cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pore-scale capillary pressure analysis using multi-scale X-ray micromotography

A multi-scale synchrotron-based X-ray microtomographic dataset of residually trapped air after gravity-driven brine imbibition was acquired for three samples with differing pore topologies and morphologies; image volumes were reconstructed with voxel sizes from 4.44 µm down to 0.64 µm. Capillary pressure distributions among the population of trapped ganglia were investigated by calculating interfacial curvature in order to assess the potential for remobilization of residually-trapped non-wetting ganglia due to differences in capillary pressure presented by neighbor ganglia. For each sample, sintered glass beads, Boise sandstone and Fontainebleau sandstone, sub-volumes with different voxel sizes were analyzed to quantify air/brine interfaces and interfacial curvatures and investigate the effect of image resolution on both fluid phase identification and curvature estimates. Results show that the method developed for interfacial curvature estimation leads to reliable capillary pressure estimates for gas ganglia. Higher resolution images increase confidence in curvature calculations, especially for the sandstone samples that display smaller gas-brine interfaces which are then represented by a higher number of voxels when imaged with a micron or sub-micron voxels size. The analysis of sub-volumes from the Boise and Fontainebleau dataset highlights the presence of a residually-trapped gas phase consisting of ganglia located in one or few pores and presenting significantly different capillary pressures, especially in the case of Fontainebleau sandstone. As a result, Ostwald ripening could occur, leading to gas transfer from ganglia with higher capillary pressure to surrounding ganglia with lower capillary pressures. More generally, at the pore-scale, most gas ganglia do present similar capillary pressures and Ostwald ripening would then not represent a major mechanism for residually-trapped gas transfer and remobilization.
Syntrophy Goes Electric: Direct Interspecies Electron Transfer

Direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET) has biogeochemical significance, and practical applications that rely on DIET or DIET-based aspects of microbial physiology are growing. Mechanisms for DIET have primarily been studied in defined cocultures in which Geobacter species are one of the DIET partners. Electrically conductive pili (e-pili) can be an important electrical conduit for DIET. However, there may be instances in which electrical contacts are made between electron transport proteins associated with the outer membranes of the partners. Alternatively, DIET partners can plug into conductive carbon materials, such as granular activated carbon, carbon cloth, and biochar, for long-range electron exchange without the need for e-pili. Magnetite promotes DIET, possibly by acting as a substitute for outer-surface c-type cytochromes. DIET is the primary mode of interspecies electron exchange in some anaerobic digesters converting wastes to methane. Promoting DIET with conductive materials shows promise for stabilizing and accelerating methane production in digesters, permitting higher organic loading rates. Various lines of evidence suggest that DIET is important in terrestrial wetlands, which are an important source of atmospheric methane. DIET may also have a role in anaerobic methane oxidation coupled to sulfate reduction, an important control on methane releases. The finding that DIET can serve as the source of electrons for anaerobic photosynthesis further broadens its potential environmental significance. Microorganisms capable of DIET are good catalysts for several bioelectrochemical technologies and e-pili are a promising renewable source of electronic materials. The study of DIET is in its early stages, and additional investigation is required to better understand the diversity of microorganisms that are capable of DIET, the importance of DIET to carbon and electron flow in anaerobic environments, and the biochemistry and physiology of DIET.
Čebyšev and Weak Čebyšev Systems

This paper contains a brief introduction to the subject followed by a survey, with a few improvements and minor corrections, of some of the recent advances in the theory. In addition, a number of open problems are discussed.
Determination of Sudan I and a newly synthesized Sudan III positional isomer in the color additive D&C Red No. 17 using high-performance liquid chromatography.

ABSTRACTSpecifications in the Code of Federal Regulations for the color additive D&C Red No. 17 (Colour Index 26100) limit the levels of two subsidiary colors, 1-(phenylazo)-2-naphthol (Sudan I) and 1-[[2-(phenylazo)phenyl]azo]-2-naphthalenol (Sudan III o-isomer), to 3% and 2%, respectively. The present work reports the development of a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for the quantitative determination of these subsidiary colors. Since Sudan III o-isomer needed to be synthesized for use as a reference material, a two-step procedure was devised: (i) preparative-scale synthesis of the intermediate 2-aminoazobenzene (2AAB) and its purification by counter-current chromatography and (ii) diazotization of 2AAB and coupling with 2-naphthol. Characterization of the newly synthesized Sudan III o-isomer is also reported. Sudan I and Sudan III o-isomer were quantified by using five-point calibration curves with data points ranging from 0.108 to 3.240% and 0.077 to 2.227% by weight, respectively....
Reproducibility of assessing fecal microbiota in chronic constipation.

