cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hazardous Continuation Backward in Time in Nonlinear Parabolic Equations, and an Experiment in Deblurring Nonlinearly Blurred Imagery.

Identifying sources of ground water pollution, and deblurring nanoscale imagery as well as astronomical galaxy images, are two important applications involving numerical computation of parabolic equations backward in time. Surprisingly, very little is known about backward continuation in nonlinear parabolic equations. In this paper, an iterative procedure originating in spectroscopy in the 1930’s, is adapted into a useful tool for solving a wide class of 2D nonlinear backward parabolic equations. In addition, previously unsuspected difficulties are uncovered that may preclude useful backward continuation in parabolic equations deviating too strongly from the linear, autonomous, self adjoint, canonical model. This paper explores backward continuation in selected 2D nonlinear equations, by creating fictitious blurred images obtained by using several sharp images as initial data in these equations, and capturing the corresponding solutions at some positive time T. Successful backward continuation from t=T to t = 0, would recover the original sharp image. Visual recognition provides meaningful evaluation of the degree of success or failure in the reconstructed solutions. Instructive examples are developed, illustrating the unexpected influence of certain types of nonlinearities. Visually and statistically indistinguishable blurred images are presented, with vastly different deblurring results. These examples indicate that how an image is nonlinearly blurred is critical, in addition to the amount of blur. The equations studied represent nonlinear generalizations of Brownian motion, and the blurred images may be interpreted as visually expressing the results of novel stochastic processes.
From chance to neurophotonics (Conference Presentation)

Abstract not available. © (2016) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Determination of tetrodotoxin in roasted fish fillets by HPLC-MS/MS

Objective To establish an analytical method for qualitative and quantitative analysis of tetrodotoxin(TTX)in roasted fish fillets using HPLC-MS/MS.Methods Specimens were treated by vortexing and ultrasonic-assist extraction in 1%acetic acid.The extract was added into 4volumes of methanol to precipitate soluble macromolecule compounds.After centrifugation,supernatant was evaporated and the residue was redissolved in 1ml of methanol.After high speed centrifugation the supernatant was subjected by HPLC-MS/MS analysis.Separation was performed on a hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography(HILIC)column via gradient elution.Electrospray ionization(ESI)source in positive ion mode and multi-reaction monitoring(MRM)was used for qualitative and quantitative analysis.Results TTX showed good lineage in the range of 5~1 000ng/ml,correlation coefficient was 0.999 3.Limit of detection(LOD,S/N=3)was 16μg/kg,recovery efficiency for TTX in roast fish fillet was 84.6%~98.1% with relative standard deviation of 3.9%~13.7%.Conclusion The method established in this study is specific,sensitive,easy to operate,which is suitable for qualitative and quantificative analysis of TTX in roasted fish fillets.
Hygienic evaluation on centralized air ventilation system during operation in a foreign-related hotel in Shenzhen City

[Objective]To investigate the sanitary status of centralized air ventilation system in a foreign-related hotel in Shenzhen City,provide the technical basis for strengthening the hygiene management. [Methods]According to the Hygienic supervision measures on centralized air ventilation system in public places,the centralized air ventilation system was detected and evaluated. [Results]The qualification rate of PM10,total bacterial count,total fungi count and β-hemolytic streptococcus in sending outlet was 100. 0%,80. 0%,86. 7% and 100. 0%,respectively. The qualification rate of dust amount,total bacterial count,total fungi count and β-hemolytic streptococcus on surface of ventilation pipes was 100. 0%,100. 0%,53. 3% and 100. 0%,respectively. The qualification rate of Legionella pneumophila in cooling water and condensed water was 100. 0%.[Conclusion]There is a certain degree of contamination in the centralized air ventilation system of this foreign-related hotel,and the hygiene management should be strengthened.
Pregnancy and HIV infection in young women in North Carolina.

b SYNOPSIS Objectives. We described young women in North Carolina (NC) who were pregnant at the time of diagnosis with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection to identify an at-risk population that could be targeted for increased HIV screening. We investigated the combined effect of partner counseling and referral services (PCRS) and comprehensive prenatal HIV screening. Methods. We conducted a retrospective review of PCRS charts on young women newly diagnosed with HIV in NC between 2002 and 2005. We determined the prevalence of pregnancy in the study sample and conducted bivariate analyses to assess predictors of pregnancy at the time of HIV diagno- sis, calculating prevalence ratios (PRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). We analyzed results of partner notification efforts, including timing and stage of diagnosis of HIV-positive partners. Results. During the four-year period, 551 women aged 18-30 years were newly diagnosed with HIV; 30% were pregnant at the time of HIV diagnosis. Pregnant women were more likely to be Hispanic (PR51.58, 95% CI 1.15, 2.17) and not report typical risk factors. Fourteen percent of pregnant women's partners had an undiagnosed infection compared with slightly more than 8% of nonpregnant women's partners (p,0.01). Conclusions. Ethnic differences in co-diagnosis of pregnancy and HIV suggest that young Hispanic women may have differential access to and acceptance of routine HIV screening. Comprehensive prenatal screening combined with partner notification can be effective in reaching infected male partners who are undiagnosed.
Life Outside the Law: Torture and the Flesh in King Lear

