cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract W P96: Evidence of In Vivo Ischemic LTP Caused by Cardiac Arrest and Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

Objective: Experience-dependent memory acquisition, in vitro tetanic stimulation and simulated ischemia results in long-term potentiation (LTP) of hippocampal CA1 synapses. The goal of this study was to determine whether in vivo cerebral ischemia results in iLTP of CA1 synapses. We hypothesized that iLTP resulting from CA/CPR prevents physiological LTP. Methods: Cardiac arrest (8 minutes) followed by cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CA/CPR) or sham surgery was performed on adult (8-12 week) male mice. Electrophysiology was performed in hippocampal slices from sham and 7 and 30 days after CA/CPR. Field excitatory postsynaptic potentials (fEPSP) resulting from Schaffer collateral stimulation were recorded and rising slope was analyzed. Theta burst stimulation (TBS) was used for LTP induction and low frequency stimulation for reversal of LTP (depotentiation). Western blot analysis of synaptic isolations were performed from hippocampi collected from shams and 7 and 30 days after CA/CPR. Results: TBS resulted in an increased fEPSP to 164±9.8% (n=7, P Conclusions: Depotentiation in slices from CA/CPR mice suggests CA1 synapses are in a chronically potentiated state. Increased GluR1 phosphorylation and expression after CA/CPR also suggest in vivo ischemia causes iLTP. Our ability to induce physiological LTP after depotentiation in slices from CA/CPR suggests that reversing iLTP allows for normal synaptic plasticity. The results of this study are significant as they demonstrate in vivo iLTP and suggest a physiological stimulus has the potential to reverse synaptic impairments in the chronic phase after cerebral ischemia.
Evaluating anticipatory grief as a moderator of life and marital satisfaction for spousal caregivers of individuals with dementia

It is important to understand the role that anticipatory grief may have in moderating the interaction between relationship quality and marital and life satisfaction to help improve the awareness am...
Surgery for mitral and tricuspid insufficiency associated with secundum atrial septal defect.

Pure mitral insufficiency associated with secundum atrial septal defect is not an unusual finding. Thirteen patients with significant mitral insufficiency and an associated secundum defect were operated upon. Two of these patients also had severe tricuspid insufficiency. The mitral valve was repaired in 12 patients and replaced in one. The tricuspid valve was repaired in the two patients with associated tricuspid insufficiency. There were two early deaths due to mediastinitis and one late death due to a cerebral embolus in the only patient who had valve replacement; this patient died 3 years after the operation. It is concluded that mitral and tricuspid valve repair should be performed for patients with significant mitral and tricuspid insufficiency associated with atrial septal defect of the secundum variety. Replacement of the valves should be avoided if possible.
Sex Differences in the Human Connectome

The human brain and the neuronal networks comprising it are of immense interest to the scientific community. In this work, we focus on the structural connectivity of human brains, investigating sex differences across male and female connectomes (brain-graphs) for the knowledge discovery problem "Which brain regions exert differences in connectivity across the two sexes?". One of our main findings discloses the statistical difference at the pars orbitalis of the connectome between sexes, which has been shown to function in language production. Moreover, we use these discriminative regions for the related learning problem "Can we classify a given human connectome to belong to one of the sexes just by analyzing its connectivity structure?" . We show that we can learn decision tree as well as support vector machine classification models for this task. We show that our models achieve up to 79% prediction accuracy with only a handful of brain regions as discriminating factors. Importantly, our results are consistent across two data sets, collected at two different centers, with two different scanning sequences, and two different age groups (children and elderly). This is highly suggestive that we have discovered scientifically meaningful sex differences.
The Mechanical Behavior of Ceramic Matrix Composites

ABSTRACT This article summarizes the current understanding of relationships between microstructure and mechanical properties in ceramics reinforced with aligned fibers. Emphasis is placed on definition of the micromechanical properties of the interface that govern the composite toughness. Issues such as the debond and sliding resistance of the interface are discussed based on micromechanics calculations and experiments conducted on both model composites and actual composites.
Hand Collecting and Coding Versus Data-Driven Methods in Technical and Professional Communication Research

Background: Qualitative technical communication research often produces datasets that are too large to manage effectively with hand-coded approaches. Text-mining methods, used carefully, may uncover patterns and provide results for larger datasets that are more easily reproduced and scaled. Research questions: 1. To what degree can hand collection results be replicated by automated data collection? 2. To what degree can hand-coded results be replicated by machine coding? 3. What are the affordances and limitations of each method? Literature review: We introduce the stages of data collection and analysis that researchers typically discuss in the literature, and show how researchers in technical communication and other fields have discussed the affordances and limitations of hand collection and coding versus automated methods throughout each stage. Research methodology: We utilize an existing dataset that was hand-collected and hand-coded. We discuss the collection and coding processes, and demonstrate how they might be replicated with web scraping and machine coding. Results/discussion: We found that web scraping demonstrated an obvious advantage of automated data collection: speed. Machine coding was able to provide comparable outputs to hand coding for certain types of data; for more nuanced and verbally complex data, machine coding was less useful and less reliable. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the importance of considering the context of a particular project when weighing the affordances and limitations of hand collecting and coding over automated approaches. Ultimately, a mixed-methods approach that relies on a combination of hand coding and automated coding should prove to be the most productive for current and future kinds of technical communication work, in which close attention to the nuances of language is critical, but in which processing large amounts of data would yield significant benefits as well.
A Stochastic Green’s Function - Integral Equation Method for Communication in Diffuse Multipath Environments

