cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Channel formation in single-monolayer pentacene thin film transistors

The geometrical arrangement of single-molecule-high islands and the contact between them have large roles in determining the electrical properties of field effect transistors (FETs) based on monolayer-scale pentacene thin films. As the pentacene coverage increases through the submonolayer regime there is a percolation transition where islands come into contact and a simultaneous rapid onset of current. At coverages just above the percolation threshold, the electrical properties vary with geometrical changes in the contacts between the pentacene islands. At higher coverages, the FET mobility is much lower than the mobility measured by the van der Pauw method because of high contact resistances in monolayer-scale pentacene film devices. An increase in the van der Pauw mobility of holes as a function of pentacene coverage shows that second layer islands take part in charge transport.
Hemangiosarcoma and its cancer stem cell sub-population are effectively killed by a toxin targeted through epidermal growth factor and urokinase receptors

Background Targeted toxins have the potential to overcome intrinsic or acquired resistance of cancer cells to conventional cytotoxic agents. We hypothesized that EGFuPA-toxin, a bispecific ligand-targeted toxin consisting of a deimmunized Pseudomonas exotoxin conjugated to epidermal growth factor (EGF) and urokinase (uPA), would efficiently target and kill cells derived from canine hemangiosarcoma (HSA), a highly chemotherapy resistant tumor, as well as cultured hemangiospheres, used as a surrogate for cancer stem cells (CSC).
Extensive Conformational Transitions Are Required to Turn On ATP Hydrolysis in Myosin

Conventional myosin is representative of biomolecular motors in which the hydrolysis of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is coupled to large-scale structural transitions both in and remote from the active site. The mechanism that underlies such "mechanochemical coupling," especially the causal relationship between hydrolysis and allosteric structural changes, has remained elusive despite extensive experimental and computational analyses. In this study, using combined quantum mechanical and molecular mechanical simulations and different conformations of the myosin motor domain, we provide evidence to support that regulation of ATP hydrolysis activity is not limited to residues in the immediate environment of the phosphate. Specifically, we illustrate that efficient hydrolysis of ATP depends not only on the proper orientation of the lytic water but also on the structural stability of several nearby residues, especially the Arg238-Glu459 salt bridge (the numbering of residues follows myosin II in Dictyostelium discoideum) and the water molecule that spans this salt bridge and the lytic water. More importantly, by comparing the hydrolysis activities in two motor conformations with very similar active-site (i.e., Switches I and II) configurations, which distinguished this work from our previous study, the results clearly indicate that the ability of these residues to perform crucial electrostatic stabilization relies on the configuration of residues in the nearby N-terminus of the relay helix and the "wedge loop." Without the structural support from those motifs, residues in a closed active site in the post-rigor motor domain undergo subtle structural variations that lead to consistently higher calculated ATP hydrolysis barriers than in the pre-powerstroke state. In other words, starting from the post-rigor state, turning on the ATPase activity requires not only displacement of Switch II to close the active site but also structural transitions in the N-terminus of the relay helix and the "wedge loop," which have been proposed previously to be ultimately coupled to the rotation of the converter subdomain 40 A away.
Estrogen Receptor in Rabbit Ovaries and Effects of Antiestrogen on Progesterone Production

The present experiments examine the hypothesis that in pseudopregnant rabbits, a dramatic steroidogenic effect of estradiol on ovarian progesterone production is mediated by the estradiol-receptor complex mechanism. Such a hypothesis predicts that 1) estrogen receptor in the corpus luteum would accumulate rapidly in the cytosol after removal of a chronic Silastic capsule source of estradiol, and 2) the antiestrogen CI-628 (l-[2-(p-[α-(p-methoxyphenyl)β-nitrostyryl]phenoxy)-ethyl]pyrolidine monocitrate) would block the rescue of progesterone production that occurs upon reinsertion of the estradiolfilled capsules. Superovulation was induced, and on the second day after hCG (day 2), an estradiol-filled capsule was inserted beneath the skin in each rabbit. Progesterone in peripheral serum was 26 ± 4 ng/ml (mean ± SEM) on day 9 when the estradiol-filled capsule was removed; serum progesterone then declined to 7 ± 2 ng/ml within 18 h (day 10). Available cytoplasmic estrogen receptor in the corpus luteum was 799...
Cell autonomy of lin-12 function in a cell fate decision in C. elegans.

