cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Strategies of Wait-listing for Heart Transplant vs Durable Mechanical Circulatory Support Alone for Patients With Advanced Heart Failure.

Importance Given the shortage of donor hearts and improvement in outcomes with left ventricular assist device (LVAD) therapy, a relevant but, to date, unanswered question is whether select patients with advanced heart failure should receive LVAD destination therapy as an alternative to heart transplant. Objective To determine whether a strategy of LVAD destination therapy is associated with similar survival benefit as wait-listing for heart transplant with or without LVAD therapy among patients with advanced heart failure. Design, Setting, and Participants This retrospective propensity-matched cohort analysis used data on heart transplants from the United Network for Organ Sharing registry and LVAD implants from the Interagency Registry for Mechanically Assisted Circulatory Support from January 1, 2010, to December 31, 2014. The matched LVAD destination therapy cohort included 3411 patients. Data analysis for this study was conducted from December 22, 2017, to May 24, 2019. Main Outcomes and Measures Survival at 5 years was analyzed using Cox proportional hazards models. Results In total, 8281 patients had albumin level, creatinine level, and BMI data recorded and were included in the analysis. Despite propensity score matching, the 3411 patients receiving LVAD destination therapy still tended to be slightly older than the 3411 patients wait-listed for heart transplant (64.0 years [interquartile range, 55.0-70.0 years] vs 60.0 [interquartile range, 54.0-65.0 years];P Conclusions and Relevance The present analysis suggests that heart transplant with or without bridge to transplant LVAD therapy was associated with superior 5-year survival compared with LVAD destination therapy among patients matched on several relevant clinical factors. Continued improvement in LVAD technology, along with prospective comparative research, appears to be needed to amend this strategy.
Acoustic and language analysis of speech for suicidal ideation among US veterans.

Screening for suicidal ideation in high-risk groups such as U.S. veterans is crucial for early detection and suicide prevention. Currently, screening is based on clinical interviews or self-report measures. Both approaches rely on subjects to disclose their suicidal thoughts. Innovative approaches are necessary to develop objective and clinically applicable assessments. Speech has been investigated as an objective marker to understand various mental states including suicidal ideation. In this work, we developed a machine learning and natural language processing classifier based on speech markers to screen for suicidal ideation in US veterans. Veterans submitted 588 narrative audio recordings via a mobile app in a real-life setting. In addition, participants completed self-report psychiatric scales and questionnaires. Recordings were analyzed to extract voice characteristics including prosodic, phonation, and glottal. The audios were also transcribed to extract textual features for linguistic analysis. We evaluated the acoustic and linguistic features using both statistical significance and ensemble feature selection. We also examined the performance of different machine learning algorithms on multiple combinations of features to classify suicidal and non-suicidal audios. A combined set of 15 acoustic and linguistic features of speech were identified by the ensemble feature selection. Random Forest classifier, using the selected set of features, correctly identified suicidal ideation in veterans with 86% sensitivity, 70% specificity, and an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 80%. Speech analysis of audios collected from veterans in everyday life settings using smartphones offers a promising approach for suicidal ideation detection. A machine learning classifier may eventually help clinicians identify and monitor high-risk veterans.
Mercury Concentrations in Big Brown Bats ( Eptesicus fuscus ) of the Finger Lakes Region, New York

The northeastern United States receives elevated mercury (Hg) deposition from United States and global emissions, making it critical to understand the fate of Hg in watersheds with a variety of aquatic habitats and land use types, such as the Finger Lakes region of New York State. Bats are valuable and important organisms to study chronic Hg exposure, because they are at risk of sublethal effects from elevated Hg exposure. The objectives of this study were to: (1) determine total Hg (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations in big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) of the Finger Lakes region; (2) assess whether morphometric, temporal, or spatial factors predict bat Hg concentrations; and (3) investigate the role of trophic position and diet represented by stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen in explaining variations in bat Hg concentrations. We found comparable THg and MeHg concentrations to previous studies (THg range 1–45 ppm, MeHg range 0.5–38 ppm) in big brown bat fur collected throughout the Finger Lakes region. On average, MeHg made up 81% of THg in bat fur. Fifteen percent of our samples showed higher THg than a proposed toxicity threshold of 10 ppm. Together, dominant land cover and % wetland cover explained bat THg in the Finger Lakes. Trophic position (i.e., δ15N) was strongest in predicting bat THg in forests but was a weaker predictor of Hg bioaccumulation in bats from agricultural and urban areas. The range of Hg concentrations found in this study warrants further examination into the potential toxicological impacts of Hg to wildlife and the role of land use in Hg exposure to terrestrial organisms of the Finger Lakes.
Vaping Regulations and Mental Health of High School Students