We propose a rigorous and versatile mathematical model in prediction and exploration of information transmission through complex diffuse multipath environments. The work investigates an innovative theoretical solution to Maxwell’s Equations in the diffuse multipath media. The fundamental solution, named stochastic Green’s function, rigorously integrates the incoherent (diffuse multipath) and coherent (specular direct paths) propagations within a novel compact form. Furthermore, by incorporating the component-specific information with the fading statistics, the work accomplishes an elegant and systematic framework for the statistical analysis and over-the-air testing of wireless communication. The theoretical investigation is evaluated and validated through representative experiments.
Shared genetic architecture between metabolic traits and Alzheimer’s disease: a large-scale genome-wide cross-trait analysis

A growing number of studies clearly demonstrate a substantial link between metabolic dysfunction and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), especially glucose-related dysfunction; one hypothesis for this comorbidity is the presence of a common genetic etiology. We conducted a large-scale cross-trait GWAS to investigate the genetic overlap between AD and ten metabolic traits. Among all the metabolic traits, fasting glucose, fasting insulin and HDL were found to be genetically associated with AD. Local genetic covariance analysis found that 19q13 region had strong local genetic correlation between AD and T2D (P = 6.78 × 10− 22), LDL (P = 1.74 × 10− 253) and HDL (P = 7.94 × 10− 18). Cross-trait meta-analysis identified 4 loci that were associated with AD and fasting glucose, 3 loci that were associated with AD and fasting insulin, and 20 loci that were associated with AD and HDL (Pmeta < 1.6 × 10− 8, single trait P < 0.05). Functional analysis revealed that the shared genes are enriched in amyloid metabolic process, lipoprotein remodeling and other related biological pathways; also in pancreas, liver, blood and other tissues. Our work identifies common genetic architectures shared between AD and fasting glucose, fasting insulin and HDL, and sheds light on molecular mechanisms underlying the association between metabolic dysregulation and AD.
Homoclinic dynamics in a restricted four-body problem: transverse connections for the saddle-focus equilibrium solution set

We describe a method for computing an atlas for the stable or unstable manifold attached to an equilibrium point and implement the method for the saddle-focus libration points of the planar equilateral restricted four-body problem. We employ the method at the maximally symmetric case of equal masses, where we compute atlases for both the stable and unstable manifolds. The resulting atlases are comprised of thousands of individual chart maps, with each chart represented by a two-variable Taylor polynomial. Post-processing the atlas data yields approximate intersections of the invariant manifolds, which we refine via a shooting method for an appropriate two-point boundary value problem. Finally, we apply numerical continuation to some of the BVP problems. This breaks the symmetries and leads to connecting orbits for some nonequal values of the primary masses.
Smoothing and Unsmoothing

When the output from a physical process is entirely a smoothed or blurred version of the input, we should not expect to be able to recover the input from the output, since unsmoothing presumably is not a stable, continuous process. Irregularities and fine details of the input are lost beyond recovery in the smoothing operation. This means that integral equations of the first kind usually do not have solutions. Those that we considered in the preceding chapter actually involve differential-integral operators that do not have a pronounced smoothing effect.
Structure and reactivity of iridium oxide layers grown on Ir(1 0 0) by oxidation at sub-ambient O2 pressures

We used low energy electron diffraction (LEED) and temperature programmed desorption (TPD) to investigate the structure and reactivity of iridium oxide layers prepared by oxidizing Ir(1 0 0) at 765 K and O2 pressures ranging from 0.05 to 5 Torr. Our LEED results provide evidence that Ir(1 0 0) oxidation at O2 pressures up to 0.20 Torr produces a mixture of Ir oxide structures present as small domains, including a commensurate IrO2(1 0 1) structure that coexists with other structures. Oxidizing from 0.50 to 1 Torr causes formation of a commensurate IrO2(1 1 0)R27° structure and a sharp rise in the oxygen uptake from ~8 to 20 ML (monolayer) as the films exhibit signs of roughening. Further increasing the O2 pressure from 1 to 5 Torr causes the IrO2(1 1 0)R27° structure to be replaced with a so-called IrO2(1 1 0)-aligned structure, for which the IrO2(1 1 0) lattice vectors align with those of the Ir(1 0 0) substrate. We find that the oxidized Ir(1 0 0) surfaces become increasingly reactive toward the dissociation and oxidation of CH4 as IrO2(1 1 0) develops on the surface, and observe that the IrO2(1 1 0)-aligned structure is more reactive than the IrO2(1 1 0)R27° phase. Our findings demonstrate that the oxide phase evolution on Ir(1 0 0) is sensitive to the O2 pressure in the range from 0.05 to 5 Torr, and that the development of reactive IrO2(1 1 0) structures requires elevated O2 pressures (>0.5 Torr) and temperature.
Educational Attainment and Nonwage Labor Market Returns in the United States