Background While limited data suggest that the fecal microbiota in healthy people is stable over time, the intraindividual variability of the fecal microbiota in constipated patients is unknown. Methods This study evaluated the intraindividual reproducibility of fecal microbiota analyzed with 16S rRNA gene sequencing in two stool samples collected without and after a laxative, respectively, in 25 healthy people and 25 constipated women. Participants completed a food record for 3 d before the stool collection. Colonic transit was measured with scintigraphy. Key Results The constipated patients were older (48±15 vs 39±10 y, P=.02) than healthy participants but had a similar BMI. The total daily caloric intake was less (P=.005) in constipated (1265±350 kcal) than healthy participants (1597±402 kcal). Fourteen patients but only two controls (P<.005), had delayed colonic transit. For most measures of alpha (eg, Observed OTU number, Shannon index) and beta diversity (eg, Bray-Curtis dissimilarity, UniFrac, phyla level abundance), the ICCs between two stool samples were high, indicating moderate or strong agreement, and similar in healthy people and constipated patients. The ICC for the weighted UniFrac distance, which is weighted by abundance, was lower than its unweighted counterpart, indicating that the unweighted measure is more robust and reproducible. Conclusions and Inferences The intraindividual reproducibility of fecal microbiota in constipated patients is high and comparable to healthy participants. For most purposes, evaluating the fecal microbiota in a single stool sample should generally suffice in adequately powered studies of healthy and constipated patients.
Solving problems in finite time

Certain computing tasks — such as the travelling salesman problem — can take an exceptionally long time to solve. An attempt to understand these problems using ideas from statistical mechanics finds that such problems exhibit a discontinuous phase transition, across which drastic changes occur in the computational complexity.
Reflex bronchoconstriction evoked by inhaled nicotine aerosol in guinea pigs: role of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor

Recent reports revealed that nicotine at high concentration activated transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 receptor (TRPA1) expressed in vagal bronchopulmonary sensory nerves. This study showed t...
Using VCO-OTA TIAs to Break the Gain, Linearity and Power Consumption Trade-offs in Passive Mixer based Direct-Conversion Receivers

This paper demonstrates the use of very high DC gain of a VCO based OTA to break the trade-off between the conversion gain (CG) and the power consumption in a passive mixer direct-conversion receiver for a given noise and linearity performance. A process for selecting the parameters of a VCO-OTA based TIA is highlighted with an example where the receiver delivers 20MHz of RF bandwidth at various CG settings. Simulation results demonstrate up to 38dB and 18dB improvement in CG and operational dynamic range compared to an inverter based OTA and a two-stage OTA respectively for a given linearity, NF and power consumption. Up to 17.5dB and 7.7dB improvement in the LNTA P1dB is demonstrated for a given CG, NF and power consumption. Up to two orders of magnitude reduction in the effect of TIA output 3rd order non-linearity on the overall linearity performance of the receiver is demonstrated with a VCO-OTA TIA.
Observers with Discrete-Time Measurements in the Sliding Mode Output-Feedback Stabilization of Nonlinear Systems

The chapter investigates the problem of designing an observer for nonlinear nonaffine systems with discrete-time measurements (continuous-discrete-time systems). The chapter considers the variable-structure control of nonlinear systems when the state vector is not completely available and the output measurements are discrete-time; the use of suitably designed observers is required. The strategy of introducing integrators in the input channel is exploited to enlarge the class of tractable control systems. An observer is proposed and conditions are found under which the convergence to the unique ideal solution is proven for both system and observer. The control problem is solved by forcing a sliding regime for the observer, while satisfying an exponential stability criterion for the observation error state equation.
Regenerative Medicine after Humanism: Puzzles Regarding the use of Embryonic Stem Cells, Germ-Line Genetic Engineering, and the Immanent Pursuit of Human Flourishing

This paper provides a geography ofmoral andmetaphysical controversy. It offers a map of cardinal cultural conflicts, an overview of the colliding understandings of reality that shape the bioethical debates nesting regenerative medicine, in particular those associated with interferences in early human embryonic life and with human germ-line genetic engineering. Regenerative medicine promises to ameliorate, if not cure, a wide range of human injuries, disabilities, and diseases. Human embryonic stem cells, including stemcells produced from human cloning, promise areas of important new research as well as avenues for breakthrough treatments.Human genetic engineering may also transform the responses of cells, making regeneration and repair more likely.
Brachial plexus block with the nerve stimulator: motor response characteristics at three sites.

Background and Objectives. Differences in motor response patterns, minimum electrical currents, and success rates using a nerve stimulator for brachial plexus block were determined for the interscalene, supraclavicular, and axillary approaches. Methods. Supervised, resident physicians performed 106 brachial plexus blocks. For each block, the minimum stimulating current, the strongest joint motion at the minimum current immediately before local anesthetic injection, presence or absence of other joint motion, and anesthetic success or failure were recorded. Results. In the interscalene group ( n = 43), strongest joint motions clustered at the shoulder (40%) and elbow (54%). In the supraclavicular group ( n = 29), strongest joint motions distributed bimodally at the elbow (62%) and fingers (31%). In the axillary group ( n = 34), strongest joint motions clustered at the wrist (35%) and fingers (61%). Overall, concurrent, weaker joint motion was observed in 26% ( p not significant). Overall, the minimum current producing visually observable or palpable upper extremity motor responses was 0.69 ± 0.02 mA (mean ± SEM, range 0.2-1.5). No significant differences were found for minimum currents by site of approach, presence or absence of weaker joint motion, or success or failure of anesthesia. The overall success rate was 89%, with the rate being 91% for interscalene, 97% for supraclavicular, and 79% for axillary approaches ( p not significant). Within the axillary group, elbow flexion as the strongest joint motion was a significant predictors of failure compared with other responses ( p Conclusions. Localization of the brachial plexus with the nerve stimulator is equally effective at the interscalene, supraclavicular, and axillary sites. Current values in the range reported have no predictive value for success. Advantages of the nerve stimulator for brachial plexus block include an objective endpoint and continuous feedback.
Naturally Occurring Canine Glioma as a Model for Novel Therapeutics.

