cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Lessons from the Debate on Location Analysis in Rural Economic Development

Several lessons have been learned from the debate on appropriate methods for locating urban functions in developing rural areas. While location-allocation models are superior for well-defined service location selection problems where suitable data and modeling skills are available, the urban functions in rural development methodology is superior where objectives are poorly specified, data sparse, and modeling skills poor. A wide variety of issues occur in rural development planning, but current theory and methods in regional science are poorly developed to deal with them. The area needs considerably more research.
Foreign Direct Investment in U.S. Food and Tobacco Manufacturing and Domestic Economic Performance

Over the last two decades, the U.S. foodand tobacco-manufacturing sector has increasingly participated in the internationalization of the U.S. economy. Exports and imports have increased simultaneously for a number of U.S. food and tobacco products (Pagoulatos and Sorensen 1979). This growth, in contrast to raw agricultural commodities, has not been the most prevalent feature. Rather, the greater international involvement of the U.S. food sector has resulted from the rapid growth of U.S. direct investment abroad during the 1960s and the equally rapid growth of Canadian and European investment in the United States during the 1970s.' This paper concentrates on this trend of increased inflow of foreign direct investment (FDI) into U.S. foodand tobacco-processing industries. The determinants of FDI inflows and their domestic performance implications are issues that require increased attention by agricultural economists. Analyzing this topic presents a challenge because it requires bridging the gap between international trade theory and industrial organization. Understanding the issues surrounding FDI in the United States, however, is an essential step toward comprehending the longer-term adjustments facing the U.S. food system as it becomes more integrated in the world economy. In what follows, the evidence regarding the extent of FDI in the U.S. food-processing sector is provided, and the existing theories and empirical evidence regarding the determinants of FDI are evaluated in light of the experience of the U.S. food sector over the last decade. The implications of FDI inflows for the domestic economic performance of the food sector complete the paper.
Microwave Processing for Improved Ionic Conductivity in Li2O–Al2O3–TiO2–P2O5 Glass-Ceramics

Li1.4Al0.4Ti1.6(PO4)3 (LATP) was synthesized using a glass-ceramics approach through crystallization in a conventional box furnace and a modified microwave furnace. The microstructure of samples that were microwave processed at 1000°C showed a larger average grain size (0.87 μm) when compared with the grain size of conventionally processed samples (0.30 μm) at the same temperature. Microwave processing led to significant enhancement of the conductivity when compared with conventional processing for all crystallization temperatures investigated. The highest total conductivity achieved was of glass microwave processed at 1000°C, with a conductivity of 5.33 × 10−4 S/cm. This conductivity was five times higher than that of LATP crystallized conventionally at the same temperature.
Cervicomedullary tumors in children: A distinct subset of brainstem gliomas

We reviewed the clinical course of 17 children who underwent surgical resection of an intra-axial cervicomedullary tumor between 1980 and 1992. The clinical symptoms, which reflected medullary dysfunction in nine children and cervical cord deficits in eight, were present for a mean of 2.1 years before diagnosis (range, 2 months to 7.5 years), and for at least 1 year in 80% of the patients. Neurodiagnostic imaging (MRI in 14, CT in 3) showed the tumor epicenter in the medulla in 11 and in the upper cervical cord in six. Surgery was performed for newly diagnosed tumor in 11 children, and for progressive disease in six who had received prior radiotherapy. The surgical resection was gross total in two and partial (60 to 95%) in fifteen. Fifteen patients had low-grade glial tumors (10 astrocytomas, four gangliogliomas, and one mixed glioma), and two had anaplastic gangliogliomas. Four-year progression-free and total survival rates after surgery for patients who had surgery as initial therapy were 70 and 100%; for those who had surgery at the time of progression, these were 41 and 62%. Postsurgical neurologic complications occurred in five children. Four of these children had received prior radiotherapy. Two of them already had severe preoperative deficits and three had moderate deficits that worsened after surgery. Twelve patients with mild deficits were unchanged or improved postoperatively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
The "Annales" School and Archaeology, edited by J. Bintliff, New York University Press, New York, 1991

At a superficial level we could argue that application of concepts of the French "Annales" School of History to archaeology merely amounts to yet another semantic game, new fad, old wine in new skins. Some of the studies of this slim collection do seem a bit contrived, consisting of attempts to fit particular evidence (mainly from classical archaeology) into one or more of Braudel's three categories or temporal constructs: evenements, conjunctures and structures de longue duree. Does archaeology advance in its unending search for some new truth by merely borrowing and applying terms that have common in Continental history for at least a half century?
Impact of noncardiac comorbidities on morbidity and mortality in a predominantly male population with heart failure and preserved versus reduced ejection fraction