Although decades of research highlight the impact of schooling on earnings, less evidence exists regarding other employment outcomes. Nonwage labor market returns to education are important in the ...
La enseñanza de los gestos emblemáticos en la competencia léxico-semántica: una propuesta para el aula de ELE

This paper advocates the incorporation of emblematic gestures as part of the content that must be taught in the SFL classroom. Given the lack of theoretical and pedagogical research on the teaching of emblems and as a result of the linguistic characteristics of these gestures and the lexicon as well as the similarity of the cognitive processes that appear in the study of both, we defend the integration of emblems within the development of Lexical Competence. To this end, in order to facilitate the incorporation of these gestures in Spanish programs and materials, we present a series of graduated criteria as well as criteria for integration in the different language levels in the classroom. In addition, we explain some considerations that must be taken into account when working with these gestures interculturally , that is, comparing the maternal and Spanish gestural code, and intraculturally , in other words, recognizing differences within the Pan-Hispanic world.
A Feedback Mechanism Regulates Odorant Receptor Expression in the Malaria Mosquito, Anopheles gambiae

ABSTRACT Mosquitoes locate and approach humans (‘host-seek’) when specific Olfactory Neurons (ORNs) in the olfactory periphery activate a specific combination of glomeruli in the mosquito Antennal Lobe (AL). We hypothesize that dysregulating proper glomerular activation in the presence of human odor will prevent host-seeking behavior. In experiments aimed at ectopically activating most ORNs in the presence of human odor, we made a surprising finding: ectopic expression of an AgOr (AgOr2) in Anopheles gambiae ORNs dampens the activity of the expressing neuron. This contrasts studies in Drosophila melanogaster, the typical insect model of olfaction, in which ectopic expression of non-native ORs in ORNs confers ectopic neuronal responses without interfering with native olfactory physiology. To gain insight into this dysfunction in mosquitoes, RNA-seq analyses were performed comparing wild-type antennae to those ectopically expressing AgOr2 in ORNs. Remarkably, almost all Or transcripts were significantly downregulated (except for AgOr2), and additional experiments suggest that it is AgOR2 protein rather than mRNA that mediates this downregulation. Our study shows that ORNs of Anopheles mosquitoes (in contrast to Drosophila) employ a currently unexplored regulatory mechanism of OR expression, which may be adaptable as a vector-control strategy. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Studies in Drosophila melanogaster suggest that insect Olfactory Receptor Neurons (ORNs) do not contain mechanisms by which Odorant Receptors (ORs) regulate OR expression. This has proved useful in studies where ectopic expression of an OR in Drosophila ORNs confers responses to the odorants that activate the newly expressed OR. In experiments in Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes, we found that ectopic expression of an OR in most Anopheles ORNs dampened the activity of the expressing neurons. RNA-seq analyses demonstrated that ectopic OR expression in Anopheles ORNs leads to downregulation of endogenous Or transcripts. Additional experiments suggest that this downregulation required ectopic expression of a functional OR protein. These findings reveal that Anopheles mosquitoes, in contrast to Drosophila, contain a feedback mechanism to regulate OR expression. Mosquito ORNs might employ regulatory mechanisms of OR expression previously thought to occur only in non-insect olfactory systems.
Activity identification in modular construction using audio signals and machine learning