While depression and suicide rates have been on the rise in the United States, so has the use of e - cigarettes, commonly known as vaping. E-cigarettes are considered to be safer than traditional cigarettes, yet there is growing evidence that nicotine and other toxins contained in e-cigarettes may have adverse psychological effects on teenagers. For instance, e-cigarette use has been associated with mental health problems in adolescents such as symptoms of depression and suicidal tendencies. This evidence suggests that vaping could contribute to deteriorating mental health of teenagers. In contrast, the antidepressant and mood modulating properties of nicotine could cause teens with underlying conditions to turn to vaping as a way to self-medicate. Existing studies find evidence of a strong negative correlation between vaping and adolescent mental health; none examine if the relationship is causal. This study exploits exogenous changes in state policies restricting youth access to e- cigarettes and a difference-in-differences methodology to identify changes in e-cigarette use and mental health outcomes of teens. Using data from the 2005-2017 national and state Youth Risk Behavior Surveys, results suggest that MLSA laws reduce vaping but worsen the mental well-being of adolescents. For instance, between 2015-2017, MLSA laws are associated with a 3.0 and 1.8 percentage point increase in depression and suicidal attempts, respectively. These are meaningful increases relative to the overall sample averages of 29% and 8.4%, respectively. The findings are primarily consistent with the self-medication hypothesis. Adverse unintended consequences of the MLSA policy on youth mental health call for the need to address diverse concerns when formulating vaping related regulations for minors.
Measuring Skilled Migration Rates: The Case of Small States

Recent changes in information and communication technologies (ICT) have contributed to a dramatic increase in the integration and interdependence of countries, markets and people. This paper focuses on an increasingly important aspect of globalization, the international movement of people, with emphasis on the mobility of skilled people. This issue is of great concern for the many small states that experience huge brain drain levels.
Inverse Compton origin of pulsar γ-ray emission and the reconnection model of Crab Nebula flares

There is growing evidence that the pulsar high-energy emission is generated by the inverse Compton effect. The particles producing the Crab nebula flares, and possibly most of the Crab Nebula's high-energy emission, are accelerated by reconnection events, and not by a shock according to the Fermi mechanism. (© 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Words Representing Numeric Probabilities in Medical Writing Are Ambiguous and Misinterpreted.

Background and objective Words of estimative probability are used in medical writing. Authors know the number they intend the word to mean, readers do not. The objective of this study is to assess the variability of words having numeric meaning to medical doctors. Design A survey of 131 American trained MD's and DO's was done regarding their interpretation of 27 commonly used words of the estimative probability they placed on each word. Methods Statistical assessments were done to evaluate specific word meaning as a number or range to physicians and compared to each other's interpretation. Results For 19 of the 27 words had a 30% +/- (60% variance) of interpretation. Twenty-five of the 27 had less than 38% agreement on numeric meaning. Only two words had more than 74% numeric agreement. Conclusion Words of estimative probability have widely varied interpretations to physicians. This makes interpretation of those words incomprehensible for scientific meaning resulting in communication without comprehension.
Interaction between Grasses and Epichloë Endophytes and Its Significance to Biotic and Abiotic Stress Tolerance and the Rhizosphere.

Cool-season grasses are the most common forage types in livestock operations and amenities. Several of the cool-season grasses establish mutualistic associations with an endophytic fungus of the Epichloe genus. The grasses and endophytic fungi have evolved over a long period of time to form host-fungus specific relationships that confer protection for the grass against various stressors in exchange for housing and nutrients to the fungus. This review provides an overview of the mechanisms by which Epichloe endophytes and grasses interact, including molecular pathways for secondary metabolite production. It also outlines specific mechanisms by which the endophyte helps protect the plant from various abiotic and biotic stressors. Finally, the review provides information on how Epichloe infection of grass and stressors affect the rhizosphere environment of the plant.
Proteins and Polysaccharides In the Nutrition of Paramecium Multimicronucleatun

SYNOPSIS. Paramecium multimicronucleatum has been cultured for 20 years on a medium of salts, vitamins, amino acids, fatty acids, ribosides, and stigmasterol plus a little nondialyzable fraction (NDF) of baker's yeast. Fractionations of NDF identified 2 essentials: (a) in a fraction 300,000 daltons. For 2 years now P. multimicronucleatum has grown well with ovalbumin and glycogen replacing NDF. Besides ovalbumin, concanavalin A satisfies the protein requirement; this lectin attaches to sugar residues in glycogen. Studies with a fluorescent dye, PGA-1A, a stilbene derivative, provides further evidence for the polysaccharide requirement. This dye attaches to polysaccharides; when added to glycogen, and this in turn is added to a culture containing ovalbumin, fluorescent blue vacuoles appear within 2–3 h. When dye + glycogen were added to a culture without ovalbumin, no fluorescent vacuoles were found. A protein appears involved in formation of food vacuoles; this fits the pattern for endocytosis described in recent reviews. Besides glycogen, mannan gave good growth. Dextrin and amylopectin gave only fair growth through 7 serial transfers; glucose, maltose and amylose did not sustain growth. Strain 51 of P. tetratrelia, which grows well in NDF medium, grows well when NDF is replaced with ovalbumin and glycogen.
Witnesses in the Confrontation Clause: Crawford v. Washington, Noah Webster, and Compulsory Process

