cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Surface sensing and lateral subcellular localization of WspA, the receptor in a chemosensory‐like system leading to c‐di‐GMP production

Pseudomonas aeruginosa responds to growth on agar surfaces to produce cyclic-di-GMP, which stimulates biofilm formation. This is mediated by an alternative cellular function chemotaxis-like system called Wsp. The receptor protein WspA, is bioinformatically indistinguishable from methyl-accepting chemotaxis proteins. However, unlike standard chemoreceptors, WspA does not form stable clusters at cell poles. Rather, it forms dynamic clusters at both polar and lateral subcellular locations. To begin to study the mechanism of Wsp signal transduction in response to surfaces, we carried out a structure-function study of WspA and found that its C-terminus is important for its lateral subcellular localization and function. When this region was replaced with that of a chemoreceptor for amino acids, WspA became polarly localized. In addition, introduction of mutations in the C-terminal region of WspA that rendered this protein able to form more stable receptor-receptor interactions, also resulted in a WspA protein that was less capable of activating signal transduction. Receptor chimeras with a WspA C-terminus and N-terminal periplasmic domains from chemoreceptors that sense amino acids or malate responded to surfaces to produce c-di-GMP. Thus, the amino acid sequence of the WspA periplasmic region did not need to be conserved for the Wsp system to respond to surfaces.
Combined analysis of expression data and transcription factor binding sites in the yeast genome

The analysis of gene expression using DNA microarrays provides genome wide profiles of the genes controlled by the presence or absence of a specific transcription factor. However, the question arises of whether a change in the level of transcription of a specific gene is caused by the transcription factor acting directly at the promoter of the gene or through regulation of other transcription factors working at the promoter. To address this problem we have devised a computational method that combines microarray expression and site preference data. We have tested this approach by identifying functional targets of the a 1-α 2 complex, which represses haploid-specific genes in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Our analysis identified many known or suspected haploid-specific genes that are direct targets of the a 1-α 2 complex, as well as a number of previously uncharacterized targets. We were also able to identify a number of haploid-specific genes which do not appear to be direct targets of the a 1-α 2 complex, as well as a 1-α 2 target sites that do not repress transcription of nearby genes. Our method has a much lower false positive rate when compared to some of the conventional bioinformatic approaches. These findings show advantages of combining these two forms of data to investigate the mechanism of co-regulation of specific sets of genes.
Characteristics of inclusive faith communities: a preliminary survey of inclusive practices in the United States.

Background Although participation in faith communities is important to many individuals with disabilities, few studies have examined differences between communities that are more (versus less) inclusive. This study investigated characteristics of faith communities in the United States related to greater inclusion. Methods Participants were 160 respondents to an anonymous survey about inclusion. Survey items grouped together to form three inclusion-related outcomes: the degree to which faith communities welcome and include individuals with disabilities; the roles and contributions of congregants with disabilities; and physical accessibility. Results Across these outcomes, more inclusive communities (i) featured faith leaders who were more committed to inclusion; (ii) used educational resources to address disability-related issues; (iii) portrayed people with disabilities positively in their religious teachings; (iv) had stronger ties to disability organizations; and (v) had a stronger orientation towards promoting social justice. Conclusions These five characteristics have important implications for promoting inclusion in faith communities.
RELATIONSHIPS WITH DEATH: THE TERMINALLY ILL TALK ABOUT DYING

This article describes a qualitative study exploring the experiences of terminally ill patients and their families as they lived with the inevitability of death. Frustrated by the dominant discourse surrounding the culture of dying--namely that of Elisabeth Kubler-Ross's stage theory--I sought to revisit the experiences of the terminally ill by talking directly with them. Instead of focusing on how people reacted to the introduction of death into their lives, this research attended to how the dying began relating to life and death differently as a result of death's presence. Through an analysis of ethnographically collected data, the meanings participants constructed around their experiences were explored--culminating in the creation of seven "relationships" that participants shared with death.
The treatment of failed reconstruction for adult acquired flat foot deformity.

Most of the reconstructions that are performed to treat adult acquired flat foot result in a healed, plantigrade foot that is functionally durable and pain free. A failed reconstruction is often painful and severely restricts the patient’s weightbearing activity. The successful salvage of a failed reconstruction begins with a systematic evaluation to identify the origin of the pain. A reconstruction may fail because of an isolated problem; however, multiple factors often contribute to the origin of the pain. Malalignment, poor or incomplete bone or soft tissue healing, nerve injury, and inadequate rehabilitation are potential reasons for failure. Each of these issues must be considered as a source for pain and collectively evaluated for interactions leading to failure to formulate an effective plan for salvage. Throughout this process, the cause of pain must be distinguished from its manifestation or location in the foot. Although treating the former will ease the symptoms, addressing the latter will achieve a lasting salvage.
Terahertz imaging of aircraft composites