The lin-12 gene of C. elegans encodes a predicted transmembrane protein that controls a decision by two cells, Z1.ppp and Z4.aaa, between the anchor cell (AC) and ventral uterine precursor cell (VU) fates. We performed laser ablation experiments to demonstrate that specification of the VU fate of Z1.ppp or Z4.aaa depends on an "AC-to-VU" signal from the presumptive AC. We generated genetic mosaics in which defined cells lacked lin-12 activity. By correlating the fates of Z1.ppp and Z4.aaa with the lin-12 genotype of nearly every cell in these mosaics, we conclude that lin-12 function is VU cell autonomous. We present a model in which lin-12 functions in the receiving mechanism for the "AC-to-VU" signal leading to the specification of the AC and VU fates of Z1.ppp and Z4.aaa.
Real-Time Video Transmission over MIMO OFDM Channels Using Space-Time Block Codes

In this paper we consider the problem of faded wireless image and video transmission schemes over multi-input multi-output (MIMO) orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) channels that are energy and the bandwidth constrained. A computationally inexpensive analytic mean square error (MSE) distortion rate (D-R) estimator for progressive wavelet coders which generates an exact D-R (distortion rate) function for 2-D and 3-D SPIHT algorithm is utilized from our previous work. Using the D-R function, a joint source-channel coding scheme using optimal equal error protection (EEP) is presented. Both analytic and Monte-Carlo simulations are presented for image and video sources. A system that uses two transmit antennas and two receive antennas expends 12 dB less in energy per bit for the same performance as a SISO system. Our results are also significantly better than outage probability JSCC schemes used by other authors. The joint source-channel coding (JSCC) scheme demonstrates that MIMO OFDM can achieve real-time high quality video transmission in low energy regions and the system is robust against the delay spread and Doppler frequency shift.
Notch signaling regulates gastric antral LGR5 stem cell function

The major signaling pathways regulating gastric stem cells are unknown. Here we report that Notch signaling is essential for homeostasis of LGR5(+) antral stem cells. Pathway inhibition reduced proliferation of gastric stem and progenitor cells, while activation increased proliferation. Notch dysregulation also altered differentiation, with inhibition inducing mucous and endocrine cell differentiation while activation reduced differentiation. Analysis of gastric organoids demonstrated that Notch signaling was intrinsic to the epithelium and regulated growth. Furthermore, in vivo Notch manipulation affected the efficiency of organoid initiation from glands and single Lgr5-GFP stem cells, suggesting regulation of stem cell function. Strikingly, constitutive Notch activation in LGR5(+) stem cells induced tissue expansion via antral gland fission. Lineage tracing using a multi-colored reporter demonstrated that Notch-activated stem cells rapidly generate monoclonal glands, suggesting a competitive advantage over unmanipulated stem cells. Notch activation was associated with increased mTOR signaling, and mTORC1 inhibition normalized NICD-induced increases in proliferation and gland fission. Chronic Notch activation induced undifferentiated, hyper-proliferative polyps, suggesting that aberrant activation of Notch in gastric stem cells may contribute to gastric tumorigenesis.
A new Michaelis–Menten-based kinetic model for transport and phosphorylation of glucose and its analogs in skeletal muscle

Purpose: A new model is introduced that individually resolves the delivery, transport, and phosphorylation steps of metabolism of glucose and its analogs in skeletal muscle by interpreting dynamic positron emission tomography (PET) data.Methods: The model uniquely utilizes information obtained from the competition between glucose and its radiolabeled analogs. Importantly, the model avoids use of a lumped constant which may depend on physiological state. Four basic physiologic quantities constitute our model parameters, including the fraction of total tissue space occupied by interstitial space (fIS), a flow-extraction product and interstitial (ISg) and intracellular (ICg) glucose concentrations. Using the values of these parameters, cellular influx (CI) and efflux (CE) of glucose, glucose phosphorylation rate (PR), and maximal transport (VG) and phosphorylation capacities (VH) can all be determined. Herein, the theoretical derivation of our model is addressed and characterizes its properties via simulation. Specifically, the model performance is evaluated by simulation of basal and euglycemic hyperinsulinemic (EH) conditions.Results: In fitting the model-generated, synthetic data (including noise), mean estimates of all but ICg of the parameter values are within 5% of their values for both conditions. In addition, mean errors of CI, PR, and VG are less than 5% whereas those of VH and CE are not.Conclusions: It is concluded that under the conditions tested, the novel model can provide accurate parameter estimates and physiological quantities, except ICg and two quantities that are dependent on ICg, namely CE and VH. However, the ability to estimate ICg seems to improve with increases in intracellular glucose concentrations as evidenced by comparing ICg estimates under basal vs EH conditions.
Conformance evaluation methodology and protocol testing

A survey of recent developments in conformance evaluation methodology is presented, including test architectures and a test language which are destined to become international standards, test generation methodology, and application of formal description techniques to several facets of testing. Gaps between theory and current practice are noted. Unresolved problems and some opportunities for additional research are identified. >
Alkaloids of Terpenoid Origin (excepting indole alkaloids and ergot alkaloids)

A large number of alkaloids are based on terpenoid structures. In most instances, the source of the nitrogen is not established, but the remaining portions of the molecule typically arise via the pathways leading to the various groups of terpenes.
Cryoneurolysis in Patients with Refractory Chronic Peripheral Neuropathic Pain.