Abstract Modular construction is an attractive building method due to its advantages over traditional stick-built methods in terms of reduced waste and construction time, more control over resources and environment, and easier implementation of novel techniques and technologies in a controlled factory setting. However, efficient and timely decision-making in modular factories requires spatiotemporal information about the resources regarding their locations and activities which motivates the necessity for an automated activity identification framework. Thus, this paper utilizes sound, a ubiquitous data source present in every modular construction factory, for the automatic identification of commonly performed manual activities such as hammering, nailing, sawing, etc. To develop a robust activity identification model, it is imperative to engineer the appropriate features of the data source (i.e., traits of the signal) that provides a compact yet descriptive representation of the parameterized audio signal based on the nature of the sound, which is very dependent on the application domain. In-depth analysis regarding appropriate features selection and engineering for audio-based activity identification in construction is missing from current research. Thus, this research extensively investigates the effects of various features extracted from four different domains related to audio signals (time-, time-frequency-, cepstral-, and wavelet-domains), in the overall performance of the activity identification model. The effect of these features on activity identification performance was tested by collecting and analyzing audio data generated from manual activities at a modular construction factory. The collected audio signals were first balanced using time-series data augmentation techniques and then used to extract a 318-dimensional feature vector containing 18 different feature sets from the abovementioned four domains. Several sensitivity analyses were performed to optimize the feature space using a feature ranking technique (i.e., Relief algorithm), and the contribution of features in the top feature sets using a support vector machine (SVM). Eventually, a final feature space was designed containing a 130-dimensional feature vector and 0.5-second window size yielding about 97% F-1 score for identifying different activities. The contributions of this study are two-fold: 1. A novel means of automated manual construction activity identification using audio signal is presented; and 2. Foundational knowledge on the selection and optimization of the feature space from four domains is provided for future work in this research field. The result of this study demonstrates the potential of the proposed system to be applied for automated monitoring and data collection in modular construction factory in conjunction with other activity recognition frameworks based on computer vision (CV) and/or inertial measurement units (IMU).
Venous Thromboembolism in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients: Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Coagulopathy associated with COVID-19 infection and venous thromboembolism (VTE) have emerged as significant contributors to morbidity among patients infected with SARS-CoV-2. OBJECTIVE: We performed a systematic review to estimate VTE incidence in hospitalized patients and to analyze characteristic factors in the VTE cohort. METHODS: We searched PubMed and Google Scholar using specified title search terms "SARS-CoV-2" or "COVID-19" and "venous thromboembolism" and "anticoagulation" among others to identify peer-reviewed journal articles published between June 22, 2019, and June 22, 2020. Data were systematically extracted and synthesized using Microsoft Excel for analysis. The main outcome was VTE incidence, and measures included patient characteristics, anticoagulation, and clinical outcomes with assessment for associations. RESULTS: In total, 14 studies were included comprising 1677 patients. Most patients (n=1306, 82.4%) received anticoagulation (either VTE prophylaxis or treatment). VTE incidence was 26.9% (SE 3.1; 95% CI 20.8-33.1) and was correlated with systematic screening (r2=0.34, P=.03) and study duration (r2=-0.33, P=.03). D-dimer was higher for the VTE cohort (5.62 [SD 0.9] vs 1.43 [SD 0.6]; P<.001). Odds of VTE were higher at the intensive care unit (odds ratio [OR] 6.38, 95% CI 3.67-11.11; P<.001) but lower with anticoagulation (OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.36-0.92; P=.02). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the utilization of background anticoagulation, VTE incidence was historically high. Future studies are needed to provide additional data to guide optimal VTE prophylaxis and diagnostic strategies.
Adult pectus excavatum repair: national outcomes of the Nuss and Ravitch procedures

Background National data is limited on pectus excavatum, the most common chest wall deformity which is often repaired using the Ravitch and Nuss procedures. The purpose of the study was to describe demographics and outcomes of adult patients who underwent surgical repair of pectus excavatum via open and minimally invasive thoracoscopic methods. Methods A retrospective analysis of the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) database from 2015 to 2018 was performed, capturing patients 18 years or older with pectus excavatum as the postoperative diagnosis. Patients were placed into two groups of minimally invasive (Nuss) and open (Ravitch) repair procedure code. Baseline characteristics and postoperative outcomes were analyzed. Results A total of 168 adult patients were captured. Most of these patients were white (84.52%) male (69.64%) and 26 years old on average. Median operative time was longer in the open repair group [250 (IQR, 173-308) versus 122 (IQR, 94-160) minutes, P<0.0001]. Median length of stay was five days (IQR, 4-6) in the open group and three days (IQR, 2-4) in the minimally invasive group (P=0.2873). Conclusions Complications after repair of pectus excavatum occur at similar rates between open and minimally invasive repair. Though minimally invasive repair decreases operative time and may decrease length of stay, the decision of type of procedure depends upon clinical scenario and factors unique to the individual patient.
Site and Bioenergy Cropping System Similarly Affect Distinct Live and Total Soil Microbial Communities.