Damaged aircraft composites were prepared simulating voids, delaminations, puncture holes, burns and paint removal. Terahertz time domain spectroscopy in reflection configuration was assessed as a Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) technique and compared to traditional NDE techniques.
Propositional computability logic II

In the same sense as classical logic is a formal theory of truth, the recently initiated approach called computability logic is a formal theory of computability. It understands (interactive) computational problems as games played by a machine against the environment, their computability as existence of a machine that always wins the game, logical operators as operations on computational problems, and validity of a logical formula as being a scheme of “always computabl ” problems. Computability logic has been introduced semantically, and now among its main technical goals is to axiomatize the set of valid formulas or various natural fragments of that set. The present contribution signifies a first step towards this goal. It gives a detailed exposition of a soundness and completeness proof for the rather new type of a deductive propositional system CL1, the logical vocabulary of which contains operators for the so called parallel and choice operations, and the atoms of which represent elementary problems, that is, predicates in the standard sense.This article is self-contained as it explains all relevant concepts. While not technically necessary, familiarity with the foundational paper “Introduction to Computability Logi ” [Annals of Pure and Applied Logic 123 (2003), pp.1-99] would greatly help the reader in understanding the philosophy, underlying motivations, potential and utility of computability logic---the context that determines the value of the present results.
Chemical modification of crayfish axons by protein crosslinking aldehydes.

A series of aldehydes of varying protein crosslinking strengths have been tested on intact and internally perfused crayfish axons. Non-crosslinking aldehydes have no effect, or cause a gradual decline in resting potential and overshoot with no widening of the spike. Strong crosslinking compounds, such as acrolein, crotonaldehyde, and glutaraldehyde, widen the action potential significantly while reducing its amplitude. Differences in the shapes of the resulting action potentials and accompanying impedance changes suggest that each crosslinking aldehyde exerts different effects on the axon. Glutaraldehyde, the strongest crosslinking agent tested, slows both rising and falling phases of the spike, and also of the impedance change, suggesting a prolongation of the transient increase in sodium conductance. The ability of protein crosslinking agents to alter excitability, and particularly to slow the various phases of the action potential, provides support for the hypothesis that a conformational change in a protein or protein-phospholipid complex is involved in excitation.
Plexiform neurofibromas, trial design, and the definitions of "progression" and "treatment failure".

The article by Widermann et al is timely. In the context of this study and recently reported trials in newly diagnosed Glioblastoma, the question of appropriate endpoints and outcome measures, along with trial design, has resurfaced as a critical discussion point, particularly as it relates to decisions concerning drug development. In the current trial children and young adults with progressive plexiform neurofibromas were treated with tipifarnib, a farnesyltransferase inhibitor, or placebo, and allowed a cross-over at progression to either treatment in a second stage. There are a number of unique aspects to the study, starting with the understanding that this is a disease with a poorly understood and studied natural history. These tumors grow slowly and variably over time, are difficult to measure, occur in multiple regions of the body, have a complex biology related to RAS signaling, and there is no effective treatment other than surgery done as an attempt to minimize morbidity. Besides the difficult choice of drug selection, the type(s) of endpoint needed to evaluate efficacy becomes problematic without good historical control studies. The authors chose to use progression as the primary endpoint rather than objective response, and added the placebo control arm because of the uncertain natural history of these tumors. When are plexiform neurofibromas “progressive”? As shown by
A Principle of Minimum Complexity in Evolution

This paper presents a principle of minimum complexity in evolving systems. Minimum complexity is supported by results and observations from genetic algorithm research and information complexity theory. This paper introduces minimum complexity and presents quantitative evidence for minimum complexity in messy genetic evolution. There also appears to be a strong correlation with our theory and what is observed in biological genetics.
Tools of genetic manipulation.

In the past ten years several advances in biotechnology have revolutionized the way fundamental biological problems are approached. I will discuss three of these relatively recently developed disciplines in biotechnology—recombinant DNA, microchemical instrumentation, and monoclonal antibodies—and I will point out the striking synergies that arise from their interactions. These synergies will revolutionize biological research in the near future. I will discuss examples from the health sciences, my area of expertise, yet I suspect many similar applications to your own areas of interest will come to mind. I will review in general terms the basic approaches underlying the recombinant DNA, the microchemical instrumentation, and the monoclonal antibody technologies.
Outcomes of Medicare beneficiaries with ventricular assist devices.