Abstract Purpose To evaluate the safety and efficacy of cryoneurolysis in patients with refractory peripheral neuropathic pain. Materials and Methods Twenty-two patients referred for cryoneurolysis of refractory peripheral neuropathy were recruited prospectively from July 2011 to July 2013. The mean patient age was 49.5 years, and 41% of patients were female. Ultrasound imaging of the involved nerves was used for guidance. Percutaneous ablations were performed with a PerCryo 17R device. Pain levels were recorded on a visual analog scale (scores 0–10) before and at 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months after the procedure, and complications were documented. Results Mean pain levels were 8.3 ± 1.9 before intervention and 2.3 ± 2.5 at 1 month, 3.2 ± 2.5 at 3 months, 4.7 ± 2.7 at 6 months, and 5.1 ± 3.7 at 12 months afterward. A Wilcoxon rank-sum test was performed and showed a statically significant decrease between pre- and postprocedural pain scores. There were no complications from the procedures. Discussion Cryoneurolysis caused a significant decrease in self-reported pain scores in patients with chronic refractory neuropathic pain, with moderately long-term relief. Cryoneurolysis is an additional therapy that can alleviate severe chronic neuropathic pain.
Di-μ-bromido-bis-{[N,N-dimethyl-N'-(thio-phen-2-yl-methyl-idene)ethane-1,2-diamine]-copper(I)]}.

In the crystal structure of the title compound, [Cu2Br2(C9H14N2S)2], the mol­ecule resides about a crystallographic inversion center. The coordination sphere around each copper ion has a distorted tetra­hedral geometry, with ligation by two bridging bromide ions, an amine N atom and an imine N atom. The thio­phene ring is disordered over two sites, with occupancies of 0.719 (3) and 0.281 (3). Weak C—H⋯π inter­actions feature in the crystal packing.
A PROPOSED POLAR AURORAL RADAR SYSTEM

Abstract The position of the auroral belt can be reliably determined through the use of an h.f. multifrequency backscatter sounder. Auroral echoes recorded at Thule show that aspect-sensitive auroral backscatter can be obtained from the south in the northern hemisphere. In comparing simultaneous Thule and College records, the auroral belt latitude data were found to be independent of the latitude of the auroral radar. It is proposed that one multifrequency h.f. backscatter sounder installed at the north geomagnetic pole could provide real-time information on the position of the entire auroral belt around the northern hemisphere.
A Leader's Guide to Why People Behave the Way They Do

This note outlines a simple but powerful model, in managerial language, for understanding why people behave the way they do. The model builds a set of relationships among perceptions, beliefs, conclusions, defense mechanisms, and behavior. The note provides a framework that has been useful in a variety of settings for practicing managers.
Predicting Atrial Fibrillation and Its Complications

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common cardiac arrhythmia associated with an increased risk of stroke and other complications. Identifying individuals at higher risk of developing AF in the community is now possible using validated predictive models that take into account clinical variables and circulating biomarkers. These models have shown adequate performance in racially and ethnically diverse populations. Similarly, risk stratification schemes predict incidence of ischemic stroke in persons with AF, assisting clinicians and patients in decisions regarding oral anticoagulation use. Complementary schemes have been developed to predict the risk of bleeding in AF patients taking vitamin K antagonists. However, major gaps exist in our ability to predict AF and its complications. Additional research should refine models for AF prediction and determine their value to improve population health and clinical outcomes, advance our ability to predict stroke and other complications in AF patients, and develop predictive models for bleeding events and other adverse effects in patients using non-vitamin K oral anticoagulants. (Circ J 2016; 80: 1061-1066).
Designing Performance-Energy Optimized Silicon-Photonic Interconnected Computing Systems

Silicon photonic networks can offer energy-efficient communications bandwidths for scaling future computing. We describe the multi-level co-design of energy-performance optimized photonic architectures for communications-intensive applications
Measuring the Influence of Pearlite Dissolution on the Transient Dynamic Strength of Rapidly Heated Plain Carbon Steels

Carbon steels containing ferrite–pearlite microstructures weaken dramatically when pearlite dissolves into austenite on heating. The kinetics of this phase transformation, while fast, can play a role during dynamic, high-temperature manufacturing processes, including high-speed machining, when the time scale of this transformation is on the order of the manufacturing process itself. In such a regime, the mechanical strength of carbon steel can become time dependent. The present work uses a rapidly heated, high-strain-rate mechanical test to study the effect of temperature and time on the amount of pearlite dissolved and on the resulting transient effect on dynamic strength of a low and a high carbon (eutectoid) steel. Measurements indicate that the transient effect occurs for heating times less than about 3 s. The 1075 steel loses about twice the strength compared to the 1018 steel (85 MPa to 45 MPa) owing to its higher initial pearlite volume fraction. Pearlite dissolution is confirmed by metallographic examination of tested samples. Despite the different starting pearlite fractions, the kinetics of dissolution are comparable for the two steels, owing to the similarity in their initial pearlite morphology.
The bilirubin-displacing capacity of bumetanide in critically ill neonates

Effects of bumetanide on in vitro bilirubin binding to albumin were studied in pooled sera of critically ill neonates using the hydroxybenzeneazobenzoic acid (HBABA) dye binding method and the horseradish peroxidase assay. Mean HBABA dye binding capacity decreased significantly from 63.75 +/- 5.9% in the absence of drug to 50.8 +/- 6.7% and 44.6 +/- 6.3% with concentrations of 0.25 and 50 micrograms/ml, respectively (p less than 0.005). Bumetanide caused an increase in unbound bilirubin concentration at drug concentrations of 0.5-50 micrograms/ml. Bumetanide is a potent displacer of bilirubin and should be used with caution in jaundiced neonates.
Neonatal McCune–Albright syndrome with survival beyond two years

