cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Oxygen and hydrogen isotope compositions of paleosol phyllosilicates: Differential burial histories and determination of Middle-Late Pennsylvanian low-latitude terrestrial paleotemperatures

Abstract The clay mineralogy, chemistry, and stable hydrogen and oxygen-isotope compositions were measured from 20 phyllosilicate samples representing 11 Pennsylvanian-age paleosol profiles taken from three cores in the Illinois basin in order to assess their utility as proxies of low-latitude terrestrial paleotemperatures. The majority of the samples are mineralogical mixtures of illite–smectite (I/S), kaolinite, and rarely discrete illite. Samples from a shallowly-buried locality in the northern part of the basin are dominantly composed of smectite-rich I/S, with variable amounts of kaolinite, and no discrete illite. Samples from deeply-buried, interior parts of the basin are composed of illite-rich I/S, variable amounts of kaolinite, and discrete illite. These phyllosilicate mixtures have δ 18 O V-SMOW and δD V-SMOW values that range from 17.2‰ to 23.0‰ and − 56‰ to − 27‰, respectively. Assuming that the phyllosilicates preserve a record of isotopic equilibrium with Pennsylvanian meteoric waters, these oxygen and hydrogen isotope values correspond to crystallization temperatures ranging from 22 ± 3 °C to 55 ± 3 °C. The clay mineralogy, phyllosilicate δ 18 O and δD values and calculated crystallization temperatures of 44 °C to 55 °C from deeply buried localities in the interior of the basin are not consistent with a pedogenic origin. Instead, these trends are considered to be the result of diagenetic recrystallization of pedogenic minerals in response to greater depths of burial (by ~ 1.5 to 3 km) in the southerly, basin-center localities, as well as an interval of middle Permian elevated heat flow associated with magmatic intrusions in the southern part of the basin. Phyllosilicate mineralogy, δ 18 O and δD values, and calculated phyllosilicate crystallization temperatures from a shallowly buried, northern locality in the Illinois basin are consistent with a pedogenic origin, and reveal a long-term warming trend from an average temperature of 23 ± 3 °C in the lower Desmoinesian to an average temperature of 32 ± 3 °C in the Missourian. This temperature change is coincident with a significant change in the composition of wetland vegetation in Euramerica, which has been attributed to a shift in low-latitude Pennsylvanian climate towards warmer and drier conditions in the Late Pennsylvanian. This study reveals the presence of a dynamic Late Paleozoic paleoequatorial icehouse climate characterized by significant low-latitude temperature variability unprecedented on modern Earth.
Driven Metadynamics: Reconstructing Equilibrium Free Energies from Driven Adaptive-Bias Simulations

We present a novel free-energy calculation method that constructively integrates two distinct classes of nonequilibrium sampling techniques, namely, driven (e.g., steered molecular dynamics) and adaptive-bias (e.g., metadynamics) methods. By employing nonequilibrium work relations, we design a biasing protocol with an explicitly time- and history-dependent bias that uses on-the-fly work measurements to gradually flatten the free-energy surface. The asymptotic convergence of the method is discussed, and several relations are derived for free-energy reconstruction and error estimation. Isomerization reaction of an atomistic polyproline peptide model is used to numerically illustrate the superior efficiency and faster convergence of the method compared with its adaptive-bias and driven components in isolation.
An interleaving symbolic execution approach for the formal verification of Ada programs with tasking

The use of symbolic execution to prove partial correctness and general safety properties of Ada programs is considered. Past efforts are extended by incorporating tasking proof rules into the symbolic executor, allowing Ada programs with tasking to be formally verified. >
Photosynthetic Responses of Legume Species to Leaf-Mass Consumption Injury

Several studies have addressed plant primary physiological responses (gas exchange responses) to insect herbivory. However, relatively few plant species have been examined. It is unknown whether responses to leaf-mass removal by insects vary among plant families and species. Within the legumes, only alfalfa, Medicago sativa L., and soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merrill, have been examined. The goal of this study was to test the hypothesis that gas exchange responses to leaf-mass consumption in a broad range of cultivated legumes do not differ from those of soybean and alfalfa. The species and cultivars used were M. sativa Cimarron, Medicago scutellata (L.) Sava, Medicago truncatula Gaertner Paraggio, Melilotus officinalis (L.) Pallas, Trifolium hybridum L., and Trifolium pratense L. Twelve greenhouse experiments were conducted and each legume species was used in a separate experiment. Depending on the experiment, there were either two or three treatments (control, simulated insect injury, and actual insect injury). For simulated and actual insect defoliation, injury was limited to a single leaf per plant. Simulated insect injury treatments were imposed by removing leaf tissue on each leaflet with scissors. For the actual insect defoliation treatment, fall armyworm larvae, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith), were used. Defoliation of single leaves on the six species resulted in similar responses. Plant gas exchange variables (photosynthesis, stomatal conductance, intercellular CO2, and transpiration) were not significantly affected by either simulated or actual insect defoliation. Our results support the hypothesis that there is a generalized primary physiological response to leaf-mass consumption injury among the cultivated legumes. More generally, the results from this experiment support that there is a generalized plant gas exchange response to leaf-mass consumption injury.
In vitro systems for the study of human placental endocrine function.