care. Low-cost generic drugs offer substantial advantages over their brand-name counterparts, as numerous studies have shown that patients’ spending on prescription drugs strongly influences their adherence to essential medication regimens. This effect is even more pronounced among low-income and other high-risk patient populations. To avoid all generic substitution in cardiovascular disease on the basis of such limited findings could create its own important problems for patients and the public health. Dr Reiffel takes issue with our failure to include case reports of harmful patient outcomes that he attributes to generic substitution of antiarrhythmic drugs. While case reports can be useful for generating hypotheses, we excluded them because, without a comparison group, it is impossible to draw valid causal inferences about associations. His comments about potential variability of potency also apply to differences among batches from one brand-name manufacturer, as well as to differences among brand-name products. Our analysis found no evidence that brand-name drugs were clinically superior to generic drugs even among narrow therapeutic index products, a category that includes antiarrhythmic agents. Physicians should be reassured by our findings indicating a lack of evidence of clinical superiority of brand-name cardiovascular medications when they choose to prescribe generic medications that are both effective and affordable. However, as our article acknowledged, the available data have limitations, so it is reasonable for physicians to be alert to possible idiosyncratic reactions and to be particularly vigilant with higher-risk patients when substituting different versions of certain life-saving drugs. Persistent concerns about the safety of generic verapamil or antiarrhythmic drugs in specific populations are best addressed by designing more definitive studies. This would help determine whether the anecdotal experiences and theoretical concerns described can be replicated in carefully conducted clinical trials.
Studies of the Cost-Effectiveness of Social Work Services in Aging: A Review of the Literature

The American population aged 65 years and older is growing rapidly, creating an increased demand for social workers. Reimbursement structures of Medicare and Medicaid present significant barriers for aging individuals seeking social work services as well as social workers wanting to provide services to the elderly. To build a case for the modification of these reimbursement structures, a review of studies of social work services in aging was conducted to (a) make explicit the current knowledge of the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of these services, (b) identify current gaps in knowledge, (c) promote a research agenda to address the gaps, and (e) assure that the knowledge identified addresses payers'needs to understand the value of social work services in aging. The results indicate that social work interventions can have a positive impact on the health care costs, the use of health care services, and the quality of life of older Americans.
Screening Phenomena on Oxide Surfaces and Its Implications for Local Electrostatic and Transport Measurements

The determination of local electrical, electrostatic, and transport properties of materials by ambient scanning probe microscopy (SPM) is shown to be strongly affected by the adsorption of charged species. Associated surface screening results in new phenomena including potential retention above the Curie temperature on ferroelectric surfaces and potential inversion on grain boundary-surface junctions. Implications of screening for a variety of SPMs including piezoresponse force microscopy and transport measurements in carbon nanotubes and molecular electronic devices are discussed.
Presidential address, association for social economics, January 2005

Abstract In recent years social economists have been utilizing a broader than conventional perspective for examining the behavior of economic agents. While traditionally the focus has been on the one-dimensional maximizing “individual with this newer approach the focus is on the multidimensional “person.” Thus the name “Personalist Economics.” Long ago the British writer Thomas Carlyle devoted volumes of pages to the sorts of topics and issues that are prominent in the personalist approach. Here are explored some areas of overlap between Carlyle's and today's personalist perspective, and some questions that might be raised about the two approaches.
1960 Chile: New estimate of polar motion excitation

A recent reanalysis of the International Latitude Serivce (ILS) polar motion data-day has been processed using Kalman filtering techniques to generate the polar motion excitation function over the time-span from 1960 to 1965. The resulting excitation function has been examined for the effects of 1960 Chile in an attempt to determine experimentally how large earthquake affect polar motion. The resulting upper bound of about 75 x 10 to the 22nd N-m for a 10-deg dip (about 36 x 10 to the 22nd N-m for 20-deg dip) is consistent with results obtained from previous seismic studies, including a recent normal mode excitation result. Following future great earthquakes, monitoring of polar motion by space-based techniques such as VLBI should continue at high temporal resolution for several weeks in order to directly measure the rheological parameters of the upper mantle.
Occlusive cuff based automated tracking of continuous blood pressure using vessel buckling

Vessel buckling is integrated into oscillometry to determine the continuous mean arterial pressure. A microprocessor based feedback control is utilized to maintain the arterial pressure at the buckling point. The derivative of arterial volume is employed to indicate when the vessel is buckling. Implementation of an automated control loop improves the time it takes to track mean arterial pressure and allows the determination of frequency response parameters. Therefore, tracking of mean arterial pressure (MAP) will allow for the instantaneous determination of arterial pressure by later introducing a second simultaneous control loop.
Phase transitions in V2O5 in a high resolution electron microscope

Abstract This paper presents data on phase transitions in vanadium pentoxide induced by electron beam irradiation in a high resolution electron microscope. The results show that the concentration gradient resulting from loss of oxygen from the surface drives a number of phase transitions. Two intermediate phases with orthorhombic structures, V4O9 and a modification of V6O13, were observed. The final product was a vanadium monoxide with a rock-salt type structure. The end product and the intermediate phases have a well defined orientational relationship with the initial V2O5 phase, when the incident electron beam is along [001] or [110] of the V2O5. The average grain size of the final phase was proportional to the inverse square root of the flux of electrons, indicating diffusion-controlled nucleation.
Constructive Episodic Simulation: Dissociable Effects of a Specificity Induction on Remembering, Imagining, and Describing in Young and Older Adults