McCune-Albright syndrome (MAS) is a rare disease resulting from a somatic, mosaic mutation of GNAS1 encoding the Gs α subunit of the G-protein coupled membrane receptor responsible for multiple hormonal signaling cascades. We present a patient with neonatal MAS who initially presented with neonatal diabetes and concern for congenital cardiac disease, and subsequently was found to have significant ACTH-independent neonatal Cushing syndrome. Her course included multi-system organ involvement, although she initially did not have obvious findings consistent with the MAS classic triad of cafe-au-lait macules, fibrous dysplasia, or peripheral precocious puberty. After medical and surgical treatment, she remains the only reported survivor of neonatal MAS. This clinical report alerts clinicians to the possibility of this disease in neonates with non-classical endocrine and non-endocrine manifestations of MAS, and demonstrates that this very early presentation is potentially survivable. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Cavity-enhanced single photons from a quantum dot

Single-photon sources rarely emit two or more photons in the same pulse, compared to a Poisson-distributed source of the same intensity, and have numerous applications in quantum information science. The quality of such a source is evaluated based on three criteria: high efficiency, small multi-photon probability, and quantum indistinguishability. We have demonstrated a single-photon source based on a quantum dot in a micropost microcavity that exhibits a large Purcell factor together with a small multi-photon probability. For a quantum dot on resonance with the cavity, the spontaneous emission rate has been increased by a factor of five, while the probability to emit two or more photons in the same pulse has been reduced to 2% compared to a Poisson-distributed source of the same intensity. The indistinguishability of emitted single photons from one of our devices has been tested through a Hong-Ou-Mandel-type two-photon interference experiment; consecutive photons emitted from such a source have been largely indistinguishable, with a mean wave-packet overlap as large as 0.81. We have also designed and demonstrated two-dimensional photonic crystal GaAs cavities containing InAs quantum dots that exhibit much higher quality factors together with much smaller mode volumes than microposts, and therefore present an ideal platform for construction of single photon sources of even higher quality.
Development of an autonomous flight controller for surveillance UAV

This paper presents the different stages of development of flight controller for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with autonomously flying capability. The main purpose of flight controller is to perform a petrol function between given GPS coordinates while maintaining a specified altitude for an assigned time and then return to its launching position without any human interaction. At first a simulated environment was designed to verify the concept. Then this was implemented on actual unmanned helicopter. In wake of the current political and security situation the need for autonomous UAVs and particularly the small scale helicopters are under consideration. However, hobby airframes used for normal radio controlled flying are not readily compatible with delicate, sophisticated and complex electronics. In addition to the hardware integration with such airframes, several other challenges such as electromagnetic interference, communication signal integrity from jammers and damping of strong vibrations were handled. The goal is to develop an autonomous UAV with self-controlled flying capabilities and above mentioned functionality. It should also fulfil the requirements to perform an adequate surveillance during any political and security situation.
/sup 20/Ne states observed via /sup 16/O(. cap alpha. ,. cap alpha. /sub i/)/sup 16/O

Surface barrier detectors at 16-18 angles measured simultaneously the differential cross sections for the reactions $^{16}\mathrm{O}$($\ensuremath{\alpha}$,${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{0}{\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{1}{\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{2}{\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{3}{\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{4}{\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{5}$)$^{16}\mathrm{O}$ in the bombarding energy range from 14.6 to 20.4 MeV and in steps of 10 keV. For ${E}_{\ensuremath{\alpha}}g18$ MeV peak fitting techniques separated the yields of ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{1}$ ($Q=\ensuremath{-}6.05$ MeV) from ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{2}$ ($Q=\ensuremath{-}6.13$ MeV). The target was a differentially pumped windowless gas target of high purity ${\mathrm{O}}_{2}$. A total of 25 levels in $^{20}\mathrm{Ne}$ ($16l{E}_{x}l21$ MeV) were analyzed by writing the reaction amplitude for spinless positive-parity particles as a nonresonant term which varies linearly with energy plus a sum over only resonant partial waves. Inelastic scattering angular distributions were expanded in terms of Legendre polynomials for ${E}_{\ensuremath{\alpha}}g18$ MeV.NUCLEAR REACTIONS $^{16}\mathrm{O}$($\ensuremath{\alpha}$,${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{0}{\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{1}{\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{2}{\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{3}{\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{4}{\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{5}$)$^{16}\mathrm{O}$, $14.6l~{E}_{\ensuremath{\alpha}}l~20.4$ MeV, $\ensuremath{\Delta}{E}_{\ensuremath{\alpha}}=10$ keV; measured $\ensuremath{\sigma}(E,\ensuremath{\theta})$ at 18 angles. Deduced $^{20}\mathrm{Ne}$ level parameters $J$, $\ensuremath{\pi}$, ${\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{{\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{0}}$, ${\ensuremath{\Gamma}}_{{\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{1}}$, $\ensuremath{\Gamma}$, ${E}_{R}$. ${\mathrm{O}}_{2}$ gas target.
Abstract P153: Association of Habitual Milk Intake with Cognitive Decline From Mid-life to Late-life: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Neurocognitive Study (NCS)