AMONG endocrine organs, the placenta is unique with respect to the diversity of its hormonal products and the mechanisms that control its secretory activity. The placenta elaborates protein, glycoprotein, and steroidal hormones, as well as cytokines and growth factors. It possesses receptors for a variety of these factors, as well as for thyronines, steroids, and protein hormones. At present count, the human placenta produces more than 30 hormones and has receptors for almost as many regulatory factors (1–3). Consequently, it has frequently been the starting material from which hormones and receptors have been purified. Although the placenta functions in concert with the maternal organism and the fetus in the production of some hormones (e.g., estrogens), the study of isolated placental tissue has been important in the elucidation of placental function as well as the biology of secretory cells in general. Our purpose is to review the existing in vitro systems for study of endocrine functions of human plac...
Phase and amplitude phase restoration in synthetic aperture radar imaging

Methods for addressing two types of multiplicative noise in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging are presented. The authors consider a multiplicative noise with a real phase (i.e. the SAR signal's phase is contaminated but its amplitude is uncorrupted) that possesses unknown functional characteristics with respect to the radar signal's temporal frequencies. A perturbation solution for phase reconstruction from amplitude is developed from a wave equation governing the SAR signal and a Riccati equation that relates the amplitude and phase functions of the SAR signal. This solution is converted into a noniterative analytical solution in terms of the moments and powers of the log amplitude function. Next, the authors consider a multiplicative noise with a complex phase (i.e. both the amplitude and phase of the SAR signal are contaminated) that varies linearly with respect to the radar signal's temporal frequencies. The two wave equations governing the SAR signal at two temporal frequencies of the radar signal are combined to derive a method to reconstruct the complex phase error function. >
Molecular cloning of bovine eIF5A and deoxyhypusine synthase cDNA.

Deoxyhypusine synthase is the first of the two enzymes that catalyzes the maturation of eukaryotic initiation factor 5A (eIF5A). The mature eIF5A is the only known protein in eukaryotic cells that contains the unusual amino acid hypusine (Nϵ-(4-amino-2(R)-hydroxybutyl)lysine). Synthesis of hypusine is essential for the function of eIF5A in eukaryotic cell proliferation and survival. Here we describe the cloning and characterization of bovine eIF5A and bovine deoxyhypusine synthase. The deduced bovine eIF5A protein is 100% identical to human eIF5A-1, and the deduced bovine deoxyhypusine synthase protein showed a 93% identity to the human protein.
In vivo micro-MRI of intracortical neurovasculature

This work describes a methodology for in vivo MR imaging of arteries and veins within the visual cortex of the cat brain. Very high magnetic fields (9.4 T) and small field-of-view 3D acquisitions were used to image the neurovasculature at resolutions approaching the microscopic scale. A combination of time-of-flight MR angiography and T*(2)-weighted imaging, using both endogenous BOLD contrast and an exogenous iron-oxide contrast agent, provided high specificity for distinguishing between arteries and veins within the cortex. These acquisition techniques, combined with 3D image processing and display methods, were used to detect and visualize intracortical arteries and veins with diameters smaller than 100 microm. This methodology can be used for visualizing the neurovasculature or building models of the vascular network and may benefit a variety of research applications including fMRI, cerebrovascular disease and cancer angiogenesis.
Feature Selection with Imbalanced Data for Software Defect Prediction

In this paper, we study the learning impact of data sampling followed by attribute selection on the classification models built with binary class imbalanced data within the scenario of software quality engineering. We use a wrapper-based attribute ranking technique to select a subset of attributes, and the random undersampling technique (RUS) on the majority class to alleviate the negative effects of imbalanced data on the prediction models. The datasets used in the empirical study were collected from numerous software projects. Five data preprocessing scenarios were explored in these experiments, including: (1) training on the original, unaltered fit dataset, (2) training on a sampled version of the fit dataset, (3) training on an unsampled version of the fit dataset using only the attributes chosen by feature selection based on the unsampled fit dataset, (4) training on an unsampled version of the fit dataset using only the attributes chosen by feature selection based on a sampled version of the fit dataset, and (5) training on a sampled version of the fit dataset using only the attributes chosen by feature selection based on the sampled version of the fit dataset. We compared the performances of the classification models constructed over these five different scenarios. The results demonstrate that the classification models constructed on the sampled fit data with or without feature selection (case 2 and case 5) significantly outperformed the classification models built with the other cases (unsampled fit data). Moreover, the two scenarios using sampled data (case 2 and case 5) showed very similar performances, but the subset of attributes (case 5) is only around 15% or 30% of the complete set of attributes (case 2).
Assessment of the Residual Error in Soft Tissue Setup in Patients Undergoing Partial Breast Irradiation: Results of a Prospective Study Using Cone-Beam Computed Tomography