Crawford v. Washington changed how the Confrontation Clause is interpreted. Crawford has drawn commentary primarily about the meaning of "testimonial statements," its key, but undefined, concept and its historical analysis, which formed a foundation for the decision. This article, however, focuses on another part of Crawford's analysis and on analyses Crawford did not do but should have. Justice Scalia's opinion for the Court undertook a textual analysis and, relying on Webster's early dictionary, concluded that "witnesses" in the Clause meant those who bear testimony. From this the Court concluded that the Confrontation Clause applies to those who make "testimonial statements." While the Court did not define "testimonial statements," the opinion indicates that the term refers to declarations that are akin to ex parte affidavits and depositions of the eighteenth century. This textual analysis was incomplete and misleading. The article shows that Webster's also supports much broader definitions of "witnesses" that would include all those who have personally perceived a relevant event or who give evidence or proof. These broader meanings supported by the text would include all hearsay declarants. The Court did not examine how its selected meaning comported with other uses of "witness" in the Constitution, which are in the Treason, Self-Incrimination, and Compulsory Process Clauses. The article discusses how all those other uses employ the broader meanings of "witness." The Court interpreted confrontation without mention of its Sixth Amendment context and, most notably, without mention of confrontation's companion provision, the Compulsory Process Clause. The article explains how Crawford's method of confrontation interpretation is fundamentally at odds with Sixth Amendment history and interpretation. If Crawford's method is correct, much Sixth Amendment doctrine is at stake, and if that Sixth Amendment doctrine is right, then Crawford's approach to confrontation is wrong.
Solving SQL Constraints by Incremental Translation to SAT

The need to model and solve constraints over large sets of relational data occurs frequently in practice. Naively and inefficiently, solutions to the problem may be implemented in ad-hoc and difficult to maintain procedural code that accesses the data through embedded SQL programming. More elegant solutions involve the use of declarative programming languages that integrates constraint modeling with database access in transparent ways. One of the more interesting constraint languages for relational databases is the language , proposed by Cadoli and Mancini, in which SQL and its relational algebraic foundation form the basis for expressing constraints. The current paper explores the feasibility of solving finite-domain constraints via a SAT solver backend.
Relative-Entropy Minimization with Uncertain Constraints: Theory and Application to Spectrum Analysis

The relative-entropy principle (REP) is a general, information-theoretic method for inference when information about an unknown probability density q† consists of an initial estimate p and additional constraint information that restricts q† to a specified convex set of probability densities. Typically the constraint information consists of linear-equality constraints, that is, expected values $${\bar f_r} = \int {{f_r}(x){\mkern 1mu} {q^\dag }(x){\mkern 1mu} dx}$$ (1) for known fr(x) and \({\overline f _r}\), r = 0,1,…,M. The principle states that one should choose the final estimate q that satisfies $${\text{H(q,p) = }}\mathop {{\text{min}}}\limits_{{\text{q'}}} {\text{H}}({\text{q'}},{\text{p}})\,{\text{,}}$$ (2) where H is the relative entropy (cross entropy, discrimination information, directed divergence, I-divergence, K–L number, etc.), $${\text{H(q,p) = }}\int {{\text{q(x)log}}\frac{{{\text{q(x)}}}}{{{\text{p(x)}}}}{\text{dx}}} \,{\text{,}}$$ (3) and where q’ varies over the set of densities that satisfy the constraints. When these are linear-equality constraints [Eq. (1)], the final estimate has the form $${\text{q}}({\text{x}}){\text{ = p}}({\text{x}}){\text{exp}}[{\text{ - }}\alpha {\text{ - }}\sum\limits_{\text{r}} {{\beta _{\text{r}}}{{\text{f}}_{\text{r}}}({\text{x}})]} \,{\text{,}}$$ (4) where the βr and α are Lagrangian multipliers determined by Eq. (1) (with q† replaced by q) and by the normalization constraint $$\int {{\text{q(x)}}} \,{\text{dx = 1 }}{\text{.}}$$ (5)
AUTOLOGOUS BONE MARROW TRANSPLANTATION STUDIES IN DOGS IRRADIATED BY Y90-DTPA URINE-RECYCLING TECHNIC.

Autologous bone marrow infusions were able to save the lives of dogs lethally irradiated with Y/sup 90/-DTPA. In certain cases the autologous marrow was able to save the life of the Y/sup 90/-DTPA-irradiated dogs without any marked early elevation in circulating formed blood elements. In contrast to results obtained using external irradiation technics, animals treated with Y/sup 90/-DTPA and autologous marrow did not show early return of circulating lymphocytes. (auth)
An Optimizing Compiler for Efficient Model Checking

We present an optimizing compiler that translates high-level specifications in a language based on value-passing CCS into rules representing the global transition relation of the underlying automata. The transitions can be computed from these rules in unit time (modulo indexing) during verification. The compiler takes time that is, in the worst case, quadratic in the number of parallel components of the system. The compiler incorporates several optimizations to reduce the state space of the generated automata. We present experimental results which show that our technique reduces the memory and time needed for verification significantly: by more than an order of magnitude in some cases.
Characteristics of field confined holey fiber analyzed by boundary element method