Background: Animal models and large population studies have related habitual milk intake to impaired cognitive performance via oxidative stress, but results are inconclusive. We report on the association of milk intake at midlife with 20-year cognitive decline in ARIC-NCS cohort. Methods: Average daily milk intake was assessed in 15,766 ARIC study participants with a standardized FFQ administered at cohort inception in 1987-1989. Reported milk intake was categorized as almost never, 1 glass/day. Domain-specific and global cognitive decline was assessed on three occasions from 1990 through 2013, testing Delayed Word Recall (memory), Digit Symbol Substitution (executive function), and Word Fluency (language). A mixed effects model adjusted for age, race, sex, education, smoking, physical activity and ApoE4 was used to evaluate the association of milk intake with change in cognitive performance over 20 years. The MICE method was used to account for attrition. Results: Among 13,821 participants in the analytic set, the distribution of milk intake across the above four categories was 18.7%, 35.8%, 27.3%, and 18.1%, respectively. In race-combined fully adjusted models greater milk intake was associated with greater cognitive decline (Figure) as indicated by a significant trend (p=0.018). The average difference in the 20-year rate of change in global z between those who reported almost never drinking milk and those who consumed >1glass/day was -0.053 [95%CI: -0.092, -0.014], approximately equivalent to 1 year of additional cognitive aging. The trend met nominal statistical significance in Whites, but not African Americans. Conclusions: Results of this study add to reports indicating that greater milk intake may be associated with greater rate of cognitive decline. Replication of these results and insights into interactions with the intestinal microbiota and other putative modifying factors of the reported association is warranted considering the widely prevalent intake of milk in US adults.
The Diagnostic Pathology of the Nuclear Envelope in Human Cancers

Cancer is still diagnosed on the basis of altered tissue and cellular morphology. The criteria that pathologists use for diagnosis include many morphologically distinctive alterations in the nuclear envelope (NE). With the expectation that diagnostic NE changes will have biological relevance to cancer, a classification of the various types of NE structural changes into three groups is proposed. The first group predicts chromosomal instability. The changes in this group include pleomorphism of lamina size and shape, as if constraints to maintain a spherical shape were lost. Also characteristic of chromosomal instability are the presence of micronuclei, a specific structural feature likely related to the newly described physiology of chromothripsis. The second group is predicted to be functionally important during clonal evolution, because the NE changes in this group are conserved during the clonal evolution of genetically unstable tumors. Two examples of this group include increased ratio of nuclear volume to cytoplasmic volume and the relatively fragile nuclei of small-cell carcinomas. The third and most interesting group develops in a near-diploid, genetically stable background. Many of these (perhaps ultimately all) are directly related to the activation of particular oncogenes. The changes in this group so far include long inward folds of the NE and spherical invaginations of cytoplasm projecting partially into the nucleus (“intranuclear cytoplasmic inclusions”). This group is exemplified by papillary thyroid carcinoma in which RET and TRK tyrosine kinases, and probably B-Raf mutations, directly lead to diagnostic longitudinal folds of the lamina (“nuclear grooves”) and intranuclear cytoplasmic inclusions. B-Raf activation may also be linked to intranuclear cytoplasmic inclusions in melanoma and to nuclear grooves in Langerhans cell histiocytosis. Nuclear grooves in granulosa cell tumor may be related to mutations in the FOXL2 oncogene. Uncovering the precise mechanistic basis for any of these lamina alterations would provide a valuable objective means for improving diagnosis, and will likely reflect new types of functional changes, relevant to particular forms of cancer.
Malawi: Language Situation

Lying south of Tanzania in the Great Rift Valley, wedged between Mozambique to the east and south and Zambia to the west, is the small country of Malawi. It has a landmass of 118 484 square kilometers. Of that, an area of 24 000 square kilometers is taken by a lake that dominates the country's landscape. The lake was previously known as Lake Nyasa, from which the country obtained its former name of Nyasaland.
Conduction in degenerately doped Zn1-xAlxO thin films

This chapter reports the electrical and optical properties of degenerately doped \({\mathrm{Zn}}_{{{1}_{-} }_{x}}{\mathrm{Al}}_{x}\mathrm{O}\) films. Thin films of Zn1 − x Al x O (\(x = 0\mbox{ \textendash }0.1\)) were grown on single crystal c-plane sapphire substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. From electrical and optical characterizations, all film compositions were found to be highly transparent over the visible spectrum and exhibit a metal-like temperature dependence of resistivity. The carrier concentration, conductivity, and optical band gap of these films were not observed to increase continuously with increased Al concentrations. Detailed characterization showed that these properties initially increased reaching a maximum at 4 at.% Al. Beyond this Al concentration a decrease in these properties was observed. Through temperature-dependent electrical transport measurements it was found that at higher Al concentrations, scattering due to electron–electron interactions increased. Electron–electron interactions arise due to the introduction of disorder in the crystal potential caused by high concentrations of Al dopants and oxygen vacancies. High levels of disorder can significantly disrupt the band structure of ZnO reducing the density of states at the Fermi level (N(E F)). The decrease in N(E F) directly corresponds to the decrease in carrier concentration affecting the optical band gap and conductivity.
Increased Syncytial Knot Formation