Purpose On-board cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) provides soft tissue information that may improve setup accuracy in patients undergoing accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI). We used CBCT to assess the residual error in soft tissue after two-dimensional kV/MV alignment based on bony anatomy. We also assessed the dosimetric impact of this error. Methods and Materials Ten patients undergoing APBI were studied as part of an institutional review board–approved prospective trial. Patients were aligned based on skin/cradle marks plus orthogonal kV/MV images registered based on bony landmarks to digitally reconstructed radiographs from the planning CT. A subsequent CBCT was registered to the planning CT using soft tissue information. This “residual error” and its dosimetric impact was measured. Results The root-mean-square of the residual error was 3, 4, and 4 mm, in the right–left, anterior–posterior, and superior–inferior directions, respectively. The average vector sum was 6 ± 2 mm. Average reductions in mean dose to the lumpectomy cavity, clinical target volume (CTV), and planning target volume were 0.1%, 0.4%, and 1%, respectively. The mean difference in the clinical target and planning target volumes that received 95% of the prescribed dose (V95) were 1% and 4%. Conclusions In this initial study with a modest number of patients, the residual error in soft tissue was typically
Nanoparticle-supported catalysts and catalytic reactions – a mini-review

This article reviews recent developments of using nanometer-sized particular matrices for supporting catalysts and catalytic organic reactions. Immobilization of a catalyst onto the surface of an Au or magnetic (e.g. Fe2O3) nanoparticle allowed facile separation and recycling of the catalyst out of the reaction mixture. The activity and selectivity of the nanoparticle-supported catalytic species were found to be comparable to those of their parent catalysts in solution or their counterparts immobilized on the solid-phase. In addition, due to the unique surface structure of the nano-host, cooperative catalysis was observed in a dyad of amino acid residues and peptide analogues on the nanoparticle surface. Thereby, immobilization of catalysts on the surface of a nanoparticular matrix will not only facilitate the isolation and recovery of expensive catalysts, but also open a new avenue to regulate their activity and selectivity.
Identification of patients at high risk for sudden cardiac death.

Ventricular arrhythmias play an important role in the pathophysiologic aspects of sudden cardiac death. To increase the precision in predicting sudden cardiac death, ventricular arrhythmias can be classified into 3 groups: benign, potentially malignant and malignant. Benign ventricular arrhythmias pose negligible risk of sudden cardiac death; they usually present as palpitations and are not associated with heart disease. The frequency of ventricular premature depolarizations is usually moderate and repetitive forms are usually absent in benign ventricular arrhythmias. Potentially malignant ventricular arrhythmias pose a moderate risk of sudden cardiac death; they present as palpitations or are discovered on routine screening and are associated with significant heart disease. The frequency of ventricular premature depolarizations usually is moderate, and repetitive forms are present. It is not known whether treatment with antiarrhythmic drugs will decrease the mortality associated with potentially malignant ventricular arrhythmias. Malignant ventricular arrhythmias pose a high risk of sudden cardiac death; they may present as palpitations, syncope or cardiac arrest and have a strong association with heart disease. The frequency of ventricular premature depolarizations is moderate to high, repetitive forms are present and intermittent sustained ventricular arrhythmias occur. Patients who have malignant ventricular arrhythmias and respond to antiarrhythmic drug treatment are proven to have a much lower mortality than those who do not.
Relationships among the confounding genera Ammannia, Hionanthera, Nesaea and Rotala (Lythraceae)

The relationships and taxonomic limits of four morphologically closely similar herbaceous genera of Lythraceae have long been poorly understood. Ammannia, Hionanthera, Nesaea and Rotala are small-flowered herbs of aquatic to amphibious habitats in subtropical to tropical Africa and Asia, with a minor presence in the New World. The shared generalized vegetative and floral structures and an inadequate knowledge of features regarded as diagnostic of the genera have resulted in diverse taxonomic delineations and multiple species transfers among Ammannia, Nesaea and Rotala. In this study, vegetative, anatomical, floral, seed and pollen characters are compared, new chromosome numbers are reported for Ammannia and Nesaea, and phylogenetic relationships of the four genera are hypothesized based on datasets from nuclear rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and plastid rbcL and trnL–trnF regions. The results indicate that Rotala, together with the American genera Heimia and Didiplis, forms an early lineage of the family that is only distantly related to the other three genera. Ammannia, Hionanthera and Nesaea form a strongly supported clade in which Ammannia and Nesaea are paraphyletic and Hionanthera is sister to different species of Nesaea depending on the analysis. Total morphological and molecular evidence supports congeneric status for Ammannia, Hionanthera and Nesaea under the earliest name, Ammannia. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011, 166, 1–19.
Effect of Physician and Hospital Experience on Patient Outcomes for Endovascular Treatment of Aortoiliac Occlusive Disease

Design: A retrospective cross-sectional analysis of all inpatients undergoing endovascular repair of AIOD. Physician volume was classified as low ( 17 procedures per year [ 50th percentile]) or high ( 17 procedures per year). Physicians were defined as surgeons if they performed at least 1 carotid, aortic, or iliac endarterectomy; open aortic repair; aboveor below-knee amputation; or aortoiliac-femoral bypass. Hospital volume was low ( 116 procedures per year [ 50th percentile]) or high ( 116 procedures per year).
Optimization of front-end design in imaging and spectrometry applications with room temperature semiconductor detectors