Background Current animal models of glioma are limited to small animal models, which are less predictive of treatment of human disease. Canines often develop gliomas de novo, but the natural history of the disease is not well described. Objective We provide data for naturally occurring canine gliomas; evaluating medical and surgical therapies. Methods We reviewed medical records of pet dogs with a presumptive diagnosis of glioma from MRI imaging that underwent surgery as part of the Canine Brain Tumor Clinical Trials Program. Breed, age, sex, median progression-free, and overall survival times and cause of death were recorded for multivariate analysis. Results Ninety five dogs (56 male; mean age = 8.3 years) were included, but nine were excluded as final pathology was non-neoplastic. Gross total resection was reported in 81 cases based on postoperative MRI. Seventy had high-grade tumors (grade III or IV). Eighty three dogs presented with seizures, being the most common presenting clinical sign. Median survival after surgery was 723 days (95% CI 343-1103) for grade II tumors, 301 days (197-404) for grade III and 200 days (126-274) for grade IV (p = .009 Kaplan-Meier survival analysis; Log Rank test). Age (cox regression, p = .14) or sex (Kaplan-Meier test, p = .22) did not predict survival. Conclusions This study establishes normative data for a model exploiting dogs with naturally occurring glioma, which can be used to test novel therapies prior to translation to human trials. Further work will focus on the effects of different therapies, including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and immunotherapy.
Continuity of transcriptomes among colorectal cancer subtypes based on meta-analysis

Previous approaches to defining subtypes of colorectal carcinoma (CRC) and other cancers based on transcriptomes have assumed the existence of discrete subtypes. We analyze gene expression patterns of colorectal tumors from a large number of patients to test this assumption and propose an approach to identify potentially a continuum of subtypes that are present across independent studies and cohorts. We examine the assumption of discrete CRC subtypes by integrating 18 published gene expression datasets and > 3700 patients, and contrary to previous reports, find no evidence to support the existence of discrete transcriptional subtypes. Using a meta-analysis approach to identify co-expression patterns present in multiple datasets, we identify and define robust, continuously varying subtype scores to represent CRC transcriptomes. The subtype scores are consistent with established subtypes (including microsatellite instability and previously proposed discrete transcriptome subtypes), but better represent overall transcriptional activity than do discrete subtypes. The scores are also better predictors of tumor location, stage, grade, and times of disease-free survival than discrete subtypes. Gene set enrichment analysis reveals that the subtype scores characterize T-cell function, inflammation response, and cyclin-dependent kinase regulation of DNA replication. We find no evidence to support discrete subtypes of the CRC transcriptome and instead propose two validated scores to better characterize a continuity of CRC transcriptomes.
Community-University Partnerships in Practice: Development of Welcoming Learning Environments for New Immigrants

This case study examined how community–university partnerships have helped develop welcoming learning environments for new immigrants, particularly the increasing number of South Korean students and families in eastern Alabama. The creation of South Korean–owned automobile manufacturing plants in the southeastern United States has brought numerous South Korean families to this region, which has historically had a very small immigrant population. To help educators in these areas understand the culture of new immigrant students, we developed partnerships with local auto suppliers and have provided educators with an international cultural immersion experience in South Korea for the past 7 years. This study investigated the experience of 38 teachers and school administrators participating in the program 2014–2017. Findings revealed that the program helped participants develop empathy for immigrant students, critically reflect on their pedagogical practice, and find effective ways to support immigrant students.
Polarization dependent trion dynamics in large area CVD grown 2D monolayer MoS2 by terahertz time-domain spectroscopy

We investigated the room-temperature transport properties in large area CVD-grown MoS2 monolayers using terahertz time domain spectroscopy as a function of the intensity and polarization of a continuous wave optical pump at 637 nm. A reduction in conductivity was observed with the generation of photocarriers, which was attributed to generation of trions under optical excitation with both linearly polarized and circularly polarized light. By modifying the Drude conductivity model with inclusion of trions, a dynamic exchange relation between free electrons and generation of trions was established, along with associated carrier concentrations and scattering times, in agreement with experimental observations. Our results provide a better understanding of carrier formation and dynamics during interband transition across the direct gaps at K and K' points in 2D MoS2 as a function of optical pump polarization and at room temperature—including quantitatively, which can provide insights toward future developments in MoS2-based optoelectronics and valleytronic devices.
Beta-Ga2O3: materials synthesis and device demonstration (Conference Presentation)