According to the constructive episodic simulation hypothesis (Schacter & Addis, 2007), both remembered past and imagined future events rely heavily on episodic memory. An alternative hypothesis is that observed similarities between remembering and imagining reflect the influence of broader factors such as descriptive ability, narrative style, or inhibitory control. We attempted to distinguish between these 2 hypotheses by examining the impact of an episodic specificity induction on memory, imagination, and picture description in young and older adults. In Experiment 1, participants received the specificity induction or a control induction prior to the memory, imagination, and description tasks. Older adults provided fewer internal (i.e., episodic) and more external (i.e., semantic) details than young adults across the 3 tasks irrespective of induction. Critically, however, the specificity induction selectively increased internal but not external details for memory and imagination in both age groups compared with the control induction. By contrast, the induction did not affect internal (or external) details for picture description. Experiment 2 replicated these results in young adults using a different control induction. Our findings point to a dissociation between episodic processes involved in memory and imagination and nonepisodic processes involved in picture description.
Comments on Howe: Getting Over the Methodology Wars

Howe’s (2009) critique of positivistic tendencies in the education research community is valuable and pertinent. His analysis is nonetheless one-sided, finding fault with one side of current divisions alone. In an effort to retain the good points of his analysis, the author first summarizes Howe’s argument, interpreting it as a critique of hasty and dogmatic reductionism. He then considers parallel problems arising from hasty and dogmatic holism that Howe does not address. Following this discussion, a third, temporal approach is suggested in which analytic and synthetic perspectives are used to suggest and modify one another in a cycle, rather than being taken as fixed stances. Adopting this approach could help reduce the dogmatism evident in the methodology wars, although struggles for advantage would clearly remain.
The effect of the edge conditions on the buckling of thin-walled circular cylindrical shells in axial compression

The magnitude of the uniformly distributed axial compressive load under which a thin-walled circular cylindrical shell buckles by developing bulges over its surface was calculated independently by Lorenz [1, 2], Timoshenko [3] and Southwell [4] over fifty years ago. Unfortunately, experimental results obtained both earlier, and particularly during the last thirty years, have fallen far short of the classical critical stress values. In a report presenting original test results and comparing them with data published by other investigators, Harris, Suer, Skene and Benjamin [5] showed in 1957 that the experimental buckling stress ranges between 20 and 60 percent of the classical value when the radius-to-thickness ratio a/h of the shell is between 250 and 750. The maximal value given in the paper amounts to 82 percent, and the minimal value to 10 percent of the classical critical stress; the value of 10 percent was obtained with a specimen whose a/h ratio was 2500.
Design with High-Density: A Chinese Perspective

While the urban design theories and practices of Western industrial countries have been the only precedents for booming Chinese and other Asia Pacific cities, many differences between the two worlds prevent direct imitations. The most important ones, such as higher population density, smaller amount of public space, lack of squares, heavier use of public space, and pro-development culture in Asian cities, have been outlined in the Introduction of this volume (Figure 1). Among them the issue of high density deserves special attention. The treeless design of Italian plazas illustrates how the high density of the walled medieval towns affected the form of their public spaces. American architect Michael Brill argues that US cities should not model their public spaces after the Italian plaza, for the low density of US cities cannot support such a form.2 By the same token, the hyper-dense environment of Asia Pacific cities is a different animal from that of the relatively low-density of Western cities and demands a qualitatively different treatment. This chapter will present six such design strategies for Chinese urban public space, which use architectural means to improve social interaction, environmental identity, territoriality, and efficiency of space in a densely inhibited environment. Derived from observation of existing examples, my own practice, and theoretical research, these proposals are mainly intended for existing Chinese cities, but may have implications for new towns and other Asia Pacific cities because similar urban conditions can be found there.
Peg-Containing Surfactants Enhance the Ultrasonic Permeabilizability of Liposomes

The susceptibility of phosphatidylcholine liposomes to rupture by ultrasound was investigated. The liposomes were treated with (or had incorporated) a surface active dopant. The dopants studied here all contain polymers or oligomers of ethylene glycol as their hydrophilic “headgroup” component. All dopants strongly increased the ultrasonic permeabilizability of liposomes, as measured by the rate of release of a self-quenching fluorescent dye, at concentrations that caused no increase in permeability in the absence of ultrasound. The surface active dopants reached maximal effectiveness at about 1% of their critical micelle concentrations (CMCs). Using the roughly inverse relationship between CMC and membrane partition coefficient, we estimate that these maximally effective concentrations correspond approximately to the onset of headgroup contact among the surfactants in the membrane. Two surfactants, a PEG-lipid and a Pluronic triblock polymer, can be irreversibly incorporated into liposomes to give formulations that could in principle be used as drug delivery vehicles. The Pluronic polymer offers the possibility of additional temperature responsivity, owing to its highly temperaturedependent CMC.
Selenoprotein Transcript Level and Enzyme Activity as Biomarkers for Selenium Status and Selenium Requirements in the Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)

