cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Decreases in pollutant loading from residual soda ash production waste

The attenuation of residual industrial loads of chloride (Cl-) and total ammonia (T-NH3) from Solvay waste bedsto Ninemile Creek, New York, and downstream polluted Onondaga Lake, is characterized and quantified based on fourteen years ofmonitoring following closure of a soda ash manufacturing facility. Concentrations of these constituents were monitored atleast bi-weekly at two sites on Ninemile Creek that bound the waste bed inputs, and at the mouths of the two other major tributaries to the lake, to quantify inputs from the industrial deposits and to place these residual loads in the perspective of contributions to total lake loading. Variations in the concentrations of these constituents in Ninemile Creek downstreamof the industrial inputs within individual years are well represented by a dilution model; i.e., linearity of concentrationversus inverse stream flow. A relatively uniform ratio of T-NH3 to Cl- has been maintained in the residual loading, about 0.42 g T-NH3 per kg Cl-. Substantial decreases (∼40%) in loading of these constituents fromthe waste beds to Ninemile Creek over the post-closure period are documented through shifts in the dilution model. As a result,the contribution of this source to the total lake loading has decreased from ∼45% to <30%. The estimated total residual Cl- load received from the waste beds since closure of the industry (∼1 million metric tons) corresponds to ∼1.6 yr of the full operating load of the industry before closure. The time required to reach a Cl- concentration goal for Ninemile Creek is considered, based onprojections of the post-closure trend.
Fourteen Pedagogical Patterns.

The following fourteen patterns form the beginning approaches to a pattern language for Computer Science course development. They might have application to other fields as well. The patterns are not all at the same level of scale. Some speak to the overall course organization and some to very low level things. The general flow is from large structure (semester courses) to small scale (daily activities). A long term goal is to develop them into a proper language. This will require supplementing them with others as well.
Extrusion and Incorporation into Wall

After the basic disaccharide penta-muropeptide unit has been prefabricated, it is delivered to the building site. The problem is that this site is on the other side of an obstacle; i.e., the cytoplasmic membrane. Lipid-soluble compounds can pass through the bilayer, while polar molecules of the size of this basic unit (molecular weight ca. 1000) cannot. The bacterial strategy for the export of this wall unit is that the penta-muropeptide is attached to a non-polar membranebound carrier, bactoprenol. Subsequently the hydrophobic bactoprenol molecule (while remaining in the membrane) functions to aid the penetration of the disaccharide penta-muropeptide through the membrane.
Topographic Effects on Radiation in the WRF Model with the Immersed Boundary Method: Implementation, Validation, and Application to Complex Terrain

AbstractTopographic effects on radiation, including both topographic shading and slope effects, are included in the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model, and here they are made compatible w...
"Put Your Own Mask on Before Helping Someone Else": The Capacity of Food Hubs to Build Equitable Food Access

In a bifurcated U.S. food market, where one market is largely controlled by national brands and global corporations alongside an expanding alter­nate market of hyper-local direct sales, midscale producers and processors are struggling to persist. One emerging strategy for rebuilding this middle of the food system—food hubs—has gained attention as a model that could rebuild local food economies and equitable food access. Through an examination of Michigan food hubs, we ask about the extent to which and under what conditions food hubs can operationalize dual economic and social goals. We found many innovations and efforts to address food access in low-income communities—espe­cially among food hubs that were nonprofits, had been operating for less time, and were more dependent on external revenue—but their impact tended to be small-scale and uncertain. Most food hubs want to do more, but our study suggests they may not be able to until they can figuratively “put on their own mask before helping others.” That is, food hubs may be one means of increasing afford­able, healthy food access in certain scenarios, but equitable food access may be an unrealistic and unsustainable goal unless they can ensure their own financial stability. Among other options for satis­fying the requirements for equitable food access, financial survival, and returns to the farm gate, our findings suggest that food hubs attempting to reduce food access inequities may need to be subsidized as a public good, unless and until the public sector commits to a more comprehensive strategy to address food system failures. See the press release for this article.
Patient satisfaction and physician productivity in shared medical appointments for vitiligo.

Background The shared medical appointment (SMA) allows patients with a similar diagnosis to be simultaneously cared for and educated by 1 provider, which has had success in dermatology and other fields of specialty. The SMA provides a potential solution to improve patient access to dermatologists. Objective The purpose of this study was to implement the SMA for patients with vitiligo and compare it to traditional appointments with regard to patient satisfaction, time to appointment, number of new patients seen per month, and generated revenue. Methods A vitiligo SMA was implemented, and a 12-question survey was used to assess satisfaction in both SMA and traditional appointment settings. Satisfaction, revenue, and appointment logistic data for SMAs were compared with those for traditional appointments for new patients. Results Patients were highly satisfied with both SMAs and traditional appointments (P > .05). Time to appointment was faster for the SMA, and significantly more new patients were seen monthly with the SMA (P = .009). Limitations Limitations include small sample size, inability to correlate responder characteristics with survey responses, potential response bias, and selection bias due to absence of randomization. Conclusion SMAs were successful in a vitiligo clinic for both patient and provider. The SMA is a solution to improve access to dermatologists without compromising patient benefit, experience, or satisfaction.
Molecular correlates of PD-L1 expression in patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

