing success factor from within the current literature. The study’s findings suggest that the most important antecedents to IS outsourcing success are attention to strategy, business relationships, finance, knowledge sharing, and service quality. Five moderators are also investigated and the industry of the customer is found to have the strongest effect on IS outsourcing success. The results from this study contribute to the academic literature by presenting past research results in a unique manner, thus enhancing the discipline’s understanding of IS outsourcing success factors. As well, the findings contribute to practice by guiding organizations to the activities that are most related to the achievement of IS outsourcing success.
Heterogeneity of TSH Receptor-directed Antibodies (TRAb) and Their Significance

In reviewing TRAb in Graves’ disease there is no longer need for debate about the role of TSAb itself. This antibody is generally accepted as causing hyperthyroidism through binding to a component of the TSH receptor and stimulation of adenylate cyclase. Formerly we used an assay based upon measurement of an increase in cAMP in human thyroid slices and found TSAb in over 90% of 102 patients (1). Now the procedure developed by Kasagi et al (2) and refined by Rapoport and his colleagues (3) has replaced the slice assay. This technique entails incubation of human thyroid cells in primary monolayer culture with patients’ IgG in hypotonic medium and subsequent measurement of cAMP that has been released into the medium. With this assay we find 100% positive results with IgG from Graves’ disease patients. This high sensitivity apparently is not associated with decreased specificity as judged by negative results with IgG from over 90 patients with thyroid disorders of nonautoimmune origin. A current alternate and more convenient procedure is the similar use of functioning rat thyroid (FRTL-5) cells in continuous culture (4), but not all IgG positive in the human thyroid cell assay give- a response in this system.
DNA melting initiates the RAG catalytic pathway

The mechanism for initiating DNA cleavage by DDE-family enzymes, including the RAG endonuclease, which initiates V(D)J recombination, is not well understood. Here we report six cryo-EM structures of zebrafish RAG in complex with one or two intact recombination signal sequences (RSSs), at up to 3.9-A resolution. Unexpectedly, these structures reveal DNA melting at the heptamer of the RSSs, thus resulting in a corkscrew-like rotation of coding-flank DNA and the positioning of the scissile phosphate in the active site. Substrate binding is associated with dimer opening and a piston-like movement in RAG1, first outward to accommodate unmelted DNA and then inward to wedge melted DNA. These precleavage complexes show limited base-specific contacts of RAG at the conserved terminal CAC/GTG sequence of the heptamer, thus suggesting conservation based on a propensity to unwind. CA and TG overwhelmingly dominate terminal sequences in transposons and retrotransposons, thereby implicating a universal mechanism for DNA melting during the initiation of retroviral integration and DNA transposition. Cryo-EM structures of the RAG endonuclease in complex with intact DNA substrates reveal that DNA melting is the first step in V(D)J recombination, a mechanism potentially conserved in retroviral integration and DNA transposition.
Treating incompleteness in obsessive-compulsive disorder: A meta-analytic review

Abstract Incompleteness (INC) is a prevalent, impairing subtype of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in which rituals are performed to counteract “not just right” sensations. Although individuals with INC may be most in need of treatment, conventional OCD interventions emphasize harm avoidance (HA) over INC, contributing to the pervasive assumption that INC is treatment resistant. However, this assumption has not been adequately tested. This paper presents the first meta-analytic investigation of the efficacy of OCD treatments for INC. Thirteen eligible treatments representing 11 papers and 530 participants were identified through PsycInfo and MEDLINE. There was no evidence of publication bias or outliers, and heterogeneity of effect sizes across studies was low-to-moderate. Both uncontrolled (g = 0.57; n = 13 treatments) and controlled (g = 0.44; n = 4 treatments) meta-analyses estimated INC to improve significantly but modestly over treatment. An exploratory meta-analysis synthesizing three studies that measured both HA and INC found that INC and HA improvement did not significantly differ (g = −0.04). Moderator analyses revealed that tailoring treatments to INC and using the Obsessive-Compulsive Core Dimensions Questionnaire to measure INC were associated with significantly greater INC improvement. Results suggest that current treatments, unless explicitly tailored to INC, insufficiently target INC symptoms, and highlight the importance of increasing clinicians’ awareness of INC.
Sub-monolayer control of the growth of oxide films on mesoporous materials

