cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bioswales reduce contaminants associated with toxicity in urban storm water

Contamination and toxicity associated with urban storm water runoff are a growing concern because of the potential impacts on receiving systems. California water regulators are mandating implementation of green infrastructure as part of new urban development projects to treat storm water and increase infiltration. Parking lot bioswales are low impact development practices that promote filtering of runoff through plants and soil. Studies have demonstrated that bioswales reduce concentrations of suspended sediments, metals, and hydrocarbons. There have been no published studies evaluating how well these structures treat current-use pesticides, and studies have largely ignored whether bioswales reduce toxicity in surface water. Three storms were monitored at 3 commercial and residential sites, and reductions of contaminants and associated toxicity were quantified. Toxicity testing showed that the majority of untreated storm water samples were toxic to amphipods (Hyalella azteca) and midges (Chironomus dilutus), and toxicity was reduced by the bioswales. No samples were toxic to daphnids (Ceriodaphnia dubia) or fish (Pimephales promelas). Contaminants were significantly reduced by the bioswales, including suspended solids (81% reduction), metals (81% reduction), hydrocarbons (82% reduction), and pyrethroid pesticides (74% reduction). The single exception was the phenypyrazole pesticide fipronil, which showed inconsistent treatment. The results demonstrate these systems effectively treat contaminated storm water associated with surface water toxicity but suggest that modifications of their construction may be required to treat some contaminant classes. Environ Toxicol Chem 2016;35:3124-3134. © 2016 SETAC.
The Three Pigs: Can They Blow Us Into Critical Media Literacy Old School Style?

ABSTRACTIn this article, the authors show how groups of 2nd- and 4th-grade students in an urban school district responded to a postmodern children’s book, The Three Pigs by David Wiesner (2001). The students came to the project from basal-based direct instruction, and here they were offered a more constructivist opportunity to engage with a text. The authors found that this text afforded the students with opportunities for discussion and thus were able to hone critical literacy skills, which correspond with critical media literacy concepts and new expectations within the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). The authors also make the case that these texts can be especially useful in settings still lacking sophisticated technologies. Thus, students can still gain complex literacy concepts despite a school’s limited resources. What they find then is that students gain conceptual depth from postmodern children’s literature using constructivist teaching methods.
Incorporating Evidence-Based Practice Learning Into a Nurse Residency Program: Are New Graduates Ready to Apply Evidence at the Bedside?

Objective The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of an evidence-based practice (EBP) learning module within a nursing residency program (NRP). Background Utilization of EBP has been shown to improve patient outcomes; however, new-graduate nurses lack the practice application ability, attitudes, knowledge, and skills to incorporate EBP into their personal practice. Methods New-graduate nurses in a hospital NRP participated in this nonexperimental, descriptive, correlational, study. The Evidence-Based Practice Questionnaire was utilized in a prestudy-poststudy format to collect data for analysis. Results Statistically significant changes occurred throughout the EBP module in regard to new-graduate nurse practice and knowledge of EBP. Conclusion Enabling novice nurses to foster a spirit of inquiry through EBP literacy is essential to patient outcomes; nonetheless, new-graduate nurse readiness must be further assessed in order to determine appropriate timing of EBP education within NRPs in an effort to improve the application of evidence at the bedside.
Abstract 1418: Marine ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid intake and risk of colorectal cancer according to tumor-infiltrating T cells

Importance: Marine ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids possess potent immunomodulatory activity and may protect against cancer development. However, evidence relating marine ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids to colorectal cancer risk remains inconclusive. Objective: To test the hypothesis that marine ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid intake may be associated with lower risk of colorectal cancer subsets characterized by immune infiltrate. Design: Prospective cohort study Setting: Nurses’ Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-up Study Participants: In the two cohorts, 125,172 participants provided data about marine ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid intake every 4 years through a validated food frequency questionnaire and followed up for incident colorectal cancer over 24-26 years. We documented 614 colorectal cancer cases from which we could assess T-cell infiltration in the tumor microenvironment. Cause-specific Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals for risks of colorectal cancer subtypes. Exposure: Intake of marine ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids Main Outcome and Measures: Incidence of colorectal cancer according to tumor-infiltrating T cells Results: The inverse association of marine ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids with colorectal cancer risk differed according to FOXP3+ T-cell infiltration (P for heterogeneity = 0.006). Compared to intake of Conclusion and Relevance: High marine ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid intake was associated with lower risk of colorectal cancer with high-level, but not low-level, FOXP3+ T-cell density, suggesting a potential role of ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in cancer immunoprevention through modulation of regulatory T cells. Citation Format: Mingyang Song, Reiko Nishihara, Yin Cao, Eunyoung Chun, Zhi Rong Qian, Kosuke Mima, Kentaro Inamura, Yohei Masugi, Jonathan Nowak, Katsuhiko Nosho, Kana Wu, Molin Wang, Edward Giovannucci, Wendy S. Garrett, Charles S. Fuchs, Shuji Ogino, Andrew T. Chan. Marine ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid intake and risk of colorectal cancer according to tumor-infiltrating T cells. [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 1418.
Surface Evaluation and Perturbation with Continuous Shape Parameters