Ultrawide bandgap (UWBG) gallium oxide (Ga2O3) represents an emerging semiconductor material with excellent chemical and thermal stability. It has a band gap of 4.5-4.9 eV, much higher than that of the GaN (3.4 eV) and 4H-SiC (3.2 eV). The monoclinic beta-phase Ga2O3 represents the thermodynamically stable crystal among the known five phases . The breakdown field of beta-Ga2O3 is estimated to be 6-8 MV/cm, which is much larger than that of the 4H-SiC and GaN. These unique properties make beta-Ga2O3 a promising candidate for high power electronic device and solar blind photodetector applications. More advantageously, single crystal beta-Ga2O3 substrates can be synthesized by scalable and low cost melting based growth techniques. Different from the molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) growth techniques, we have developed a low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) method to grow high quality beta-Ga2O3 thin films on both native Ga2O3 and c-sapphire substrates with controllable doping and fast growth rates up to 10 um/hr. In this talk, we present the growth, material characterization and device demonstration of beta-Ga2O3 thin films grown via LPCVD. The beta-Ga2O3 thin films were grown on native beta-Ga2O3 (010), (001) and (-201) substrates and sapphire substrates using high purity gallium and oxygen as the precursors, and argon (Ar) as the carrier gas. The growth temperature ranged between 850 ˚C and 950 ˚C. Fundamental material properties including temperature dependent Hall measurements and device demonstration based on vertical Schottky barrier diodes will be discussed.
Coded Computing for Distributed Graph Analytics

Many distributed graph computing systems have been developed recently for efficient processing of massive graphs. These systems require many messages to be exchanged among computing machines at each step of the computation, making communication bandwidth a major performance bottleneck. We present a coded computing framework that systematically injects redundancy in the computation phase to enable coding opportunities in the communication phase thus reducing the communication load substantially. Specifically, we propose coded schemes that enable an inverse-linear trade-off (asymptotically) between computation load and average communication load for Erdos-Renyi (ER) random graph. The proposed scheme for ER graph is shown to be optimal asymptotically as the graph size $n\rightarrow\infty$ . For finite $n$ , we demonstrate via numerical analysis that for a given computation load $r$ , i.e. when each graph vertex is carefully stored at $r$ servers, the proposed scheme slashes the average communication load by (nearly) $r$ .
A Nationwide Analysis of Emergency Department Utilization of Head CT in Children with Closed Head Injury

Purpose: While closed head injuries (CHI) occur commonly in children, most cases do not result in clinically important traumatic brain injury (ciTBI). The 2009 PECARN Pediatric Head Injury algorithm is a well-validated clinical decision guide that enables physicians to safely exclude ciTBIs in children with CHI without obtaining neuroimaging, thus decreasing unnecessary exposure to radiation and other health risks, in addition to healthcare costs. We sought to assess the prevalence of and trends in head CT utilization in children visiting an Emergency Department (ED) with CHI across the United States using a …
Seasonal Declines in Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab Concentration in Maturing Cotton Favor Faster Evolution of Resistance to Pyramided Bt Cotton in Helicoverpa zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Under ideal conditions, widely adopted transgenic crop pyramids producing two or more distinct insecticidal proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) that kill the same pest can substantially delay evolution of resistance by pests. However, deviations from ideal conditions diminish the advantages of such pyramids. Here, we tested the hypothesis that changes in maturing cotton producing Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab affect evolution of resistance in Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), a pest with low inherent susceptibility to both toxins. In terminal leaves of field-grown Bt cotton, the concentration of both toxins was significantly higher for young, squaring plants than for old, fruiting plants. We used laboratory bioassays with plant material from field-grown cotton to test H. zea larvae from a strain selected for resistance to Cry1Ac in the laboratory, its more susceptible parent strain, and their F1 progeny. On young Bt cotton, no individuals survived to pupation. On old Bt cotton, survival to pupation was significantly higher for the lab-selected strain and the F1 progeny relative to the unselected parent strain, indicating dominant inheritance of resistance. Redundant killing, the extent to which insects resistant to one toxin are killed by another toxin in a pyramid, was complete on young Bt cotton, but not on old Bt cotton. No significant fitness costs associated with resistance were detected on young or old non-Bt cotton. Incorporation of empirical data into simulations indicates the observed increased selection for resistance on old Bt cotton could accelerate evolution of resistance to cotton producing Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab in H. zea.
The accessibility of state occupational safety and health consultation websites

This study examines the accessibility of state occupational safety and health agency (SOSHA) websites for users with disabilities. To examine accessibility, we used a combination of AChecker-based automated analysis and manual code inspection to evaluate SOSHA consultation website accessibility. Manual code inspection looked at image ALT attribute, form label, and linked text quality, as well as the presence of skip-to-content links. Only two sites passed federal accessibility requirements based on WCAG 2.0 Level A and AA guidelines. Accessibility problems may impede a user’s quest for safety information, both for employers and employees. The results of this study also emphasize the need for researchers using automated analysis tools to supplement their research with manual site inspection.
Faith for the Heart: A “Catholic” Spirituality