9018Background: PD-L1 expression is the only FDA-approved predictive biomarker for patients with NSCLC treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors. The impact of tumor molecular profiling on tumor PD...
Father Reflections on Their Involvement With Primary School Students: Connections to School Literacy Learning:

Father involvement in children’s education is known to have increased over the years, yet less is known about their involvement with children outside of school, particularly after children attend f...
Understanding Violence Against Civilians by Government and Rebel Forces: Perspectives from Political Science and Health Behavior

Media coverage of contemporary civil wars conveys the public health consequences of violence, but also veils the reasons for and extended consequence of brutality. Because of civil wars and the violence they engender, public health systems degrade, access to basic needs such as food and clean water declines, and people are forced from their homes and into refugee camps where infectious diseases easily spread. These consequences of civil war significantly affect the lives of noncombatant populations, degrading their health and reducing their lifespans at both individual and population levels. Yet, the most direct and often brutal consequence of civil conflict for civilian populations comes in the form of directly targeting noncombatant populations with atrocious violence. This chapter discusses the unintuitive yet “rational” thinking and acts of combatants, and their resultant effects.
A DIAGNOSTIC CHALLENGE: PREGNANCY, CHEST PAIN, AND ZERO CALCIUM SCORE

Despite a low pre-test probability of coronary artery disease (CAD) in women of childbearing age, Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection (SCAD) remains the most common cause of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in the gravid patient. A 39 year old female G1P1, pregnancy complicated by pre-eclampsia and
A Novel RF Energy Harvester

This paper presents a novel Radio Frequency (RF) Energy Harvester (EH) which can drive including but not limited to low power wireless sensors, implantable biomedical devices and Internet of Things (IoT) devices without the need for any external DC supply. The idea of this EH is based on combining RF rectifier circuit with the original concept of Dickson Charge Pump [1] where 180o out of phase clock signals are replaced by 180o out of phase RF signals. The complete EH needs a single RF input and converts to the desired boosted DC output voltage and drive a load. In order to verify the proof of concept a prototype is built on PCB and an LED is used as a load. Measured results show that 330µW of 900MHz RF input signal converts into 1.48V DC and which lights up an LED consuming about 22µW. These results show a potential future in implementing this EH in a fully integrated single-chip CMOS process.
Workplace Privacy: Employee Relations and Legal Implications of Monitoring Employee E-mail Use

The tradeoff between employees’ workplace privacy and employers’ need to protect company assets, safeguard proprietary information, and avoid costly litigation has been receiving increased attention (Lee and Kleiner 2003; Mello 2003; National Workplace Institute 2004). This tradeoff often favors employers, as the legal system provides much leeway for employers to monitor employees’ electronic communications in the workplace. However, employers need to consider the effect such monitoring has on their employees since employee and employer attitudes about monitoring often diverge. In this article, we explore workplace email monitoring from both employee relations and legal perspectives and discuss implications for employee morale.
Lung-Protective Ventilation Over 6 Years at a Large Academic Medical Center: An Evaluation of Trends, Adherence, and Perceptions of Benefit.

The main objective of this study was to evaluate trends in set tidal volumes across all adult ICUs at a large academic medical center over 6 years, with a focus on adherence to lung-protective ventilation (≤ 8-cc/kg ideal body weight). A secondary objective was to survey providers on their perceptions of lung-protective ventilation and barriers to its implementation. Design Retrospective observational analysis (primary objective) and cross-sectional survey study (secondary objective), both at a single center. Participants Mechanically ventilated adult patients with a set tidal volume (primary objective) and providers rotating through the Medical and Neurosciences ICUs (secondary objective). Interventions None. Measurements and Main results From 2013 to 2018, the average initial set tidal volume (cc/kg ideal body weight) decreased from 8.99 ± 2.19 to 7.45±1.34 (p < 0.001). The cardiothoracic ICU had the largest change in tidal volume from 11.09 ± 1.96 in 2013 to 7.97 ± 1.03 in 2018 (p < 0.001). Although the majority of tidal volumes across all ICUs were between 6.58 and 8.01 (interquartile range) in 2018, 27% of patients were still being ventilated at volumes greater than 8-cc/kg ideal body weight. Most surveyed respondents felt there was benefit to lung-protective ventilation, though many did not routinely calculate the set tidal volume in cc/kg ideal body weight, and most did not feel it was easily calculable with the current electronic medical record system. Conclusions Despite a trend toward lower tidal volumes over the years, in 2018, over a quarter of mechanically ventilated adult patients were being ventilated with tidal volumes greater than 8 cc/kg. Survey data indicate that despite respondents acknowledging the benefits of lung-protective ventilation, there are barriers to its optimal implementation. Future modifications of the electronic medical record, including a calculator to set tidal volume in cc/kg and the use of default set tidal volumes, may help facilitate the delivery of and adherence to lung-protective ventilation.
Homeownership and Students’ Achievement in Public Schools in the U.S. State of Georgia