The current National Research Council (NRC) selenium (Se) requirement for the turkey is 0.2 μg Se/g diet. The sequencing of the turkey selenoproteome offers additional molecular biomarkers for assessment of Se status. To determine dietary Se requirements using selenoprotein transcript levels and enzyme activities, day-old male turkey poults were fed a Se-deficient diet supplemented with graded levels of Se (0, 0.025, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.75, 1.0 μg Se/g diet) as selenite, and 12.5X the vitamin E requirement. Poults fed less than 0.05 μg Se/g diet had a significantly reduced rate of growth, indicating the Se requirement for growth in young male poults is 0.05 μg Se/g diet. Se deficiency decreased plasma GPX3 (glutathione peroxidase), liver GPX1, and liver GPX4 activities to 2, 3, and 7%, respectively, of Se-adequate levels. Increasing Se supplementation resulted in well-defined plateaus for all blood, liver and gizzard enzyme activities and mRNA levels, showing that these selenoprotein biomarkers could not be used as biomarkers for supernutritional-Se status. Using selenoenzyme activity, minimum Se requirements based on red blood cell GPX1, plasma GPX3, and pancreas and liver GPX1 activities were 0.29-0.33 μg Se/g diet. qPCR analyses using all 10 dietary Se treatments for all 24 selenoprotein transcripts (plus SEPHS1) in liver, gizzard, and pancreas found that only 4, 4, and 3 transcripts, respectively, were significantly down-regulated by Se deficiency and could be used as Se biomarkers. Only GPX3 and SELH mRNA were down regulated in all 3 tissues. For these transcripts, minimum Se requirements were 0.07-0.09 μg Se/g for liver, 0.06-0.15 μg Se/g for gizzard, and 0.13-0.18 μg Se/g for pancreas, all less than enzyme-based requirements. Panels based on multiple Se-regulated transcripts were effective in identifying Se deficiency. These results show that the NRC turkey dietary Se requirement should be raised to 0.3 μg Se/g diet.
Electrochemistry and electrogenerated chemiluminescence of BODIPY dyes

BODIPY (boron dipyrromethene) dyes are unique materials with spectroscopic and electrochemical properties comparable to those of aromatic hydrocarbons. Electrochemical studies are useful in understanding the redox properties of these materials and finding structure-stability relations for the radical ions; along with spectroscopy, these studies help researchers design novel compounds with desired properties. This Account represents our attempt at a full description of the electrochemical and electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) properties of the BODIPY dyes. When the dyes are completely substituted with alkyl or other groups, the radical ions of BODIPY dyes are highly stable. But if they include unsubstituted positions, the radical ions can undergo dimerization or other reactions. BODIPY dyes also show unusually large separations, ~1.0 V, between the first and second cyclic voltammetric (CV) waves for both oxidation and reduction half-reactions. Alkyl-substituted BODIPY dyes show good photoluminescence (PL) quantum efficiencies, and radical ion electron transfer annihilation in these molecules produces electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL), the intensity of which depends on the structure of the dye. The large separation between waves and the presence of strong ECL signals are both important in the design of stable ECL-based materials. The ECL spectra provide a fast method of monitoring the electrochemical formation of dimers and aggregates from the monomers. BODIPY dyes are particularly good systems for studying stepwise electron transfer in their chemically synthesized oligomers and polymers because of the small separation between the first oxidation and first reduction waves, generally about 2.0-2.4 V, and their relative ease of reduction compared with many other aromatic compounds. The larger separation between consecutive waves for oxidation compared with reduction is noticeable for all BODIPY dimers and trimers. We also observe a more difficult addition or extraction of a third electron compared with the second for the trimers, signaling the importance of electrostatic interactions. In general, BODIPY dyes combine interesting electrochemical and spectroscopic properties that suggest useful analytical applications.
High-Capacity, High-Rate Bi–Sb Alloy Anodes for Lithium-Ion and Sodium-Ion Batteries

Homogeneous alloys consisting of Bi and Sb have been fabricated by a facile high-energy mechanical milling with carbon and evaluated as potential anode materials in both lithium-ion and sodium-ion batteries. Specifically, Bi0.57Sb0.43-C and Bi0.36Sb0.64-C have been made, and they exhibit electrochemical performances superior to those of their counterparts Bi-C and Sb-C. For example, the Bi0.57Sb0.43-C sample delivers an initial delithiation capacity of 410 mA h g–1 and cycles stably for 300 cycles with a capacity decay of 0.09% per cycle at a current density of 200 mA g–1. It also exhibits high rate capacities in lithium-ion cells: 355 mA h g–1 at 5C current and 326 mA h g–1 at 7.8C current. In the case of a sodium-ion cell, its initial desodiation capacity is 375 mA h g–1 with a capacity retention of 78% at the 50th cycle. At a high current rate of 2.6C (1000 mA h g–1), it still delivers a desodiation capacity of 326 mA h g–1.
The “American Dream” in Poor Urban Neighborhoods: An Analysis of Home Ownership Attitudes and Behavior and Financial Saving Behavior