With the continued resurgence of interest in spirituality, both in popular literature and scholarly research, Thomas H. Groome’s new book Faith for the Heart is a fine addition to the literature on...
Spin pumping and large field-like torque at room temperature in sputtered amorphous WTe 2−x films

We studied the spin-to-charge and charge-to-spin conversion at room temperature in sputtered WTe2−x (x = 0.8) (t)/Co20Fe60B20(6 nm) heterostructures. Spin pumping measurements were used to characterize the spin-to-charge efficiency, and the spin efficiency was calculated to be larger than ∼0.035. Second harmonic Hall measurements were carried out to estimate the charge-to-spin conversion ratio. We found that the system exhibits a large field-like torque (spin torque efficiency ∼0.1) and small damping-like torque (spin torque efficiency ∼0.001) compared to those reported for heavy metals. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy images show that the WTe2−x layer is amorphous, which may enhance the spin swapping effect by inducing large interfacial spin–orbit scattering, thus contributing to a large field-like torque.
Temporal integration of mitogen history in mother cells controls proliferation of daughter cells

Multicellular organisms use mitogens to regulate cell proliferation, but how fluctuating mitogenic signals are converted into proliferation-quiescence decisions is poorly understood. In this work, we combined live-cell imaging with temporally controlled perturbations to determine the time scale and mechanisms underlying this system in human cells. Contrary to the textbook model that cells sense mitogen availability only in the G1 cell cycle phase, we find that mitogenic signaling is temporally integrated throughout the entire mother cell cycle and that even a 1-hour lapse in mitogen signaling can influence cell proliferation more than 12 hours later. Protein translation rates serve as the integrator that proportionally converts mitogen history into corresponding levels of cyclin D in the G2 phase of the mother cell, which controls the proliferation-quiescence decision in daughter cells and thereby couples protein production with cell proliferation.
Attitudes towards people with disabilities: a systematic Rreview of intervention effectiveness

The improvement of attitudes towards people with disabilities has led to studies focusing on the impact of interventions. This review systematically analyzes and synthesizes the use of interventions to influence attitudes toward people with disabilities. A comprehensive search was conducted across multiple databases to identify studies that used an intervention in English with a defined assessment instrument meant to measure attitudinal changes toward people with disabilities. Based on a literature research, 32 studies conducted in fourteen different countries were included. In the majority of the cases, the use of interventions was an effective tool to improve attitudes towards disabilities. Implications of findings for practitioners and researchers are discussed.
Redefining De Novo Gammaherpesvirus Infection Through High-Dimensional, Single-Cell Analysis of Virus and Host

SUMMARY Virus infection is frequently characterized using bulk cell populations. How these findings correspond to infection in individual cells remains unclear. Here, we integrate high-dimensional single-cell approaches to quantify viral and host RNA and protein expression signatures using de novo infection with a well-characterized model gammaherpesvirus. While infected cells demonstrated genome-wide transcription, individual cells revealed pronounced variation in gene expression, with only 9 of 80 annotated viral open reading frames uniformly expressed in all cells, and a 1000-fold variation in viral RNA expression between cells. Single-cell analysis further revealed positive and negative gene correlations, many uniquely present in a subset of cells. Beyond variation in viral gene expression, individual cells demonstrated a pronounced, dichotomous signature in host gene expression, revealed by measuring host RNA abundance and post-translational protein modifications. These studies provide a resource for the high-dimensional analysis of virus infection, and a conceptual framework to define virus infection as the sum of virus and host responses at the single-cell level. HIGHLIGHTS CyTOF and scRNA-seq identify wide variation in gene expression between infected cells. Host RNA expression and post-translational modifications stratify virus infection. Single cell RNA analysis reveals new relationships in viral gene expression. Simultaneous measurement of virus and host defines distinct infection states.
A Class of Optimal Two-Impulse Rendezvous Using Multiple-Revolution Lambert Solutions

In minimum-fuel impulsive spacecraft trajectories, long-duration coast arcs between thrust impulses can occur. If the coast time is long enough to allow one or more complete revolutions of the central body, the solution becomes complicated. Lambert’s problem, the determination of the orbit that connects two specified terminal points in a specified time interval, affords multiple solutions. For a transfer time long enough to allow N revolutions of the central body there exist 2N + 1 trajectories that satisfy the boundary value problem. An algorithm based on the classical Lagrange formulation for an elliptic orbit is developed that determines all the trajectories. The procedure is applied to the problem of rendezvous with a target in the same circular orbit as the spacecraft. The minimum-fuel optimality of the two-impulse trajectory is determined using primer vector theory.
Focus of Attention in Voice Training.