Bioenergy crops are a promising energy alternative to fossil fuels. During bioenergy feedstock production, crop inputs shape the composition of soil microbial communities, which in turn influences nutrient cycling and plant productivity. In addition to cropping inputs, site characteristics (e.g., soil texture, climate) influence bacterial and fungal communities. We explored the response of soil microorganisms to bioenergy cropping system (switchgrass vs. maize) and site (sandy loam vs. silt loam) within two long-term experimental research stations. The live and total microbial community membership was investigated using 16S and ITS amplicon sequencing of soil RNA and DNA. For both nucleic acid types, we expected fungi and prokaryotes to be differentially impacted by crop and site due their dissimilar life strategies. We also expected live communities to be more strongly affected by site and crop than the total communities due to the sensitivity to recent stimuli. Instead, we found that prokaryotic and fungal community composition was primarily driven by site with a secondary crop effect, highlighting the importance of soil texture and fertility in shaping both communities. Specific highly abundant prokaryotic and fungal taxa within live communities were indicative of site and cropping systems, providing insight into treatment-specific, agriculturally relevant microbial taxa that were obscured within total community profiles. Within live prokaryote communities, predatory Myxobacteria spp. were largely indicative of silty and switchgrass communities. Within live fungal communities, Glomeromycota spp. were solely indicative of switchgrass soils, while a few very abundant Mortierellomycota spp. were indicative of silty soils. Site and cropping system had distinct effects on the live and total communities reflecting selection forces of plant inputs and environmental conditions over time. Comparisons between RNA and DNA communities uncovered live members obscured within the total community as well as members of the relic DNA pool. The associations between live communities and relic DNA are a product of the intimate relationship between the ephemeral responses of the live community and the accumulation of DNA within necromass that contributes to soil organic matter, and in turn shapes soil microbial dynamics.
Preventing Vasovagal/Syncopal Episodes During Prostate Fiducial Marker Placement.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE(S) During prostate marker procedures, a rectal probe is inserted to visualize the prostate and place fiducial markers. Patients are placed in the lithotomy position for the procedure and post procedure they are placed in a sitting position to recover. Immediate post-procedural complications are rare but their incidence and mitigation strategies are poorly understood. We report the results before and after the adoption of a nursing intervention to reduce complications. MATERIALS/METHODS The nature and incidence of immediate post-procedural complications within 60 minutes were qualitatively studied between July 2018 and August 2019. During the study period, a non-pharmacological nursing intervention was adopted. The intervention included lying the patient supine for 30 minutes, infusing 0.9% normal saline (NS) at 100cc/hour pre and 15 minutes post procedure, and performing orthostatic blood pressures after the recovery period was completed. The incidence of post-procedural complications of consecutive patients before and after the adoption of the nursing intervention was studied. RESULTS From July to December 2018, 19 patients underwent fiducial marker placement without any standard post-procedure nursing intervention. One patient experienced projectile vomiting and 6 patients experienced a syncopal episode during the recovery period requiring further medical management. None of these patients had any cardiac or syncopal history noted. From January to August 2019, 19 patients underwent fiducial marker placement with post-procedure nursing intervention. No vasovagal or syncopal episodes were noted in this group. CONCLUSION A nursing protocol with a recovery period for patients and the administering normal saline during prostate fiducial marker placement was shown to reduce the incidence of immediate post-procedure complications. Further evaluation of this intervention in larger patient populations is warranted. The impact of hydrogel placement also warrants further investigation.
Fish Processing By-Products and their Reclamation

Products made from fish and fish processing waste are major sources of high-protein ingredients used by the animal feed and pet food industry, and of fish oil used for both human and animal consumption. Fish and fish processing waste are also used to produce speciality feed ingredients for aquaculture feeds, fertilizers for agriculture and home gardening, pharmaceuticals, industrial products, such as chitin, baits, and other specialized products, such as fish leather and pearl essence. The use of fish and fisheries by-products in many of these applications was known to aboriginal peoples, and utilization of these products in society today differs mainly in the scale and technology of product preparation, rather than in how the products are used. Nevertheless, what appear to be new and exciting uses for fisheries by-products continue to be developed, and any possibility that might result in an increase in the utilization of these by-products is welcome, given the quantity of fisheries by-products that are being underutilized or not utilized at all.
Value orientations of teacher education students in Ireland, Palestine, Costa Rica and the USA

(2002). Value orientations of teacher education students in Ireland, Palestine, Costa Rica and the USA. Irish Educational Studies: Vol. 21, No. 3, pp. 1-20.
On the specification of fault-tolerant broadcast

Two types of fault-tolerant broadcasts, reliable broadcast and atomic broadcast, are discussed. The Byzantine Generals (BG) problem is the most studied formulation of reliable broadcast (L. Lamport et al., 1982). The authors propose the following additional requirement (uniformity) to the usual specification of the BG problem: if any processor, correct or faulty, accepts a message, then all correct processors must accept the same message. The usual specification of the atomic broadcast problem requires that all correct processors agree on the messages broadcast and process them in the same order. The authors propose an additional requirement, called purity, to the usual specification of atomic broadcast. This requirement prevents faulty processors from contaminating the system by broadcasts. >
Catalysts for Clarification: Modern Twists on the Insurable Interest Requirement for Life Insurance

The long dormant insurable interest doctrine is being revisited as banks and other funds purchase life insurance policies in increasing numbers. Some industry commentators have raised objections, accusing Wall Street of perpetrating schemes that amount to impermissible gambling on the lives, and deaths, of others. In response, Wall Street financiers have insisted that they are committed to complying with state insurable interest statutes and that their efforts at building a secondary market for life insurance policies is expanding consumer options and eliminating the longstanding monopsony of the insurance companies. A workable compromise between the insurance industry and Wall Street positions that will modernize the insurable interest doctrine must simultaneously protect the free-assignability of life insurance policies and avoid a rekindling of the long-despised practice of gambling on lives. Development of such a proposal requires comprehensive examinations of the history of the insurable interest doctrine, the modern context within which it is being applied, and the primary proposals to modernize the doctrine that have been offered to date.
The effects of depressed mood on academic performance in college students

College students were assessed on measures of depression, concentration, and academic performance. Depression was negatively related to academic performance, although the relationship between depression and cognitive functioning was not detected on a brief measure of concentration. These results suggest that isolated testing sessions may mask the detrimental effects of depression on academic performance.
Innovation approach to reduced-order estimation of complementary states.