We investigate the impact of neighborhood homeownership rates on students’ achievement in public schools in the U.S. state of Georgia. Homeownership and students’ achievement are likely to be endog...
Depth filtration in bioprocessing — new opportunities for an old technology

Depth filtration has a long history in both bioprocessing and water treatment, with the earliest records of water purification by depth filtration dating back 4000 years. The renewed interest in depth filtration for bioprocessing has been driven by the push towards single-use manufacturing technologies along with the increased turbidity arising from improvements in cell density and product titer. This review highlights the key principles, developments, and applications of depth filtration systems, including growing opportunities for use of depth filtration for both initial clarification and for treatment of in-process streams to reduce host cell proteins and remove key foulants to improve the overall performance of the downstream process.
Incorporating medical knowledge in BERT for clinical relation extraction

In recent years pre-trained language models (PLM) such as BERT have proven to be very effective in diverse NLP tasks such as Information Extraction, Sentiment Analysis and Question Answering. Trained with massive general-domain text, these pre-trained language models capture rich syntactic, semantic and discourse information in the text. However, due to the differences between general and specific domain text (e.g., Wikipedia versus clinic notes), these models may not be ideal for domain-specific tasks (e.g., extracting clinical relations). Furthermore, it may require additional medical knowledge to understand clinical text properly. To solve these issues, in this research, we conduct a comprehensive examination of different techniques to add medical knowledge into a pre-trained BERT model for clinical relation extraction. Our best model outperforms the state-of-the-art systems on the benchmark i2b2/VA 2010 clinical relation extraction dataset.
Self-organizing dynamics in protein folding.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the self-organizing dynamics in protein folding. Living systems are the epitome of self-organized complexity. The criteria that a system must fulfill to be considered living are constantly debated, but the ability to self-organize is crucial. This necessity stems from a highly organized, low-entropy condition exhibited by all living systems. Living systems must use the resources of the environment to maintain the organization of their internal components. The understanding of protein folding is complicated not just by the large size and many dimensions of the configuration space of the amino acid chain but also by the presence of several different types of interactions among amino acids and between amino acids and solvents. These interactions are responsible for the contours in the energy-configuration landscape that allow a protein to self-organize. The energy of a protein can be expressed as contributions from various biochemical interactions acting between amino acids.
Update: cohort mortality study of workers highly exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) during the manufacture of electrical capacitors, 1940-1998.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health previously reported mortality for a cohort of workers considered highly exposed to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) between 1939 and 1977 at two electrical capacitor manufacturing plants. The current study updated vital status, examined liver and rectal cancer mortality previously reported in excess in this cohort and evaluated mortality from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and cancers of the stomach, intestine, breast, prostate, skin (melanoma) and brain reported to be in excess in other cohort and case-control studies of PCB-exposed persons. Mortality was updated through 1998 for 2572 workers. Age-, gender-, race- and calendar year-adjusted standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using U.S., state and county referent rates. SMRs using U.S. referent rates are reported. Duration of employment was used as a surrogate for exposure. Consistent with the previous follow-up, mortality from biliary passage, liver and gall bladder cancer was significantly elevated (11 deaths, SMR 2.11, CI 1.05 – 3.77), but mortality from rectal cancer was not (6 deaths, SMR 1.47, CI 0.54 – 3.21). Among women, mortality from intestinal cancer (24 deaths, SMR 1.89, CI 1.21 – 2.82) and from "other diseases of the nervous system and sense organs", which include Parkinson's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, (15 deaths, SMR 2.07, CI 1.16 – 3.42) were elevated. There were four ALS deaths, all women (SMR 4.35, CI 1.19–11.14). Mortality was elevated for myeloma (7 deaths, SMR 2.11, CI 0.84 – 4.34), particularly among workers employed 10 years or more (5 deaths, SMR 2.80, CI 0.91 – 6.54). No linear associations between mortality and duration of employment were observed for the cancers of interest. This update found that the earlier reported excess in this cohort for biliary, liver and gall bladder cancer persisted with longer follow-up. Excess mortality for intestinal cancer among women was elevated across categories of duration of employment; myeloma mortality was highest among those working 10 years or more. The small numbers of deaths from liver and intestinal cancers, myeloma and nervous system diseases coupled with the lack of an exposure-response relationship with duration of employment preclude drawing definitive conclusions regarding PCB exposure and these causes of death.
Interaction of Virus with Cells in Tissue Culture. II. Adsorption and Elution with Vaccinia Virus and L Cells.