This paper addresses the optimization of front-end design in position sensing, imaging and high-resolution energy dispersive analysis with room temperature semiconductor detectors. The focus is on monolithic solutions able to meet the requirements of high functional densities set by multielectrode, finely segmented detectors. Front-end architectures featuring additional functions besides charge measurements, as demanded by the need of acquiring and processing multiparametric information associated with the detector signals will be discussed. Noise will be an issue of dominant importance in all the following analysis. The advent of CMOS processes featuring submicron gate length and gate oxide thicknesses in the few nanometers region is overturning some of the classical criteria in the choice of the front-end device. The achievement of the limits in resolution requires a strict control of the noise contribution from the current amplifier which ordinarily follows the front-end element in the charge-sensitive loop. This aspect becomes more crucial in designing front-end systems with submicron processes.
Advances in renal replacement therapy as a bridge to renal transplantation

While renal transplantation remains the most prevalent treatment for children with end-stage renal disease, the majority of children incident to ESRD receive dialytic therapy prior to receiving a renal allograft and 25% of children are still receiving dialytic therapy 36 months after achieving ESRD. The current review discusses the most recent advancements in both hemodialysis and PD therapies to provide optimal care for children as a bridge until renal transplantation. Areas covered include dialysis dose assessment, target dry weight assessment, vascular access and advancements in PD technology.
Improved quantification with validation of multiple mRNA species by polymerase chain reaction: application to human myocardial creatine kinase M and B

Objectives: Quantitation by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has not been validated by an independent assay and is not easily applicable to multiple samples. The aim of this study was therefore to attempt to quantify human heart creatine kinase M (CKM) and B (CKB) mRNA simultaneously and to validate the method with a quantitative S1 nuclease protection assay. Methods: Conditions were optimised to achieve high efficiency of reverse transcription and PCR amplification of a short target sequence using total human heart RNA and an in vitro transcribed RNA standard as a substrate. A nested radiolabelled primer was used for specific detection and quantification of the amplified DNA sequence. Results: The amplification efficiency for CKM and CKB mRNA were 0.98(SD 0.07) and 1.11(0.04) respectively. CKM and CKB mRNA levels were determined in 42 samples from 24 human hearts and found to be 156.7(36.2) and 19.9(5.2) amol·μg−1 RNA, respectively. Parallel quantitative S1 nuclease protection assay yielded results of 131.2(64.2) and 9.4(5.2) amol·μg−1 RNA. The cardiac CKB, but not CKM mRNA level, was twofold higher using the quantitative PCR method. However this discrepancy was abolished when compared to a higher stringency S1 nuclease protection assay. The cardiac CKB mRNA was 12.7% of the CKM level. This proportion remained the same from hearts with end stage cardiomyopathies of various aetiologies. Conclusions: This validated quantitative PCR method offers advantages over the S1 nuclease protection assay in that less RNA is required, the procedure is less dependent on RNA integrity and secondary structure, and multiple RNA species can be quantified simultaneously. The results also suggest that the abundance of the CKM and CKB mRNA level are coordinately regulated in the human heart. Cardiovascular Research 1994; 28 :464-471
A mesh partitioning tool and its applications to parallel processing

This paper describes the features and implementation of a mesh partitioning tool called PSAINT and its applications to parallel processing research and education. PSAINT is an interactive graphics program with a friendly interface for user-program interaction. It offers several automatic mesh partitioning algorithms as well as a set of graphics tools for manual partitioning and for evaluation and modification of the results of automatic partitioning. The program automatically generates various statistics results and allows for visualization of the mesh partitions. PSAINT was originally developed as a key component in an integrated parallel finite element analysis system. Recently, it has been extended to facilitate evaluation and comparative studies of automatic mesh partitioning algorithms. It has also been used to aid the teaching in a graduate-level structural engineering course for parallel processing.
Stomal complications in the newborn with necrotizing enterocolitis.

Background Infants who develop necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) are usually managed with fecal diversion. The integrity of the bowel being diverted is often suboptimal. Our clinical impression is that stomas created in this circumstance are fraught with complications. The purpose of this study is to quantify the rate of these complications and identify risk factors. Methods A retrospective data collection from May 1999 to May 2008 on infants undergoing laparotomy for NEC was conducted. Data collected included gestational age, birth weight, age, and weight at operation, indications for surgical therapy, procedure performed, time to stoma output, time to takedown of stoma, complication directly related to the ostomy, and mortality. Data comparisons were analyzed statistically using χ 2 , Pearson's correlation, Fisher's exact test, or a 2-tailed Student's t -test with significance reported for P Results A total of 73 patients were identified. Mean gestational age was 28 (±4) wk, mean birth weight was 1247 (±713) g. Mean age at the time of surgery was 23 (±27) d, and mean weight at operation was 1513 (±1306) g. The most common indication for surgical intervention was pneumoperitoneum ( n = 43, 58%). The most common level of intestinal diversion was the ileum ( n = 63, 85%). In-house mortality was 13%. There were 31 patients (42%) who developed 32 stoma-related complications. Demographic or preoperative variables that were a significant predictor of stoma-related complications were gestational age ( P = 0.003) and preoperative weight ( P = 0.024). Conclusion Premature infants carry a risk for developing stoma-related complications. Within that cohort, there is significantly increased risk of stoma-related complications in patients who are younger in gestational age and who have low preoperative weight. Future prospective studies may allow insight into preventative practices.
FoxM1 Mediates Resistance to Herceptin and Paclitaxel