Objectives The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and prognostic impacts of noncardiac comorbidities in patients with heart failure (HF) with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) compared with those with HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Background There is a paucity of information on the comparative prognostic significance of comorbidities between patients with HFpEF and those with HFrEF. Methods In a national ambulatory cohort of veterans with HF, the comorbidity burden of 15 noncardiac comorbidities and the impacts of these comorbidities on hospitalization and mortality were compared between patients with HFpEF and those with HFrEF. Results The cohort consisted of 2,843 patients with HFpEF and 6,599 with HFrEF with 2-year follow-up. Compared with patients with HFrEF, those with HFpEF were older and had higher prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, hypertension, psychiatric disorders, anemia, obesity, peptic ulcer disease, and cancer but a lower prevalence of chronic kidney disease. Patients with HFpEF had lower HF hospitalization, higher non-HF hospitalization, and similar overall hospitalization compared with those with HFrEF (p Conclusions There is a higher noncardiac comorbidity burden associated with higher non-HF hospitalizations in patients with HFpEF compared with those with HFrEF. However, individually, most comorbidities have similar impacts on mortality in both groups. Aggressive management of comorbidities may have an overall greater prognostic impact in HFpEF compared to HFrEF.
Control of an electromechanical actuator for camless engines

This paper presents a gray box approach for identifying physical parameters of an electromechanical actuator based on frequency response data. A feedforward and linear-quadratic regulator feedback controller was developed to control the EMCV actuator for soft seating. A repetitive learning controller was designed to enhance the control performance through cycle-to-cycle iterations. Experimental results achieved 0.61 m/s valve seating speed with 0.02 m/s standard deviation.
Decoupling method for low complexity turbo equalization of frequency-selective MIMO wireless systems

This paper proposes a decoupling method for low complexity turbo equalization of frequency selective multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless systems. A coded MIMO system can be viewed as a serially concatenated coding (SCC) system where the encoder for the transmitted signals and the MIMO channel take on the roles of inner code and outer code, respectively. Several MIMO turbo equalization methods have been proposed for detecting coded signals transmitted by multiple antennas in the presence of interchannel interference (ICI) and intersymbol interference (ISI). However these methods use MAP or MMSE-based MIMO inner equalizers in the turbo iteration. The complexity of such equalizers grows rapidly as the number of transmit or receive antennas increases, or as the order of the MIMO channel increases. To overcome this difficulty, we propose to use a MIMO FIR decoupler on either the transmit or receive side in order to transform the MIMO channel into parallel single-input single-output (SISO) subchannels. Turbo equalization can then be applied separately to each scalar subchannel, resulting in a low complexity receiver. Transmit or noise power constraints can be included in the decoupler design. Simulations demonstrating the effectiveness of the proposed low-complexity turbo equalizer are presented.
Retrieval-based learning: The need for guided retrieval in elementary school children

Abstract Three experiments were aimed at adapting retrieval practice techniques that are effective with college students to work with elementary school children. Children participated in their classrooms and completed activities with educational texts selected from the school curriculum. In Experiment 1, when children were asked to freely recall the texts, they recalled very little of the material (about 10%) and showed almost no improvement after rereading. In another condition that involved creating concept maps, the children produced only about 20% of the ideas on their maps, even though they viewed the texts during the entire activity. Experiments 2 and 3 explored ways to provide support during retrieval activities. In Experiment 2, children were very successful at retrieving knowledge on concept maps that were partially completed. In Experiment 3, a question map activity, where questions were displayed in a relational map format, was effective for guiding retrieval practice and improving learning relative to repeated studying. The results demonstrate the importance of examining strategies that work with college students with young children in educational settings using authentic materials. The results also highlight the need for guided retrieval practice in young children.
Channel state prediction in cognitive radio, Part II: Single-user prediction

Response delay problem and measurements of such delays have been reported in Part I. The response delay has a negative impact on the accuracy of spectrum sensing, which is the cornerstone of cognitive radio. In this paper, single-user prediction of channel state is proposed to minimize the negative impact of response delays caused by hardware platforms. Specifically, a modified hidden Markov model (HMM) based single-secondary-user (single-SU) prediction is proposed and examined. In order to have convincing performance evaluation results, real-world Wi-Fi signals are employed to test the proposed approach, where the Wi-Fi signals are recorded at four different locations simultaneously. Experimental results show that the proposed single-SU prediction outperforms the 1-nearest neighbor (1-NN) prediction which uses a detected current state as an estimate of future states. This work is a part of the effort toward building a cognitive radio network testbed.
Differential Regulation of p53-dependent and -independent Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen Gene Transcription by 12 S E1A Oncoprotein Requires CBP