Syncytial knots are a common histologic feature of the placenta. This overarching term includes four specific subtypes of syncytial knots, including syncytial sprouts, true knots, false knots and syncytial bridges. Wave-like syncytial knots represent a specific architectural arrangement of syncytial knots generally found at earlier gestational ages. Increased syncytial knots have long been associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes, including preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction, and are a defining feature of maternal vascular malperfusion. More specifically, increased syncytial knots appear to arise in response to hypoxic or hypoxia-reperfusion injury to the placenta.
Temperature-insensitive echelle wavelength demultiplexer on standard silicon-on-insulator platform

Temperature sensitivity is an issue that severely affects many integrated silicon photonic devices. Proper circuit functionality is normally ensured by active thermal control at the expense of energy consumption. In some cases, athermal behavior can be achieved exploiting cladding materials with a negative thermo-optic coefficient to counterbalance the positive coefficients of silicon and silica. On the other hand, in echelle grating filters this method is not effective because in the slab free-propagation region the modal overlap with the cladding is small, especially for TEpolarized light. Moreover the need to add non-standard materials to the established silicon-on-insulator (SOI) fabrication process could make these solutions impractical. Here we present the design of a temperature-insensitive echelle grating demultiplexer with four channels operating in the TE polarization that does not use any materials with negative thermooptic coefficient and relies exclusively on standard processes for SOI photonics. The design exploits a temperaturesynchronized Mach-Zehnder interferometer as input to the echelle to compensate the shift of the imaged field with temperature. The device achieves a significant reduction in the temperature dependence of the overall transmission with a residual channel wavelength fluctuation smaller than 45 pm over a temperature range of 20 K, compared to a 1.6-nm shift for the same grating with a conventional waveguide input. The excess loss due to the use of the Mach-Zehnder input is no more than 0.7 dB for all four channels. Furthermore, the proposed design shows a very good tolerance to fabrication uncertainty, with minimum degradation of the performance for waveguide width variations of 10 nm.
Superantigens and Allergic Disease

Kappler, Marrack and colleagues were the first to describe and characterize the concept of superantigens in 1989 [1]. They found that staphylococcal enterotoxins, secreted proteins then known to be involved in staphylococcal food poisoning, were able to oligoclonally stimulate host CD4+ and CD8+ T cells to release massive amounts of pro-inflammatory cytokines. They described the mechanism of action of enterotoxins on T cells as dependent upon a binding interaction with T cell receptors (TCR) and major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecules on professional antigen-presenting cells (APC). However, the conventional antigen recognition function of TCRs was bypassed. They coined the term “superantigen” because they found that several orders of magnitude more T cells could be strongly stimulated by enterotoxins compared to conventional antigenspecific T cell responses. Additional microbial superantigens have since been discovered and there has been a growing recognition of their potential roles in health and disease. Although initially found to be etiologic in staphylococcal food poisoning, superantigens are produced by a number of different microorganisms and are known to mediate various infectious syndromes including tissue necrosis, toxic shock, and sepsis [2–5]. Now, microbial superantigens have also been postulated to participate in the immunopathogenesis of specific chronic inflammatory diseases – most notably atopic dermatitis (AD) [6]. Evidence further suggests a role for superantigens in the immunopathology of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), chronic severe asthma, and some autoimmune diseases [7, 8]. An overview of microbes that produce superantigens and their potentially associated diseases is shown in Table 1.
Holocaust History, Memory and Citizenship Education: The Case of Latvia

This chapter explores Holocaust history education in the Republic of Latvia within the context of democratic citizenship education. Efforts to address controversial issues, closed areas, and Holocaust history can have many positive outcomes for citizenship: students can develop their capacity to care, society can better recognise humanity’s common unity, and prejudice can be reduced. Currently, Latvia faces contemporary forms of intolerance, including homophobia, xenophobia, ethnocracy, anti-Semitism, and racism. This chapter argues that each of these prejudices is partially rooted in historical silences, which require open, thoughtful, substantive, and reflective discussions within Latvian schools.
Protecting Pandemic Conversations: Tracing Twitter’s Evolving Content Policies During COVID-19

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Twitter has served as a leading public platform for sharing, receiving, and engaging with virus-related content. To protect users from misinformation, Twitter has ...
Light-Weight Soft-Errors Detection Mechanism in High-Level Synthesis

Raising the level of VLSI design abstraction from RT-level to the behavioral level poses new challenges, but also new opportunities to make the hardware robust against single-event upsets (SEUs). In this paper, we propose a new method based on the light-weight detection mechanism of data distribution of the internal signals to detect soft-errors. In particular, we study the case of how resource sharing affects the ability to detect SEUs and present comprehensive results highlighting the benefits of resources sharing to make hardware circuits more fault-tolerant. Resources sharing is typically a tedious work at the RT-level because a state machine has to be inserted to control sharing mechanism (typically muxes) of the functional unit inputs. Resources sharing can nevertheless fully automated in High-Level Synthesis (HLS). Thus, our proposed method shows that automated HLS resource sharing enables low-cost fault-tolerant designs.
Selective sulfur removal from semi-dry flue gas desulfurization coal fly ash for concrete and carbon dioxide capture applications.