Since all the coefficient functions have a common denominator of δ(u), all four basis functions will have this common denominator, and therefore the expression for the curve will have a denominator of δ(u). It is thus of computational interest to define corresponding sets of coefficient functions and basis functions that are scaled by a factor of δ(u). This would simplify the expressions and eliminate redundant divisions. These scaled coefficient functions and scaled basis functions will be denoted d gr (β1(u), β2(u)) and a r (β1(u), β2(u); u) respectively; in particular, $$d_{gr} \left( {\beta 1\left( u \right),\beta 2\left( u \right)} \right) = \delta \left( u \right)c_{gr} \left( {\beta 1\left( u \right),\beta 2\left( u \right)} \right){\text{for }}g = 0,1,2,3{\text{ and }}r = - 2, - 1,0,1$$ (10.1) and $$a_r \left( {\beta 1\left( u \right),\beta 2\left( u \right);u} \right) = \delta \left( u \right)b_r \left( {\beta 1\left( u \right),\beta 2\left( u \right);u} \right){\text{ for }}r = - 2, - 1,0,1$$ .
Branches and plates of the morphologically plastic coral Porites rus are insensitive to ocean acidification and warming

Abstract This study tested the hypothesis that intraspecific morphological plasticity within a scleractinian coral elicits differential responses to elevated PCO2 and temperature. In Mo'orea, French Polynesia, two short-term laboratory experiments (21 and 14 days) were conducted to test the effects of PCO2 (400 vs. 700 μatm), and PCO2 (400 vs 1000 μatm) combined with temperature (27.0 vs. 29.8 °C), on branches and plates of Porites rus. Experiments employed two irradiances (~ 1000 vs 200 μmol photons m− 2 s− 1), which characterized the microenvironments on the shallow fringing reefs where branching and plating morphologies are common, respectively. Calcification of both morphologies was insensitive to PCO2, as well as the combined effects of elevated PCO2 and temperature. Mean calcification rates were faster in high light than in low light for both morphologies, and biomass was greater in plates than branches in all treatments. Together, our results suggest P. rus is robust to increased PCO2 and high temperature within the constraints of the treatments applied. Morphological plasticity in this species does not mediate physiological resistance to low pH and high temperature.
A prototype adaptive SPECT system with self-optimized angular sampling

This paper presents the design and experimental results obtained with a prototype adaptive SPECT that implements a recently developed adaptive angular sampling approach. With this system, the hardware system configuration can be adjusted in real time based on the imaging information being collected to offer an optimum sampling of an unknown object. This system consists of two major components. First, the detection system consists of two independent pinhole cameras based on recently developed energy-resolved photon-counting (ERPC) CdTe detectors. During an imaging study, both the detectors and pinhole apertures can move back and forth independently against the rotation object. This system also include a CT system that provides the physical profile of the object, and helps to determine the feasible sampling strategy for the given source geometry. Second, the adaptive angular sampling is controlled by a software package that consists of three key components: (a) a set of close-form equations for evaluating image variance and resolution attainable with given sampling strategy, (b) a gradient-based algorithm to search the optimum sampling strategy, (c) an efficient computation approach for speeding up the searching process. During an imaging study, the corresponding computation is performed on a PC to determine the optimum sampling and to guide the hardware configuration to be adjusted accordingly. We carried a series of experimental studies to demonstrate the benefit using this self-optimized adaptive angular sampling strategy. The SPECT imaging performance obtained is compared to those from conventional uniform sampling strategies.
Asteroid Fragmentation Approaches for Modeling Atmospheric Energy Deposition

Abstract During asteroid entry, energy is deposited in the atmosphere through thermal ablation and momentum-loss due to aerodynamic drag. Analytic models of asteroid entry and breakup physics are used to compute the energy deposition, which can then be compared against measured light curves and used to estimate ground damage due to airburst events. This work assesses and compares energy deposition results from four existing approaches to asteroid breakup modeling, and presents a new model that combines key elements of those approaches. The existing approaches considered include a liquid drop or “pancake” model where the object is treated as a single deforming body, and a set of discrete fragment models where the object breaks progressively into individual fragments. The new model incorporates both independent fragments and aggregate debris clouds to represent a broader range of fragmentation behaviors and reproduce more detailed light curve features. All five models are used to estimate the energy deposition rate versus altitude for the Chelyabinsk meteor impact, and results are compared with an observationally derived energy deposition curve. Comparisons show that four of the five approaches are able to match the overall observed energy deposition profile, but the features of the combined model are needed to better replicate both the primary and secondary peaks of the Chelyabinsk curve.
Chain-by-Chain Monte Carlo Simulation: A Novel Hybrid Method for Modeling Polymerization. Part I. Linear Controlled Radical Polymerization Systems