Abstract Particle counts reveal the adsorption of vaccinia virus to L cells to be the same whether virus adapted to growth in these cells or unadapted virus is involved. Heat-inactivated, adapted virus also adsorbs to the same extent. Elution of both active and inactivated virus is rapid, suggesting a partially reversible type of association. Eluted virus plus virus found still associated with the cells does not account for the total quantity. This deficit, about 40% of the adsorbed virus, has been encountered in all adsorption experiments, including those in which adsorption was hastened by application of centrifugal force. Both elution and disappearance are essentially finished in 4 hours at 37°C. A small number of cell-associated virus particles can be found during the entire “latent” period.
An implementation of service rebalancing

Service rebalancing is a method for designing programs that adhere to the client/server model. Decisions about the division of labor between client and server are made dynamically at runtime rather than at design time. Service rebalancing may improve performance, because the division of effort is based upon an evaluation of the current environment. Other benefits of service rebalancing include on-the-fly updating of modules, a degree of load balancing, sharing of code common to several clients, encouragement of neatly modularized programs, and the elimination of an absolute division of effort between client and server. In this paper we discuss the benefits, problems and issues of service rebalancing. Our implementation, Equanimity, is described in some detail. Finally, we compare service rebalancing with previous work and discuss future plans. Note: 191-91.dvi.tar.gz is a tar archive with the .dvi file and the postscript figures. This is not guaranteed to work with just any dvi2ps or dvips version.
Quantum Cryptography over Underground Optical Fibers

Quantum cryptography is an emerging technology in which two parties may simultaneously generate shared, secret cryptographic key material using the transmission of quantum states of light whose security is based on the inviolability of the laws of quantum mechanics. An adversary can neither successfully tap the key transmissions, nor evade detection, owing to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle. In this paper we describe the theory of quantum cryptography, and the most recent results from our experimental system with which we are generating key material over 14-km of underground optical fiber. These results demonstrate that optical-fiber based quantum cryptography could allow secure, real-time key generation over "open" multi-km node-to-node optical fiber communications links between secure "islands."
Acquiring economic justice for all: An ongoing struggle

Ten years have passed since the National Council of Catholic Bishops presented their pastoral letter Economic Justice for All. For a democratic society to succeed, it must cultivate moral attachments. The following three questions are asked of all Americans regarding social ethics: l) How do my economic choices contribute to a sensitivity to those in need? 2) With what care, human kindness and justice do I conduct myself at work? 3) How do I strike a balance between labor and leisure that enlarges my capacity for friendships, for family life, for community? The importance of a sense of shared humanity is discussed and recommendations are made regarding emotions as strategies in the process of moral decisionmaking. The task of sensitizing both the intellectual convictions and the emotional feelings of Americans towards a more compassionate stance vis-a-vis the ‘disinherited’ in our midst is presented.
Impacts of Reproductive Technologies on Beef Production in the United States

Estimations of world population growth indicate that by the year 2050 we will reach nine billion habitants on earth. These estimates impose a tremendous challenge in the current agricultural systems as food supply will need to increase by 100 % in the next 40 years (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 2009). Beef will be a primary protein source that will assist in meeting the requirements for a portion of the protein in diets of this expanding global populace. Beef is a high-quality protein that contains all essential amino acids for the human body and also contains additional essential nutrients such as iron, zinc, B vitamins, riboflavin, selenium, choline, and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Adopting reproductive technologies at greater rates than currently used is a viable method to dramatically enhance production efficiency of beef cattle enterprises.
Incorporation of Organic Complexing Agents in Electromotive Force-pH Diagrams

Abstract One of the limitations to using thermodynamic electromotive force (EMF)- or potential-pH diagrams is the inability to include organic ions and the products of their interaction with metals in the data base. Formation of such products may affect corrosion. This paper provides a method for deriving the free energies of formation of such species in the standard state of 1 molal (m) concentration, unit activity coefficient, 298 K. The methodology is used to derive the thermodynamic EMF-pH diagram for iron in the presence of iminodiacetic acid, a compound known to form dissolved complexes with iron.
Studies on the mechanism of fatal anaphylaxis in the rabbit.

Abstract 1.1. Right ventricular pressures and pneumographic and electrocardiographic tracings were recorded in sensitized rabbits during anaphylactic shock. 2.2. Following the intravenous administration of the shocking dose of antigen a rise in both systolic and disatolic right ventricular pressures was observed, followed by gradual reduction in pressure to zero. 3.3. In 7 of 8 rabbits studied, respirations ceased abruptly although the heart action and significant intracardiac pressure pulsations continued for as long as 10 minutes. In one animal heart action and respirations ceased simultaneously. 4.4. Major electrocardiographic changes did not occur until after respirations had ceased and the intraventricular pressure had fallen to zero. 5.5. It is suggested that the mode of death in anaphylaxis in rabbits is due, at least in part, to peripheral respiratory failure.
On the Interpretation of Vowel “Quality”: The Dimension of Rounding