Abstract The desire for home ownership and saving to accumulate wealth are two hallmarks of the “American Dream” that are typically associated with middle class values. Much urban research has suggested that continual exposure to neighborhood poverty has produced attitudes and behavior that differ dramatically from these values. In this study, we examined whether residents in poor urban areas embraced these tenets of the American Dream. Based on the Urban Poverty and Family Life Survey of Chicago, logistic and multivariate analyses were used to assess the relationship of neighborhood poverty, race/ethnicity, household economics, and social variables to attitudes and behavior about home ownership and saving. The effects of “ghetto poverty” and neighborhood poverty “tipping points” were evaluated. Findings showed varying effects of race / ethnicity, neighborhood poverty, and social indicators depending on whether attitudes or behavior were under consideration. We also found that household economic status co...
CHAPTER 11 – Phylogeographic Studies of North American Birds

The chapter discusses ways in which molecular techniques are applied to the study of geographic variation in birds. It evaluates how studies of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) have contributed to understanding the evolution of geographic variation, population structure, and gene flow. Detecting genetic variation, documenting its geographic deployment, and inferring evolutionary processes are central themes of evolutionary analysis of populations. New methods of molecular analysis successively provide greater resolving power. Direct sequencing of DNA stands to be the next most influential method to provide insight into the nature of the avian population structure. Contrary to allozyme studies, almost 40% of species examined exhibit geographic variation in mtDNA. Most occurrences of significant phylogeographic structure are found in species that also exhibit morphological differentiation; often mtDNA and subspecies boundaries are congruent, whereas this is not the case with allozymic studies. The resultant question is whether there are consistent geographic correlates of structured haplotype trees. Although past barriers are difficult to judge from current conditions, mtDNA phylogeographic structure seems to be associated with a barrier other than the distance, although most general barriers appear to be associated with phylogeographic structure.
Modeling and Experimental Analysis of Thermal Therapy during Short Pulse Laser Irradiation

Pulsed lasers are widely used for therapeutic medical applications. It is helpful to perform numerical modeling and analysis prior to treatment in order to better predict the optimal thermal dose delivered to tissues and reduce unwanted damage to surrounding healthy tissue through heat diffusion. In response to the many challenges inherent to performing laboratory experiments to characterize laser–tissue interactions, a novel temperature controlled synthetic tissue phantom with countercurrent synthetic blood flow was designed and developed. The phantoms were irradiated with a short pulse Nd:YAG laser for cases both with and without blood flow. A finite element model was developed to analyze the effects of blood flow on temperature rise in the tissue phantoms and was validated by the experimental measurements. Both the numerical modeling results and the experimental measurements indicated that subsurface countercurrent blood flow decreased peak surface temperature rises that result from short pulse laser irradiation. The novel temperature controlled vascularized synthetic tissue phantom design could be adapted for use in the experimental optimization of various thermal treatments. These phantoms present a viable alternative to live animals for use in analyzing the thermal effects of a given laser therapy.
Numerical Study of Thermochemical Storage Using Ca(OH)2/CaO: High Temperature Applications

Thermal energy storage by reversible gas-solid reaction has been selected as a thermochemical energy storage system. Simulations are conducted to investigate the dehydration of Ca(OH)2 and the hydration of CaO for thermal energy storage and retrieval, respectively. The rectangular packed bed is heated indirectly by air used as a heat transfer fluid (HTF) while the steam is transferred through the upper side of the bed. Transient mass transport and heat transfer equations coupled with chemical kinetics equations for a two dimensional geometry have been solved using finite element method. Numerical results have been validated by comparing against results of previous measurements and simulations. The effect of geometrical and operational parameters including the material properties on overall storage and retrieval process has been investigated. The co-current and counter-current flow arrangements for steam and heat transfer fluid have been considered.Copyright © 2016 by ASME
Enabling IoT Applications via Dynamic Cloud-Edge Resource Management: Poster Abstract