Kinetic Monte Carlo (kMC) simulation is available for simulating microstructure of polymer chains with as much detail as one seeks at the expense of convergence tests and computational costs. A new hybrid deterministic–probabilistic method is developed as an alternative to kMC that builds chains one-by-one or chain-by-chain and it is named “Chain-by-Chain Monte Carlo” method (CBC-MC). The CBC-MC algorithm is tested on the synthesis of styrene/methyl methacrylate linear gradient copolymers via nitroxide-mediated polymerization and methyl methacrylate/methyl acrylate linear hyperbolic gradient copolymers via atom transfer radical polymerization. Results are compared with kMC and method of moments and confirm that if applicable, full information regarding the microstructure of chains can be obtained using CBC-MC method with reduced simulation times and smaller sample sizes.
Sigma Receptors and Alcohol Use Disorders

Although extensive research has focused on understanding the neurobiological mechanisms underlying alcohol addiction, pharmacological treatments for alcohol use disorders are very limited and not always effective. This constraint has encouraged the search for novel pharmacological targets for alcoholism therapy. Sigma receptors were shown to mediate some of the properties of cocaine and amphetamine, which was attributed to the direct binding of psychostimulants to these receptors. More recently, the role of sigma receptors in the rewarding and reinforcing effects of alcohol was also proposed, and it was suggested that their hyperactivity may result in excessive alcohol drinking. This chapter reviews current knowledge on the topic, and suggests that the sigma receptor system may represent a new therapeutic target for the treatment of alcohol use disorders.
Lifetimes of the First Excited States of C 15 and B 10

The lifetimes of the first excited states of ${\mathrm{C}}^{15}$ and ${\mathrm{B}}^{10}$ have been measured using a pulsed Van de Graaff beam, with a slanted-target technique to reduce the duration of beam pulses on the target. The mean lives of these levels are (3.73\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.23) nsec for ${\mathrm{C}}^{15}$, and (1.04\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.02) nsec for ${\mathrm{B}}^{10}$. This result for ${\mathrm{C}}^{15}$, together with recent gamma angular distribution and stripping measurements, confirms the spin and parity of the first excited state of ${\mathrm{C}}^{15}$ as $\frac{5}{2}+$.
The efficacy and use of small centrifuge for evaluating geotextile tube dewatering performance

Abstract Geotextile tube dewatering technology has been widely used over the past two decades for dewatering high water content slurries. The dewatering process in geotextile tubes aims to decrease the volume of the dewatered slurry, which helps in the transportation, disposal, and reuse of the dewatered material. Several researchers have emphasized the effect of the retained sediment (filter cake) properties, in particular final solids content and volume (height) change, on the feasibility of geotextile tube dewatering projects. Retained sediment properties are often evaluated using small scale tests such as rapid dewatering test, falling head test, pressure filtration test (PFT), and field scale tests such as hanging bag test (HBT) and geotextile tube demonstrations test (GDT). In this study, centrifuge test is introduced as an alternative for the widely used pressure filtration and falling head tests to evaluate retained sediments properties. Centrifuge test provides a mechanism for understanding the response of slurries to externally applied pressure in geotextile tube environment. Centrifuge test was used to evaluate maximal solids content of the retained sediments and change in slurry volume of four soils that represent typical dredged soils. Tully sand, Tully fines, Elliott silt loam, and kaolin slurries were used at varying solids concentrations. Slurries were subjected to external stresses between 0.1 and 40 kPa by applying centrifugal speeds between 300 rotation per minute (rpm) and 1800 rpm. Both centrifuge test and PFT were conducted with unconditioned and cationic polyacrylamide conditioned slurries. Centrifuge tests results were compared with PFT results with respect to retained sediments final solids content and volume change. Tests results indicated that the maximal solids concentration of the retained sediments in saturated conditions is unique for each soil and is independent of the initial slurry solids concentration. Tests results also indicated that there is linear relationship between the initial concentration of the slurry and the final volume change at any externally applied stress. Finally, a relationship between the total pumped slurry volume and the final height of the dewatered sediments in a geotextile tube is presented.
Quality of life of patients who suffer from rheumatic arthritis

Abstract The goal of the presented study is to compare the quality of life of patients who suffer from rheumatic arthritis to the quality of life of the rest of the population in six domains. The data collection was carried out quantitatively with the use of the standardized questionnaire: WHOQOL-100. 200 people who suffer from rheumatic arthritis were questioned. The following comparison of the subjectively perceived quality of life of such patients to the population norms of the WHOQOL-100 was carried out using the SPSS programme (Statistical Package for the Social Science). The non-parametric Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used for the analysis. The results showed that patients who suffer from rheumatic arthritis show a significantly worse quality of life than the rest of the population regarding the domains of Physical health and Level of independence. The domains of Experience, Social relationships, Environment and Spirituality showed a statistically significant difference. Nevertheless, it is not such a large difference that it exceeds the norms of the rest of the population. From the practical point of view, it is not possible to say that the quality of life of patients who suffer from rheumatic arthritis is significantly different in the mentioned domains. However, it is not possible to neglect these domains regarding the complex care of such patients. The results proved that these domains include fields that the patients who suffer from rheumatic arthritis assess negatively. For this reason, an individual approach of every patient who suffers from rheumatic arthritis is necessary as well as a detailed assessment of the problems directly connected with the illness and other factors.
Investigating Rigidity Properties of Protein Cavities