Inherent and acquired therapeutic resistance in breast cancer remains a major clinical challenge. In human breast cancer samples, overexpression of the oncogenic transcription factor FoxM1 has been suggested to be a marker of poor prognosis. In this study, we report that FoxM1 overexpression confers resistance to the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 monoclonal antibody Herceptin and microtubule-stabilizing drug paclitaxel, both as single agents and in combination. FoxM1 altered microtubule dynamics to protect tumor cells from paclitaxel-induced apoptosis. Mechanistic investigations revealed that the tubulin-destabilizing protein Stathmin, whose expression also confers resistance to paclitaxel, is a direct transcriptional target of FoxM1. Significantly, attenuating FoxM1 expression by small interfering RNA or an alternate reading frame (ARF)-derived peptide inhibitor increased therapeutic sensitivity. Our findings indicate that targeting FoxM1 could relieve therapeutic resistance in breast cancer.
Relation of Pericardial Effusion to Degree of Fractional Shortening

The prevalence of significant pericardial effusion in patients with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction has not been reported. The goal of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and severity of pericardial effusion in patients with decreased fractional shortening (FS) using a large echocardiographic database. A retrospective analysis of 24,265 echocardiograms performed at our institution from 1984 to 1998 was undertaken. FS was measured in 18,015 of the echocardiograms. The occurrence of pericardial effusion was correlated with the degree of FS, and FS was stratified into 4 groups: (1) >25%, (2) 17.5% to 25%, (3) 10% to 17.5%, and (4) <10%. On the basis of visual estimation, effusion was divided into 3 groups: mild, moderate, and severe. Pericardial effusion was present in 1,632 of the echocardiograms in which FS was measured. Pericardial effusion was significantly more common in patients with FS <25% and was correlated with the severity of decreased FS (group 1: 8.4%; group 2: 12.8%; group 3: 13.2%; group 4: 14.4%; p <0.0001). However, when categorizing pericardial effusion by severity, only mild pericardial effusion was correlated with decreased FS (group 1: 6.6%; group 2: 11.0%; group 3: 11.1%; group 4: 14.0%; p <0000.1). Our results indicate that the occurrence of moderate to severe pericardial effusion cannot be explained by a decrease in LV systolic function.
The Influence of Chain Stiffness on the Flow Behavior of Polymers in the Entrance of a Capillary

A glass capillary attached to an Instron Rheometer has been used to study the flow behavior of a flexible, a semi-rigid, and a rigid chain polymer in a capillary. The flexible chain polymer exhibits the “wine-glass” pattern in the entrance region and undergoes a flow instability in the entrance associated with the onset of elastic fracture at a wall shear stress (τw) of 104 N/m2. The semi-rigid polymer does not exhibit the “wineglass” entrance flow pattern. However, a flow instability arises in the capillary at a wall shear stress of 102 to 103 N/m2. The rigid chain polymer exhibits behavior in the capillary entrance similar to that expected for an inelastic fluid even though large normal stresses are measured. No flow instabilities were observed for values of τw up to 2x104 N/m2, Die swell decreased with increasing chain stiffness.
Innovative approach to high-speed spinning using a magnetically-elevated spinning ring

We introduce a new concept of ring-spinning. The model system built on the basis of this concept is capable of producing yarns at a production rate of up to 4 times that of the traditional ring-spinning system. This is a direct result of a ring rotational speed of up to 40,000 rpm. This new concept is termed ‘magnetic spinning’, and it principally consists of a lightweight rotor suspended magnetically inside a fixed stator; the rotor can spin freely inside the stator. The stator is equipped with four magnetic actuators that always keep the rotor in its central position. The rotor in this configuration replaces the ring and traveller in the traditional spinning system. The system’s concept and control analysis are discussed in this paper.
Bilateral entorhinal cortex lesions impair DRL performance in rats

The entorhinal cortex participates in a variety of spatial and locomotor behaviors that are thought to be mediated by the hippocampal formation. The present study examined the possibility that the entorhinal area contributes to the maintenance of an operant behavior in which the hippocampus is also implicated—differential reinforcement of low-rate responding (DRL). Rats with bilateral entorhinal cortex lesions or sham operations were tested for retention of a preoperatively learned DRL (10-sec delay) task. Rats with entorhinal lesions were impaired on measures of response rate, temporal discrimination, and response efficiency for 2 to 3 weeks after surgery. Histological analyses indicated that all the rats sustained complete entorhinal lesions. The entorhinal cortex may be an important component of the hippocampal formation contributing to the performance of DRL tasks.
Manipulation of Room Temperature Ferromagnetic behavior of GaMnN Epilayers