Like Measure for Measure, King Lear is a clear-eyed investigation of the nature of sovereign power. And like that other play, it discloses the transcendental potential of the life of the flesh that is woven into the very fabric of sovereign power. After Lear resigns, power is reconstituted in the hands of Goneril and Regan, but insofar as Lear keeps for himself the “name, and all th’ addition to a king”, their power is devoid of the legitimating veil of tradition and ritual (1.1.137).1 Their dark reign reveals the truth that sovereign power makes bodies into subjects only by making them utterly and even abjectly subject to arbitrary will.2 Indeed, the play suggests that the purest emblem of the institution of sovereign power is torture, the torture to which Gloucester is explicitly subjected and to which Lear and the others who are cast off into the wilderness are implicitly subjected. However, like the other plays I have examined, King Lear uncovers a path through abject exposure to sovereign power into an alternative form of life, founded on the transformative recognition that the self’s utter dependence on sovereign power for an identity also unhinges that identity. This recognition brings to light the substrate of the flesh on which any socio-symbolic identity is mounted. In characters who recognize that they are mercilessly exposed to sovereign power, the play brings to light a luminescent fleshliness that is capable of entering into new forms of connection with other flesh.
Chapter 2 – An Overview of JABWT

Publisher Summary This chapter defines the goals, characteristics, and the scope of the Java APIs for Bluetooth wireless technology (JABWT) specification. The Bluetooth specification describes the over-the-air behavior for ensuring compatibility of Bluetooth devices from different vendors. The Bluetooth specification does not standardize a software API to Bluetooth stacks for use by Bluetooth applications. JABWT helps solve this problem by defining the first standard API for Bluetooth application developers. The overall goal of the JABWT standardization effort is to define a standard set of APIs that enables an open, third-party application development environment for Bluetooth wireless technology. There are two categories of hardware requirements: the requirements of the Java ME device and the requirements of the Bluetooth subsystem in the device. The chapter also outlines the scope of the JABWT specification, and the three main areas that JABWT does not currently support are audio over SCO links, TCS-BIN, and BNEP.
The inflammatory role of phagocyte apoptotic pathways in rheumatic diseases

Rheumatoid arthritis affects nearly 1% of the world's population and is a debilitating autoimmune condition that can result in joint destruction. During the past decade, inflammatory functions have been described for signalling molecules classically involved in apoptotic and non-apoptotic death pathways, including, but not limited to, Toll-like receptor signalling, inflammasome activation, cytokine production, macrophage polarization and antigen citrullination. In light of these remarkable advances in the understanding of inflammatory mechanisms of the death machinery, this Review provides a snapshot of the available evidence implicating death pathways, especially within the phagocyte populations of the innate immune system, in the perpetuation of rheumatoid arthritis and other rheumatic diseases. Elevated levels of signalling mediators of both extrinsic and intrinsic apoptosis, as well as the autophagy, are observed in the joints of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Furthermore, risk polymorphisms are present in signalling molecules of the extrinsic apoptotic and autophagy death pathways. Although research into the mechanisms underlying these pathways has made considerable progress, this Review highlights areas where further investigation is particularly needed. This exploration is critical, as new discoveries in this field could lead to the development of novel therapies for rheumatoid arthritis and other rheumatic diseases.
Protective Action of HDL-Associated PON1 Against LDL Oxidation

The earliest lesion in the development of an atherosclerotic plaque is the fatty streak. This chronic inflammatory reaction results from a sequence of events that begins with the retention of low density lipoprotein (LDL) in the subendothelial space of the artery wall. The trapped LDL is“seeded” with oxidative species generated by endothelial 12-lipoxygenase that can be released and initiate lipid oxidation within the LDL particle. Specific lipids that result, lead to the activation of molecules including NF-kB-like transcription factors that cause the expression of genes whose protein products mediate monocyte binding, monocyte chemotaxis into the subendothelial space, and their conversion into macrophages. High density lipoprotein (HDL) prevents these events and the inverse relation between HDL and atherosclerotic events may in part be due to enzymes associated with HDL that destroy the biologically active lipids generated in LDL. The potential role of one of these enzymes, paraoxonase 1 (PON1) is discussed below.
Heat Shock Proteins and Phytochemicals: Role in Human Health and Disease