Cavities in proteins facilitate a variety of biochemical processes. The shapes and sizes of cavities are factors that contribute to specificity in ligand binding, and docking with other biomolecules. A deep understanding of cavity properties may enable new insights into protein-protein interactions, ligand binding, and structure-based drug design studies. In this work we explore how biological properties such as size and residue membership of protein cavities correlate with the flexibility of the cavity as computed using an efficient graph theoretic rigidity algorithm. We hypothesize that various rigidity properties of protein cavities are dependent on cavity surface area. In this work we enumerate a set of cavity rigidity metrics, and demonstrate their use in characterizing over 120,000 cavities from approximately 2,500 chains. We show that cavity size indeed does correlate with some -- but not all -- cavity rigidity metrics.
Historical and future drought in Bangladesh using copula-based bivariate regional frequency analysis

The study aims at regional and probabilistic evaluation of bivariate drought characteristics to assess both the past and future drought duration and severity in Bangladesh. The procedures involve applying (1) standardized precipitation index to identify drought duration and severity, (2) regional frequency analysis to determine the appropriate marginal distributions for both duration and severity, (3) copula model to estimate the joint probability distribution of drought duration and severity, and (4) precipitation projections from multiple climate models to assess future drought trends. Since drought duration and severity in Bangladesh are often strongly correlated and do not follow same marginal distributions, the joint and conditional return periods of droughts are characterized using the copula-based joint distribution. The country is divided into three homogeneous regions using Fuzzy clustering and multivariate discordancy and homogeneity measures. For given severity and duration values, the joint return periods for a drought to exceed both values are on average 45% larger, while to exceed either value are 40% less than the return periods from the univariate frequency analysis, which treats drought duration and severity independently. These suggest that compared to the bivariate drought frequency analysis, the standard univariate frequency analysis under/overestimate the frequency and severity of droughts depending on how their duration and severity are related. Overall, more frequent and severe droughts are observed in the west side of the country. Future drought trend based on four climate models and two scenarios showed the possibility of less frequent drought in the future (2020–2100) than in the past (1961–2010).
Clinicians' perspectives on incidentally discovered silent brain infarcts - A qualitative study.

Background While silent brain infarcts (SBIs) in screened cohorts are associated with risk of symptomatic stroke and dementia, the clinical significance of incidentally discovered SBIs (id-SBIs) is unknown. Detection may offer an opportunity to initiate prevention measures, but uncertainties about id-SBIs may impede clinicians from addressing them and complicate further study of this condition. Methods and results This study used semi-structured interviews of practicing clinicians. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using a grounded theory approach. A constant comparative method was used to organize emergent themes and examine new themes. Purposeful sampling was employed to achieve participant diversity. Fifteen clinicians were interviewed. Emergent themes centered on uncertainty about id-SBIs, clinical decision making in response to uncertainty, and evidence needed to resolve uncertainty. All clinicians reported uncertainty about id-SBIs: diagnostic, prognostic, or therapeutic. Differential responses to uncertainties resulted in practice variation within and between specialties. Diagnostic and prognostic uncertainty discouraged disclosure of imaging findings to patients. Vascular neurologists viewed the prognostic significance of id-SBIs as similar to symptomatic stroke. Therapeutic uncertainty was common, but most participants endorsed using stroke secondary prevention strategies. Regarding future research, all internists indicated they would consider changing practices in response to observational studies, whereas half of the neurologists expressed reluctance to modify practices based on non-randomized data. Several expressed concerns about clinical trial feasibility and lack of equipoise. Conclusions id-SBIs are a focus of uncertainty for clinicians, leading to practice variation. Future studies must address diagnostic and prognostic uncertainty to facilitate implementation of prevention strategies.
jj-Coupling-based atomic self-consistent-field calculations with relativistic effective core potentials and two-component spinors