The tumor suppressor protein p53 and the adenoviral 12 S E1A oncoprotein are both known to elicit their biological effects mainly by regulating the transcription of important cellular genes. The human proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) gene is a transcriptional target of both p53 and E1A. We have analyzed the effects of p53 and 12 S E1A, separately as well as together, on PCNA gene transcription. Our results showed that whereas both p53 and 12 S E1A separately activated PCNA transcription, 12 S E1A repressed p53-mediated transcriptional activation. Thus, 12 S E1A uses a dual strategy of transcriptional activation and repression to take control of the cellular PCNA gene regulation. The cyclic AMP-response element in the PCNA core promoter, besides being crucial for basal transcription, synergizes with p53 to activate transcription. The cyclic AMP response element-binding protein (CREB)-binding protein (CBP) is an essential component of both the transcriptional activation and repression by E1A. Our data demonstrate for the first time that E1A can modulate CBP function to activate PCNA transcription, while at the same time repressing p53-mediated activation by disrupting CBP interaction with p53, thereby uncoupling PCNA transcription from the regulatory effects of p53.
Effects on German cockroach nymphs of contact exposure to IGRs, singly and in combination

Late instar German cockroach male and female nymphs were exposed continuously for two weeks to surfaces treated with fenoxycarb, diflubenzuron, and pyriproxyfen, singly and in combination. Concentrations were determined that eliminated or nearly eliminated reproduction in matings with untreated mates, either through mortality, effects on reproduction, or a combination of mortality and ‘sterility' (no hatch). The major effect of fenoxycarb, pyriproxyfen, and pyriproxyfen plus fenoxycarb was on reproduction. The major effect of diflubenzuron was mortality. No hatch occurred in matings of females that were exposed to low concentrations of pyriproxyfen and fenoxycarb (2 ng/cm² and 6 ng/cm², respectively); sterility was incomplete when females were exposed to 600 ng/cm² of diflubenzuron. Mortality and sterility acted together to eliminate productive matings (matings that produced nymphs) when relatively high concentrations of diflubenzuron were combined with one or both of the other insect growth regulators (IGRs). In the triple combination, very small amounts of fenoxycarb and pyriproxyfen (total 1.1 ng/cm²) combined with 200 ng/cm² of diflubenzuron eliminated productive matings of treated females, but similar results with treated males were found only at higher concentrations of each IGR.
Cortisol fluctuates with increases and decreases in negative affect

Prior studies have reported cortisol secretion to be primarily influenced by negative affect, but less is known about cortisol activity during states of activation involving increased positive affect and decreased negative affect. On separate days, 30 healthy young men experienced: an activating and humorous video; a speech stressor; and a resting control period. Cortisol was measured in saliva before and after each 30-min mood induction. Positive affect (activation) was increased similarly by both the video and the speech compared to rest (p .1). These results suggest that the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis is a dynamic system influenced by changes in negative affect irrespective of the experience of generalized activation.
A Comparison of Three Diagnostic Tests for Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Using Latent Class Analysis.

Background: The current reference standard for carpal tunnel syndrome is under debate. Recent studies have demonstrated similar diagnostic accuracy between ultrasound and nerve conduction studies. The purpose of the present study was to determine the sensitivity and specificity of ultrasound, nerve conduction studies, and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome 6 (CTS-6) for the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome using latent class analysis. Methods: Latent class analysis is a statistical technique that can be used to estimate the accuracy of diagnosis when there is no universally accepted reference standard. This type of analysis is useful in the setting of carpal tunnel syndrome as there remains substantial controversy with respect to the necessity of nerve conduction studies and other confirmatory testing. CTS-6 is a validated clinical diagnostic tool for the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome that has been shown to have a high sensitivity and specificity. Data from a database on the cases of eighty-five consecutive patients who had had nerve conduction studies, CTS-6, and ultrasound were analyzed using classical latent class analysis, assuming that the three tests were imperfect and conditionally independent. Results: The sensitivities of ultrasound, CTS-6, and nerve conduction studies were 91% (95% confidence interval [CI], 81% to 98%), 95% (95% CI, 86% to 99%), and 91% (95% CI, 81% to 97%), respectively. The specificities of ultrasound, CTS-6, and nerve conduction studies were 94% (95% CI, 80% to 100%), 91% (95% CI, 74% to 99%), and 83% (95% CI, 66% to 95%), respectively. Conclusions: Ultrasound, nerve conduction studies, and CTS-6 have similar sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome. The currently accepted reference standard (nerve conduction studies) had the lowest sensitivity and specificity of the three tests. These findings support previous studies that have suggested that CTS-6 and ultrasound are highly accurate in the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome and that nerve conduction studies are not necessary in most cases. Level of Evidence: Diagnostic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Adenine nucleotides and nucleosides in chick embryo ventricles.