Abstract High-sulfur mixed fly ash residues from semi-dry flue gas desulfurization units in coal-fired power plants are unsuitable for use as supplementary cementitious material (SCM) for concrete production or carbon dioxide utilization. In this work, we explore the potential for upcycling a representative spray dry absorber ash (10.44 wt% SO3) into concrete-SCM by selective sulfur removal via weak acid dissolution while simultaneously exploring the possibility for CO2 capture. Towards this effort, parametric studies varying liquid-to-solid ratio, acidity, and CO2 pressure were conducted in a batch reactor to establish the sulfur removal characteristics in de-ionized water, nitric acid, and carbonic acid, respectively. The dissolution studies show that the leaching of sulfur from calcium sulfite hemihydrate, which is the predominant S phase, is rapid and achieves a concentration plateau within 5 min, and subsequently, appears to be controlled by the primary mineral solubility. Preferential S removal was sufficient to meet SCM standards (e.g., 5.0 wt% as per ASTM C618) using all three washing solutions with 0.62–0.72 selectivity ( S ^ ), defined as the molar ratio of S to Ca in the leachate, for a raw fly ash with bulk S ^ = 0.3. Acid dissolution with 1.43 meq/g of ash or under 5 atm CO2 retained > 18 wt% CaO and other Si-, Al-rich phases in the fly ash. Based on the experimental findings, two sulfur removal schemes were suggested for either integration with CO2 capture and utilization processes using flue gas or to produce fly ash for use as a SCM.
Stand against anti-Asian racial discrimination during COVID-19: A call for action

Racial discrimination against people of Chinese and other Asian ethnicities has risen sharply in number and severity globally amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This rise has been especially rapid and sev...
Hemorrhage risk of direct oral anticoagulants in real-world venous thromboembolism patients.

Abstract Introduction Venous thromboembolism (VTE) management increasingly involves anticoagulation with direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs). Few studies have used competing-risks analyses to ascertain the mortality-adjusted hemorrhage and recurrent VTE (rVTE) risk of individual DOACs. Furthermore, hemorrhage risk factors in patients treated with apixaban remain underexplored. Materials and methods Patients diagnosed with VTE receiving anticoagulation were identified from the Optum Clinformatics Data Mart (2003–2019). Study endpoints included readmissions for intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), non-intracranial hemorrhage (non-ICH hemorrhage), and rVTE. Coarsened exact matching was used to balance baseline clinical characteristics. Complication incidence was evaluated using a competing-risks framework. We additionally modeled hemorrhage risk in apixaban-treated patients. Results Overall, 225,559 patients were included, of whom 34,201 received apixaban and 46,007 received rivaroxaban. Compared to rivaroxaban, apixaban was associated with decreased non-ICH hemorrhage (sHR = 0.560, 95%CI = 0.423–0.741), but not ICH, and rVTE (sHR = 0.802, 95%CI = 0.651–0.988) risk. This was primarily in emergent readmissions (sHR[emergent hemorrhage] = 0.515, 95%CI = 0.372–0.711; sHR[emergent rVTE] = 0.636, 95%CI = 0.488–0.830). Contributors to emergent hemorrhage in apixaban-treated patients include older age (sHR = 1.025, 95%CI = 1.011–1.039), female sex (sHR = 1.662, 95%CI = 1.252–2.207), prior prescription antiplatelet therapy (sHR = 1.591, 95%CI = 1.130–2.241), and complicated hypertension (sHR = 1.936, 95%CI = 1.134–3.307). Patients anticipated to be “high-risk” experienced elevated ICH (sHR = 3.396, 95%CI = 1.375–8.388) and non-ICH hemorrhage (sHR = 3.683, 95%CI = 2.957–4.588) incidence. Conclusions In patients with VTE receiving anticoagulation, apixaban was associated with reduced non-ICH hemorrhage and rVTE risk, compared to rivaroxaban. Risk reduction was restricted to emergent readmissions. We present a risk-stratification approach to predict hemorrhage in patients receiving apixaban, potentially guiding future clinical decision-making.
Neuroendocrine Tumors of the Lung

Pulmonary neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are relatively rare; however, their incidence is steadily increasing. They now comprise 1% to 2% of all lung cancers. Lung NETs are classified based on the World Health Organization classification into low-, intermediate-, and high-grade tumors. Most patients present with nonspecific symptoms that can result in delayed diagnosis. Bronchoscopy and biopsy are essential to diagnose and classify pulmonary NETs. Surgery is the mainstay of therapy and R0 resection is key. Lung preservation surgery, whenever possible, is preferred. There is little role of systemic therapy in NETs. Survival after R0 resection is reasonably good especially in low-grade tumors.
The Effect of Time Pressure in Multiattribute Binary Choice Tasks