Abstract A self-consistent-field (SCF) program for the calculation of atomic energies and wave functions defined in jj-coupling using two-component atomic spinors and relativistic effective core potentials (RECPs) is described. The code is based on the linear combination of atomic orbitals SCF algorithm for atomic states defined in LS-coupling developed by Roothaan and Bagus. Hamiltonian matrix elements with respect to one- and two-electron operators, including RECPs, are calculated for two-component atomic spinor basis functions of either Gaussian-type orbitals (GTOs) or Slater-type orbitals (STOs). Electronic states are defined as eigenfunctions of the total angular momentum squared operator and tables of the required vector coupling coefficients that define such pure states are provided. In addition, one or more GTO expansions of large- and small-core RECPs and their corresponding GTO basis sets are supplied for all elements Z=3 through Z=118. Optimized two-component basis sets of STOs or GTOs can be calculated for use in molecular structure codes based on RECPs and relativistic electronic structure theory. Atomic asymptotic state energies at the SCF level of theory for analysis of molecular dissociation limits can be studied. Program summary Program title: jjatom Program Files doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.17632/zs4twp8r67.1 Licensing provisions: GPLv3 Programming language: Fortran 90 Nature of problem: Relativistic atomic energies and wave functions; optimization of two component spinor basis sets. Solution method: Atomic spinors defined in jj-coupling and expansions in two-component spinor basis functions of Gaussian- or Slater-type functions. Self-consistent field optimization of the total energy. Used for optimization of two-component atomic spinor basis sets and calculations of valence spectra of heavy elements.
Drinfeld Modules: An Introduction

In the last chapter we introduced a special class of Drinfeld modules for the ring A = F[T] defined over the field k = F(T) and discussed some of their properties. By considering the Carlitz module, in particular, we were able to construct a family of field extensions of k with properties remarkably similar to those of cyclotomic fields. In this chapter we will give a more general definition of a Drinfeld module. The definition and theory of these modules was given by V. Drinfeld in the mid-seventies, see Drinfeld [1, 2]. The application of the rank 1 theory to the class field theory of global function fields is due to Drinfeld and independently to D. Hayes [2]. The article by Hayes [6] provides a compact introduction to this material. A comprehensive treatment of Drinfeld modules (and, even more generally, T-modules) can be found in the treatise of Goss [4].
Plan Recognition and Evaluation for On-line Critiquing

The Traum-AID system is a tool for assisting physicians during the management of patients with severe injuries. Originally, Traum-AID was conceived as a rule-based expert system combined with a planner. After this architecture had been implemented, we began to face the issue of how Traum-AID could communicate its plans to physicians in order to influence their behavior and have a positive effect on patient outcome. This paper describes Trauma-TIQ – the critiquing interface for Traum-AID – which examines the actions the physician intends to carry out and produces a critique in response to those intentions. Trauma-TIQ‘s two main components are a plan recognizer that uses the context of the case to disambiguate plans, and a plan evaluator that identifies errors and calculates their significance in order to determine an appropriate response. Unlike previously developed reminder systems, Trauma-TIQ evaluates the physician‘s proposed plan and attempts to intervene before problems occur. And unlike previous critiquing systems, it is able to provide ongoing decision support during the planning and delivery of care. In the context of time-critical patient management it is, therefore, a more appropriate means of interaction.
Analysis of the Locus Involved in Plasmid Partitioning for the Native Agrobacterium Plasmid pTAR

Stable inheritance of DNA is a problem which every cellular system must resolve. In eukaryotes, the inheritance of the chromosomal DNA is ensured by way of centromeric interaction with cellular mitotic spindle fibers. Because prokaryotes lack such fibers, they must resolve the same problem in a different way. This partitioning process is not well understood for such cells. It has been suggested that prokaryotic DNA interacting with the cell membrane in the form of mesosomes (1) acts as the prokaryotic analog of the eukaryotic spindle fiber-centromere complex in accomplishing DNA partitioning. Plasmids from prokaryotic systems have proven useful as model systems in the study of DNA replication and copy number control. They have also been found to control their own partitioning (2, 3, 4, 5). It has been suggested that plasmids may interact with the cellular membrane as does chromosomal DNA (6) or closely associate themselves with the chromosome at least during cellular division in order to achieve proper partitioning (7, 8) although the evidence to date has only been circumstantial. It is becoming clear that among the different plasmids so far studied, there are at least two approaches to the problem of stable inheritance. One approach relies on random or passive distribution to the daughter cells for plasmids which are maintained in high copy number (9).
New Fields of Investigation (1928–1943)

Now that he finally had the perfect laboratory, it was as if Krogh’s creative energy had been given free rein. In addition to the lines of study that continued to occupy him—circulatory physiology, insulin and diabetes research, comparative, physiology of respiration, and exercise physiology—in the thirties Krogh embarked on several new fields: dissolved organic substances as food for aquatic animals, osmotic regulation, membrane physiology, and isotopes in biological research.
A First-Person Mentee Second-Person Mentor AR Interface for Surgical Telementoring