We report on metal organic chemical vapor deposition growth of GaMnN/p-GaN/n-GaN multilayer structures and manipulation of room temperature (RT) ferromagnetism (FM) in a GaMnN layer. The GaMnN layer was grown on top of a n-GaN substrate and found to be almost always paramagnetic. However, when grown on a p-type GaN layer, a strong saturation magnetization (Ms) was observed. Ms was almost doubled after annealing demonstrating that the FM observed in GaMnN film is carrier-mediated. To control the hole concentration of the p-GaN layer by depletion, GaMnN/p-GaN/n-GaN multilayer structures of different p-GaN thickness (Xp) were grown on sapphire substrates. We have demonstrated that the FM depends on the Xp and the applied bias to the GaN p-n junction. The FM of these multilayer is independent on the top GaMnN layer thickness (tGaMnN) for tGaMnN >200 nm and decreases for tGaMnN < 200 nm. Thus the room temperature FM of GaMnN i-p-n structure can also be controlled by changing Xp and tGaMnN in the GaMnN i-p-n structures.
An Autoethnographic Mix Tape: Deconstructing Gender Identity Through Music That Has Meaning to Us

This chapter explores the possibilities for incorporating music as a medium for understanding cultural narratives about gender and their influence on our own gender identities. The primary discussion revolves around a Mix Tape Assignment that has been modified into a type of musical autoethnography. This assignment is designed to enhance students’ media literacy skills and increase self-awareness about the ways that music has influenced their own understandings of what it means to be a gendered person. Following the project students should be able to discuss the complex relationship between the music we consume and the gender identities we embody, not just as it pertains to us individually but with an understanding of dominant gender scripts in society and the ways that music confirms, rejects, or otherwise transforms those messages. This assignment additionally helps students reflect on the tension between structure and agency, an important theoretical puzzle within the social sciences, and encourages awareness of the power of agents of socialization in our lives. Moreover, the project has been designed to be fun and promote creativity while contextualizing our personal and individual tastes within the larger framework of historical and cultural influences as they pertain to gender identities. While the actual assignment is discussed in detail, several suggestions for modifications and alternative approaches are shared.
Changes in uses of plants in Mbeere, Kenya

Field studies conducted from 1970–82 in eastern Kenya show dramatic changes in the incidence and uses of plants. The main causes include a rapid increase in population, a change from communal to individual land tenure and new values brought about by modernisation. The large hardwoods have all but disappeared, many having been cut down to make charcoal. The Mbeere used to have a wide and impressive knowledge of plants and their uses, but many of the old ways have died out. There are signs that the present landowners are planting trees and coming to terms with the new situation.
The Macro-Micro Model, Trends vs. Noise, and SSA - I

The Macro Micro (MM) model contains different time scales and deals with risk as it occurs in the real world, especially trend risk. A new methodology - Singular Spectrum Analysis (SSA) – is introduced to identify historical trends, trend volatilities, and noise-reduced trend-trend correlations. Application is for a long-term PFE risk simulation, including realistic quasi-random Macro trends. Two Macro versions of the MM model are presented – a statistical trend model and a historic “time-slice” trend model.
Methane-induced explosions in vented enclosures

Abstract Explosions in enclosures leading to devastating accidents occur in various industrial, commercial, and residential occupancies. To relieve the effect of such explosions, vents of various sizes and geometry are designed. In this study, a computational model for gas explosions venting, developed and validated on hydrogen explosion by Ugarte et al. [Process Safety and Environmental Protection, 99, (2016) 167–174] is extended to vented explosion scenarios for methane. The model is based on a time-dependent set of ordinary differential equations whose solution allows prediction of temperature, pressure and vented mass transients resulting from the explosion of methane-air in vented enclosures. The model is compared to the experiments available in the literature and NFPA 68 standards at different vent areas and equivalent ratios. The influence of gas equivalence ratio and vent size on the rate of pressure rise is analyzed. A framework for the gas explosion vent design using the fundamental laminar burning velocity of a gas-air mixture is also discussed.
Bombesin prevents gastric injury in the rat: role of gastrin.

Bombesin or gastrin-releasing peptide preventsgastric injury by an unknown mechanism. Since exogenousgastrin is a gastroprotective agent, this study wasundertaken to test the hypothesis that gastroprotection by bombesin involves release of endogenousgastrin. Subcutaneous bombesin (10-100 μg/kg) dosedependently reduced macroscopic injury to theacid-secreting portion of the stomach caused by 1 ml oforogastric acidified ethanol (150 mM hydrochloric acid-50%ethanol). Blockade of type A cholecystokinin receptorswith intraperitoneal MK-329 (1 mg/kg) reversedintravenous cholecystokinin (5 nmol/kg)-inducedgastroprotection, but not that of bombesin. In contrast,intraperitoneal type B cholecystokinin (gastrin)receptor blockade with L-365,260 (25 mg/kg) diminishedthe protective actions of both subcutaneous bombesin(100 mug/kg) and intravenous gastrin (25 pmol/kg). Inadditional studies, subcutaneous bombesin (10-100μg/kg) dose dependently increased serum gastrinlevels (radioimmunoassay). Both the gastroprotectiveactions of bombesin and bombesininduced gastrin releasewere enhanced following immunoneutralization ofendogenous somatostatin with intraperitonealsomatostatin antibody (2 mg). These data indicate thatbombesin prevents gastric injury primarily by release ofendogenous gastrin and both effects are modified byendogenous somatostatin.
Team Decision Making in Naturalistic Environments: A Framework for and Introduction to Illusory Shared Cognition