SummaryThe levels of ATP, ADP, AMP, adenosine, inosine, and hypoxanthine were measured in 7- to 22-day-old chick embryonic hearts. The nucleoside levels (adenosine, inosine, hypoxanthine) fell between Days 7 and 10, remained low until the 19th day, and increased significantly by the time of hatching. ATP concentrations showed a biphasic response with a drop at Day 15 and a peak on Day 18 approaching a steady state at the time of hatching. ADP rose between Days 16 and 18; otherwise, it remained unchanged throughout the experimental period. AMP reached its minimum level between Days 16 and 18 and increased from Day 19 to the time of hatching. The calculated value of energy potential (E) was higher in young embryonic hearts than in the older hearts. These data correlate with other reported energy demands (electro-physiological events) taking place during the embryonic development.The authors gratefully acknowledge the technical assistance of Mrs. Karen L. McGrain and Mark Tschudy during the conduction of thi...
Magnetic Alignment of Amorphous Coatings of GD:123

High Tc superconducting Gd-Ba-Cu-O materials were synthesized via the acetate precursor process. Aqueous solutions of < 0.6 M of metal cations were applied to substrates of yttria stabilized zirconia. Homogeneous films were applied to the substrates by use of the spin coating technique. The substrates were fired in air at 500°C in between each applied coat. After coating the substrates with 10-30 coats, they were crystallized by heating to 900°C in Ar or O2 with or without a 1 T magnetic field. The applied magnetic field was found to produce c-axis alignment for the thinner coats. Annealing in argon produced alignment but the effect was less pronounced than annealing in oxygen. Substrates with 30 coats were not aligned for either environment.
Low Insertion Loss, High-Speed Silicon Electro-Optic Modulator Design

A high-speed CMOS-compatible Mach-Zehnder electro-optic modulator with graded doping profile for minimum optical loss and maximum modulation speed is investigated, with operating frequency 32GHz, low insertion loss of 3dB and low figure of merit V?L=6Vmm.
RESEARCH ON FRAGMENTS CHARACTERISTIC OF CYLINDRICAL WARHEAD

Explosively driven fragmentation of ductile metals is a very complex phenomenon in which the fragmenting material is plastically deformed. It is difficult to determine the characteristic of fragments produced by cylindrical casing with ends, and there are no corresponding theoretical analysis models. In the condition of near field explosion, the spatial distribution of fragments with powerful penetrability has influence on the fracture pattern of the structure. In this paper, the expansion and rupture process of warhead under the inner pressure of detonation products are simulated numerically. The spatial distribution and velocity characteristics of fragments produced by the warhead, and factors which influences the size of fragment are discussed. Furthermore, the results of fragment velocity obtained by numerical simulations and experimental results are compared. The results have revealed that the fragment with maximal velocity is produced by the far-end of warhead case. The difference among fragments mass along the axial direction is due to the length size, which is determined by the deviations of axial expansion strain rate. The relatively small deviations of axial strain rate, especially in the half part of the cylindrical casing far away from the initiation point, is probably the reason responsible for the massive fragments.
Design of PCI Video Monitoring System Based on TMS320DM642

The design and implement of PCI video monitoring system based on TI′s TMS320DM642 is introduced,which can process two-channel analog camera or two-channel IP camera video stream. The implementation of the core system modules is discussed, including task schedule based on TI′s RF5 framework and IOM mini-driver. The experiment results indicate that this system can process monitoring algorithm for multiplex video stream and transfer monitoring results to the host through PCI bus in real time. It is convenient for user to complete the functions of local-storage and remote monitoring, and provides user an effective software and hardware platform for video monitoring algorithm.
Optimizing percutaneous coronary intervention: significance of hemorrhagic complications.

Major hemorrhage remains a frequent complication of contemporary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), regardless of how it is defined. Not only do hemorrhagic complications increase hospital costs, but major hemorrhage is highly predictive of 30-day and 1-year mortaliry. Use of bivalirudin significantly reduces hemorrhagic complication in PCI.
Examining Strategic Fit and Misfit in the Management of Knowledge Workers

This study advances research on strategic human resource management by examining whether better firm performance depends on the alignment between an organization’s human resources (HR) system and i...
Large Games (Structural Robustness)

Earlier literature on large (many players) cooperative games is surveyed in Aumann and Shapley (1974). For large strategic games, see Schmeidler (1973) and the follow-up literature on the purification of Nash equilibria. There is also substantial literature on large games with special structures, for example large auctions as reported in Rustichini, Satterthwaite, and Williams (1994).
The Impact of Lethal Recessive Alleles on Bottlenecks with Implications for Conservation Genetics

When a bottleneck occurs, lethal recessive alleles from the ancestral population provide a genetic load. The purging of lethal recessive mutations may prolong the bottleneck, or even cause the population to become extinct. But the purging is of short duration, it will be over before near neutral deleterious alleles accumulate. Lethal recessive alleles from the parental population and near neutral deleterious mutations which occur during a bottleneck are temporally separated threats to the survival of a population. Breeding individuals from a large population into a small endangered population will provide the benefit of viable alleles to replace near neutral deleterious alleles but also the cost of lethal recessive mutations from the large population.
Apparent Explosion Moments from Rg Waves Recorded on SPE