Emerging augmented reality IoT edge devices, such as smart glasses, show significant promise in use as assistive devices that involve human(s) in the loop. Owing to the often safety-critical nature of the assistive application, such as guiding a blind person, both the performance and dependability of the end-to-end system is critical. Among the many technical hurdles in realizing such applications, limitations in performance assurances from the cloud-hosted back-end servers that support these applications, and the longer and often unpredictable end-to-end network latencies between the end user and the cloud can be detrimental to the response time requirements of such applications, which can compromise the safety of the end users. This poster presents ongoing work we are conducting that addresses these challenges by dynamically managing resources across the cloud-edge spectrum. Specifically, we describe the Dynamic Data Driven Cloud and Edge Systems (D3CES) approach, which uses measurement data collected from adaptively instrumenting the cloud and edge resources to learn and enhance models of the distributed resource pool, and in turn using these models in a feedback loop to make effective resource management decisions to deploy edge applications and deliver their QoS properties. The poster will also highlight a number of research directions we are pursuing in this project.
Effect of Inpatient Dobutamine versus Milrinone on Out-of-Hospital Mortality in Patients with Acute Decompensated Heart Failure.

tudy Objective To determine the effect of dobutamine versus milrinone on out-of-hospital mortality in treatment of patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF). Design Propensity score weighted, retrospective cohort study with mortality as primary outcome. Setting An academic health-care system. Patients 500 adult patients with a prior history of heart failure, who survived a hospitalization for ADHF that included treatment with dobutamine or milrinone between January 1, 2006 and April 30, 2014. Measurements and Main Results ADHF events were defined as a hospitalization with receipt of an intravenous loop diuretic or a Brain-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) value greater than 400 pg/mL during the hospitalization. Patients were followed until death or 180 days from hospital discharge. Risk ratios (RR) for mortality associated with dobutamine compared to milrinone were calculated at 15, 30, and 180 days post-discharge using Poisson regression with robust error variance. Mean age was 62.7 years, 65.4% were male, and 48.2% had a mean left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) 40% or lower. Overall, 55 (18%) of dobutamine-treated versus 23 (12%) of milrinone-treated patients died during follow-up (RR, 1.27; 95% CI, 0.76-2.13; p=0.360). For death from cardiovascular causes the RR for dobutamine was 1.49 (95% CI, 0.79-2.82, p=0.214). For death from worsening heart failure the RR for dobutamine was 2.55 (95% CI, 1.07-6.10, p=0.035). A trend towards significance was observed at 15-days post-discharge for all mortality analyses (all p-values <0.10). Conclusions Dobutamine was associated with higher short-term, out-of-hospital mortality compared with milrinone in patients with ADHF. These results replicate and extend prior associations with mortality and should be confirmed in a prospective study. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Risk factors for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus colonization in the neonatal intensive care unit: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Context Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) causes a significant burden of illness in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) worldwide. Identifying infants colonized with MRSA has become an important infection control strategy to interrupt nosocomial transmission. Objective Assess risk factors for MRSA colonization in NICUs via a systematic review and meta-analysis. Data sources MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, and The Cochrane Library databases were searched from inception through September 2015. Study selection Studies reporting risk factors for MRSA colonization using noncolonized controls in subspecialty level III or IV NICUs were included. Data extraction Two authors independently extracted data on MRSA colonization risk factors, study design, and MRSA screening methodology. Results Eleven articles were included in the systematic review, with 10 articles analyzed via meta-analysis. MRSA colonization was associated with gestational age Conclusions Very preterm and very-low birth weight infants were identified as having an increased risk for MRSA colonization on meta-analysis. Multifaceted infection prevention strategies should target these high-risk infants to reduce MRSA colonization rates in NICUs.
Insights on synergy of materials and structures in biomimetic platelet-matrix composites

Hybrid materials such as biomimetic platelet-matrix composites are in high demand to confer low weight and multifunctional mechanical properties. This letter reports interfacial-bond regulated assembly of polymers on cement-an archetype model with significant infrastructure applications. We demonstrate a series of 20+ molecular dynamics studies on decoding and optimizing the complex interfacial interactions including the role and types of various heterogeneous, competing interfacial bonds that are key to adhesion and interfacial strength. Our results show an existence of an optimum overlap length scale (∼15 nm) between polymers and cement crystals, exhibiting the best balance of strength, toughness, stiffness, and ductility for the composite. This finding, combined with the fundamental insights into the nature of interfacial bonds, provides key hypotheses for selection and processing of constituents to deliberate the best synergy in the structure and materials of platelet-matrix composites.
Neuroprotective Effects of MAGL (Monoacylglycerol Lipase) Inhibitors in Experimental Ischemic Stroke