The use of plants for therapeutic purpose has a long history in many continents. However, the potential of phytochemicals, the bioactive components in the plant, in disease prevention and treatment is recognized and supported only recently by the scientific community. A lot of human diseases and health-related issues are related to the disruption of redox homeostasis by various stressors encountered constantly throughout human life. As a consequence, it leads to accumulation of abnormal proteins, inflammatory response, and oxidative stress, which are common denominators shared by many degenerative disorders. Heat shock proteins are stress proteins known to provide cytoprotection and play important roles in protein folding/unfolding. This chapter briefly describes recent findings in the effects of phytochemicals on oxidative stress-involved ischemia/reperfusion injury, obesity, and liver diseases through regulation of heat shock proteins. These phytochemicals include caffeic acid phenethyl ester from bee glue, synthetic oleanane triterpenoid CDDO-Im, curcumin from Indian spice turmeric, resveratrol from red grapes, naringin found in grapefruit, epigallocatechin-3-gallate from green tea, anthocyanins from pomegranate, and flavonoids.
Added sugars drive coronary heart disease via insulin resistance and hyperinsulinaemia: a new paradigm

‘I know of no single acceptable study that shows a high intake of sugar in a population that is almost entirely free from heart disease.’1—John Yudkin Coronary heart disease (CHD) is responsible for one in every six deaths in the USA,2 and it eventually manifests as an acute myocardial infarction (MI). In the USA, almost 1 million acute MIs occur each year2 with approximately 15% of patients dying as a result of their acute event.2 If one manages to survive an acute MI, depending on the age of onset, the average survival time ranges anywhere from just 3.2 years to up to 17 years.2 Thus, CHD and acute MI are leading causes of early mortality in the USA.2 Asymptomatic hyperglycaemia is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and CHD, as well as death from CHD.3 Hyperglycaemia can develop during an acute MI, even in patients without diabetes,3 which may be caused by an increase in catecholamines, a reduction in the release of insulin, development of insulin resistance and increases in cortisol and growth hormone.3–5 However, many patients with MI already have diabetes and simply have yet to be diagnosed (ie, latent diabetes), where the acute stress worsens their diabetic state leading to hyperglycaemia.3 Indeed, one study showed that 73% of patients presenting with an acute MI have abnormal glucose tolerance, with 50% having diabetes.6 After 6 months, 43% still had abnormal glucose tolerance, which is approximately threefold higher than that found in matched controls (15%), the difference between the two being significant.6 Thus, hyperglycaemia does not seem to be an acute or temporary finding in patients who have experienced an MI, with many of these patients having continued abnormal glucose tolerance even when followed for several years after their event. The …
A review of soft-tissue sarcomas: translation of biological advances into treatment measures

Soft-tissue sarcomas are rare malignant tumors arising from connective tissues and have an overall incidence of about five per 100,000 per year. While this diverse family of malignancies comprises over 100 histological subtypes and many molecular aberrations are prevalent within specific sarcomas, very few are therapeutically targeted. Instead of utilizing molecular signatures, first-line sarcoma treatment options are still limited to traditional surgery and chemotherapy, and many of the latter remain largely ineffective and are plagued by disease resistance. Currently, the mechanism of sarcoma oncogenesis remains largely unknown, thus necessitating a better understanding of pathogenesis. Although substantial progress has not occurred with molecularly targeted therapies over the past 30 years, increased knowledge about sarcoma biology could lead to new and more effective treatment strategies to move the field forward. Here, we discuss biological advances in the core molecular determinants in some of the most common soft-tissue sarcomas - liposarcoma, angiosarcoma, leiomyosarcoma, rhabdomyosarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma, and synovial sarcoma - with an emphasis on emerging genomic and molecular pathway targets and immunotherapeutic treatment strategies to combat this confounding disease.
Does course guide design impact student learning

Course and research guides are a common tool of teaching librarians, expanding the reach of instruction sessions. Traditionally these guides were designed in a pathfinder-style with lists of resour...
13. Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy

Minimally invasive esophagectomy (MIE) is an excellent treatment option in appropriately selected patients with benign or malignant esophagogastric pathology. For malignant disease, preoperative workup should include upper endoscopy with biopsy, endoscopic esophageal ultrasound, computed tomography scan of the chest and abdomen, and positron emission tomography. Our preferred technique for MIE is the laparoscopic and thoracoscopic Ivor Lewis esophagogastrectomy. This operation consists of laparoscopic gastric mobilization, construction of the gastric conduit to follow by thoracoscopic esophageal mobilization, resection of the esophageal specimen, and construction of a thoracoscopic esophagogastric anastomosis. MIE is safe, provides good oncologic outcomes, and advantages of the minimally invasive approach. Low perioperative mortality (<5%) can be achieved at centers performing high surgical volume.
Small molecule supramolecular assemblies for third-order nonlinear optics

This chapter discusses organic molecules for third-order nonlinear optics - responsible for effects such as self- and cross-phase modulation, and all-optical switching - and the issues related to using such molecules to create a solid-state material. The chapter will review the figures of merit that help determine the potential of a small molecule, and discuss the problem of obtaining a bulk material with a large third-order nonlinearity that at the same time possesses a high optical quality compatible with photonic applications. As a concluding example, the chapter will end with a review of recent progress in optimizing the third-order optical nonlinearity of small molecules and in using those molecules to fabricate dense supramolecular assemblies for integrated nonlinear optics.
Max Weber’s Scientific Religion