The usual description of vowels in respect to their “phonetic quality” requires the linguist to locate them within a so-called “vowel space,” apparently articulatory in nature, and having three dimensions labeled high-low (or close-open), front-back, and unrounded-rounded. The first two are coordinates of tongue with associated jaw position, while the third specifies the posture of the lips. It is recognized that vowels can vary qualitatively in ways that this three-dimensional space does not account for. So, for example, vowels may differ in degree of nasalization, and they may be rhotacized or r-colored. Moreover, it is recognized that while this vowel space serves important functions within the community of linguists, both the two measures of tongue position and the one for the lips inadequately identify those aspects of vocal tract shapes that are primarily responsible for the distinctive phonetic qualities of vowels (Ladefoged 1971). With all this said, it remains true enough that almost any vowel pair of different qualities can be described as occupying different positions with the space. Someone hearing two vowels in sequence and detecting a quality difference will presumably also be able to diagnose the nature of the articulatory shift executed in going from one vowel to the other.
Endoscopic resection of tuberculum sellae meningiomas

Objective To evaluate the results of endoscopic transnasal resection of tuberculum sellae meningiomas (TSMs) as compared with transcranial approaches. Design We retrospectively analyzed five patients who underwent endoscopic endonasal resection of TSM and performed a comprehensive review of articles published between 2000 and 2012 describing the operative treatment of TSMs. Results Gross total resection (GTR) was achieved in four patients (80%). Transient diabetes insipidus occurred in three patients (60%). Preoperative visual field deficit resolved in all patients. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leak occurred in one patient. Analysis of published studies included 1,026 transcranial and 144 transnasal cases. GTR was achieved in 85% of transcranial and 72% of transnasal cases. Visual field deficit improved in 65% of transcranial and 82% of transnasal cases. Rate of diabetes insipidus and CSF leak was higher in the transnasal series. Rate of GTR and visual improvement was higher in endoscopic endonasal as compared with microsurgical transnasal series. Conclusion The literature supports transsphenoidal surgery for the resection of TSMs with significant optic nerve compromise and limited lateral extension. This approach may have an equivalent if not superior outcome over transcranial surgery in visual outcome. CSF leaks are still a challenge but may improve with the use of vascularized nasoseptal flaps.
Ephemeral injuries, regeneration frequencies, and intensity of the injury-producing process

Organisms may suffer sublethal injuries that lead to the loss of body parts and that leave either permanent or ephemeral scars, and these can be used to understand some aspects of the injury-producing processes, such as predation. It has been shown theoretically that for injuries that leave detectable scars throughout life, proportion of injured individuals in a population reflects the probability of fatal incidents rather than the intensity of the injury-producing process itself (Schoener in Ecology 60:1110–1115, 1979). When injuries are ephemeral and leave no detectable signature, it is shown here that frequencies of injury are a function of the intensity of the injury-producing process. Moreover, if the probability of fatality from the injury-producing process is low, as would be the case for partial or cropping predation, regeneration frequencies can be used to infer the intensity of the injury-producing process if the rate of regeneration is known.
The Impact of Asia on World Politics: China and India Options for the United States

The United States, by concentrating its intellectual, diplomatic, and military energy on the Middle East, is neglecting the far more substantial long-range challenges that will arise in Asia by mid-century. This strategic myopia is magnified by the lack of a clear national strategy, one that should be focused on recognizing the full implications of the rise of China and India into the ranks of great powers. Informed by theoretical arguments and offering policy options, this essay examines the coming Asian challenge against the backdrop of a world with three great powers potentially competing for resources, allies, and leadership within Asia and, more broadly, the international system.
Modulated cortical control of individual fingers in experienced musicians: an EEG study

Abstract Objective : The present research was designed to address the nature of interdependency between fingers during force production tasks in subjects with varying experience in performing independent finger manipulation. Specifically, behavioral and electroencephalographic (EEG) measures associated with controllability of the most enslaved (ring) and the least enslaved (index) fingers was examined in musicians and non-musicians. Methods : Six piano players and 6 age-matched control subjects performed a series of isometric force production tasks with the index and ring fingers. Subjects produced 3 different force levels with either their index or ring fingers. We measured the isometric force output produced by all 4 fingers (index, ring, middle and little), including both ramp and static phases of force production. We applied time-domain averaging of EEG single trials in order to extract 4 components of the movement-related cortical potentials (MRCP) preceding and accompanying force responses. Results : Three behavioral findings were observed. First, musicians were more accurate than non-musicians at reaching the desired force level. Second, musicians showed less enslaving as compared to non-musicians. And third, the amount of enslaving increased with the increment of nominal force levels regardless of whether the index or ring finger was used as the master finger. In terms of EEG measures, we found differences between tasks performed with the index and ring fingers in non-musicians. For musicians, we found larger MRCP amplitudes at most electrode sites for the ring finger. Conclusions : Our data extends previous enslaving research and suggest an important role for previous experience in terms of the independent use of the fingers. Given that a variety of previous work has shown finger independence to be reflected in cortical representation in the brain and our findings of MRCP amplitude associated with greater independence of fingers in musicians, this suggests that what has been considered to be stable constraints in terms of finger movements can be modulated by experience. Significance : This work supports the idea that experience is associated with changes in behavioral and EEG correlates of task performance and may have clinical implications in disorders such as stroke or focal hand dystonia. Practice-related procedures offer useful approaches to rehabilitation strategies.
A quantitative comparison of carbohydrates in experimentally induced connective tissue of man, dog and rat.