In many professional settings, decisions are carried out by expert teams rather than individuals. Teams must often accomplish difficult, complex, and even dangerous tasks where to succeed they must engage in thorough yet rapid decision making processes. That is the case in the medical arena, where decisions for patient diagnosis or care often require the input of different specialists and the collaboration of nurse and physician teams. In the same way, decisions during military or firefighting operations that are riddled with risk, time pressure, and changing environments are the product of a team effort.
Applying a CAD-generated imaging marker to assess short-term breast cancer risk

Although whether using computer-aided detection (CAD) helps improve radiologists’ performance in reading and interpreting mammograms is controversy due to higher false-positive detection rates, objective of this study is to investigate and test a new hypothesis that CAD-generated false-positives, in particular, the bilateral summation of false-positives, is a potential imaging marker associated with short-term breast cancer risk. An image dataset involving negative screening mammograms acquired from 1,044 women was retrospectively assembled. Each case involves 4 images of craniocaudal (CC) and mediolateral oblique (MLO) view of the left and right breasts. In the next subsequent mammography screening, 402 cases were positive for cancer detected and 642 remained negative. A CAD scheme was applied to process all “prior” negative mammograms. Some features from CAD scheme were extracted, which include detection seeds, the total number of false-positive regions, an average of detection scores and the sum of detection scores in CC and MLO view images. Then the features computed from two bilateral images of left and right breasts from either CC or MLO view were combined. In order to predict the likelihood of each testing case being positive in the next subsequent screening, two logistic regression models were trained and tested using a leave-one-case-out based cross-validation method. Data analysis demonstrated the maximum prediction accuracy with an area under a ROC curve of AUC=0.65±0.017 and the maximum adjusted odds ratio of 4.49 with a 95% confidence interval of [2.95, 6.83]. The results also illustrated an increasing trend in the adjusted odds ratio and risk prediction scores (p<0.01). Thus, the study showed that CAD-generated false-positives might provide a new quantitative imaging marker to help assess short-term breast cancer risk.
Adipic acid production catalyzed by a combination of a solid acid and an iodide salt from biomass-derived tetrahydrofuran-2,5-dicarboxylic acid

We recently reported biomass-derived tetrahydrofuran-2,5-dicarboxylic acid (THFDCA) as a potential renewable feedstock for adipic acid (AA) production by combining HI and molecular H2 in organic acid solvents. However, the volatile and corrosive nature of HI, the catalyst, presents challenges in industrial implementation. In this work, we demonstrate an improved, less corrosive system with comparable AA yields (∼87%) using Nafion and an iodide salt, e.g., LiI, NaI and KI. Kinetic and reactivity studies indicate that the activation of THFDCA's etheric C–O bond proceeds either by direct protonation at the surface of the solid acid or by liquid-phase protons which are transported from the surface of the solid acid to the bulk solvent through an ion-exchange process. The combination of a solid acid and an iodide salt functions as a controlled release mechanism for protons without sacrificing the effectiveness of HI, while significantly reducing the corrosiveness of the reaction mixture. Further, the spent Nafion can easily be separated from the reaction mixture and regenerated by ion-exchange with minimal loss in reactivity.
Living Bacteria-Nanoparticle Hybrids Mediated through Surface-Displayed Peptides.

In this study, we investigated the preparation of living bacteria–nanoparticle hybrids mediated by surface-displayed peptides. The assembly of metallic nanoparticles on living bacteria has been achieved under mild conditions utilizing metal–peptide interactions, whereas the viability of the bacterial cells was greatly preserved. Escherichia coli was engineered with inducible gene circuits to control the display of peptides with desired sequences. Several designed peptide sequences as well as known gold-binding peptides were expressed on the cell surface using enhanced circularly permuted outer membrane protein X (eCPX) scaffolds. Driven by metal–peptide affinity, “biofriendly” citrate-stabilized gold nanoparticles were self-assembled onto the surface of bacteria with displayed peptides, which required overcoming the repulsive force between negatively charged nanoparticles and negatively charged cells. The bacteria/Au nanoparticle hybrids were highly viable and maintained the ability to grow and divide, wh...
Drying mediated orientation and assembly structure of amphiphilic Janus particles

Amphiphilic Janus particles demonstrate unique assembly structures when dried on a hydrophilic substrate. Particle orientations are influenced by amphiphilicity and Janus balance. A three-stage model is developed to describe the process. Simulation further indicates the dominant force is capillary attraction due to the interface pinning at rough Janus boundaries.
The period, rank, and order of the (a,b)-Fibonacci sequence mod m