Sociology dates back to the dawn of science; yet contemporary sociology, whose founding fathers were Emile Durkheim, Max Weber and Georg Simmel, goes back only to the early twentieth century. The sociology of science is twenty, or at most thirty years old, though it was foreshadowed by Robert K. Merton’s doctoral dissertation of the thirties, in which he develops Weber’s view of science as Protestant and puritanical. Indeed, the oldest text repeatedly referred to in the literature of the sociology of science is Merton’s text on social science in general, of 1952. Philosophically, the empirical study of science ought to accord with our views of the rules of scientific method, since, just as the sociology of religion or of law or of prostitution offers the rules exercised by the practitioners of these ancient activities, so must the sociology of science do. This, indeed, is the minimal philosophic requirement; it seems that though the attempt by the empirical method to legitimize itself empirically begs the question, its failure to do so is suspect, to say the very least. It is therefore not surprising that a methodology backed by empirical sociology is taken more seriously than any other methodology. What is puzzling is that the fathers of modern sociology, though they laid stress on method, over which they sharply disagreed, contributed almost nothing to the sociology of science. Possibly they felt that their methodologies would be seriously threatened by sociological examination.
A Multivariate Approach to Restricted Drinking

The most significant elements common to persons diagnosed as alcoholic is that they drink too much. Because the range of physiological, psychological, and sociocultural correlates of alcoholism is vast, many authorities in the field reject global etiological theorizing and univariate conceptualizations of alcoholism in favor of a multivariate approach (see, for example, Edwards, 1974; Goldstein & Linden, 1969; Pattison, 1974a, b; Wanberg & Knapp, 1970). The multivariate approach views alcohol dependence not as an entity represented by symptoms but as an array of behaviors and cognitions that collectively produce different types of problems, which are subsequently labeled. To underline this perspective, Horn and Wanberg (1969) have recommended that terms like “alcoholism” and “alcoholic” not be used, for they argue that these terms denote that a specific attribute, “alcoholism,” exists in the unitary fashion implied by the terms.
Maximum Entropy Connections: Neural Networks

Maximum entropy estimation of probability distributions constitutes a theoretical foundation for the Hopfield associative memory. Subject to knowledge of the first and second order statistics of a collection of binary variables, the maximum entropy distribution is the exponential of a Hopfield network’s energy. In a special case, an explicit expression for the connection strengths in this maximum entropy net is given; this converges exactly to Hopfield’s covariance prescription in the limit of large numbers of random patterns. This connection between probabilistic inference and neural networks gives a viewpoint on the effective assumptions and approximations being made when a Hopfield network is used as an associative memory, and motivates several modifications to the original algorithms.
Hospital Planning and Response for Sudden Chemical Mass Casualty Incidents

Sudden exposure of multiple people to a chemical agent may be classified as a sudden chemical mass casualty incident (SCMCI). The vast majority of the contaminated patients will be mildly contaminated (“walking wounded”). The majority of contaminated patients will self-evacuate or be transported by nonrescue personnel to local hospitals. Although decontamination at the scene is desirable, it is time consuming in an unplanned, sudden event, and therefore unrealistic. Most critical patients, usually those with respiratory distress, will probably expire by the time scene decontamination is available. Therefore, critical contaminated patients should be transported rapidly to hospitals by first responders who must have personal protective equipment (PPE). Removal of all clothing may reduce contamination by 80–90% and should be done prior to getting into the ambulance. Once in the ambulance, patient can be kept covered and warm with blankets and sheets. High probability that a large number of self-evacuated patients will flood the hospital campus. Hospitals should plan to prevent patient flooding, have a decontamination facility, and further manage patients from a SCMCI.
Evaluating Stress Corrosion And Corrosion Aspects In Supercritical Water Oxidation Systems For The Destruction Of Hazardous Waste

There is, currently, simultaneous public resistance to traditional waste handling procedures and a compelling need to destroy both military and civilian hazardous waste. Supercritical water oxidation (SCWO) is one developing technology particularly appropriate for treating a broad range of dilute aqueous organic wastes. Above its critical point (374 C and 221 atm) water is a low density fluid possessing properties intermediate between those of a liquid and a gas, and solvation characteristics more typical of a low polarity organic than water. Although this is a promising technology, a critical issue in its development will be the ability to overcome severe degradation problems of the materials of construction. While titanium and platinum liners have shown promise for some hazardous military feed streams, costs are high. Although nickel alloys are considered important for severe service, the indication is that they will not survive certain SCWO environments. Nevertheless, there is evidence that judicious feed modification may be employed to mitigate corrosion and reduce fabrication cost. Exposure studies have been accomplished for various alloys over a range of temperatures from 300--600 C. Experiments have been carried out in environments as innocuous as deionized water and as aggressive as highly chlorinated aqueous organic feed streams.more » Analysis of a number of failed components has provided enlightenment on degradation mechanisms and cracking, pitting and elevated corrosion rates are all observed in these systems. For chlorinated feed streams, both dealloying and cracking have been observed for alloy C-276. Samples exposed to a highly chlorinated organic indicate that the high-nickel alloys behave significantly better at 600 C than stainless steel type 316.« less
Structural and Biochemical Analyses of the Core Components of the Hippo Pathway