Abstract Seismic moments for the first four chemical tests making up phase I of the Source Physics Experiments (SPE) are estimated from 6‐Hz Rg waves recorded along a single radial line of geophones under the assumption that the tests are pure explosions. These apparent explosion moments are compared with moments determined from the reduced displacement potential method applied to free‐field data. Light detection and ranging (lidar) observations, strong ground motions on the free surface in the vicinity of ground zero, and moment tensor inversion results are evidence that the fourth test SPE‐4P is a pure explosion, and the moments show good agreement, 8×10 10 N·m for free‐field data versus 9×10 10 N·m for Rg waves. In stark contrast, apparent moments for the first three tests are smaller than near‐field moments by factors of 3–4. Relative amplitudes for the three tests determined from Rg interferometry using SPE‐4P as an empirical Green’s function indicate that radiation patterns are cylindrically symmetric within a factor of 1.25 (25%). This fact assures that the apparent moments are reliable even though they were measured on just one azimuth. Spallation occurred on the first three tests, and ground‐based lidar detected permanent deformations. As such, the source medium suffered late‐time damage. Destructive interference between Rg waves radiated by explosion and damage sources will reduce amplitudes and explain why apparent moments are smaller than near‐field moments based on compressional energy emitted directly from the source.
Fresh Fuel Measurements With the Differential Die-Away Self-Interrogation Instrument

The purpose of the Next Generation Safeguards Initiative (NGSI)–Spent Fuel (SF) Project is to strengthen the technical toolkit of safeguards inspectors and/or other interested parties. The NGSI–SF team is working to achieve the following technical goals more easily and efficiently than in the past using nondestructive assay measurements of spent fuel assemblies: 1) verify the initial enrichment, burnup, and cooling time of facility declaration; 2) detect the diversion or replacement of pins; 3) estimate the plutonium mass; 4) estimate decay heat; and 5) determine the reactivity of spent fuel assemblies. The differential die-away self-interrogation (DDSI) instrument is one instrument that was assessed for years regarding its feasibility for robust, timely verification of spent fuel assemblies. The instrument was recently built and was tested using fresh fuel assemblies in a variety of configurations, including varying enrichment, neutron absorber content, and symmetry. The early die-away method, a multiplication determination method developed in simulation space, was successfully tested on the fresh fuel assembly data and determined multiplication with a root-mean-square (RMS) error of 2.9%. The experimental results were compared with MCNP simulations of the instrument as well. Low multiplication assemblies had agreement with an average RMS error of 0.2% in the singles count rate (i.e., total neutrons detected per second) and 3.4% in the doubles count rates (i.e., neutrons detected in coincidence per second). High-multiplication assemblies had agreement with an average RMS error of 4.1% in the singles and 13.3% in the doubles count rates.
The three-portal technique in arthroscopic lateral epicondylitis release

Lateral epicondylitis, commonly referred to as tennis elbow, is a syndrome characterized by pain over the origin of the common extensor muscles of the fingers, hand and wrist at the lateral epicondyle. Reports of 70-90% response to conservative treatment at one year have been documented in the literature though refractory cases often require surgical management. Arthroscopic treatment of lateral epicondylitis allows for intra-articular visualization for concomitant pathology and localization of the Extensor Carpi Radialis Brevis tendon. Additionally, compared to the open technique, the arthroscopic technique has a lower morbidity and an earlier return to work and activity. Here we describe a three portal technique for improved visualization in arthroscopic lateral epicondylitis release.
Dantzig selector with an approximately optimal denoising matrix and its application in sparse reinforcement learning

Dantzig Selector (DS) is widely used in compressed sensing and sparse learning for feature selection and sparse signal recovery. Since the DS formulation is essentially a linear programming optimization, many existing linear programming solvers can be simply applied for scaling up. The DS formulation can be explained as a basis pursuit denoising problem, wherein the data matrix (or measurement matrix) is employed as the denoising matrix to eliminate the observation noise. However, we notice that the data matrix may not be the optimal denoising matrix, as shown by a simple counter-example. This motivates us to pursue a better denoising matrix for defining a general DS formulation. We first define the optimal denoising matrix through a minimax optimization, which turns out to be an NP-hard problem. To make the problem computationally tractable, we propose a novel algorithm, termed as "Optimal" Denoising Dantzig Selector (ODDS), to approximately estimate the optimal denoising matrix. Empirical experiments validate the proposed method. Finally, a novel sparse reinforcement learning algorithm is formulated by extending the proposed ODDS algorithm to temporal difference learning, and empirical experimental results demonstrate to outperform the conventional "vanilla" DS-TD algorithm.
Materiality Matters: Experiencing the Displayed Object