SummaryFor given integers a and b, we consider the (a, b)-Fibonacci sequence F defined by F0 = 0, F1 = 1, and Fn = aFn-1 + bFn-2. Given m ≥ 2 relatively prime to b, F (mod m) is periodic with period denoted π(m). The rank of F (mod m), denoted α(m), is the least positive r such that Fr ≣ 0 (mod m), and the order of F (mod m), denoted ω(m), is π(m)/α(m). In this article, we pull together results on π(m), α(m), and ω(m) from the classic case a = 1, b = 1, and generalize their proofs to accommodate arbitrary integers a and b. Matrix methods are used extensively to provide elementary proofs.
Ultrasonic Monitoring of Reaction Bonding Silicon Nitride

A method is discussed to use ultrasonic techniques to monitor the reaction bonding of silicon nitride. Reaction bonding takes place in a nitrogen atmosphere heated up to 1390°C. As with many sensors used in hostile environments, it is difficult to design the ultrasonic sensor in a way that provides optimal clarity of the signal. The sensing system has to be designed within physical limitations on access to the furnace and it has to satisfy considerations on the design of a cooling system for the ultrasonic transducer. These limiting factors have been overcome so that ultrasonic signals have been obtained during processing, albeit with a significant noise level. Signal processing techniques have been developed which make it possible to obtain information on changes in phase velocity and attenuation during reaction bonding. The signal processing techniques have the potential to be implemented in real time for the monitoring of the progress of the reaction. This information can then be used for process control feedback.
MicroRNA-146a & hematopoiesis: friend or foe in atherosclerosis

Atherosclerosis is recognized as a chronic inflammatory disease of the vascular wall, resulting in the narrowing of blood vessels caused by the growth of lipid-rich lesions. Immune cells of all sorts have been identified in atherosclerotic lesions and their individual contributions to the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis continue to be an active topic of cardiovascular disease research. Hyperlipidemia has long been recognized as a source of inflammation that drives atherosclerosis (1).
Perioperative Troponin is a Predictor of Both Short- and Intermediate-term Mortality Among Patients Undergoing Major Urologic Surgery.

Abstract Objective To determine whether a positive troponin is a predictor of intermediate- and long-term mortality in patients undergoing major urologic surgeries at our institution. Methods This is a retrospective analysis of patients undergoing major urologic surgery at the Cleveland Clinic from 2010-2015. Patients were stratified by the presence and maximum value of troponin blood-draw, if performed within 30 days of surgery. Survival analysis was performed using Kaplan-Meier function (univariate) and Cox regression analysis (continuous) to assess mortality risk. Results Within 30 days of surgery, 1305 (15.5%) patients a troponin drawn, and 304 (3.6%) of them had an abnormal troponin level (>0.01 ng/mL). Patients with positive troponin drawn for cause within 30 days of surgery had a significantly decreased overall survival at 5 years of 70.6% (95% CI 62.6, 77.2) when compared to patients with negative troponin (81.7% [95% CI 77.4, 85.3]) and no troponin drawn (90.4% [95% CI 89.0, 91.6]). Conclusion For cause serum troponin blood draw and peak levels demonstrated a positive correlation with all-cause mortality in patients undergoing major urologic surgeries Prospective studies are needed to better understand the utility of postoperative troponin as predictive marker of mortality.
I Need You to Tell My Story: Qualitative Inquiry for/With Transnational Black Women:

Drawing on a yearlong qualitative research project with seven Black transnational women, this article employs a transnational Black feminist approach. It is guided by the following questions: What ...
Special Education Teacher Attrition and Retention: A Review of the Literature:

High rates of attrition make it challenging for schools to provide qualified special education teachers for students with disabilities, especially given chronic teacher shortages. We synthesize 30 ...
Neuroticism, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness and the Relationship with Individual Taxpayer Compliance Behavior

Within the Big Five personality framework, past research has found that neuroticism, agreeableness, and conscientiousness tend to display a relationship with ethical behavior (Sacket & Wanek, 1996; Kolz, 1999; Kalshoven, Den Hartog, & DeHoogh, 2011). Although past research has explored the relationship between white-collar crime and personality (Blickle, Schlegel, Fassbender, & Klein, 2006; Turner, 2014), this study seeks to more narrowly look at the influence that personality (specifically, neuroticism, agreeableness, and conscitiousness) has on taxpayer compliance. As hypothesized, results provide support that taxpayer compliance behavior decreases when higher level of neuroticism and conscientiousness are present.
Research Techniques Made Simple: Feature Selection for Biomarker Discovery.

Molecular biomarkers can be powerful tools for aiding in the efficiency and precision of clinical decision-making. Feature selection methods, machine-learning, and biostatistics have been applied to discover subsets of molecular markers that identify target classes of clinical cases. For example, in the field of dermatology, these approaches have been used to develop predictive models that identify skin diseases, ranging from melanoma to psoriasis, based upon a variety of biomarkers. However, a continuous increase in the variety and size of datasets from which candidate biomarkers can be derived, and limitations in the computational tools used to analyze them, have hindered the interpretability of biomarker discovery studies. In this article, the various methods of feature selection are described along with the important steps needed to properly validate the performance of the selected methods. Limitations and suggestions toward uses of these methods are discussed.