The Hippo pathway controls organ size and maintains tissue homeostasis through a central MST-LATS kinase cascade. When Hippo signaling is on, activated MST1/2 partner with SAV1 to phosphorylate and activate the LATS1/2-MOB1 complexes, which in turn phosphorylate and inactivate YAP/TAZ transcription co-activators. This process halts the expression of Hippo-responsive genes, thereby inhibiting cell proliferation and promoting apoptosis. Our studies have shown that two core adaptor proteins MOB1 and SAV1 use distinctive mechanisms to enhance Hippo signaling. MOB1 promotes MST-dependent LATS activation through dynamic scaffolding and allosteric regulation. SAV1 promotes MST activation by antagonizing the PP2A phosphatase activity. Here we describe the detailed methods for the purification and crystallization of the MST2-SAV1 and pMOB1-LATS1 complexes, for assaying the SAV1-dependent inhibition of PP2A, and for analyzing LATS1 kinase activation using in vitro reconstitution.
Risk Factors for Intracardiac Thrombus During Liver Transplantation

Intracardiac thrombus (ICT) is an intraoperative complication with high mortality that occurs during orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT). Patients with end-stage liver disease have compromised coagulation pathways, and when combined with stressors of surgery, thrombi can form. However, it is unknown which patients are most likely to develop ICT. We performed a retrospective cohort study of all OLT patients at our hospital from 2010 to 2017 to identify risk factors for ICT. An analysis was performed with conventional bivariate tests and logistic regression. The incidence of ICT during OLT was 4.2% (22/528) with a 45.5% (10/22) mortality. Patients who developed ICT had higher physiologic Model for End-Stage Liver Disease scores at the time of transplant (25.1 versus 32.4; P = 0.004), received grafts from donors with a higher body mass index (28.1 versus 32.2 kg/m2 ; P = 0.007), and had longer intraoperative warm ischemia times (53.1 versus 67.5 minutes; P = 0.001). The odds of developing ICT were significantly lower after administration of intravenous (IV) heparin prior to inferior vena cava (IVC) clamping compared with no administration of heparin (odds ratio, 0.25; 95% confidence interval, 0.08-0.75; P = 0.01). In conclusion, the incidence of ICT at our institution is higher than previously reported, which may be explained by our routine use of transesophageal echocardiography. Although many factors associated with ICT in this study are nonmodifiable, administration of IV heparin prior to IVC cross-clamping is modifiable and was found to be protective. Further studies will be needed to confirm findings and ultimately aid in preventing these lethal events.
Relatively rare root endophytic bacteria drive plant resource allocation patterns and tissue nutrient concentration in unpredictable ways.

Premise Plant endophytic bacterial strains can influence plant traits such as leaf area and root length. Yet, the influence of more complex bacterial communities in regulating overall plant phenotype is less explored. Here, in two complementary experiments, we tested whether we can predict plant phenotype response to changes in microbial community composition. Methods In the first study, we inoculated a single genotype of Populus deltoides with individual root endophytic bacteria and measured plant phenotype. Next, data from this single inoculation were used to predict phenotypic traits after mixed three-strain community inoculations, which we tested in the second experiment. Results By itself, each bacterial endophyte significantly but weakly altered plant phenotype relative to noninoculated plants. In a mixture, bacterial strain Burkholderia BT03, constituted at least 98% of community relative abundance. Yet, plant resource allocation and tissue nutrient concentrations were disproportionately influenced by Pseudomonas sp. GM17, GM30, and GM41. We found a 10% increase in leaf mass fraction and an 11% decrease in root mass fraction when replacing Pseudomonas GM17 with GM41 in communities containing both Pseudomonas GM30 and Burkholderia BT03. Conclusions Our results indicate that interactions among endophytic bacteria may drive plant phenotype over the contribution of each strain individually. Additionally, we have shown that low-abundance strains contribute to plant phenotype challenging the assumption that the dominant strains will drive plant function.
C-13 Hyperpolarized MR Spectroscopy for Metabolic Imaging of Brain Tumors

Our understanding of the molecular basis of glioma initiation and maintenance has increased tremendously in recent years. This information needs to be incorporated into clinical patient management in order to make personalized neuro-oncology a reality. One promising approach is metabolic imaging, which can translate metabolic information that reflects the molecular features of glioma into noninvasive imaging biomarkers that can impact diagnosis, treatment selection, and monitoring of response to therapy. A novel metabolic imaging modality is hyperpolarized 13C-magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) which can be used to noninvasively quantify metabolic fluxes in real time in vivo. The aim of this review is to provide an understanding of the current state of the art in glioma imaging using hyperpolarized 13C-MRS. We will review the various hyperpolarized 13C-MRS studies in preclinical glioma models as well as studies in brain tumor patients that highlight the promise and the challenges associated with translation of this technology to the clinic.
A Cut Above the Rest: Team Performance as a Function of Team Cohesion, Team Familiarity, Team Effectiveness, and Soldier Lethality