Summary Objective The vast majority of motor learning studies investigating focus of attention have found that an external focus of attention (focusing on the effect of a movement) results in enhanced performance and learning, compared to an internal focus of attention (focusing on the body movement itself). The present study attempts to determine if the high incidence of internal focus of attention instruction that has been reported in the realm of athletics is replicated in voice training. Methods Two hundred and seventy-eight singers, who were at least 18 years old and taking voice lessons, were recruited to participate in an anonymous research survey entitled “Instructions given to singers in voice lessons.” The main six questions asked singers to report phrases or instructions that their studio voice teachers gave them in regard to posture, breathing and/or support, tone clarity and/or onset of tone, space and/or resonance, articulation, and reducing tension. Results Approximately 50.83% of the total responses were classified as inducing an external focus, 39.42% were classified as internal focus, 6.48% used a combination of both internal and external focus, and 3.27% were categorized as miscellaneous. Conclusions The results of this study indicate that voice teachers use both external and internal attentional focus directives in the voice studio. Given the robust body of literature supporting the use of external focus, it is noteworthy that the current study found that external focus is used more often than internal focus in voice training.
Classification of Benign-Malignant Pulmonary Nodules Based on Multi-view Improved Dense Network.

Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world, and the detection and classification of benign-malignant lung nodules are critical during the diagnosis and treatment for lung cancer. In this paper, a multi-view improved dense convolutional network is proposed for the classification of benign-malignant pulmonary nodules, where more information of input multi-scale features can be extracted from 2D views of nine different directions. The improved dense block and other layers are linked by shortcuts, which optimizes the feature extraction. The proposed network model is trained in the LIDC-IDRI dataset, and the results show that the average classification accuracy and AUC are 86.52% and 97.23% respectively, which means that the network model has significantly improved the performance of benign-malignant pulmonary nodules classification.
Biocultural Strategies for Measuring Psychosocial Stress Outcomes in Field-based Research:

The goal of assessing psychosocial stress as a process and outcome in naturalistic (i.e., field) settings is applicable across the social, biological, and health sciences. Meaningful measurement of...
Nutrition and Coronary Heart Disease Prevention

Dietary guidelines for the general population include balancing caloric intake and physical activity to reduce overweight and obesity, restriction of sodium to 30 kg/m2, and/or a waist size > 40 inches in men and > 35 inches in women. Vegetables, fruits, and whole grains are recommended. Many health professionals also recommend a regular intake of essential omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids for the general population as the mainstay of coronary heart disease prevention. The focus of this chapter is to review the current dietary guidelines and to review the evidence that justify such guidelines.
NADPH Oxidase-Dependent Reactive Oxygen Species Mediate Amplified TLR4 Signaling and Sepsis-Induced Mortality in Nrf2-Deficient Mice

Sepsis syndrome is characterized by a dysregulated inflammatory response to infection. NADPH oxidase-dependent reactive oxygen species (ROS) play significant roles in the pathophysiology of sepsis. We previously showed that disruption of Nrf2, a master regulator of antioxidant defenses, caused a dysregulation of innate immune response that resulted in greater mortality in a polymicrobial sepsis and LPS shock model; however, the underlying mechanisms are unclear. In the current study, compared with wild-type (Nrf2(+/+)) macrophages, we observed greater protein kinase C-induced NADPH oxidase-dependent ROS generation in Nrf2-disrupted (Nrf2(-/-)) macrophages that was modulated by glutathione levels. To address the NADPH oxidase-mediated hyperinflammatory response and sepsis-induced lung injury and mortality in Nrf2(-/-) mice, we used double knockout mice lacking Nrf2 and NADPH oxidase subunit, gp91(phox) (Nrf2(-/-)//gp91(phox-/-)). Compared with Nrf2(+/+) macrophages, LPS induced greater activation of TLR4 as evident by TLR4 surface trafficking and downstream recruitment of MyD88 and Toll/IL-1R domain-containing adaptor in Nrf2(-/-) macrophages that was diminished by ablation of gp91(phox). Similarly, phosphorylation of IkappaB and IFN regulatory factor 3 as well as cytokine expression was markedly higher in Nrf2(-/-) macrophages; whereas, it was similar in Nrf2(+/+) and Nrf2(-/-)//gp91(phox-/-). In vivo studies showed greater LPS-induced pulmonary inflammation in Nrf2(-/-) mice that was significantly reduced by ablation of gp91(phox). Furthermore, LPS shock and polymicrobial sepsis induced early and greater mortality in Nrf2(-/-) mice; whereas, Nrf2(-/-)//gp91(phox-/-) showed prolonged survival. Together, these results demonstrate that Nrf2 is essential for the regulation of NADPH oxidase-dependent ROS-mediated TLR4 activation and lethal innate immune response in sepsis.
Characterization of the normal dark adaptation curve of the horse

Objective The goal of this work is to study the dark adaptation curve of the normal horse electroretinogram (ERG). Procedures The electroretinographic responses were recorded from six healthy female ponies using a contact lens electrode and a mini-Ganzfeld electroretinographic unit. The horses were sedated intravenously with detomidine, an auriculopalpebral nerve block was then performed, and the pupil was fully dilated. The ERG was recorded in response to a low intensity light stimulus (30 mcd.s/m2) that was given at times (T) T = 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, and 60 min of dark adaptation. Off-line analysis of the ERG was then performed. Results Mean b-wave amplitude of the full-field ERG increased continuously from 5 to 25 min of dark adaptation. The b-wave amplitude peaked at T = 25, however, there was no statistical significance between T = 20 and T = 25. The b-wave amplitude then remained elevated with no significant changes until the end of the study at T = 60 (P > 0.49). The b-wave implicit time increased continuously between T = 5 and T = 20, then gradually decreased until T = 60. No distinct a-wave was observed during the testing time. Conclusions Evaluation of horse rod function or combined rod/cone function by means of full-field ERG should be performed after a minimum 20 min of dark adaptation.
Oxidation chemistry of the endogenous central nervous system alkaloid salsolinol i. electrochemical studies