The University of Michigan Museum Studies Program’s series of “Working Papers in Museum Studies” presents emerging research from a variety of disciplinary perspectives, all focused on the multiple concerns of the modern museum and heritage studies field. Contributions from scholars, members of the museum profession and graduate students are represented. Many of these papers have their origins in public presentations made under the auspices of the Museum Studies Program. We gratefully thank the authors published herein for their participation.
The dielectric studies on sol-gel routed molybdenum oxide thin film

The influence of temperature on the dielectric properties of sol-gel routed spin-coated molybdenum trioxide (MoO3) thin film has been investigated. Prepared films were annealed at temperatures 250∘C, 350∘C and 400∘C. The phase transformation from amorphous to α-orthorhombic phase with preferential orientation (0 2 2) has been found by XRD for the film annealed above 250∘C. The vibration modes of α-orthorhombic MoO3 have been examined by Raman spectrum. The predominant Raman’s band of α-orthorhombic MoO3 thin film has been found at the frequency range 1000–600cm−1. Using the UV–Vis spectrum, the band gap of the film is found to be 3.3–3.8eV. The surface morphology of the MoO3 films has been examined by scanning electron microscope. The AC conductivity measurement of the MoO3 film has been carried out in the frequency range 10–106 Hz. The frequency dependence of the impedance has been plotted in the complex plane. The variation of the capacitance and dielectric constant of MoO3 film with respect to temperature and frequency has been analyzed. Tunability of capacitance and figure of merit of the film are also determined.
Teasing Transcription: Iterations in the Liminal Space Between Voice and Text

These pieces of writing and the corresponding collection of objects were born out of what was supposed to be a traditional qualitative research project. At the transcription stage, I got caught. Ti...
Dynamic data-driven learning for self-healing avionics

In sensor-based systems, spatio-temporal data streams are often related in non-trivial ways. For example in avionics, while the airspeed that an aircraft attains in cruise phase depends on the weight it carries, it also depends on many other factors such as engine inputs, angle of attack, and air density. It is therefore a challenge to develop failure models that can help recognize errors in the data, such as an incorrect fuel quantity or an incorrect airspeed. In this paper, we present a highly-declarative programming framework that facilitates the development of self-healing avionics applications, which can detect and recover from data errors. Our programming framework enables specifying expert-created failure models using error signatures, as well as learning failure models from data. To account for unanticipated failure modes, we propose a new dynamic Bayes classifier, that detects outliers and upgrades them to new modes when statistically significant. We evaluate error signatures and our dynamic Bayes classifier for accuracy, response time, and adaptability of error detection. While error signatures can be more accurate and responsive than dynamic Bayesian learning, the latter method adapts better due to its data-driven nature.
Emotion-Based Self Theory

The self has been a long-standing topic of investigation within sociology. Supported by the original work of Mead (1934), sociologists have sought to examine the self, its internal structure, and its relationship to interpersonal processes. Although significant progress has been made toward a rich understanding of the development and structure of the self, only in recent decades have emotions been significantly incorporated into these sociological investigations. The emergence of the sociology of emotions in the late 1970s has been a boom for the study of self. Although a comprehensive theory of the self has not yet been developed that incorporates emotions as a central component of self-based processes, advances in the study of emotions have provided the foundational groundwork necessary for such an endeavor.
A Paucity of Ports: Debugging an ephemeral problem

I’ve been debugging a network problem in what should be a simple piece of network code. We have a small server process that listens for commands from all the other systems in our data center and then farms the commands out to other servers to be run. For each command issued, the client sets up a new TCP connection, sends the command, and then closes the connection after our server acknowledges the command.
Formation of Acrylamide from Lipids

Heating amino acids with dietary oils or animal fats at elevated temperatures produced various amounts of acrylamide. The amount of acrylamide formation corresponded to the degree of unsaturation of the oils and animal fats. The decreasing order of acrylamide formation from dietary oils or animal fats with asparagine was sardine oil (642 microg/g asparagine) > cod liver oil (435.4 microg/g) > soybean oil (135.8 microg/g) > corn oil (80.7 microg/g) > olive oil (73.6 microg/g) > canola oil (70.7 microg/g) > corn oil (62.1 microg/g) > beef fat (59.3 microg/g) > lard (36.0 microg/g). Three-carbon unit compounds such as acrylic acid and acrolein, which are formed from lipids by oxidation also produced acrylamide by heat treatment with amino acids, in particular with asparagine. The results of the present study suggest that acrylamide forms in asparagine-rich foods during deep fat frying in the absence reducing sugars.
Postoperative radiation performed at the same surgical facility associated with improved overall survival in oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND The purpose of this analysis is to evaluate whether postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) at the same facility as surgery portends to better survival outcomes compared to PORT given at a different facility. METHODS Patients underwent upfront surgery at the National Cancer Database reporting facility followed by PORT. PORT was coded as performed at either the same facility or at a different facility as surgery. RESULTS A total of 10 832 patients were selected. Five-year overall survival (OS) was higher in patients undergoing PORT at the same facility: 52.5% vs 48.4% (P < 0.001). PORT performed at the same facility was associated with improved OS under multivariate (HR, 0.92; P = 0.01) and propensity score matched (hazard ratio, 0.90; P = 0.004) analyses. CONCLUSIONS OS was better among patients with head and neck cancer who received PORT at the same facility as surgery.
Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement in the USA

Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is the preferred treatment for severe aortic stenosis (AS) in patients considered to be extreme-risk surgical risk and is an alternative to surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) in high-risk patients. Currently, the balloon-expandable SAPIEN valve and the self-expanding CoreValve are approved for TAVR in the USA. An additional four TAVR valves (Lotus, Portico, Direct Flow, and JenaValve) are in clinical trials in the USA.
Risk Factors of Lyme Disease: An Intersection of Environmental Ecology and Systems Science

Lyme disease (LD) cases have been on the rise throughout the United States, costing the healthcare system up to $1.3 billion per year, and making LD one of the greatest threats to public health. Factors influencing the number of LD cases range from environmental to system-level variables, but little is known about the influence of vegetation (canopy, understory, and ground cover) and human behavioral risk on LD cases and exposure to infected ticks. We determined the influence of various risk factors on the risk of exposure to infected ticks on 22 different walkways using multinomial logistic regression. The model classifies the walkways into high-risk and low-risk categories with 90% accuracy, in which the understory, human risk, and number of rodents are significant indicators. These factors should be managed to control the risk of transmission of LD to humans.
Phosphatidic acid in membrane rearrangements

Phosphatidic acid (PA) is the simplest cellular glycerophospholipid characterized by unique biophysical properties: a small headgroup; negative charge; and a phosphomonoester group. Upon interaction with lysine or arginine, PA charge increases from -1 to -2 and this change stabilizes protein-lipid interactions. The biochemical properties of PA also allow interactions with lipids in several subcellular compartments. Based on this feature, PA is involved in the regulation and amplification of many cellular signalling pathways and functions, as well as in membrane rearrangements. Thereby, PA can influence membrane fusion and fission through four main mechanisms: it is a substrate for enzymes producing lipids (lysophosphatidic acid and diacylglycerol) that are involved in fission or fusion; it contributes to membrane rearrangements by generating negative membrane curvature; it interacts with proteins required for membrane fusion and fission; and it activates enzymes whose products are involved in membrane rearrangements. Here, we discuss the biophysical properties of PA in the context of the above four roles of PA in membrane fusion and fission.
The Role of mRNA m 6 A in Regulation of Gene Expression

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is the most prevalent internal methylation in messenger RNA (mRNA). This biochemically reversible modification is deposited by m6A methyltransferases, removed by m6A demethylases and recognized by different RNA-binding proteins. Depending on the localization of m6A and its reader proteins, an array of cellular processes ranging from RNA maturation and export in nucleus, to degradation and translation in cytoplasm, can be affected and consequently lead to diverse cell fates. The essential role of m6A in normal tissue development as well as tumor progression has been revealed in the past few years, emphasizing an additional layer of gene expression regulation.
How Effective Is Palliative Care in Improving Patient Outcomes

As palliative care (PC) continues its rapid growth, an emerging body of evidence is demonstrating that its approach of interdisciplinary supportive care benefits many patient populations, including in the oncology setting. As studies and data proliferate, however, questions persist about who, what, why, when, and how PC as well as the ideal time for a PC consult and length of involvement. When comparing outcomes from chemotherapy trials, it is important to consider the dosing regimens used in the various studies. In the same way, it is important to account for the “dose” of the PC interventions utilized across studies, and apples to apples comparisons are needed in order to draw accurate conclusions about PC’s benefits. Studies which include a true interdisciplinary PC intervention consistently show improvements in patient quality of life, as well as cost savings, with further study needed for other outcomes. These benefits cannot be extrapolated to care which may be labeled “palliative care,” but which does not meet the standard of true interdisciplinary PC. The ultimate question is: Does PC indeed improve outcomes?
Mandibular Chondrosarcoma Reconstructed Using Custom Implant and Radial Forearm Free Flap.

ABSTRACT We describe the case of a 40-year-old male presenting with an enlarging left facial and temporal chondrosarcoma centered on the left mandibular coronoid process resulting in pathologic fractures of the zygomatic arch and focal erosion of the temporal bone. The patient underwent surgical resection via a combined hemicoronal and parotidectomy approach. The zygomatic arch was reconstructed with a patient-specific polyetheretherketone implant, and temporal contour was restored with a buried de-epithelialized radial forearm free flap. Final pathology demonstrated conventional central chondrosarcoma. This case demonstrates an unusual presentation of a rare head and neck chondrosarcoma that originated from the mandibular coronoid process with the unique use of a custom polyetheretherketone implant and vascularized fat and fascial reconstruction.
Psychosocial Correlates and Consequences of Adolescents' Self-Generated Academic Goals and Appraisals.