Objective: The objective of this study is to gather and analyze data through the use of psychometric instruments regarding several theoretical constructs, including Team Cohesion, Team Familiarity, and Team Effectiveness in order to determine their differential impact on Team Performance outcomes. Background: The annual Sandhurst competition, held at the United States Military Academy, provides cadets the opportunity to function as a small unit. Data collected before, during, and after the competition is used to study the performance of each team in order to gain insights on how Team Cohesion, textit{TeamFamiliarity}, and Team Effectiveness influence their final rankings. In addition, this study develops and tests a Soldier Lethality proxy measure using numerical data collected before and during the competition, which is also used to predict Team Performance. Methods: Psychometric instruments and linear regression models are used to determine the significance of the theoretical constructs and the Soldier Lethality measure on Team Performance outcomes. Results: A total of 194 cadets out of the 456 cadets that participated in the Sandhurst Competition completed the survey. Our findings show that the theoretical constructs were not statistically significant when evaluating Team Performance. However, the Soldier Lethality measure yields a significant result (p-value =0.002; β=0.5; R2=0.22). Conclusions: In this study, raw physical data (denoted here as secondary data) is more effective in predicting Team Performance outcomes in a combatlike setting as opposed to using psychometric instruments due to non-response error (failure to respond to one, or all of the survey questions) and response bias (untruthfully or misleadingly responses). Application: This study shows how objective, detailed data on teamwork may be used to provide insights into questions of the performance of teams.
Introduction: A Paradigm Shift in Global Cleft Care

Evolution in global cleft care is being driven by innovation from low-resource settings with increased focus on consistent achievement of excellent patient outcomes.
Exocrine pancreas proteases regulate β-cell proliferation in zebrafish ciliopathy models and in murine systems

Pancreatic β-cells are a critical cell type in the pathology of diabetes. Models of genetic syndromes featuring diabetes can provide novel mechanistic insights into regulation of β-cells in the context of disease. We previously examined β-cell mass in models of two ciliopathies, Alstrom Syndrome (AS) and Bardet-Biedl Syndrome (BBS), which are similar in the presence of metabolic phenotypes, including obesity, but exhibit strikingly different rates of diabetes. Zebrafish models of these disorders show deficient β-cells with diabetes in AS models and an increased β-cells absent diabetes in BBS models, indicating β-cell generation or maintenance that correlates with disease prevalence. Using transcriptome analyses, differential expression of several exocrine pancreas proteases with directionality that was consistent with β-cell numbers were identified. Based on these lines of evidence, we hypothesized that pancreatic proteases directly impact β-cells. In the present study, we examined this possibility and found that pancreatic protease genes contribute to proper maintenance of normal β-cell numbers, proliferation in larval zebrafish, and regulation of AS and BBS β-cell phenotypes. Our data suggest that these proteins can be taken up directly by cultured β-cells and ex vivo murine islets, inducing proliferation in both. Endogenous uptake of pancreatic proteases by β-cells was confirmed in vivo using transgenic zebrafish and in intact murine pancreata. Taken together, these findings support a novel proliferative signaling role for exocrine pancreas proteases through interaction with endocrine β-cells.
Mont Blanc—extraLapis 59 edited by Patrick Reith, Tobias Weise, and Stephan Weiss; in German. Christian Weise Verlag, Munich, Germany; www.lapis.de. 106 pages; 2021; €19.80 plus shipping and handling (softbound).

Mont Blanc is the latest installment of the extraLapis series on mineralogy. Like all that have come before, it is lavishly illustrated with specimen and locality photographs and maps. Mont Blanc i...
Characteristics of Past 30-Day Cigar Smoking, U.S. Adolescents, 2020.

Introduction Data from the 2019 National Youth Tobacco Survey indicated that cigars were the most commonly used combustible tobacco product in the past 30 days among youth. This study uses 2020 National Youth Tobacco Survey data to report the prevalence estimates and characteristics of current cigar use, overall and by cigar type, among middle- and high-school students in the U.S. Methods Weighted prevalence estimates and 95% CIs were calculated in 2020 for overall cigar use and by cigar type. Results In 2020, current cigar smoking was reported by 3.5% of students (1.5% middle school and 5.0% high school). Cigarillos (44.1%) were the most reported cigar type smoked, followed by regular (33.1%) and little (22.6%) cigars; 21.8% did not know the cigar type. Most cigar smokers were in high school (81.2%) and were male (52.4%), and 42.3% were non-Hispanic White. More than half of cigar smokers reported smoking flavored cigars (58.3%), with fruit (61.5%), candy/desserts/other sweets (34.0%), and mint (30.4%) as the most frequently reported flavor categories. Approximately 1 in 5 current cigar smokers (18.4%) smoked on ≥20 days in the past 30 days, and 78.8% reported multiple tobacco product use. Conclusions Cigar smoking was highest among non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic youth. More than half of youth cigar smokers reported using flavored cigars, and most were also currently using other tobacco products. Cigarillos were the most reported cigar type used by youth, followed by regular cigars. These findings highlight the continued importance of youth tobacco use reduction strategies and can inform policy development.
Predicting Petroleum Fields in Ethnic Regions with Social and Economic Data: Evidence from Africa (Poster)