We have proposed the field confined holey fiber which simply consists of air holes constructed in a step index core region. As far as we know, the fiber provides the first structure to realize both large anomalous dispersions and low bend losses. The structure is useful for a practical fiber to take full advantage of the dispersion of holey fibers. The boundary element method based on a formulation in terms of transverse magnetic fields has been used to verify the characteristics of the fiber. It is shown that the proposed fiber exhibits large anomalous dispersion over +150 ps/nm/km at 1.55 /spl mu/m. Compared with conventional all-silica holey fibers, the proposed fiber should have better bend losses because the fields are more concentrative in the core.
Adhesion of Organic Coatings and Its Loss Due to Corrosion

Following a brief discussion of the effects of water and corrosion on paint adhesion, recent surface analytical studies of the interfacial chemistry of paint adhesion loss are reviewed. Mechanical and corrosion induced de-adhesion have been studied for model coatings, including melamine- formaldehyde crosslinked epoxy ester formulations and air oxidizing polybutadienes. Corrosion-induced de-adhesion is associated with chemical degradation of the organic polymers, e.g., by saponification of ester linkages. Similar results have been reported for painted conversion coated steel. Mechanical, moisture induced, and corrosion induced adhesion loss have been compared for polybutadiene coatings. Mechanical de-adhesion results in cohesive coating failure. Moisture induced de-adhesion occurs closer to the substrate/ coating interface, but with little or no chemical degradation. Corrosion induced de-adhesion involves formation of ionic resin degradation products, principally carboxylates.
The Ambivalence of Smoke: Pollution and Modern Architectural Historiography

The idea of decorative architectural materials presupposes the existence of supporting structural materials. In architecture, we are not accustomed to think of decoration outside of its relationship to structure. This binary encompasses other terms used to describe materials, such as envelope and structure or skin and bones. Terra-cotta and steel are considered early modern architecture’s emblematic decorative and structural materials, respectively. Landmark skyscrapers such as Burnham and Root’s Reliance Building (Chicago, 1895) or Adler and Sullivan’s Wainwright Building (St. Louis, 1891) are some of the examples commonly used to establish this canonical categorization. The dominant historical narratives of modernism, from Spiro Kostof to Leonardo Benevolo and Leland Roth, give the sense that the categorization of these materials happened suddenly, as if architects of the late nineteenth century immediately understood them as decorative and structural. In truth, the change from the premodern to the modern catego rization of these materials was a slow and contentious intellectual and cultural process that took place over the entire nineteenth century and involved generations of architects, each of which tried to make sense of the new products of industrialization in their own way, often disagreeing as to the place that new materials should take within the inherited framework of architectural knowledge. Many architectural historians have been satis fied to point to the outcome of this collective and gradual transformation of architectural discourse as the origin of a new modern understanding of architectural materials circa 1880, sometimes cherry-picking buildings and portraying them as anticipatory exceptions (Paxton’s Crystal Palace being among the favorites). Even when more-inquisitive historians have puzzled over why nineteenth-century architects were so slow in embracing new industrial materials as legitimate architectural materials, they have seldom questioned the narrative that the eventual adoption of these materials into architectural knowledge constituted a radical intellectual rupture with nineteenth-century architectural culture. In support of that hypothesis, some of the founders of modern architectural historiography, such as the otherwise
Clustering, coding, switching, hierarchical ordering, and control in a network of chaotic elements

Abstract A Network of chaotic elements is investigated with the use of globally coupled maps. A simple coding of many attractors with clustering is shown. Through the coding, the attractors are organized so that their change exhibits bifurcation-like phenomena. A precision-dependent tree is constructed which leads to the similarity of our attractor with those of spin-glasses. Hierarchical dynamics is constructed on the tree, which leads to the dynamical change of trees and the temporal change of effective degrees of freedom. By a simple input on a site, we can switch among attractors and tune the strength of chaos. A threshold on a cluster size is found, beyond which a peculiar “posi-nega” switch occurs. Possible application to biological information processing is discussed with the emphasis on the fuzzy switch (chaotic search) and hierarchical code (categorization).
The Railroads under Government Operation. I. The Period to the Close of 1918

Events preceding federal control, 290. — Decline in net income, 291. — Roads unprepared for the traffic of 1915, 293. — Voluntary unification through Railroads' War Board, 293. — Results not satisfactory, 297. — Railroads taken by the government, 300. — Reasons for federal control, 301. — Organization under federal control, 303. — Contract between Director General and railroad companies, 306. — The first period: unification and standardization, 309. — Joint use of terminals and other facilities, 310. — Utilization of motive power, 313. — Joint use of freight cars, 313. — Freight in solid train lots, 314. — Disregard of shippers' designation of routes, 314. — Diversion of exports to southern ports, 315. — Consolidation of ticket offices, 315. — Standardization of locomotives and cars, 316. — Simplification of accounting, 319. — Standardization of operating statistics, 321. — Reductions in passenger train service, 323. — "Sailing day plan" for less than car load freight, 326. — Abolition of "off-line" freight agencies, 327. — Increases in rates, 327. — Adjustment of complaints, 329. — Uniform classification, 329. — Labor problems and wage increases, 330. — Extent of freight congestion in December, 1917, 332. — Movement of foodstuffs for export, 332. — Bituminous coal situation, 333. — Movement of troops, 334. — Volume of tonnage moved in 1918, 335. — Operating results and operating efficiency; statistics, 336. — Financial results, 338.
Clusters in a one-dimensional random walk