Abstract 1. 1. Stainless steel wire-mesh cylinder implants were found to induce subcutaneous connective tissue with the same carbohydrate profile in man, dog and rat. 2. 2. Total sugar content was about 3 per cent of the dry tissue weight in each species with the main difference being the greater amount of hexose in connective tissue of man. 3. 3. Sugars identified were glucose, galactose, mannose, fucose, glucosamine, galactosamine, sialic acid and hexuronic acid suggesting the presence of several classes of carbohydrates.
Bioimaging: second window for in vivo imaging.

Enhanced fluorescence from carbon nanotubes and advances in near-infrared cameras have opened up a new wavelength window for small animal imaging.
Increased plant productivity and decreased microbial respiratory C loss by plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria under elevated CO2

Increased plant productivity and decreased microbial respiratory C loss can potentially mitigate increasing atmospheric CO2, but we currently lack effective means to achieve these goals. Soil microbes may play critical roles in mediating plant productivity and soil C/N dynamics under future climate scenarios of elevated CO2 (eCO2) through optimizing functioning of the root-soil interface. By using a labeling technique with 13C and 15N, we examined the effects of plant growth-promoting Pseudomonas fluorescens on C and N cycling in the rhizosphere of a common grass species under eCO2. These microbial inoculants were shown to increase plant productivity. Although strong competition for N between the plant and soil microbes was observed, the plant can increase its capacity to store more biomass C per unit of N under P. fluorescens addition. Unlike eCO2 effects, P. fluorescens inoculants did not change mass-specific microbial respiration and accelerate soil decomposition related to N cycling, suggesting these microbial inoculants mitigated positive feedbacks of soil microbial decomposition to eCO2. The potential to mitigate climate change by optimizing soil microbial functioning by plant growth-promoting Pseudomonas fluorescens is a prospect for ecosystem management.
Spontaneous ruptured dissection of the right common iliac artery in a patient with classic Ehlers-Danlos syndrome phenotype.

Unlike vascular Ehlers–Danlos syndrome (EDS), classic EDS is rarely associated with vascular manifestation. We report the case of a 39-year-old man who presented with acute abdominal pain. At the time of presentation, the patient was in hypovolemic shock, and computed tomography angiogram demonstrated common iliac artery dissection with rupture. He underwent an attempted endovascular repair that was converted to an open repair of a ruptured right common iliac artery dissection. Subsequent genetic testing revealed a substitution of arginine for cysteine in type I collagen, COL1A1 exon 14 c.934C>T mutation, consistent with a rare variant of classic EDS.
Revised model for aerobic growth of Shigella flexneri to extend the validity of predictions at temperatures between 10 and 19°C

Although Shigella is a major foodborne pathogen, its growth in foods has received little attention. Growth of S. flexneri 5348 inoculated into commercially available sterile foods (canned broths, meat, fish, UHT milk, baby foods) was studied at 10 to 37 degrees C. S. flexneri was enumerated by surface-plating on Tryptic Soy Agar and growth curves were fitted by means of the Gompertz equation. Observed growth kinetics values and values calculated using a previously developed response surface model compared favorably for growth at 19 to 37 degrees C, but not at < 19 degrees C. To refine the model, additional data were collected for growth at 10 to 19 degrees C. A total of 844 tests in BHI broth, representing 197 variable combinations of temperature (10-37 degrees C), pH (5.0-7.5), NaCl (0.5-5.0%) and NaNO2 (0-1000 ppm) was used for the revised model. The revised model, developed in BHI, gave significantly better agreement of calculated growth kinetics values with those observed in foods at 10 to 19 degrees C.
Alumina deposition by activated reactive evaporation

Alumina deposits were synthesized at various deposition temperatures from 700 to 1200°C using the activated reactive evaporation process by evaporating aluminum in the presence of a partial pressure of oxygen. The deposits were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and microhardness measurements. The structure is predominantly amorphous at lower deposition temperatures and the equilibrium α-Al2O3 at higher deposition temperatures. The results compare closely with those of Al2O3 deposits produced by direct evaporation and sputtering.
A facile route for fabricating graphene nanoribbon array transistors using graphoepitaxy of a symmetric block copolymer