The use of atomic layer deposition (ALD) as a way to deposit good-quality oxide films on the inner surfaces of mesoporous materials in a controlled fashion was explored for a number of systems, combining SBA-15, MCM-41 and FDU-12 materials and spherical mesoporous silica particles (SMSP) with Al2O3, TiO2, and SiO2 films. Advantage was taken of the well-defined nature of the pores in most of these materials to use N2 adsorption–desorption isotherms as a way to characterize the deposition process. It was seen that while the average size of the pores decreases monotonically with the number of ALD cycles used (because of the newly deposited layers), their size distribution remains as narrow as in the original samples, an observation that attests to the even coverage of the surfaces in a layer-by-layer fashion. This was confirmed further by transmission electron microscopy. Additional measurements of pore volumes and surface areas were used to further evaluate the effectiveness of the ALD processes. It was found that excessive exposure of the solids to the precursors during each ALD cycle lead to condensation at the bottom of the pores and to subsequent pore plugging, whereas insufficient doses prevent full coverage of the surfaces, leaving the original silica in the back of the pores exposed. These problems can be minimized by tuning the process parameters, but become more acute with small-pore samples such as MCM-41 or SMSP. With samples having large pores connected via small windows (FDU-12), film growth takes place inside the pores without affecting the size of the windows. Finally, the deposition of silicon oxide films is much slower than that of the other oxides, but can still be achieved using a modified experimental setup.
Would gamers collaborate given the opportunity

Understanding player preference and behavioral tendency in the presence of collaborative opportunities is fundamental to building cooperative video games.1 Such knowledge allows the integration and fine-tuning of features to further engage players. This paper presents an ongoing study that approaches the subject by posing a simple question: when opportunities are provided, would players choose to cooperate? The work analyzes existing well-established cooperative game design patterns and identifies effective attributes of game mechanics that are characterized by the patterns. Small multiplayer games that focused on each of the attributes are built where in each case the players have the options of collaborating or completing the tasks individually. In this way, the effects of each attribute can be analyzed independently to provide insights into players' behavior under specific variations of conditions. While the testing is ongoing, our results will provide directions for future integration of collaborative features in games. Additionally, our approach of identifying implementable attributes based on the principles of cooperative game design patterns serves as a template for systematic approach to building cooperative video games.
Discourses of forgiveness and resilience in stepchild–stepparent relationships

ABSTRACTChallenges and conflicts experienced by stepfamilies are well documented, but researchers are increasingly focused on communication processes that facilitate resilience in these relationshi...
Exosome proteomic analyses identify inflammatory phenotype and novel biomarkers in African American prostate cancer patients.

African American men face a stark prostate cancer (PCa)-related health disparity, with the highest incidence and mortality rates compared to other races. Additional and innovative measures are warranted to reduce this health disparity. Here, we focused on the identification of a novel serum exosome-based "protein signature" for potential use in the early detection and better prognosis of PCa in African American men. Nanoparticle tracking analyses showed that compared to healthy individuals, exosome concentration (number/ml) was increased by ~3.2-fold (P ˂ 0.05) in the sera of African American men with PCa. Mass spectrometry-based proteomic analysis of serum exosomes identified seven unique and fifty-five overlapping proteins (up- or downregulated) in African Americans with PCa compared to healthy African Americans. Furthermore, ingenuity pathway analyses identified the inflammatory acute-phase response signaling as the top pathway associated with proteins loaded in exosomes from African American PCa patients. Interestingly, African American PCa E006AA-hT cells secreted exosomes strongly induced a proinflammatory M2-phenotype in macrophages and showed calcium response on sensory neurons, suggesting a neuroinflammatory response. Additionally, proteomic analyses showed that the protein Isoform 2 of Filamin A has higher loading (2.6-fold) in exosomes from African Americans with PCa, but a lesser loading (0.6-fold) was observed in exosomes from Caucasian men with PCa compared to race-matched healthy individuals. Interestingly, TCGA and Taylor's dataset as well as IHC analyses of PCa tissue showed a lower Filamin A expression in tissues of PCa patients compared with normal subjects. Overall, these results support the usefulness of serum exosomes to noninvasively detect inflammatory phenotype and to discover novel biomarkers associated with PCa in African American men.
A note on the matrix arithmetic-geometric mean inequality