The paper develops an artificial neural network that predicts the presence of petroleum fields within ethnic country regions across sub-Saharan Africa using rich socioeconomic microdata. Using data from around 300,000 households from 1997 to 2014, the model accurately predicts the presence of petroleum fields in ethnic regions with an overall accuracy of 89.7%. Furthermore, the accuracy of the test and validation were found to be 89.9%. The slightly-increased accuracy in predicting petroleum fields suggests that socioeconomic data may be complementary to standard petroleum studies approaches in unpacking the social context of oil. The paper also explores dimensionality reductions to optimally characterize, organize, and visualize the data. Social science data may have a helpful role to play for oil resources and sustainable development
Grey-Box Model-Based Analysis of the Effects of Anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on the Reaction Time in Healthy Human

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) can modulate corticomuscular coherence and reaction time of the targeted muscle during a single-muscle ballistic myoelectric control where anodal tDCS of the primary motor cortex (M1) leg representation decreased the reaction time while the cerebellar tDCS (ctDCS) increased the same. In this study, we present corticomuscular coherence changes due to anodal leg M1 tDCS and ctDCS. We also present a grey-box model that explained the tDCS effects on the reaction time in healthy humans where tDCS effects were captured by a Boltzmann function.
Coordination of Fast and Slow Rhythmic Neuronal Circuits

Interactions among rhythmically active neuronal circuits that oscillate at different frequencies are important for generating complex behaviors, yet little is known about the underlying cellular mechanisms. We addressed this issue in the crab stomatogastric ganglion (STG), which contains two distinct but interacting circuits. These circuits generate the gastric mill rhythm (cycle period, ;10 sec) and the pyloric rhythm (cycle period, ;1 sec). When the identified modulatory projection neuron named modulatory commissural neuron 1 (MCN1) is activated, the gastric mill motor pattern is generated by interactions among MCN1 and two STG neurons [the lateral gastric (LG) neuron and interneuron 1]. We show that, during MCN1 stimulation, an identified synapse from the pyloric circuit onto the gastric mill circuit is pivotal for determining the gastric mill cycle period and the gastric‐pyloric rhythm coordination. To examine the role of this intercircuit synapse, we replaced it with a computational equivalent via the dynamic-clamp technique. This enabled us to manipulate better the timing and strength of this synapse. We found this synapse to be necessary for production of the normal gastric mill cycle period. The synapse acts, during each LG neuron interburst, to boost rhythmically the influence of the modulatory input from MCN1 to LG and thereby to hasten LG neuron burst onset. The two rhythms become coordinated because LG burst onset occurs with a constant latency after the onset of the triggering pyloric input. These results indicate that intercircuit synapses can enable an oscillatory circuit to control the speed of a slower oscillatory circuit, as well as provide a mechanism for intercircuit coordination.
Factor automata of automata and applications

An efficient data structure for representing the full index of a set of strings is the factor automaton, the minimal deterministic automaton representing the set of all factors or substrings of these strings. This paper presents a novel analysis of the size of the factor automaton of an automaton, that is the minimal deterministic automaton accepting the set of factors of a finite set of strings, itself represented by a finite automaton. It shows that the factor automaton of a set of strings U has at most 2|Q| - 2 states, where Q is the number of nodes of a prefix-tree representing the strings in U, a bound that significantly improves over 2||U|| - 1, the bound given by Blumer et al. (1987), where ||U|| is the sum of the lengths of all strings in U. It also gives novel and general bounds for the size of the factor automaton of an automaton as a function of the size of the original automaton and the maximal length of a suffix shared by the strings it accepts. Our analysis suggests that the use of factor automata of automata can be practical for large-scale applications, a fact that is further supported by the results of our experiments applying factor automata to a music identification task with more than 15,000 songs.
A SPICE macromodel for a CA3085 adjustable voltage regulator

A macromodel for a CA3085 regulator is presented. The CA3085 is an 8-pin, adjustable, positive voltage regulator. Design formulas are presented. The room temperature model is presented first. Then this model is adapted to produce a model to predict results at -55 degrees C and 125 degrees C. Finally, a comparison with laboratory results is presented. >
Tie Strength and Value Creation in the Buyer-Supplier Context A U-Shaped Relation Moderated by Dependence Asymmetry