A reduced-order filler algorithm is developed for estimation of the complementary states of a linear system driven by white noise. The estimator gives an unbiased estimate of the states, and the error in the estimate is orthogonal to the subspace of the observations of those states that are common to the observations and the estimated states, The filter performance is suboptimal relative to the full-order optimal linear filter, but benefits are reaped from computational savings in the filtering and associated Riccati equations. The algorithms are developed using a concept of the ‘reduced-order innovation process’. The design uses only a priori information for z, the states to be estimated. The estimator is shown to be unique. The requirements of the stability of the filter are also presented, and its determination can precede its implementation. The basic limitation of this approach is that one is constrained by the minimum order of the filter, because of the assumption in (2.11) that the states to be est...
Reconceptualizing the Self Phenomenon: Toward an Emic Conception of the Self

In sociology, the self has been conceptualized as either self-concept or the process of self-reflectivity. Both notions of the self have been traced to the early thinkers—William James, Charles H. Cooley, and George H. Mead—who laid the foundation for the scientific study of the self phenomenon. In this article, I propose a revised conception of the self based on a re-reading of the classics. I argue that the self is related to but not the same as self-concept or the process of self-reflectivity. The self is an emic object, that is, the entity that one takes oneself to be. More specifically, the self is the empirical existence of an individual perceived by the individual to be his or her own. As the identity the individual finds in his or her existence in a world shared with others, the self is a product of both self-reflection and self-enactment. Implications of this reconceptualization for some broad issues related to the self phenomenon are also discussed.
Report from Vienna: in search of all surface molecules expressed on human leukocytes.

Four international workshops defining human leukocyte differentiation antigens have made fundamental contributions to both basic and clinical imm u n o l o g y th rough the e s t ab l i shmen t of a standardized international " C D " nomenclature for both the monoclonal antibody (mAb) regents and the surface molecules recognized. A logic and order have developed through these workshops enabling new mAb reactive with hematopoietic cells to be extensively evaluated to determine whether they recognize new or already defined structures. When at least two mAb have the same serologic pattern and recognize the same biochemically detectable molecule, they are put into a cluster of differentiation or CD group, unless there is some uncertainty requiring a provisional " C D w " designation. In the first three workshops over 1000 mAb were evaluated, and 45 CD groups were defined. Initially, most of the molecules defined were relatively restricted to lymphocyte or monocyte subsets, while in the most recent workshops increasingly more newly defined markers are being found which are broadly distributed on both hematopoietic and nonhematopoietic cells. The fourth workshop, which met in Vienna recently, evaluated yet again over 1000 mAb and remarkably 33 new CD markers were defined. This rapid rate of discovery suggests that
NATURAL CONVECTION OF A RADIATING FLUID IN A PARTIALLY DIVIDED SQUARE ENCLOSURE

Combined natural convection and radiation in a differentially heated square enclosure is studied numerically. The enclosure is partially divided by a thin, poorly conducting vertical divider projecting from the floor or the ceiling of the enclosure. The effects of thermal radiation on the heat transfer and flow patterns in partially or fully divided enclosures are examined for a moderate Rayleigh number. Radiation increases the circulating flow rate and significantly enhances the heat transfer. Radiant heat exchange between the divider and the sidewalls strongly influences the temperature distribution in the divider and its vicinity, which in turn affects the flow patterns on either side of the divider.
Managing Risk through Liability, Regulation, and Innovation: Organizational Design for Spill Containment in Deepwater Drilling Operations

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010 led to the deaths of 11 workers, a six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling in the Gulf, and nearly three months of massive engineering and logistics efforts to stop the spill. The series of failures before the well was finally capped and the spill contained revealed an inability of both government and industry to deal effectively with a well in deepwater. Because drilling at this depth and even deeper depths is expected to provide a sizeable share of global oil and gas supply in the future, ensuring that deepwater and ultradeepwater containment capabilities adequately protect the public is a salient challenge for policymakers. In this article we consider long-term readiness for deepwater spill containment. We assess organizational design, including the Marine Well Containment Company (MWCC), an industry consortium developed in the aftermath of the accident to contain future deepwater spills in the Gulf. We focus on two separate but related determinants of readiness: the roles of liability and regulation, and the adequacy of incentives for technological innovation in oil spill containment technology (to keep pace with advances in deepwater drilling capability). We find that without additional provisions in place to ensure innovation in containment technology and readiness, industry might meet near-term minimum regulatory standards but still fail to meet the larger social need for innovation.
A Hydro Power Plant Linear Parameter Varying Control Framework