This application paper presents the work of a multidisciplinary group of designing, implementing, and testing an Augmented Reality (AR) surgical telementoring system. The system acquires the surgical field with an overhead camera, the video feed is transmitted to the remote mentor, where it is displayed on a touch-based interaction table, the mentor annotates the video feed, the annotations are sent back to the mentee, where they are displayed into the mentee's field of view using an optical see-through AR head-mounted display (HMD). The annotations are reprojected from the mentor's second-person view of the surgical field to the mentee's first-person view. The mentee sees the annotations with depth perception, and the annotations remain anchored to the surgical field as the mentee moves their head. Average annotation display accuracy is 1.22cm. The system was tested in the context of a user study where surgery residents ( $n = 20$ ) were asked to perform a lower-leg fasciotomy on cadaver models. Participants who benefited from telementoring using our system received a higher Individual Performance Score, and they reported higher usability and self confidence levels.
DNA duplex recognition activates Exo1 nuclease activity

Exonuclease 1 (Exo1) is an evolutionarily conserved eukaryotic nuclease that plays a multifaceted role in maintaining genome stability. The biochemical attributes of Exo1 have been extensively characterized via conventional assays. However, the key step governing its activation remains elusive. Extending the previous finding that Exo1 can digest a randomly selected single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) but not a poly(dT) oligonucleotide and using purified recombinant Exo1 and nuclease and electrophoretic mobility shift assays, here we determined that DNA hairpins with a stem size of 4 bp or longer are able to activate Exo1-mediated digestion of ssDNA. We further provide evidence suggesting that Exo1 uses an evolutionarily conserved residue, Lys185. This residue interacted with the phosphate group bridging the third and fourth nucleotide on the digestion strand of the substrate DNA for duplex recognition, critical for Exo1 activation on not only ssDNA but also dsDNA. Additionally, the defect of an exo1-K185A mutant in duplex digestion was partially rescued by longer overhanging DNA. However, we noted that the enhanced Exo1 nuclease activity by longer overhanging DNA is largely eliminated by replication protein A (RPA), likely because of the previously reported RPA activity that strips Exo1 off the ssDNA. We conclude that duplex DNA contact by Exo1 is a general mechanism that controls its activation and that this mechanism is particularly important for digestion of duplex DNA whose nascent ssDNA is bound by RPA.
Rainfall pulses increased short-term biocrust chlorophyll but not fungal abundance or N availability in a long-term dryland rainfall manipulation experiment

Abstract Microbial activity in drylands is mediated by the magnitude and frequency of growing season rain events that will shift as climate change progresses. Nitrogen is often co-limiting with water availability to dryland plants. This study investigated how microbes important to the nitrogen (N) cycle and soil N availability varied temporally and spatially in the context of a long-term rainfall variability experiment in the northern Chihuahuan Desert. Specifically, biological soil crust (biocrust) chlorophyll content, fungal abundance, and inorganic N were measured in soils adjacent to individuals of the grassland foundation species, Bouteloua eriopoda, and in the unvegetated interspace at multiple time points associated with experimental monsoon rainfall treatments. Treatments included 12 small weekly (5 mm) or 3 large monthly (20 mm) rain events, which had been applied during the summer monsoon for nine years prior to this study. Additionally, target plant C:N ratios were measured, and 15N-glutamate was added to biocrusts to determine potential for nutrient transport to B. eriopoda. Biocrust chlorophyll was up to 67% higher in the small weekly and large monthly rainfall treatments compared to ambient controls. Fungal biomass was 57% lower in soil interspaces than adjacent to plants but did not respond to rainfall treatments. Ammonium and nitrate concentrations near plants declined through the sampling period but varied little in soil interspaces. There was limited movement of 15N from interspace biocrusts to leaves but high 15N retention occurred in the soils even after additional ambient and experimental rain events. Plant C:N ratio was unaffected by rainfall treatments. The long-term alteration in rainfall regime in this experiment did not change how short-term microbial abundance or N availability responded to the magnitude or frequency of rain events at the end of the growing season, suggesting a limited response of N availability to future climate change.
Anxiety Over Product Safety

All products entail risk whether from design flaws, overuse, or misuse. How safe should a product be? What duties do manufacturers have to warn consumers of potential safety flaws? Mark Dowie’s expose of the Ford Pinto in Mother Jones remains a staple in business ethics classes. However, Dowie’s estimates of potential fatalities and injuries were overstated, but Ford’s estimates were biased, too. The Ford Pinto episode is an example of questionable ethical behavior by producers and journalists.
Clinical Presentation of Central Nervous System Metastases