This study integrates two disparate genres within tie-strength literature into one model to investigate the mechanisms for value creation in the buyer-supplier context. This research brings together the opposite ends of the tie-strength continuum: the “weak ties,” which are instrumental in tapping into novel ideas and emerging technologies, and the “strong ties,” which promote joint resource investments and capability development. By doing so, we bring salience to the existence of “intermediate ties” (i.e., the ties of moderate strength) and their implications for value creation. Even though the intermediate ties are likely most common in the buyer-supplier context, they have been given short shrift in the literature. We predict a U-shaped relation, where weak ties and strong ties are more effective than intermediate ties in value creation. Furthermore, we explore the moderating role of dependence asymmetry. Our hypotheses are tested using survey data from a major global automaker and its North American s...
User-Centric Indoor Air Quality Monitoring on Mobile Devices

Since people spend a majority of their time indoors, indoor air quality (IAQ) can have a significant impact on human health, safety, productivity, and comfort. Due to the diversity and dynamics of people's indoor activities, it is important to monitor IAQ for each individual. Most existing air quality sensing systems are stationary or focus on outdoor air quality. In contrast, we propose MAQS, a user-centric mobile sensing system for IAQ monitoring. MAQS users carry portable, indoor location tracking and IAQ sensing devices that provide personalized IAQ information in real time. To improve accuracy and energy efficiency, MAQS incorporates three novel techniques: (1) an accurate temporal n-gram augmented Bayesian room localization method that requires few Wi-Fi fingerprints; (2) an air exchange rate based IAQ sensing method, which measures general IAQ using only CO$_2$ sensors; and (3) a zone-based proximity detection method for collaborative sensing, which saves energy and enables data sharing among users. MAQS has been deployed and evaluated via a real-world user study. This evaluation demonstrates that MAQS supports accurate personalized IAQ monitoring and quantitative analysis with high energy efficiency. We also found that study participants frequently experienced poor IAQ.
The Structural Environment of the Tryptophanyl Residue of Horse Heart Ferricytochrome c

Abstract The ultraviolet solvent perturbation difference spectrum of horse heart ferricytochrome c in 20% ethylene glycol is equivalent to that calculated for 2 tyrosyl and no tryptophanyl residues. Two of the 4 tyrosyl residues are iodinated by reaction of the protein with potassium triiodide. These results indicate that 2 of the tyrosyl residues of ferricytochrome c are located on the protein surface. Treatment of the protein with N-bromosuccinimide oxidizes the tryptophanyl residue and both methionyl residues. Changes in the reduced viscosity, ionization of the phenolic hydroxyl groups, visible absorbance spectrum, and exposure of the heme moiety indicate that oxidation of the tryptophanyl residue and the buried methionyl residue is due to a partial unfolding of the native conformation of ferricytochrome c.
Solute redistribution in some multicomponent aqueous systems on freezing.

Abstract Aqueous solutions of HCl, inorganic salts, and neutral and ionic organic compounds were frozen, and the solute distribution in the frozen systems was assessed in terms of its dependence on composition and initial solute concentration. The distribution may be uniform or uneven, depending on compositional aspects of the solutions. The degree of non-uniformity of the distribution of a given solute is a function not only of its own initial concentration but also of the concentration of any additional solute. With a variety of two-component solutions, maximally uneven solute distribution was found to be associated with approximately the same initial concentration (about 10-4 m, under the conditions of these experiments). As the concentration was raised above this level, the distribution of solute became increasingly more uniform; this was similar for all solutes. Upon lowering the concentration below this level, the tendency toward uniformity of distribution varied with the solute. With multicomponent systems, reciprocal effects of the concentration of one solute on the distribution of another were noted. In producing these effects, the absence or presence and sign of electric charge borne by the solutes seems to play no major role at concentrations higher than the optimal concentration for maximal nonuniformity of distribution. Electric charge and the specific nature of the solute may be important determinants of solute redistribution at very low concentrations.
The Bajau Laut: Adaptation, History, and Fate in a Maritime Fishing Society of South-Eastern Sabah.

The Bajau Laut: Adaptation, History, and Fate in. Maritime Fishing Society of South-Eastern Sabah. Clifford Sather. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997. 359 pp.
The Nature of Spreading Depression in Neural Networks

Publisher Summary The chapter discusses the phenomenological aspects of spreading depression (SD), excitation, propagation, and cellular changes during spreading depression. Spreading depression appears to be a neuronal reaction of the apical dendrites of pyramidal cells that is triggered by a component released from depressed neurons, which in turn excites contiguous neurons. SD is neuronal in nature, and there are many indications that the apical dendrites are preferentially involved. The participation of neuroglia is problematical, and changes in blood vessels appear to be concomitant events. The phenomenon is found in tissues other than neocortex, including the retina; this indicates that no special neural organization is required. According to the contiguity theory of transmission, potassium or a special substance, which may be glutamic acid, is released from depressed cells to excite nearby neurons. Conditions are most favorable for SD excitation and spread where there is a close proximity of neurons, most predominant in the molecular layer where apical dendrites interdigitate. Transmission of SD appears normally to spread preferentially in the uppermost layers. Propagation of SD can also occur in the layers of the upper half of the cortex, where dendrites and their interdigitation are present to a lesser extent.