This note proves the following inequality: If $n=3k$ for some positive integer $k$, then for any $n$ positive definite matrices $\bA_1,\bA_2,\dots,\bA_n$, the following inequality holds: \begin{equation*}\label{eq:main} \frac{1}{n^3} \, \Big\|\sum_{j_1,j_2,j_3=1}^{n}\bA_{j_1}\bA_{j_2}\bA_{j_3}\Big\| \,\geq\, \frac{(n-3)!}{n!} \, \Big\|\sum_{\substack{j_1,j_2,j_3=1,\\\text{$j_1$, $j_2$, $j_3$ all distinct}}}^{n}\bA_{j_1}\bA_{j_2}\bA_{j_3}\Big\|, \end{equation*} where $\|\cdot\|$ represents the operator norm. This inequality is a special case of a recent conjecture proposed by Recht and R\'{e} (2012).
Characterization of LINE-1 transposons in a human genome at allelic resolution

Abstract The activity of the retrotransposon LINE-1 has created a substantial portion of the human genome. Most of this sequence comprises fractured and debilitated LINE-1s. An accurate approximation of the number, location, and sequence of the LINE-1 elements present in any single genome has proven elusive due to the difficulty of assembling and phasing the repetitive and polymorphic regions of the human genome. Through an in-depth analysis of publicly-available, deep, long-read assemblies of nearly homozygous human genomes, we defined the location and sequence of all intact LINE-1s in these assemblies. We found 148 and 142 intact LINE-1s in two nearly homozygous assemblies. A combination of these assemblies suggests a diploid human genome contains at least 50% more intact LINE-1s than previous estimates – in this case, 290 intact LINE-1s at 194 loci. We think this is the best approximation, to date, of the number of intact LINE-1s in a single diploid human genome. In addition to counting intact LINE-1 elements, we resolved the sequence of each element, including some LINE-1 elements in unassembled, presumably centromeric regions of the genome. A comparison of the intact LINE-1s in each assembly shows the specific pattern of variation between these genomes, including LINE-1s that remain intact in only one genome, allelic variation in shared intact LINE-1s, and LINE-1s that are unique (presumably young) insertions in only one genome. We found that many old elements (> 6 million years old) remain intact, and comparison of the young and intact LINE-1s across assemblies reinforces the notion that only a small portion of all LINE-1 sequences that may be intact in the genomes of the human population has been uncovered. This dataset provides the first nearly comprehensive estimate of LINE-1 diversity within an individual, an important dataset in the quest to understand the functional consequences of sequence variation in LINE-1 and the complete set of LINE-1s in the human population.
Analysis of Multipactor Effects by a Particle-in-Cell Algorithm Coupled with the Furman-Pivi Secondary Electron Emission Model

We investigate multipactor effects due to secondary electron emission (SEE) using an electromagnetic particle-in-cell (EM-PIC) algorithm implemented on unstructured grids with the Furman-Pivi probabilistic SEE model. The present EMPIC algorithm yields an energy- and charge-conserving time-update for fields and particles on unstructured grids, from first principles. The Furman-Pivi model enables a realistic description of SEE in EM-PIC simulations. We study the effects of the surface roughness for the reduction of secondary electron yield (SEY) on copper surfaces.
Just-in-Time Training for Disaster Response in the Austere Environment

Abstract Healthcare providers are critical to disaster response throughout the world. Increasingly, there are government and nongovernment sponsored opportunities for providers to participate in disaster response as members of disaster response teams. Training regarding principles and practices of disaster response should begin long before ever deploying for a disaster. Training opportunities on-line and in-person are readily available, but not usually for a specific disaster at the time it occurs. Just-in-time disaster specific training prepares providers for imminent deployment for a real-time disaster. Particularly for disaster response in an austere environment, just-in-time disaster specific training optimizes preparation and response. This manuscript offers topics, strategies, and modalities for just-in-time pediatric-focused disaster training regarding situational awareness, personal preparation and resiliency, and delivery of patient care for austere environments.
The Role of the TGF-β Superfamily in Myocardial Infarction

