Financial access for immigrants: the challenges and opportunities facing U.S. depository institutions

Immigrants

Investigating of the conservation problems of oil paintings on paper supports

The initial results of a research project on the investigation of problems presented by a collection of oil paintings on paper supports are presented. The project focuses on the effect of the oil medium on the deterioration of cellulose, on the materials and techniques used by the artists and on comprehension of the resulting problems. Non destructive methodology was used to record the behaviour of the materials when examined in several regions of the electromagnetic spectrum which gives an indication of areas of damage. . Various analytical techniques were applied to investigate the painting materials and supports in original works of art. The increase in rate of the oxidation of cellulose in paper, when the paper is coated in oil, is investigated by analyzing volatile organic compounds emitted during ageing tests. The assessment of the results obtained will act as a pilot for a more extensive program of research, the ultimate aim of which is the formulation of a recommended methodology as a tool for the evaluation of the condition of these types of works, as well as the determination of conservation and care parameters

A “Devolved Minority”: Contemporary German and French Guidebook Perspectives of Wales

Guidebooks play an important role in increasing the visibility of a nation, as they introduce the country to potential visitors and create images prior to travelling. However, they also tend to reinforce stereotypes and create “romantic fictions” (Mahn 2008). This article examines the representation of Wales in French and German guidebooks and consequently elucidates the cultural and political recognition of Wales in these continental texts. The depiction of Wales as a distinct entity on an administrative, or rather on a cultural and linguistic level will be discussed, as well as the commonalities and differences between French and German views

Abnormal connectional fingerprint in schizophrenia: a novel network analysis of diffusion tensor imaging data

The graph theoretical analysis of structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data has received a great deal of interest in recent years to characterize the organizational principles of brain networks and their alterations in psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia. However, the characterization of networks in clinical populations can be challenging, since the comparison of connectivity between groups is influenced by several factors, such as the overall number of connections and the structural abnormalities of the seed regions. To overcome these limitations, the current study employed the whole-brain analysis of connectional fingerprints in diffusion tensor imaging data obtained at 3 T of chronic schizophrenia patients (n = 16) and healthy, age-matched control participants (n = 17). Probabilistic tractography was performed to quantify the connectivity of 110 brain areas. The connectional fingerprint of a brain area represents the set of relative connection probabilities to all its target areas and is, hence, less affected by overall white and gray matter changes than absolute connectivity measures. After detecting brain regions with abnormal connectional fingerprints through similarity measures, we tested each of its relative connection probability between groups. We found altered connectional fingerprints in schizophrenia patients consistent with a dysconnectivity syndrome. While the medial frontal gyrus showed only reduced connectivity, the connectional fingerprints of the inferior frontal gyrus and the putamen mainly contained relatively increased connection probabilities to areas in the frontal, limbic, and subcortical areas. These findings are in line with previous studies that reported abnormalities in striatal–frontal circuits in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, highlighting the potential utility of connectional fingerprints for the analysis of anatomical networks in the disorder

mini-ELSA: using Machine Learning to improve space efficiency in Edge Lightweight Searchable Attribute-based encryption for Industry 4.0

In previous work a novel Edge Lightweight Searchable Attribute-based encryption (ELSA) method was proposed to support Industry 4.0 and specifically Industrial Internet of Things applications. In this paper, we aim to improve ELSA by minimising the lookup table size and summarising the data records by integrating Machine Learning (ML) methods suitable for execution at the edge. This integration will eliminate records of unnecessary data by evaluating added value to further processing. Thus, resulting in the minimization of both the lookup table size, the cloud storage and the network traffic taking full advantage of the edge architecture benefits. We demonstrate our mini-ELSA expanded method on a well-known power plant dataset. Our results demonstrate a reduction of storage requirements by 21% while improving execution time by 1.27x

Picturing Marty Gardner / Remembering Professor Martin Gardner / Remembering Marty Gardner / In Memoriam Professor Marty Gardner / In Memoriam to Professor Martin (Marty) Gardner

Tributes to Martin (“Marty”) R. Gardner, professor for forty-three years at the University of Nebraska College of Law

Acinetobacter baumannii targets human carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecules (CEACAMs) for invasion of pneumocytes

Multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii is regarded as a life-threatening pathogen mainly associated with nosocomial and community-acquired pneumonia. Here, we show that A. baumannii can bind the human carcinoembryonic antigen- related cell adhesion molecule (CEACAM) receptors CEACAM1, CEACAM5, and CEACAM6. This specific interaction enhances A. baumannii internalization in membrane- bound vacuoles, promptly decorated with Rab5, Rab7, and lipidated microtubule- associated protein light chain 3 (LC3). Dissecting intracellular signaling pathways revealed that infected pneumocytes trigger interleukin-8 (IL-8) secretion via the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathways for A. baumannii clearance. However, in CEACAM1-L-expressing cells, IL-8 secretion lasts only 24 h, possibly due to an A. baumannii-dependent effect on the CEACAM1-L intracellular domain. Conversely, the glycosylphosphatidylinositol- anchored CEACAM5 and CEACAM6 activate the c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK)1/ 2-Rubicon-NOX2 pathway, suggestive of LC3-associated phagocytosis. Overall, our data show for the first time novel mechanisms of adhesion to and invasion of pneumocytes by A. baumannii via CEACAM-dependent signaling pathways that eventually lead to bacterial killing. These findings suggest that CEACAM upregulation could put patients at increased risk of lower respiratory tract infection by A. baumannii. IMPORTANCE This work shows for the first time that Acinetobacter baumannii binds to carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1), CEACAM5, and CEACAM6. This binding significantly enhances A. baumannii internalization within alveolar host cell epithelia. Intracellular trafficking involves typical Rab5 and Rab7 vacuolar proteins as well as light chain 3 (LC3) and slowly progresses to bacterial killing by endosome acidification. CEACAM engagement by A. baumannii leads to distinct and specific downstream signaling pathways. The CEACAM1 pathway finely tunes interleukin- 8 (IL-8) secretion, whereas CEACAM5 and CEACAM6 mediate LC3-associated phagocytosis. The present study provides new insights into A. baumannii-host interactions and could represent a promising therapeutic strategy to reduce pulmonary infections caused by this pathogen