Abstract The electrochemical oxidation of salsolinol (SAL; 1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-1-methyl-6,7-isoquinolinediol) has been studied in aqueous solution at physiological pH. The initial step in the oxidation is a reversible 2 e -2H + oxidation of SAL to the corresponding ortho -quinone ( E ). This species has a short lifetime at pH 7 (ca. 1 s). Reaction pathways leading from E to four major initial products, 2,3,4-trihydro-1-methyl-7-hydroxy-6-oxyisoquinoline ( C ), cis - and trans -1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-1-methyl-4,6,7-isoquinolinetriol ( A and B ), and 1-methyl-6,7-isoquinolinediol ( D ), are described. The potential relationships of the oxidation reactions of SAL to nervous system damage caused in chronic alcoholism are discussed.
Determination of nucleotide sequences in soluble ribonucleic acid: II. Determination of nucleotide sequences in oligonucleotides derived from the acceptor end of pyrophosphorolyzed soluble ribonucleic acid

Abstract Liver and yeast soluble RNA preparations which have been pyrophosphorolyzed and reconstituted with [32P]CMP are heterogeneous with respect to nucleotides adjacent to the terminal pCpCpA sequence. If terminal AMP is counted as position 1, then the distribution of nucleotides in position 4 in the reconstituted liver and yeast soluble RNA chains is as follows: AMP, 55–60 %; GMP, 20–25 %; UMP, 10–20 %. About 80 % of these chains have a pyrimidine nucleotide in position number 5. This distribution is very similar to that reported for Escherichia coli soluble RNA (ref. 11). There are at least 6 different classes of chains which have AMP in position 4 and at least 4 different classes of chains which have guanylic acid in position number 4. A method is described for the isolation of oligonucleotide fragments up to 8 or 9 nucleotides long from the amino acid-acceptor end of soluble RNA chains. A method for the analysis of nucleotide sequences in fragments 4 and 5 nucleotides long is also described.
Development of an analytical HPLC methodology to study the effects of thymosin β4 on actin in sputum of cystic fibrosis patients

A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methodology is presented. Using bovine and rabbit F- and G-actin, this methodology results in both fractions as being well-resolved peaks, which were confirmed by dot blot immunoassay and fluorescence microscopy. F- and G-actin were incubated with thymosin β4 (Tβ4) and DNase and then analyzed by HPLC, which indicated that Tβ4 and DNase inhibit G-actin polymerization and that Tβ4 depolymerizes F-actin in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The F- and G-actin content in sputum from healthy controls and cystic fibrosis (CF) patients were measured by HPLC before and after incubation with Tβ4, DNase, and gelsolin. These data demonstrate higher quantities of F-actin in the sputum of CF patients compared to healthy individuals, and also demonstrate a significantly increased F/G-actin ratio in CF sputum. Further, Tβ4, DNase, and gelsolin each increase the depolymerization of F-actin in CF sputum in a dose-dependent fashion that is additive when these agents are combined.
And You Welcomed Me

AbstractIn this article, I assess rival liberal and communitarian ethical perspectives underlying contemporary debates regarding migration policy in the US. I then propose a critical via media in a rights-based ethics of solidarity with migrants. I conclude by addressing the distinctive role played by citizens of faith in a religiously pluralist polity like our own, noting, in particular, the place (locus) of Christian belief in immigration policy.
The gating functions of the basal ganglia in movement control.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the study of cortico-striatal and cortico-thalamic circuits in relation to functionally segregated basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical circuits involved in movement planning and control. It is hypothesized that the basal ganglia work by opening normally closed gates through selective phasic removal of tonic inhibition in thalamo-cortical circuits involved in different aspects of motor behavior. Thus, unlike alternative models of movement control in normal and Parkinson's disease (PD) movement, it is proposed that phasic disinhibition of the motor thalamus is critical for the movement control. It is shown through computer simulations of a network model of basal gangliathalamo-cortical dynamics during handwriting production that, dopamine depletion in PD causes abnormally small and short phasic pallido-thalamic gating signals that result in akinesia, bradykinesia, and hypometria. Based on these results and in new experimental evidence, the current pathophysiological model of PD is criticized.
Towards a Mathematical Theory of Processes

A recent „mathematical” approach to the semantics of programming languages is extended to allow for quasi-parallel execution of processes. A notion of „action” is proposed as a formalization of the kind of process involved, and various ways of action composition are studied. The relevance of the approach for applications in the areas of language design, language description, and proof of program correctness is indicated.
The Low-Frequency Spectra of Accretion Disks in Active Galactic Nuclei: The Dark Side of the Big Blue Bump