The members of the transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) superfamily are essential regulators of cell differentiation, phenotype and function, and have been implicated in the pathogenesis of many diseases. Myocardial infarction is associated with induction of several members of the superfamily, including TGF-β1, TGF-β2, TGF-β3, bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-2, BMP-4, BMP-10, growth differentiation factor (GDF)-8, GDF-11 and activin A. This manuscript reviews our current knowledge on the patterns and mechanisms of regulation and activation of TGF-β superfamily members in the infarcted heart, and discusses their cellular actions and downstream signaling mechanisms. In the infarcted heart, TGF-β isoforms modulate cardiomyocyte survival and hypertrophic responses, critically regulate immune cell function, activate fibroblasts, and stimulate a matrix-preserving program. BMP subfamily members have been suggested to exert both pro- and anti-inflammatory actions and may regulate fibrosis. Members of the GDF subfamily may also modulate survival and hypertrophy of cardiomyocytes and regulate inflammation. Important actions of TGF-β superfamily members may be mediated through activation of Smad-dependent or non-Smad pathways. The critical role of TGF-β signaling cascades in cardiac repair, remodeling, fibrosis, and regeneration may suggest attractive therapeutic targets for myocardial infarction patients. However, the pleiotropic, cell-specific, and context-dependent actions of TGF-β superfamily members pose major challenges in therapeutic translation.
Fruits and Vegetables

Changes that occur in fruits and vegetables during the ripening process and after harvest influence their use as foods. Following harvest, the sources of nutrients and water that supplied the growing entities are no longer available. But life processes go on: respiration continues with the uptake of oxygen and loss of carbon dioxide and water. Deterioration accompanies the use of the reserves of respirable materials accumulated during photosynthesis that are no longer replenished. Under these conditions, while new compounds are formed by the continuation of anabolism, the major metabolic activity in this situation is catabolism. Fruit ripening is basically a process of aging. The ripening process is accompanied by developing senescence and then deterioration. The speed with which the reserve materials are used depends on the rate of respiration. In some species, change after harvest takes place much faster than in others. Apples will hold much longer in proper storage than strawberries, raspberries, or peaches. Also, deterioration by the growth of microorganisms in fruits and vegetables held in storage is a prominent factor.
Mike Eisenberg: A One of a Kind Pioneer in the Learning Sciences

This year on March 12 Mike Eisenberg passed away—an enormous loss for the learning arts and sciences community. A computer scientist by vocation, a writer with passionate insights, and a maker at h...
Early Research on Peroxisomes in Plants

The early research on peroxisomes in plants was centred mainly on three groups, my own at Purdue (later at University of California, Santa Cruz) and those of Tolbert at Michigan State University and Newcomb at Wisconsin. Some of the collaborators from these centres subsequently established their own research laboratories and, as interest in the field expanded, others independently joined the international association. Several authors in the present volume trace their lineage in peroxisomal research either directly or indirectly to these three groups, but progress has been such that the questions they now address are well beyond the vision of their ancestors.
A crew of listeners with no more than "slight" hearing loss who exhibit binaural deficits also exhibit higher levels of stimulus-independent internal noise

Listeners having, at most, “slight” hearing loss may exhibit deficits in binaural detection which appear to stem from increased levels of stimulus-dependent, additive internal noise [Bernstein and Trahiotis, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 140, 3540–3548 (2016); J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 144, 292–307 (2018)]. This study reports that a small crew of such listeners also exhibits increased levels of low-level, stimulus-independent, additive internal noise. Detection thresholds were measured in: (1) the NoSπ configuration as a function of masker level; (2) the NρSπ configuration as a function of masker interaural correlation (ρ); (3) “the quiet” for So and Sπ tonal signals. Those measures were combined suitably to yield estimates of stimulus-independent, additive internal noise, separately, at center frequencies of 250, 500, and 4000 Hz. Derived levels of internal noise were found to be elevated, by about 5 dB at 250 and 500 Hz, and by about 9 dB at 4 kHz, for the group of listeners having no more than slight hearing loss and who exhibited deficits in binaural detection. The new findings, taken together with earlier investigations by the authors (which included data obtained from dozens of listeners), provide evidence that such listeners have greater levels of both stimulus-dependent and stimulus-independent, additive internal noise.
Similarity-based Particle Filter for Remaining Useful Life prediction with enhanced performance