Background and Purpose— MAGL (monoacylglycerol lipase) is an enzyme that hydrolyzes the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol and regulates the production of arachidonic acid and prostaglandins—substances that mediate tissue inflammatory response. Here, we have studied the effects of the selective MAGL inhibitors JZL184 and MJN110 and their underlying molecular mechanisms on 3 different experimental models of focal cerebral ischemia. Methods— SHR (spontaneously hypertensive rats) and normotensive WKY (Wistar Kyoto) rats were subject to an intracortical injection of the potent vasoconstrictor endothelin-1, permanent occlusion of a distal segment of the middle cerebral artery via craniectomy, or transient occlusion of the middle cerebral artery by the intraluminal suture method. JZL184 or MJN110 was administered 60 minutes after focal cerebral ischemia. Infarct volumes, hemispheric swelling, and functional outcomes were assessed between days 1 to 28 by magnetic resonance imaging, histology, and behavioral tests. Results— Pharmacological inhibition of MAGL significantly attenuated infarct volume and hemispheric swelling. MAGL inhibition also ameliorated sensorimotor deficits, suppressed inflammatory response, and decreased the number of degenerating neurons. These beneficial effects of MAGL inhibition were not fully abrogated by selective antagonists of cannabinoid receptors, indicating that the anti-inflammatory effects are caused by inhibition of eicosanoid production rather than by activation of cannabinoid receptors. Conclusions— Our results suggest that MAGL may contribute to the pathophysiology of focal cerebral ischemia and is thus a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of ischemic stroke.
Effects of Intraoperative Opioid Use on Recurrence-Free and Overall Survival in Patients With Esophageal Adenocarcinoma and Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

BACKGROUND Perioperative opioid use is associated with poor survival in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. The most common histological type of esophageal cancer in western countries is adenocarcinoma. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between intraoperative opioid consumption and survival in patients with adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus. METHODS Records of patients who had undergone esophageal cancer surgery between January 2000 and January 2017 were reviewed. Comparisons were made between patients who received high versus low intraoperative doses of opioids. Groups were divided using the recursive partitioning method. Multicovariate Cox proportional hazards models were fitted to evaluate the impact of intraoperative opioid use on recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS). RESULTS For patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, the univariable analysis indicated that lower opioid dosages (<710 μg fentanyl equivalents) were significantly associated with worse RFS (P = .009) and OS (P = .002). With the adjustment of age, stage, and adjuvant chemotherapy, multivariable analysis confirmed significant associations between higher dosages of intraoperative fentanyl equivalents and better RFS (P = .002; hazard ratio [HR], 0.376; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.201~0.704). Likewise, higher intraoperative fentanyl equivalents administered was associated with improved OS (P = .002; HR, 0.346; 95% CI, 0.177~0.676). In the adenocarcinoma population, the association between intraoperative opioid dosage and RFS (P = .15) or OS (P = .36) was not significant from univariable analysis. With the adjustment of age, body mass index, tumor staging, neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and adjuvant chemotherapy, multivariable analysis demonstrated marginal significant association between intraoperative fentanyl equivalents and RFS (P = .0866; HR, 0.806; 95% CI, 0.629~1.032). The association between intraoperative fentanyl equivalents and OS was not significant (P = .51). CONCLUSIONS The results of this study indicate that the amounts of intraoperative opioids used are associated with recurrence and OS in patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma. The association between the dose of intraoperative opioids used and RFS was marginally significant in patients with adenocarcinoma. Until confirmation on our findings by future studies, opioids should continue to be a key component of balanced anesthesia in patients with esophageal cancer.
Fall and Recovery

Meteorites enter the earth’s atmosphere with velocities of about 11— 30 km sec−1 (see Fig.XII-3). Meteoroids with higher initial velocities rarely reach the earth’s surface. At altitudes of about 100 km the air density becomes great enough to create appreciable friction and deceleration begins, accompanied by an increase in the surface temperature. The surface becomes hot enough to emit visible light and to melt. The melted material is blown away.
Hydrogeomorphic (HGM) Classification, Inventory, and Reference Wetlands

Classifying wetlands is useful for describing and managing their natural variability. The hydrogeomorphic (HGM) approach, which covers classification, reference, and functional assessment aspects, has proven to be helpful in classifying wetlands as to their position in the landscape, their source of water, and the flow of that water. In this chapter, we review the origins and characteristics of freshwater wetlands for ecoregions of the Mid-Atlantic region (MAR), which are dominated by riverine types. Inventories of wetlands in the MAR are dated, so we discuss what is known with regard to status and trends, and potential solutions. We discuss the value of establishing a reference set to assist with classification, assessment, and mitigation of wetlands, and describe the set of reference wetlands compiled for Pennsylvania by Riparia. Preliminary results from a regional condition assessment of wetlands in the MAR are provided.
Removable Sets and Hausdorff Measure

At a fuzzy intuitive level, removable sets have small “size” and nonremovable sets big “size.” A precise notion of “size” applicable to arbitrary subsets of ℂ and appropriate to our problem is given by Hausdorff measure (and Hausdorff dimension). So in this section we will simply introduce Hausdorff measure as a gauge of the smallness of a set and as a necessary preliminary for another such gauge, Hausdorff dimension. Surprisingly, the assertions 2.1 through 2.4 below are enough to get us through to the end of Chapter 4. It is only after, in Section 5.1, that we shall need to take up the fact that Hausdorff measure is indeed a positive measure defined on a σ-algebra containing the Borel subsets of ℂ!