Abstract Let there be a one-dimensional random walk of N steps. We compute the probability that the longest unbroken path segment to the right, a cluster, contains k steps. We find that the most probable cluster length is proportional to ln( N ), while the standard deviation is independent of N . Next we obtain the cluster distribution where we now include the multiplicity of each cluster length. We find that the smaller clusters have the overwhelming majority. We furthermore calculate the conditional probability for different cluster size.
Surge and stability in presidential nominations

Party nominations, we attempt to show by example, can be better understood by explicitly adapting certain aspects of electoral theory to the study of parties. Specifically, the common view (based mostly on impression instead of evidence) that McGovern's nomination was the result of a surge of amateurs is considered first. The implicit surge-and-decline mechanism underlying this view is elaborated in a manner making it applicable to convention delegates; then it is used for the 1972 Democrats to demonstrate that such a surge, properly interpreted, did in fact occur. The surge approach appears, however, to be useful also in the comparison of diverse nominations, to assess even a nomination representing the very opposite of an insurgent's—the nearly unanimous renomination of a president. To illustrate the potential for broader applicability, the 1972 Republican delegates are considered within the framework of amateur surges. To the extent that this approach can be successfully applied to 1972, and beyond, the study of parties may benefit from electoral theory.
Segmentation guided registration for medical images

Registration and segmentation are two most important problems in the field of medical image analysis. Traditionally, they were treated as separate problems. In this paper, we introduce a unified variational framework for simultaneously carrying out image segmentation and registration. Segmentation information is integrated into the process of registration in leading to a more stable and noise-tolerant shape evolution, while a diffusion model is used to infer the volumetric deformation across the image. One of the major advantages of our model is its robustness against image noise. We present several 2D examples on synthetic and real data.
Encapsulation of floating carbon nanotubes in SiO(2).

In many applications of carbon nanotubes (CNT), it is desirable to have them embedded in a dielectric such as ${\mathrm{SiO}}_{2}$, without significantly impacting their electronic properties. Here we investigate the CNT-${\mathrm{SiO}}_{2}$ interface of an embedded CNT using first-principles calculations. We show that strong Si-O-C bonds form, suggesting the feasibility of ${\mathrm{SiO}}_{2}$ deposition on CNTs. We further show that subsequent hydrogenation eliminates all the Si-O-C bonds, leading to floating CNTs with electronic properties very close to those of pristine CNTs in vacuum.
Propagule pressure and native species richness effects drive invasibility in tropical dry forest seedling layers.

Abstract Understanding the factors that encourage or inhibit plant invasions is vital to focusing limited invasive control efforts within areas where they are most practical and cost-effective. To extend the range of contexts in which invasibility is studied and aid the development of practical strategies to limit damaging plant invasions, we set out to test the relative importance of native species richness, native seedling density, and invasive propagule pressure, on the invasibility of artificial assemblages of naturally occurring tropical woody seedling communities. Our greenhouse mesocosms included a species pool of twelve trees and woody shrubs native to South Florida's tropical hardwood hammocks, and an increasingly prevalent noxious woody invader of this system, Ardisia elliptica. We found that invader propagule pressure was the single most important factor determining community invasibility. We also revealed a positive relationship between invasibility and native species richness in our polyculture mesocosms. Because A. elliptica biomass production significantly differed among different native monocultures and was not related to overyielding in native polycultures, we suggest that the effect of species richness on invasibility in this experiment was the result of sampling effects rather than a true effect of diversity. Three broad findings hold potential for application in preventing and controlling plant invasions, especially in the seedling layers of tropical dry forests: (1) effective invasive control efforts will likely benefit from measures to minimize propagule pressure; (2) managers might do well to prioritize invasive monitoring and removal efforts on the most diverse habitats within a management region; and (3) while more data are necessary to further understand our finding of a lack of association between productivity and invasibility, management regimes aimed at maximizing primary productivity might not increase invasibility, and in fact, strategies for controlling invasive plants via the management of ecosystem productivity may be ineffective.
New mechanism of ultra-deep drilling of solids by high-power lasers

A new mechanism of ultra-deep drilling and related molten material expulsion during high-power short-pulse laser ablation of metals, semiconductors and dielectrics is proposed. In this mechanism ultra-deep (multi-micron) heat penetration and melting depths in these materials are assumed to result from their bulk absorption of thermal short-wavelength con-tinuous and characteristic radiation emitted by hot near-surface ablative laser plasmas. Multi-microsecond delays for expulsion of subsonic jets of micron-size droplets and for re-radiation of UV bursts from the irradiated targets are ex-plained by subsurface explosive boiling in bulk of the resulting ultra-deep melt pool.
Artificial Diet Optimized to Produce Normative Adults of Diaprepes abbreviatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