This paper presents a Linear Parameter Varying (LPV) control methodology for a hydro power plant for potentially superior smart grid implementations. The hydro power plant is assumed to be decomposable to its subsystems whose characteristics may involve different dynamical behaviors related to a real-time time-varying parameter that can be measurable in future periods. The nonlinear hydro plant dynamics are expressed in terms of a polytopic parameter-dependent model to efficiently characterize the plant dynamical changes, and the associated LPV controller synthesis perspectives are detailed. The LPV model closed loop controller synthesis and simulation results illustrate the effectiveness of the framework for nonlinear power plant optimization.
The African American Male Librarian: Motivational Factors in Choosing a Career in Library and Information Science

A recent American Library Association (ALA) report has shown that less than 1% of credentialed librarians are African American males. This article discusses possible reasons for this dearth; and, in an effort to inform future LIS recruiting and marketing campaigns, the included study attempted to discover which factors lead African American males to choose to pursue a graduate degree in library and information science (LIS) and practice LIS as a career. The study also canvassed African American male librarians’ views on gender advantage in LIS, their career goals, perceived triumphs and challenges in LIS, and level of job satisfaction.
Comparative osteology of early Tertiary tapiromorphs (Mammalia, Perissodactyla)

Characters of cranial and postcranial osteology provide important data for examining the interordinal relationships of mammals. Understanding variation in the cranial and postcranial skeleton is necessary for adequately representing ancestral character states for each mammalian order. This paper provides a comprehensive description and discussion of cranial and postcranial osteology in one of the major perissodactyl lineages, the Tapiromorpha, the lineage including the extant rhinoceroses and tapirs and their fossil relatives. Tapiromorph skeletal morphology is described, and tapiromorphs are compared to each other, to other perissodactyls, and to a number of other eutherians. Characters of potential phylogenetic significance are emphasized. A phylogenetic analysis of tapiromorphs using cranial and postcranial osteological characters provides a number of interesting results. The data do not support placing Homogalax and Chalicotherioidea within Tapiromorpha. The data support several novel hypotheses regarding the phylogeny of rhinocerotoids, including a close relationship between rhinocerotids and amynodontids, relative to hyracodontids. Finally, examples of the relevance of tapiromorph osteology to understanding perissodactyl origins are discussed, particularly new interpretations of certain primitive character states for perissodactyls.
A miniaturized transcutaneous system for continuous glucose monitoring

Implantable sensors for continuous glucose monitoring hold great potential for optimal diabetes management. This is often undermined by a variety of issues associated with: (1) negative tissue response; (2) poor sensor performance; and (3) lack of device miniaturization needed to reduce implantation trauma. Herein, we report our initial results towards constructing an implantable device that simultaneously address all three aforementioned issues. In terms of device miniaturization, a highly miniaturized CMOS (complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor) potentiostat and signal processing unit was employed (with a combined area of 0.665 mm2). The signal processing unit converts the current generated by a transcutaneous, Clark-type amperometric sensor to output frequency in a linear fashion. The Clark-type amperometric sensor employs stratification of five functional layers to attain a well-balanced mass transfer which in turn yields a linear sensor response from 0 to 25 mM of glucose concentration, well beyond the physiologically observed (2 to 22 mM) range. In addition, it is coated with a thick polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel with embedded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microspheres intended to provide continuous, localized delivery of dexamethasone to suppress inflammation and fibrosis. In vivo evaluation in rat model has shown that the transcutaneous sensor system reproducibly tracks repeated glycemic events. Clarke’s error grid analysis on the as—obtained glycemic data has indicated that all of the measured glucose readings fell in the desired Zones A & B and none fell in the erroneous Zones C, D and E. Such reproducible operation of the transcutaneous sensor system, together with low power (140 μW) consumption and capability for current-to-frequency conversion renders this a versatile platform for continuous glucose monitoring and other biomedical sensing devices.
Do the isolated fibrinogen αC-domains form ordered oligomers?

Abstract Previous electron microscopy (EM) studies revealed that the proteolytically prepared, truncated, bovine fibrinogen αC-domain (Aα223-539 fragment) upon transfer from acidic to neutral pH formed ordered oligomers which could mimic α polymers of cross-linked fibrin. In this study, we demonstrated that although its recombinant analog, bAα224-538, as well as the full-length version of the αC-domain (bAα224-568), upon similar treatment also formed oligomers with ordered structure, both were monomeric when kept in neutral pH buffer. To search further for conditions for their oligomerization, we treated bAα224-568 with factor XIIIa, purified the cross-linked soluble fraction, and confirmed that it consisted of oligomers. Similar cross-linked oligomers were obtained with the recombinant human αC-domain (residues Aα221-610). In a cell adhesion assay, the adhesion of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) to the αC-domains substantially increased upon oligomerization. These results demonstrate that the recombinant αC-domains can form stable oligomers which may mimic properties of the αC-domains in cross-linked fibrin.
Importance of Secondary Porosity in Sandstones to Hydrocarbon Exploration: ABSTRACT