The flux density of most Seyfert 1 galaxy and quasar continua has an average slope of ~−1 (i.e., f v ∝ v -1) from the visual to a far-infrared turnover (around 80 μm). Relative to this red “power law”, there is generally excess flux in the blue and ultraviolet, a.k.a. the “Big Blue Bump” (BBB). Much effort has gone into measuring the shape of the high-frequency side of this BBB. (It is unfortunate that comparable effort has not been made to find a better name for it). These observations are difficult because of our lack of very powerful instrumentation in the ultraviolet, and absorption from gas along the line-of-sight, in our Galaxy and in intergalactic clouds (see Malkan, Alloin and Shore 1987 for a review). But fortunately the BBB component usually dominates the observed ultraviolet continuum, and may well extend out to the soft X-rays. The very steep soft X-ray continuum below 1 keV-i.e.the “Soft X-ray Excess” frequently detected by Exosat (Pounds and Turner 1989) and indirectly by the Einstein IPC (Wilkes and Elvis 1988)- appears to be the high-frequency tail of the BBB (Czerny and Elvis 1987). Observational progress is being made on closing the spectral gap between the far-UV and soft X-rays. Reimers et al. (1989) recently detected a quasar at z=2.75 down to the short-wavelength limit covered by IUE, corresponding to a rest wavelength of 330 A. Unfortunately, the observed far-UV fluxes must be multiplied by a large, but highly uncertain factor (6) to correct for absorption by intergalactic HI clouds along the line-of-sight. Detailed spectroscopy by IIST with high resolution and high signal/noise ratio will be needed to determine column densities for the absorbing clouds, for accurate de-blanketing of the continuum.
Preliminary Experience in the Use of an Extracellular Matrix (CorMatrix) as a Tube Graft: Word of Caution

A number of materials have been used for the repair of congenital heart disease. However, an ideal material is yet to be discovered. Decellularized extracellular matrix from porcine small intestinal submucosa (CorMatrix) has been developed and commercialized as a biological tissue substitute. This has been used for valvuloplasty, sepal defect repair, or angioplasty as a patch. In this study, we demonstrate our preliminary experience using CorMatrix as a tube graft. A retrospective review of 13 patients who underwent cardiac surgery using CorMatrix as an interposition graft was performed (10 patients for central pulmonary artery reconstruction in comprehensive stage II surgery for hypoplastic left-sided heart syndrome and 3 patients for aortic arch reconstruction in interrupted aortic arch). At a mean follow-up of 9.7 months, 8 of 10 patients who underwent central pulmonary artery reconstruction using CorMatrix tube showed progressive significant stenosis. One patient underwent replacement of the CorMatrix tube with a homograft because of severe stenosis after the placement of a stent. All 3 patients who had aortic arch reconstruction with the CorMatrix tube demonstrated no stenosis, no dilatation, and no aneurysm formation. Although angioplasty using CorMatrix as an interposition tube vascular graft demonstrated no adverse event in the aortic position in short term, a high rate of intimal hyperplasia formation with significant stenosis was found in the low-pressure small-diameter system. Longer follow-up is required to assess the growth potential of the arterial conduit. CorMatrix may not be the ideal material as conduit in the low-pressure small-diameter system to provide long-term durable outcomes.
Integrative construction and analysis of condition-specific biological networks

Condition-specific biological networks are networks of genes and proteins induced in cells in response to different environmental conditions. The dependency structure of these networks provides important insight into how cells respond to healthy and stressful conditions. Unfortunately, for most conditions the network structure is unknown and must be inferred from condition-specific measurements of the network nodes. My research goal is to develop a machine learning framework for inferring condition-specific networks by integrating static (e.g. interaction databases) and dynamic (e.g. gene expression) data. Machine learning approaches for condition-specific network inference must achieve two high-level goals: (a) infer different dependencies including pairwise, higher-order and cyclic, and (b) capture specific and generic subnetworks across different conditions. I, with my advisors, Drs. Lane and Werner-Washburne, propose to model condition-specific networks using Markov random fields (MRFs), a class of undirected probabilistic graphical models. Unlike directed models such as Bayesian nets (Friedman 2004), which cannot explicitly represent cyclic dependencies, MRFs can represent cyclic as well as higher-order and pairwise dependencies. Unlike existing undirected model approaches, where learning is often restricted to structure refinements (Jaimovich et al. 2006), or to lower-order, often pairwise, dependencies (Margolin et al. 2005), we perform a complete search over MRF structures capturing different dependencies. We describe an algorithm for learning the structure of MRFs, and methods to evaluate a structure learning algorithm’s ability to capture different dependencies. We also propose to use the physical network (with edges corresponding to physical interactions among the network nodes), to bias our structure search. Because the physical network is largely incomplete, we employ classification methods to predict protein interactions absent from interaction databases.
Phenols: 6‐Methoxy‐2‐Naphthol

Phenols: 6-Methoxy-2-naphthol reactant: 95 g., of 6-bromo-2-methoxynaphthalene product: 6-methoxy-2-naphthol Keywords: Grignard and related reactions; oxidation, miscellaneous; 6-bromo-2-methoxynaphthalene, preparation of; trimethyl borate