The root weevil Diaprepes abbreviatus L. has been continuously reared since 1992 on an artificial diet (F1675) first reported in 1982. The weight of weevils reared on F1675 was more than twice as great as field-collected individuals. Recently, several ingredients included in the original F1675 diet were shown to have little or no effect on insect performance. We examined the effects of varying three ingredients of a simplified diet on the weight of adult D. abbreviatus. We used a geometric design combined with response surface models to evaluate the effects of the amount and proportion of diet ingredients to identify optimal diet recipes for normative weight gain defined in relation to field-collected D. abbreviatus from locations in Florida. Our results showed that it is possible to produce adults of normative weight or, for that matter, any mean weight within a wide range by varying the proportions of cottonseed meal, wheat germ and cellulose, a non-nutritive filler. Although wheat germ contributed to greater weight gain, survival of larvae to adult was lower on diets containing only wheat germ compared with diets containing only cottonseed meal as the principal nutritive components. The analyses of all the variables measured indicate that cottonseed meal is the only major nutritive component, in addition to standard vitamin and salt mixes, required to produce adult D. abbreviatus of normative weight.
Numerical Simulation of Fluid Flow in the Vicinity of an Oscillating Cavity: Verification and Validation

The focus of this paper is on the verification and validation of the numerical solutions of flow due to an infinitely long oscillating wall with periodic cavities. The wall was allowed to oscillate sinusoidally with the fluid initially at rest. This wall motion set up an interesting pattern of vortex entrainment and ejection from the cavity. The problem was numerically modeled with a commercial CFD code, FLUENT v 6.2.16. To circumvent the need for a moving mesh, a reference frame attached to the wall was used. For numerical uncertainty estimation, the Grid Convergence Index (GCI) method was used for both temporal and spatial resolutions at a Reynolds Number (based on the cavity height) of 200. The spatial grid resolution study was done at different time-steps (in the oscillation cycle) on the cross-streamwise velocity on a plane connecting the two open edges of the cavity (lip of the cavity). For this parameter, a local mesh size was used to calculate the GCI with 20, 40 and 80 node points. With the cavity at rest, low GCI percentages (less than 1%) were observed on this parameter for the fine grid solution. As the cavity began to accelerate, some discrete points on the cavity lip plane showed higher GCI percentages (some even as high as 100%); the higher uncertainties were associated with very small velocities (close to zero). The numerical uncertainty on the shear stress on the lower wall as well as on the mass efflux from the cavity over an oscillation cycle were also estimated using the GCI and were observed to be very low numbers (global variables). Validation was done by comparing the results to (1) The Stokes’ second problem and (2) a few similar experimental and numerical results published in the literature.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Fluorescence Imaging in Surgery

Although the modern surgical era is highlighted by multiple technological advances and innovations, one area that has remained constant is the dependence of the surgeon's vision on white-light reflectance. This renders different body tissues in a limited palette of various shades of pink and red, thereby limiting the visual contrast available to the operating surgeon. Healthy tissue, anatomic variations, and diseased states are seen as slight discolorations relative to each other and differences are inherently limited in dynamic range. In the upcoming years, surgery will undergo a paradigm shift with the use of targeted fluorescence imaging probes aimed at augmenting the surgical armamentarium by expanding the “visible” spectrum available to surgeons. Such fluorescent “smart probes” will provide real-time, intraoperative, pseudo-color, high-contrast delineation of both normal and pathologic tissues. Fluorescent surgical molecular guidance promises another major leap forward to improve patient safety and clinical outcomes, and to reduce overall healthcare costs. This review provides an overview of current and future surgical applications of fluorescence imaging in diseased and nondiseased tissues and focus on the innovative fields of image processing and instrumentation.
Reduced PIP2 Binding to KCNJ2 (M307I) Channels is Linked to Type 1 Andersen-Tawil Syndrome

Background: Inward rectifier potassium channels play a key role in setting and maintaining the resting membrane potential and regulating excitability in various tissues. Kir2.x subfamily members mediate the cardiac inward rectifier potassium current (IK1). KCNJ2 encodes Kir2.1, the pore-forming alpha subunit responsible for cardiac IK1, and the mutations in this gene are associated with type 1 Andersen-Tawil Syndrome (ATS1). A Kir2.1 missense mutation, M307I, has been identified in a Korean family with ATS1. We found that the ATS1-associated M307I mutation is a loss-of-function mutation in KCNJ2 that mediates a dominant-negative effect on wild-type (WT) channels. M307I is located in the intracellular C-terminal domain in a region known to be associated with putative phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) binding and channel trafficking. Here we explored the mechanisms underlying the dominant-negative effect of the mutation.Methods and Results: Human Kir2.1 was subcloned into pFlag-CMV vector and pFlag-Kir2.1-M307I was generated by site-direct mutagenesis. The Flag-Kir2.1-WT and Flag-Kir2.1-M307I were expressed in HEK293 cells and affinity purified. PIP2-binding was assessed using a Lipid-bead-protein pull-down assay with cell lysate and Protein-lipid overlay assay with purified proteins. The electrophysiological data showed that the M307I mutant channel significantly reduces whole cell current densities when co-expressed with Kir2.1-WT channels. Immunofluorescence (IF) staining assays reveal that M307I channels exhibit normal membrane trafficking. PIP2 binding assays show that Flag-Kir2.1-M307I channels exhibit dramatically decreased binding to PIP2 compared to WT channels.Conclusions: M307I is an ATS1-associated, loss-of-function missense mutation in KCNJ2 that mediates a dominant-negative effect on WT channels by reducing PIP2 binding to the channel.
Thermophoresis of aerosol particles in the laminar boundary layer on a flat plate