We report a facile route to form densely packed graphene nanoribbon (GNR) arrays via graphoepitaxial assembly of symmetric P(S-b-MMA). Since guiding channels for graphoepitaxy are the source and drain electrodes in field effect transistor (FET) geometry, we avoid laborious nanopatterning and FET device fabrication processes. By grafting a random copolymer brush on the graphene FET device, perpendicular lamellar domains are aligned normal to the electrode direction, resulting in line arrays connecting the two electrodes. Through optimization of the reactive ion etching conditions, the vertically oriented lamellar domains were transferred to the underlying graphene, leading to GNR arrays that act as conducting channels. This is a simple and efficient fabrication process using the fundamental concepts developed for the graphoepitaxial assembly of symmetric BCPs to create densely packed sub- 20 nm GNR arrays, compared to conventional fabrication process.
Time lags and emergent stability in morphogenic/pedogenic system models

Abstract The balance between pedogenic forces operating normal to and morphogenic forces operating tangent to the land surface is critical to landscape stability and evolution. A simple nonlinear first-order difference model of the slope mass balance for a unit area along a hillslope shows chaotic behavior when morphogenesis and pedogenesis are in phase, such that there is no lag between debris production and its availability for removal. However, when morphogenesis and pedogenesis are out of phase, the model is stable and nonchaotic. The lagged, out-of-phase version of the model produces a stable equilibrium thickness of soil/regolith cover, no matter what parameter values are used to describe rates of morphogenic and pedogenic processes or the feedbacks between pedogenic processes and regolith thickness. This model shows that inclusion of a simple one-increment lag with no other changes in model structure can produce qualitatively different results, which are especially striking in the spatial domain. Whereas lags in geomorphic and pedologic systems (and in nonlinear dynamical systems in general) have generally been viewed as sources of instability and chaos, in this case the inclusion of a lag leads to stability. The emergence of stability at broader spatial scales may thus be linked to lag effects, rather than to spatial averaging.
Carbon dioxide on Ganymede

[1] CO2 is inferred on the surface of Ganymede by the presence of an absorption band at ∼4.26 μm in reflectance spectra returned by the Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS) aboard the Galileo spacecraft. Detailed studies of NIMS observations of Ganymede show that the CO2 absorption band on Ganymede is symmetric about 4.257 μm ± 0.004 μm and is negligibly different from the CO2 absorption band on Callisto. In general, bright terrains (sulci) contain less CO2 than dark terrains (regiones), little or no CO2 is detected at the poles, and, unlike for Callisto, there does not appear to be any leading/trailing hemisphere asymmetry in the distribution of CO2 nor do impact craters tend to be CO2 rich. High spatial resolution observations show that CO2 is occasionally enriched in terrain containing larger-grained ice in comparison with adjacent terrain of similar morphology and ice abundance, that the dark ejecta of Kittu is depleted in CO2 with respect to adjacent terrain, and that only one observed impact crater (Mir) is enriched in CO2. The CO2 that is detected by NIMS is in the nonice material(s) present, not in the fraction that is ice. The ice in all terrain types where CO2 is detected is always sufficiently large-grained that its low reflectance in the region of the CO2 band prevents discrimination of the CO2 absorption band from the continuum. Areas with relatively fine-grained ice that are sufficiently bright at 4 μm for CO2 to be observed, such as the polar regions, do not contain detectable CO2.
Feeding complementarity versus redundancy among herbivorous fishes on a Caribbean reef

Herbivory is an important driver of community structure on coral reefs. Adequate understanding of herbivory will mandate better knowledge of how specific herbivores impact reef communities and the redundancy versus complementarity of their ecological roles. We used algal communities generated by herbivore manipulations to assess such roles among Caribbean herbivorous fishes. We created large enclosures on a 16- to 18-m-deep reef to create treatments grazed for 10 months by: (1) only Sparisoma aurofrenatum, (2) only Acanthurus bahianus, (3) no large herbivorous fishes, or (4) natural densities of all reef fishes. After 10 months, we removed cages and filmed how free-ranging reef fishes fed among these treatments that differed in algal community structure. In general, Acanthurus spp. and Scarus spp. rapidly grazed exclosure and Sparisoma-only treatments, while Sparisoma spp. preferentially grazed exclosure and Acanthurus-only treatments. These patterns suggest complementarity between Sparisoma spp. and both Acanthurus spp. and Scarus spp. but redundancy between Acanthurus spp. and Scarus spp. Despite these generalities, there was also within-genera variance in response to the different treatments. For example, large Scarus spp., such as Scarus guacamaia, fed more similarly to Sparisoma spp., particularly Sparisoma viride, than to other Scarus spp. Moreover, the three common Sparisoma species differed considerably in the macroalgae to which they exhibited positive or negative relationships. Thus, herbivorous reef fishes vary considerably in their response to different algal communities and exhibit complex patterns of compensatory feeding and functional redundancy that are poorly predicted by taxonomy alone.
Case Studies From Implementation of the First Commercial Leasing Processes for Areas of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Under the U.S. Renewable Energy Regulations, 30 CFR 585