Abstract This paper proposes a similarity-based Particle Filter (PF) method for Remaining Useful Life (RUL) prediction with improved performance. In the proposed methodology, Maximum Mean Discrepancy (MMD) and Kernel Two Sample Test are firstly adopted to query similar Run-To-Failure (R2F) profiles from historical data library. The states and parameters of degradation are initialized based on the similar R2F profiles. Next, Rao–Blackwellized​ Particle Filter (RBPF) is employed to update the degradation states based on the initialization. The RUL prediction results are obtained by extrapolating the degradation states updated by RBPF. The proposed RUL prediction method holds several advantages: (1) compared with other PF methods, the proposed model includes historical knowledge from similar R2F profiles; (2) compared with similarity-based methods, the proposed model presents good probabilistic interpretation of prediction uncertainties based on RUL distribution. The effectiveness and superiority over other peer algorithms are justified based on a public aero-engine dataset for prognostics.
Adjacent Psychiatric Emergency Services to the Main Emergency Room

A psychiatric emergency service (PES) is an autonomous or semiautonomous clinical service that collaborates with a general emergency department to deliver behavioral health services to patients experiencing psychiatric crises. Workflow, care teams, and clinical space may be shared between the PES and main emergency department with the goal of providing patients with acute psychiatric presentations specialized, coordinated care. While this care model can offer patients streamlined mental health services, it also requires strong working relationships with the main emergency department care team to optimize patient safety and care. This chapter discusses the limitations, advantages, and other aspects of this model.
Wire and cable

Plastics wire and cable covering or coating in continuous lengths is an important application for extrusion. Large quantities of plastics are consumed that have literally covered billions of miles of these products. This coating process produces many different types and sizes of product. The following three types are examples of coverings: (1) electrical insulation (in conjunction with semiconductive inner and outer layers); (2) internal coverings and fillers (lapped or extruded); and (3) sheaths and external protective coverings [1, 24, 27, 254, 298].
Use of Google Trends to evaluate for environmental variations in search terms for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo

Objectives Climate variables are implied in the pathogenesis of certain otologic diseases, including benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). Using internet search data obtained through Google Trends (GT), we explored the relationship between climate patterns and symptom search frequencies for BPPV. We hypothesized that increased latitude, as a proxy for decreased sunlight exposure, would lead to increase in BPPV symptom searches. Methods GT searches for symptoms related to BPPV were obtained for five U.S. cities of different latitudes via the Google Trends online interface. Comparisons were made using SPSS via ANOVA analysis. Figures were made using Microsoft Excel. Results Searches for BPPV-related symptoms increased with increasing latitude. BPPV-related symptoms did show seasonal variations, but not in predictable manners. Conclusions GT may be a viable research tool when comparing geographical differences in searches, but may be less sensitive in detecting time dependent changes. We offer suggestions as to how big data tools may be altered for research purposes. Level of Evidence NA.
Beyond 3 μ m Dy3 + /Er3 + co-doped ZBLAN fiber lasers pumped by 976 nm laser diode

Dysprosium-erbium (Dy3+/Er3+) co-doped ZBLAN (ZrF4-BaF2-LaF3-AlF3-NaF) fiber lasers operating at 3.2–3.35 μm were demonstrated by pumping at the 980 nm Er3+ absorption band. A maximum output power of 260 mW at 3.27 μm with a slope efficiency of 5.73% was achieved with 3.6 m 0.25 mol. % Dy3+/4 mol. % Er3+ co-doped ZBLAN fiber. Lasers operating at 3.23 μm and 3.35 μm were also demonstrated with 2 m and 9 m gain fibers, respectively, but with lower slope efficiencies. Our experiments confirm the possibility of pumping the Dy3+/Er3+-doped ZBLAN fiber laser with a low-cost high efficiency diode laser at 976 nm.