Abstract The thermophoresis of aerosol particles in the laminar compressible boundary layer on a flat plate is considered theoretically. The particles are attracted by a plate colder than the gas and the dust concentration drops monotonically as the wall is approached; in the absence of Brownian diffusion a nonzero concentration at the wall is found. The particles are repelled by a plate hotter than the gas and, in the absence of Brownian diffusion, the aerosol concentration profile exhibits a singularity at which the concentration rapidly approaches zero or infinity. The location of this singularity is taken to be the boundary of the dust-free layer found on heated objects.
Parasites, diseases and health status of sympatric populations of sambar deer and white-tailed deer in Florida.

From December 1983 to December 1984 a study on parasites, diseases and health status was conducted on sympatric populations of sambar deer (Cervus unicolor) and white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) from St. Vincent Island, Franklin County, Florida. Ten sambar and six white-tailed deer were examined. White-tailed deer had antibodies to epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus and bluetongue virus. Serologic tests for antibodies to the etiologic agents of bovine virus diarrhea, infectious bovine rhinotracheitis, vesicular stomatitis, parainfluenza 3, brucellosis, and leptospirosis were negative in both species of deer. White-tailed deer harbored 19 species of parasites; all were typical of the parasite fauna of this species in coastal regions of the southeastern United States. Sambar deer harbored 13 species of parasites, which apparently were derived largely from white-tailed deer. The only exception was Dermacentor variabilis which occurs frequently on wild swine on the island. The general health status ...
Some Experimental Consequences of Regge Poles

The prediction of the Regge pole hypothesis concerning the ratio of real to imaginary part of the forward scattering amplitude is pointed out, and the question of how high an energy is required to test this prediction is investigated. (auth)
The embodied bases of supernatural concepts

According to embodied cognition theory, our physical embodiment influences how we conceptualize entities, whether natural or supernatural. In serving central explanatory roles, supernatural entities (e.g., God) are represented implicitly as having unordinary properties that nevertheless do not violate our sensorimotor interactions with the physical world. We conjecture that other supernatural entities are similarly represented in explanatory contexts.
Evolution of the Plasma Universe: II. The Formation of Systems of Galaxies

The model of the plasma universe, inspired by totally unexpected phenomena observed with the advent and application of fully three-dimensional electromagnetic particle-in-cell simulations to filamentary plasmas, consists of studying the interaction between field-aligned current-conducting, galactic-dimensioned plasma sheets or filaments (Birkeland currents). In a preceding paper, the evolution of the interaction spanned some 108-109 years, where simulational analogs of synchrotron-emitting double radio galaxies and quasars were discovered. This paper reports the evolution through the next 109-5 × 109 years. In particular, reconfiguration and compression of tenuous cosmic plasma due to the self-consistent magnetic fields from currents conducted through the filaments leads to the formation of elliptical, peculiar, and barred and normal spiral galaxies. The importance of the electromagnetic pinch in producing condense states and initiating gravitational collapse of dusty galactic plasma to stellisimals, then stars, is discussed. Simulation data are directly compared to galaxy morphology types, synchrotron flux, Hi distributions, and fine detail structure in rotational velocity curves. These comparisons suggest that knowledge obtained from laboratory, simulation, and magnetospheric plasmas offers not only to enhance our understanding of the universe, but also to provide feedback information to laboratory plasma experiments from the unprecedented source of plasma data provided by the plasma universe.
Mitochondrial biology, targets, and drug delivery

In recent years, mitochondrial medicine has emerged as a new discipline resting at the intersection of mitochondrial biology, pathology, and pharmaceutics. The central role of mitochondria in critical cellular processes such as metabolism and apoptosis has placed mitochondria at the forefront of cell science. Advances in mitochondrial biology have revealed that these organelles continually undergo fusion and fission while functioning independently and in complex cellular networks, establishing direct membrane contacts with each other and with other organelles. Understanding the diverse cellular functions of mitochondria has contributed to understanding mitochondrial dysfunction in disease states. Polyplasmy and heteroplasmy contribute to mitochondrial phenotypes and associated dysfunction. Residing at the center of cell biology, cellular functions, and disease pathology and being laden with receptors and targets, mitochondria are beacons for pharmaceutical modification. This review presents the current state of mitochondrial medicine with a focus on mitochondrial function, dysfunction, and common disease; mitochondrial receptors, targets, and substrates; and mitochondrial drug design and drug delivery with a focus on the application of nanotechnology to mitochondrial medicine. Mitochondrial medicine is at the precipice of clinical translation; the objective of this review is to aid in the advancement of mitochondrial medicine from infancy to application.
Control of nucleotide and erythroascorbic acid pools by cyclic AMP in Neurospora crassa.