Constraints in resources such as time, money, and information have a strong and systematic influence on choice behavior. Although some of these constraints may occur as natural features of a choice situation, others may be self-imposed by the decision maker, to limit an agonizing deliberation process about a decision problem. It is surprising that despite their prevalent influence, the topic of resource constraints has received little attention in the decision-making literature. For example, only a few studies consider the impact of time pressure on the decision process, and even fewer studies examine the influence of self-imposed time constraints (Mano, 1989). However, the few systematic investigations examining subjects’ judgment and decision-making behavior under time pressure demonstrate that time pressure may affect every stage in a decision process from the information selection, evaluation, and aggregation stages to the actual choice (Busemeyer, 1985; Payne, Bettman, & Johnson, 1988; Svenson & Edland, 1987; Wright, 1974). Effects of time pressure are also reflected by postdecisional variables such as confidence (Smith, Mitchell, & Beach, 1982; Zakay, 1985).
Novel photo‐crosslinked nonlinear optical polymers

Preparation par reticulation photochimique dans l'etat polarise d'un poly(cinnamate de vinyle) dope par des cinnamates a proprietes optiques non lineaires. Le materiau obtenu presente une qualite optique excellente, des proprietes optiques non lineaires stables et des coefficients electrooptiques eleves
Syntactic and Semantic Filtering in a Chart Parser

This paper describes a method to enhance the performance of a unification-style bottom-up chart parser by means of top-down filtering techniques. The filter developed consists of a syntactic module which prevents the construction of redundant edges in the chart by ensuring that a proposed edge in the chart can really be syntactically combined with neighboring edges later, and a semantic module which ensures that the semantic information in a proposed edge in the chart is compatible with semantic information in other edges.
Isovolumic contraction and left ventricular ejection times. External measurements at rest and after exercise in normal men.

Abstract Sixty normal men, aged 26 to 64, had simultaneous external phonocardiograms at the apex, external right carotid arterial pulse tracings and electrocardiograms obtained in the supine position at rest, immediately after exercise and 3 minutes after exercise. Each subject exercised in the upright position on a bicycle ergometer at a load of 60 watts. The mean external isovolumic contraction time (EICT) was 0.041 ± 0.006 second at rest, 0.025 ± 0.005 second immediately after exercise and 0.036 ± 0.006 second 3 minutes after exercise. The mean left ventricular ejection time/external isovolumic contraction time (LVET/EICT) ratio was 7.4 ± 1.3 at rest, 11.0 ± 2.2 immediately after exercise and 8.2 ± 1.5 3 minutes after exercise.
Sensitivity analysis for structured uncertainty

The authors give a sufficient condition for the robust stability of systems with structured uncertainty. The upper bounds measured by the H/sub infinity /-norm for the sensitivity function and the closed-loop transfer function of the system are also discussed. It is shown that the upper bounds for a certain performance index derived may be used to deal with the robust stability of the system with multiplicative and additive uncertainties at the same time, as illustrated in an example. >
On the stability of some biological schemes with cellular interactions

Abstract A model of multicellular growth in biological organisms is studied from the point of view of its ability to produce stable configurations, and the kinds of cell lineages which may occur inside such configurations are characterized. The kind of model considered is called a scheme, and the set of all stable configurations of a scheme is viewed as a formal language. In a stable configuration, individual cells may change state, die out, or divide into several daughter cells, but they must do so in such a way as to leave the total configuration unchanged. It is shown that for each scheme with cellular interactions there is a bound on the distance between a parent cell and its immediate daughter cells, but that a cell may have descendants, after many generations, which are arbitrarily far away from it. It is also shown that for each scheme there is a bound on the number of consecutive cells which may die out as a block, and be replaced by division of other cells, in one generation; a biologically reasonable property. This leads to the result that, viewed as languages, sets of stable configurations of schemes are regular sets.
Medical Care of Elderly Patients With Hip Fractures

Medical morbidity associated with hip fractures in the elderly population is considerable. The all-cause mortality rate is 24% at 12 months. The functional limitations of survivors can be pronounced. As the American population ages, hip fractures will substantially affect the utilization of hospital resources. Several issues, including preoperative clearance and related surgical timing, deep venous thrombosis prophylaxis, delirium, nutrition, and urinary tract management, are important in the care of these patients. A close partnership between orthopedic surgeons and clinicians provides the best strategy of care for the subset of patients with multisystemic complications.
Exploring Covert Channel in Android Platform

Network covert channels are used to exfiltrate information from a secured environment in a way that is extremely difficult to detect or prevent. These secret channels have been identified as an important security threat to governments and the private sector, and several research efforts have focused on the design, detection, and prevention of such channels in enterprise-type environments. Mobile devices have become a ubiquitous computing platform, and are storing or have access to an increasingly large amount of sensitive information. As such, these devices have become prime targets of attackers who desire access to this information. We explore the implementation of network covert channels on the Google Android mobile platform. Our work shows that covert communication channels can be successfully implemented on the Android platform to allow data to be leaked from these devices in a covert manner.