The current study examined whether characteristics of adolescents (i.e., externalizing problems) and their environments (i.e., social support, adverse childhood experiences) relate to academic goal setting, appraisals, and outcomes. Adolescents (n = 99; 87% Black/African American) 13-16 years old completed baseline interviews, and 80% also completed follow-up interviews. Adolescents with more externalizing problems set fewer academic goals, and youth with social networks characterized by greater support (and less strain) appraised their academic goals as more supported and achievable. Adolescents' appraisals of their academic goals, but not how many academic goals they had, predicted grades at follow-up. Increasing social support (and reducing social strain) may foster adolescents' positive appraisals of their academic goals, which may promote academic achievement.
Mechanical characterization of native and sugar-modified decellularized kidneys

Decellularized organs have the potential to be used as scaffolds for tissue engineering organ replacements. The mechanical properties of the extracellular matrix (ECM) following decellularization are critical for structural integrity and for regulation of cell function upon recellularization. Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) accumulate in the ECM with age and their formation is accelerated by several pathological conditions including diabetes. Some AGEs span multiple amino acids to form crosslinks that may alter the mechanical properties of the ECM. The goal of this work was to evaluate how sugar-induced modifications to the ECM affect the mechanical behavior of decellularized kidney. The compressive and tensile properties of the kidney ECM were evaluated using an accelerated model of AGE formation by ribose. Results show that ribose modifications significantly alter the mechanical behavior of decellularized kidney. Increased resistance to deformation corresponds to increased ECM crosslinking, and mechanical changes can be partially mitigated by AGE inhibition. The degree of post-translational modification of the ECM is dependent on the age and health of the organ donor and may play a role in regulating the mechanical properties of decellularized organs.
Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition activates Bcat1 expression to promote recurrent tumor growth

Abstract Branched-chain amino acid metabolism has emerged as a crucial regulator of tumor proliferation. In particular, the branched-chain amino acid transaminase 1 (BCAT1), which catalyzes the conversion of branched-chain amino acids to α-keto acids in the cytoplasm, has been identified as a promising therapeutic target for several different cancer types, including gliomas and leukemias. BCAT1 expression has also been associated with resistance to anti-estrogen therapy in breast cancer, suggesting a role in therapeutic resistance and tumor progression. Yet a functional role for BCAT1 in promoting breast cancer recurrence has not been described. Further, BCAT1 expression is restricted to just a few specialized tissues, such as the testes and central nervous system, and the mechanism by which it becomes transcriptionally activated in tumors that arise from tissues that do not typically express BCAT1 is unclear. Here, we report that Bcat1 is upregulated in recurrent breast tumors to promote recurrent tumor growth. We find that Bcat1 is upregulated by the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in mammary epithelial cells and breast cancer cells. Finally, we analyze human tumor datasets to show that BCAT1 expression is strongly correlated with epithelial-to-mesenchymal gene signatures, suggesting that EMT is the predominant regulator of BCAT1 expression in cancer. Because EMT is associated with therapy resistance, metastasis, and tumor recurrence, these findings suggest a broad clinical potential for BCAT1 inhibition.
Experimental infection of bed bugs (Cimex lectularius L.) with Burkholderia multivorans.

The bacterium Burkholderia multivorans is an opportunistic nosocomial pathogen of humans. A previous study reported molecular detection of this bacterium in several specimens of the common bed bug (Cimex lectularius L.) collected from an elderly care facility in the U.S.A., raising questions about the possibility of vector-borne transmission. However, the ability of B. multivorans to colonize bed bugs and the ability of bed bugs to transmit the bacteria both remained untested. To resolve this knowledge gap, here we performed a set of experiments to examine the persistence and shedding of B. multivorans following ingestion by bed bugs in a blood meal. We isolated viable B. multivorans from the bodies of bed bugs for up to 13 days post-ingestion, but bacterial load substantially diminished over time. By 16 days post-ingestion, the bacteria could not be isolated. Further, B. multivorans was not shed in the saliva of infected bugs during feeding nor was it transmitted vertically from infected insects to their progeny. Based on these results, significant biological or mechanical transmission of B. multivorans to humans by bed bugs appears unlikely. Nonetheless, some viable bacteria were passively shed into the environment through defecation, a process which could potentially contribute to transmission through indirect contamination under rare circumstances.
‘If you were an animal you would have eaten me’: Animal’s People and the history of corporate colonialism

Indra Sinha's novel Animal's People provides a fictional account of the 1948 Union Carbide toxic gas leak in Bhopal, India. Animal, who is severely injured in the disaster, guides the reader throug...