Abstract UDPglucuronic acid and erythroascorbic acid were identified in extracts of the fungus Neurospora crassa. The concentrations of these two compounds are estimated, in growing wild type N. crassa, to be about 0.10 and 0.28 μmol/ml of cell water, respectively. The pools of these two compounds are regulated by cyclic AMP in Neurospora, both being elevated in the cr-1, adenylate cyclase deficient mutant and both being lowered by exogenous cyclic AMP. The pools of these two compounds are also elevated on nitrogen deprivation. The pools of a large number of other nucleotides are not influenced by cyclic AMP. Possible relationships between the metabolism of UDPglucuronic acid and erythroascorbic acid are discussed. It was found that exogenous cyclic AMP was much more effective in influencing cultures grown at 30–37°C than those grown at 25°C. We suggest that higher temperatures may render Neurospora more permeable to a variety of different compounds.
Contact stiffness of initially stressed neo-Hookean solids

This work, using the solution given by Dhaliwal and Singh, presents analytical expressions of the incremental stress and displacement fields for the axisymmetrical indentation of initially stressed, incompressible neo-Hookean solids. A simple relation for the contact stiffness, contact area, elastic constants, and finite stretch can be obtained for the indentation by any rigid axisymmetric indenter, which can be described as a smooth function. The contact stiffness increases with the initial finite stretching; the finite stretching makes materials harder to deform. The results provide a basis for evaluating the effects of residual stresses on the nanoindentation of materials from the viewpoint of finite deformation. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 2513–2521, 2004
On the Accuracy of Interpolated LFM Forecasts and Their Use in Predicting Surface Conditions in Mountainous Terrain

Abstract Limited-area Fine Mesh (LFM) forecasts were interpolated and compared with surface observations in the southern California mountains and on-site soundings. Descriptive case studies show that during sea-breeze type of flow, when synoptic-scale forcing is weak, surface flow in mountain canyons can be uncoupled from free atmosphere flow and totally driven by local diurnal forcing mechanisms, while ridgeline sites conform to free atmosphere conditions. During Santa Ana flow, when synoptic-scale forcing is vigorous, surface flow in canyons and on ridges shows only kinematic adjustment of the synoptic-scale flow. Root-mean-square difference comparisons of interpolated 12 and 24 h LFM 850, 700 and 500 mb forecasts of height, temperature, dew point and wind with on-site sounding data are presented.
Nature of defect structure in CoO.

The defect structure in CoO is examined in an embedded-molecular-cluster model. The point-defect model with isolated vacancies on either metal or oxygen sites is evaluated and compared with more complex defect structures. We calculate the electronic structure of 4:1 interstitial defects and some of their aggregates in CoO. The binding energy is determined to reveal the most stable defect structure, which is the 4:1 tetrahedral complex in this case. Mulliken population analysis and volume integration confirm the formation of a ${\mathrm{Co}}^{3+}$ cation at the tetrahedral site.
Solvent effects on the torsional dynamics of a twisted intramolecular charge transfer (TICT) molecule: bianthryl in acetonitrile

Abstract Molecular dynamics simulations have been used to study the torsional potential surface and dynamics of 9,9′-bianthryl (BA) in the polar aprotic solvent acetonitrile. In the gas phase, the ground state (S0) torsional potential has a minimum at the perpendicular conformation with a twist angle of 90°, while for the first excited singlet electronic state (S1), the 90° twist angle corresponds to a local maximum with symmetric minima located at ≈ 70° and ≈ 110°, respectively. The solvent coupling to the torsional coordinate in both the ground and excited states results in increased twisting with respect to the gas phase potential. Two models for the charge distribution in the electronically excited state were studied corresponding to a locally excited (LE) and a charge transfer (CT) state, respectively. The partial atomic charges representative of the S0, LE, and CT states of BA were obtained from fits to molecular electrostatic potentials created by electronic structure calculations employing the semi-empirical INDO/1S Hamiltonian. The transfer of an electron between the two anthracene rings does not have a large effect on the torsional potential of mean force in acetonitrile. This surprising result is partly attributed to delocalization of the electronic charge occurring over a large molecular region without substantial atomic charge buildup or depletion occurring on any specific atomic site fully exposed to the solvent. The torsional dynamics of bianthryl following photoexcitation was modeled by running nonequilibrium trajectories on the excited state surfaces with initial configurations chosen from the ground state distribution. The relaxation time τt for bianthryl on the torsional surface in the excited state is estimated to be between 1.5 and 2 ps in acetonitrile. We have also calculated the time correlation function C(t) for the fluctuations in the bianthryl-acetonitrile electrostatic potential. The relaxation time is estimated to be τs≈ 200 fs. The possible consequences of the relation τs