Central nervous system (CNS) metastases are associated with significant morbidity and mortality and remain one of the most challenging complications of systemic cancer. While intraparenchymal brain metastases represent the most common site of CNS disease, other potential locations in the brain include the pituitary gland, ventricular system and choroid plexus, as well as the spinal cord and leptomeninges (Lee EQ, Continuum 21(2 Neuro-oncology):415–428, 2015). In this chapter we provide an overview of the clinical presentation of CNS metastases including diagnostic workup and initial management.
Impact of a tobacco treatment program on abstinence and survival rates among current smokers with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Background Approximately one quarter of head and neck cancer (HNC) patients smoke cigarettes at the time of diagnosis. Despite HNC guideline recommendations to treat tobacco dependence, the effectiveness of treatment in this population is poorly described. Methods This retrospective cohort review evaluated 117 current smokers with p16-negative mucosal head and neck squamous cell carcinoma prospectively enrolled in a tobacco treatment program. Seven-day point prevalence tobacco abstinence rates at 9 months and survival outcomes were compared among abstinent and nonabstinent groups. Results Median follow-up among survivors was 62.4 months. Forty percent of patients were abstinent at 9 months according to intention-to-treat analysis. After adjustment for age, comorbidity and site, abstinent stage I to II patients had a decreased risk of death compared to smoking stage I to II patients (HR 0.15, 95% CI 0.03-0.82). Conclusions High cohort abstinence rates and favorable survival among abstinent patients with early-stage HNC confirm the importance of tobacco dependence treatment in this population.
Large-scale comparison of 3d and 4d transition metal complexes illuminates the reduced effect of exchange on second-row spin-state energetics

Density functional theory (DFT) is widely used in transition-metal chemistry, yet essential properties such as spin-state energetics in transition-metal complexes (TMCs) are well known to be sensitive to the choice of the exchange-correlation functional. Increasing the amount of exchange in a functional typically shifts the preferred ground state in first-row TMCs from low-spin to high-spin by penalizing delocalization error, but the effect on properties of second-row complexes is less well known. We compare the exchange sensitivity of adiabatic spin-splitting energies in pairs of mononuclear 3d and 4d mid-row octahedral transition-metal complexes. We analyze hundreds of complexes assembled from four metals in two oxidation states with ten small monodentate ligands that span a wide range of field strengths expected to favor a variety of ground states. We observe consistently lower but proportional sensitivity to exchange fraction among 4d TMCs with respect to their isovalent 3d TMC counterparts, leading to the largest difference in sensitivities for the strongest field ligands. The combined effect of reduced exchange sensitivities and the greater low-spin bias of most 4d TMCs means that while over one-third of 3d TMCs change ground states over a modest variation (ca. 0.0-0.3) in exchange fraction, almost no 4d TMCs do. Differences in delocalization, as judged through changes in the metal-ligand bond lengths between spin states, do not explain the distinct behavior of 4d TMCs. Instead, evaluation of potential energy curves in 3d and 4d TMCs reveals that higher exchange sensitivities in 3d TMCs are likely due to the opposing effect of exchange on the low-spin and high-spin states, whereas the effect on both spin states is more comparable in 4d TMCs.
Variability in Parenteral Nutrition Use in US Children's Hospitals

Background The variability of parenteral nutrition (PN) utilization for pediatric inpatients is currently unknown. The purpose of this study is to determine the variability in PN utilization in U.S. children's hospitals and the association of PN utilization with inpatient healthcare utilization. Methods We performed a retrospective cohort study of children who received PN during an inpatient encounter in U.S. children's hospitals. Hospitals were divided into tertiles based on their rates of PN utilization into low ( 51.8/1,000 encounters) categories. Multivariable regression models were developed to assess the associations between hospital PN utilization and time to PN initiation, PN duration, and encounter length of stay after adjustment for salient patient characteristics. Results The cohort included 82,142 patients receiving PN, and rates of hospital PN utilization ranged from 5.9 to 76.7 encounters receiving PN per 1,000 inpatient encounters. After multivariable adjustment, patients treated at high utilization hospitals had a significantly shorter time to initiation of PN compared to low utilization hospitals (incident rate ratio [95% Confidence Interval]: 0.78 [0.69-0.89], p Conclusion Large variation in PN utilization exists among U.S. children's hospitals. High utilization hospitals are more likely to start PN earlier but do not have longer total PN duration or encounter length of stay. This variability makes PN utilization an ideal target for hospital quality improvement efforts to improve adherence to PN evidence-based guidelines. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Next-Generation Analytics for Omics Data

The increasing omics data present a daunting informatics challenge. DrBioRight, a natural language-oriented and artificial intelligence-driven analytics platform, enables the broad research community to perform analysis in an intuitive, efficient, transparent, and collaborative way. The emerging next-generation analytics will maximize the utility of omics data and lead to a new paradigm for biomedical research.
Evaluation of pruning wound protection products for the management of almond canker diseases in California

Almond trunk and branch canker diseases constitute a major cause of tree mortality in California. Numerous fungal pathogens have been associated with these canker diseases and pruning wounds act as...
Future truth and freedom

It is debated among open theists whether propositions about the contingent future should be regarded as straightforwardly true or false, as all false without exception, or as lacking truth-values. This article discusses some recent work on this topic and proposes a solution different than the one I have previously endorsed.
Beyond the Diagnosis: Using Patient Characteristics and Domains of Tendon Health to Identify Latent Subgroups of Achilles Tendinopathy.