President Barack Obama announced on April 22, 2009 that the U.S. Interior Department (USDOI) had completed the Final Renewable Energy Framework or rulemaking process (i.e., regulations) to govern management of the Renewable Energy Program for the U.S. Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) within USDOI is responsible for overseeing the implementation of this framework. It establishes a program to grant leases, easements, and rights-of-way for orderly, safe, and environmentally responsible renewable energy development activities, such as the siting and construction of offshore wind generating facilities on the OCS, as well as other forms of renewable energy such as wave, current, and solar.To date, five commercial wind energy leases have been issued for areas on the U.S. OCS and several other areas are at various stages in the process leading to leasing. The leases issued for two states in particular — Delaware and Virginia — help serve as case studies for how the U.S. regulatory process for ocean wind leasing operates. This paper will discuss the process by which these leases were issued and next steps, which will illustrate the implementation and best practices of the U.S. regulatory process for offshore wind leasing.© 2014 ASME
Metaarchive/lockss distributed preservation networks

The Workshop will provide information and training for institutions seeking to build or join LOCKSS-based distributed digital preservation networks. Such Private LOCKSS Networks (PLNs) enable groups of institutions to establish collaborative partnerships to securely preserve collections. Instructors will address the technical implementation as well as important organizational and legal elements of distributed digital preservation. Attendees will gain an understanding of how to produce and manage a private LOCKSS network.
Single-polarity Recombinant Adeno-associated Virus 2 Vector-mediated Transgene Expression In Vitro and In Vivo: Mechanism of Transduction

Recombinant adeno-associated virus 2 (AAV) vectors encapsidate single-stranded genomes of either polarity equally frequently in separate mature virions. Because viral genomes of either polarity are transcriptionally inactive, both the failure to undergo viral second-strand DNA synthesis and the failure to undergo DNA strand annealing have been proposed as possible reasons to account for the observed low efficiency of transgene expression. We compared the transduction efficiencies of conventional AAV vectors containing both [–] and [+] polarity genomes with those containing either the [–] or the [+] polarity genomes, in vitro as well as in vivo. We document that the transduction efficiency of single-polarity AAV vectors is significantly enhanced by (i) co-infection with adenovirus; (ii) small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated down-modulation of a cellular protein, FKBP52, tyrosine-phosphorylated forms of which inhibit AAV second-strand DNA synthesis; (iii) over-expression of a cellular protein tyrosine phosphatase, T cell protein tyrosine phosphatase (TC-PTP), which catalyzes tyrosine-dephosphorylation of FKBP52; and (iv) deliberate over-expression of TC-PTP, or the absence of FKBP52, respectively, in TC-PTP-transgenic mice and in FKBP52-knockout mice. These data confirm that viral second-strand DNA synthesis, rather than DNA strand annealing, is the rate-limiting step in efficient transduction by AAV vectors. This finding has implications in the use of these vectors in human gene therapy.
Wound size and gestational age modulate scar formation in fetal wound repair

The early-gestation fetus heals incisional skin wounds rapidly and scarlessly. The morphology with which the fetus heals excisional skin wounds remains unclear. To characterize excisional fetal wound repair, and to determine whether there is a developmentally regulated wound-size threshold beyond which fetal skin heals with scar, the authors created excisional wounds in fetal lambs of varying gestational age. Time-mated pregnant ewes carrying 22 fetuses at 60 to 90 days' gestation (term, 145 days) underwent laparotomy and hysterotomy. An incisional wound and four circular, punch biopsy wounds of 2, 4, 6, and 10 mm in diameter were placed on the back of each fetal lamb and marked with India ink. The wounds were harvested at 14 days' postwounding and examined grossly and microscopically after serial sectioning and histological staining. Morphological features of all wounds were graded. By 14 days' postwounding all fetal wounds had healed completely. for lambs at each gestational age, increasing wound size was strongly associated with an increase in the frequency of scar. Also, as gestational age increased from 60 to 90 days' gestation the frequency of scarless repair decreased. By understanding the cellular and molecular processes that mediate scar formation with increasing wound size and advancing gestational age, the authors hope to gain further insight into the mechanisms of scarless fetal wound repair.
The influence of flank dermis on limb regeneration in the newt, Notophthalmus viridescens

The ability of nonlimb skin to support forelimb regeneration was studied in the newt, Notophthalmus viridescens. When forelimb skin was replaced by skin removed from the flank followed by amputation through the graft, 96% of the limbs did not regenerate. Varying the orientation of the skin graft around the limb did not affect this outcome. When limb stumps were covered by flank epidermis independent of flank dermis, normal forelimb structures regenerated (86%). When flank dermis was grafted to the limb independent of flank epidermis, 66% of experimental limbs did not regenerate. When flank skin was grafted proximal to the regenerate at several times after amputation (3, 9, or 15 days), 72% of the experimental limbs did not regenerate. Finally, limb stumps that contained no dermis at the level of amputation underwent normal regeneration (86%). These results indicate that flank skin does not support forelimb regeneration in the newt. The dermal component of flank skin is responsible for this outcome.