Terrigenous sandstones in many basins owe their reservoir quality to secondary porosity that developed by the dissolution of detrital framework grains (chiefly feldspar) and cement minerals (chiefly calcite and evaporite minerals). This dissolution event is responsible for changing tight sandstones to porous and permeable sandstones slightly prior to the major episode of hydrocarbon migration. Dissolution of most non-evaporite minerals is accomplished by formation water containing carbon dioxide generated during the thermal or bacterial breakdown of hydrocarbons. Dissolution porosity is commonly well developed at 6,000 to 9,000 ft (1,829 to 2,743 m), but gradually is lost during deeper burial stages by recementation (chiefly by ferroan calcite, ferroan dolomite, and kaoli ite). During sandstone burial, variations in the simple scheme of cementation ^rarr decementation ^rarr recementation is complicated in basins with complex "plumbing" systems and those that experience uplift. For example, dissolution porosity in some uplifted sandstones develops during invasion by meteoric water flowing downdip. Dissolution porosity in sandstones can be suspected from certain log responses and water-saturation characteristics, but is best identified from clues visible in thin sections made of dyed, epoxy-impregnated perm plugs. Clues to secondary porosity in thin section include: (1) oversized pores formed where framework grains have been dissolved; (2) patchy distribution of carbonate or evaporite cement; (3) honeycombed feldspar grains; (4) fossil molds; (5) grains whose margins were etched by previous cement; (6) broken silicate grains that formed when rapid compaction followed removal of cement minerals; and (7) quartz grains that have been reduced to shards when calcite, which invaded quartz along hairline fractures during cementation, was dissolved. Secondary porosity is not likely to d velop good reservoir quality in sandstones whose primary porosity was lost chiefly by compaction. Sandstones with abundant clay clasts, fecal pellets, glauconite, or micaceous rock fragments can lose all effective porosity by ductile grain deformation. A knowledge of sandstone composition is important to predicting reservoir quality. End_of_Article - Last_Page 747------------
AN EFFICIENT METHOD FOR ROUTINE EPSTEIN-BARR VIRUS IMMORTALIZATION OF HUMAN B LYMPHOCYTES

A variety of methods exist for the immortalization of B lymphocytes by Epstein-Barr virus due to the simplicity of such techniques to establish cell lines with stable genomic DNA. Two different methods for immortalizing lymphoblastoid cell lines were compared for differences in techniques and materials, time between initiation and immortalization, and success rate of immortalization. An incubation period in Epstein-Barr virus and the use of conditioned media improved immortalization efficiency from 86 to 98% and decreased the time (usually weeks) from culture initiation to cryopreservation. The resulting cell bank was used to produce DNA for genetic studies focusing on the genes involved in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.
Determining pediatric intensive care unit quality indicators for measuring pediatric intensive care unit safety.

Introduction:The measurement of quality and patient safety continues to gain increasing importance, as these measures are used for both healthcare improvement and accountability. Pediatric care, particularly that provided in pediatric intensive care units, is sufficiently different from adult care t
Cross-conduction errors in thermocouples. Correction of long swaged thermocouples at high temperatures

Abstract The error due to leakage current flowing through the electrical insulation between the wires of a thermocouple is calculated. The error is due to IR drop along the thermocouple wires, and increases rapidly with temperature and length, and with closeness of contact between the wires and solid insulation. Thus, temperature measurements by swaged sheathed thermocouples in large, high-temperature, liquid-metal and gas-cooled nuclear reactors and heat transfer loops are particularly susceptible. Charts giving the error in the temperature measurements are presented for step and ramp temperature distributions along unsheathed thermocouples, and along sheathed thermocouples with either a grounded or an ungrounded hot junction. Calculation of the correction is illustrated by a typical installation.
Mesoscale Features of the Michigan Land Breeze Using PAM II Temperature Data

Abstract During the period 16–20 December 1983, the northern United States was enduring a record-breaking cold air outbreak. The cold air brought temperatures as low as −40°C to some areas while bringing considerable lake-effect snows to locations in the Ice of the Great Lakes. In western Lower Michigan much of the snow fell from the wind-parallel snowbands that resulted as the cold, strong northwesterly winds crossed the relatively warm waters of Lake Michigan. Analysis of surface weather data from PAM II stations in the region showed that during daylight hours of 18 December, when the winds were fairly strong, temperatures across Lower Michigan were relatively uniform. By 19 December, the strong winds subsided and strong radiational cooling after sunset resulted in the formation of a very cold pool of air over western Lower Michigan. Separating this cold air from the warm areas near the shore was the land-breeze front. Along the south end of the lake, radiational cooling served to intensify an existing ...