Objective To identify latent subgroups among patients with Achilles tendinopathy, describe patient characteristics and clinical attributes that defined each subgroup, and develop a clinical classif...
Deep learning computer vision for robotic disassembly and servicing applications

Abstract Fastener detection is a necessary step for computer vision (CV) based robotic disassembly and servicing applications. Deep learning (DL) provides a robust approach for creating CV models capable of generalizing to diverse visual environments. Such DL CV systems rely on tuning input resolution and mini-batch size parameters to fit the needs of the detection application. This paper provides a method for determining the optimal compromise between input resolution and mini-batch size to determine the highest performance for cross-recessed screw (CRS) detection while utilizing maximum graphics processing unit resources. The Tiny-You Only Look Once v2 (Tiny-YOLO v2) DL object detection system was chosen to evaluate this method. Tiny-YOLO v2 was employed to solve the specialized task of detecting CRS which are highly common in electronic devices. The method used in this paper for CRS detection is meant to lay the ground-work for multi-class fastener detection, as the method is not dependent on the type or number of object classes. An original dataset of 900 images of 12.3 MPx resolution was manually collected and annotated for training. Three additional distinct datasets of 90 images each were manually collected and annotated for testing. It was found an input resolution of 1664 x 1664 pixels paired with a mini-batch size of 16 yielded the highest average precision (AP) among the seven models tested for all three testing datasets. This model scored an AP of 92.60% on the first testing dataset, 99.20% on the second testing dataset, and 98.39% on the third testing dataset.
Infrared-scattering sharply resonant nonlinear metasurfaces

We present a design and detailed fabrication of periodic and quasi-periodic plasmonic arrays including infrared scattering, patterning stripe, particle, and hole arrays with large periodicities for longwave IR scattering, and experimental reflectivity and backwards scattering from these metamaterials. We experimentally verify LWIR and other infrared diffraction from sparser arrays and arrays of holes in plasmonic metals. We simulate, using critical coupling analytical models and numerical algorithms, the reflectivity, scattering, etc. of these metamaterial arrays, and compare to the laser-based measurements. We also investigate a hole array in a plasmonic material (Ag).We find plasmonic resonances at both the air-Ag and Ag-substrate interfaces to be present, increasing transmission via the Extraordinary Optical Transmission effect, which may be tuned by an electromagnetic field to shift the resonance position, and in the future may enable novel tunable rectification.
Dynaplex: analyzing program complexity using dynamically inferred recurrence relations

Being able to detect program runtime complexity is useful in many tasks (e.g., checking expected performance and identifying potential security vulnerabilities). In this work, we introduce a new dynamic approach for inferring the asymptotic complexity bounds of recursive programs. From program execution traces, we learn recurrence relations and solve them using pattern matching to obtain closed-form solutions representing the complexity bounds of the program. This approach allows us to efficiently infer simple recurrence relations that represent nontrivial, potentially nonlinear polynomial and non-polynomial, complexity bounds. We present Dynaplex, a tool that implements these ideas to automatically generate recurrence relations from execution traces. Our preliminary results on popular and challenging recursive programs show that Dynaplex can learn precise relations capturing worst-case complexity bounds (e.g., O(n logn) for mergesort, O(2n) for Tower of Hanoi and O(n1.58) for Karatsuba’s multiplication algorithm).
Earth Materials: Introduction to Mineralogy and Petrology

This concise, accessible, market-leading textbook brings together the wide-ranging fundamentals students need to understand rocks and minerals, and shows them how they relate to the broader Earth, materials and environmental sciences. Designed specifically for one-semester courses, it is beautifully illustrated to explain the key concepts in mineralogy and petrology. This edition has been fully updated based on classroom experience, and new features include a completely new chapter providing an elementary introduction to thermodynamics, kinetics, radioactive decay and absolute dating; new mineral descriptions and many new stunning color photographs; and a new section on hydraulic fracturing and discussion of some of its most serious potential environmental consequences. The book uses stunning photos of mineral specimens and rock thin sections to help students build a core understanding. It also creates a highly effective learning experience through close integration of clear illustrations with engaging text, and helps students to easily visualize crystal structures through the CrystalViewer's 3D software, available online.
High Temperature Static Fatigue Testing of Turbine Ceramics

An experimental program was conducted to investigate the degradation in mechanical properties of silicon based ceramics exposed to high temperature oxidizing environments. This paper will present the results of testing on three grades of reaction bonded silicon nitride (RBSN): Norton NC 350, Kawecki Berylco Industries RBSN, and Ford 2.7 RBSN. Testing included flexural stress rupture at 1200°C and stepped temperature stress rupture (STSR) experiments. The latter test was devised for this study and is a variation of the stress rupture test such that a range of temperatures are employed. The purpose of the STSR test is to explore the potential stress-temperature regimes of static fatigue failure. In addition, a combined cycle durability sequence was applied to the three RBSN’s. This procedure is a crude service simulation involving static heat soaks and rapid thermal cycling on bend bars. Extensive fractography was conducted to identify causes of failure.