cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Spot-mapping underestimates song-territory size and use of mature forest by breeding golden-winged warblers in Minnesota, USA

Studies of songbird breeding habitat often compare habitat characteristics of used and unused areas. Although there is usually meticulous effort to precisely and consistently measure habitat characteristics, accuracy of methods for estimating which areas are used versus which are unused by birds remains generally untested. To examine accuracy of spot-mapping to identify singing territories of golden-winged warblers (Vermivora chrysoptera), which are considered an early successional forest specialists, we used spot-mapping and radiotelemetry to record song perches and delineate song territories for breeding male golden-winged warblers in northwestern Minnesota, USA. We also used radiotelemetry to record locations (song and nonsong perches) of a subsample (n = 12) of males throughout the day to delineate home ranges. We found that telemetry-based estimates of song territories were 3 times larger and included more mature forest than those estimated from spot-mapping. In addition, home ranges estimated using radiotelemetry included more mature forest than spot-mapping- and telemetry-based song territories, with 75% of afternoon perches located in mature forest. Our results suggest that mature forest comprises a larger component of golden-winged warbler song territories and home ranges than is indicated based on spot-mapping in Minnesota. Because it appears that standard observational methods can underestimate territory size and misidentify cover-type associations for golden-winged warblers, we caution that management and conservation plans may be misinformed, and that similar studies are needed for golden-winged warblers across their range and for other songbird species. © 2012 The Wildlife Society.
Quasi-acyclic propositional Horn knowledge bases: optimal compression

Horn knowledge bases are widely used in many applications. The paper is concerned with the optimal compression of propositional Horn production rule bases-one of the most important knowledge bases used in practice. The problem of knowledge compression is interpreted as a problem of Boolean function minimization. It was proved by P.L. Hammer and A. Kogan (1993) that the minimization of Horn functions, i.e., Boolean functions associated with Horn knowledge bases, is NP complete. The paper deals with the minimization of quasi acyclic Horn functions, the class of which properly includes the two practically significant classes of quadratic and of acyclic functions. A procedure is developed for recognizing in quadratic time the quasi acyclicity of a function given by a Horn CNF, and a graph based algorithm is proposed for the quadratic time minimization of quasi acyclic Horn functions. >
Impaired ability of old male rats to secrete growth hormone in vivo but not in vitro in response to hpGRF(1-44)

The capacity of hpGRF (1-44) to induce release of GH in young (3-4 month old) versus old (19-21 month old) male rats was compared in vivo and in vitro. Injection of 1 ug/kg hpGRF to rats anesthetized with sodium pentobarbital increased plasma GH concentrations in young animals to greater than 1600 ng/ml within 5 min, and a dose of 10 ug/kg hpGRF increased GH levels to approximately 1900 ng/ml at 10 min. In old rats, plasma GH concentrations were increased after hpGRF but the increases were significantly lower than in the young rats at 5, 10, and 20 min after injection (P less than 0.01). The total GH released in old animals was calculated to be approximately 50% of that in young animals. In vitro release of GH from anterior pituitary slices incubated with hpGRF was also compared between young and old animals. After 20 min incubation with hpGRF (10(-9) or 10(-7) M) or vehicle, both young and old animals demonstrated a dose related and equivalent increase in GH release. These results indicate a reduced capacity of hpGRF to stimulate GH release in vivo in aged as compared to young male rats. This decline is believed to be due to a hypothalamic influence on the anterior pituitary since the in vitro response of anterior pituitary tissue to hpGRF was similar in young and old rats. The reduced response to hpGRF in old male rats in vivo may be due to increased release of or enhanced sensitivity to somatostatin.
Building a Human Health Risk Assessment Ontology (RsO): A Proposed Framework

Over the last decade the health and environmental research communities have made significant progress in collecting and improving access to genomic, toxicology, exposure, health, and disease data useful to health risk assessment. One of the barriers to applying these growing volumes of information in fields such as risk assessment is the lack of informatics tools to organize, curate, and evaluate thousands of journal publications and hundreds of databases to provide new insights on relationships among exposure, hazard, and disease burden. Many fields are developing ontologies as a way of organizing and analyzing large amounts of complex information from multiple scientific disciplines. Ontologies include a vocabulary of terms and concepts with defined logical relationships to each other. Building from the recently published exposure ontology and other relevant health and environmental ontologies, this article proposes an ontology for health risk assessment (RsO) that provides a structural framework for organizing risk assessment information and methods. The RsO is anchored by eight major concepts that were either identified by exploratory curations of the risk literature or the exposure-ontology working group as key for describing the risk assessment domain. These concepts are: (1) stressor, (2) receptor, (3) outcome, (4) exposure event, (5) dose-response approach, (6) dose-response metric, (7) uncertainty, and (8) measure of risk. We illustrate the utility of these concepts for the RsO with example curations of published risk assessments for ionizing radiation, arsenic in drinking water, and persistent pollutants in salmon.
Fish oil rich diet in comparison to saturated fat rich diet offered protection against lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation and insulin resistance in mice

Systemic chronic inflammation is linked to metabolic syndrome, type-2 diabetes, and heart disease. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a Gram negative microbial product, triggers inflammation through toll-like-receptor-4 (TLR-4) signaling. It has been reported that dietary fatty acids also modulate inflammation through TLR-4. We investigated whether fish oil (FO) rich diet in comparison to saturated fat (SF) rich diet would confer protection from pathologies induced by LPS. Twenty C57BL/6 mice were divided into two groups. One group received FO-diet and other received SF-diet ad libitum for 60 days. Diets were isocaloric containing 45% energy from fat. After 60-days of feeding, blood was collected after overnight fast. Mice were allowed to recover for 4-days, fasted for 5-hours, challenged with 100 ng/mL of LPS intraperitonially, and bled after 2-hours. After 7-days of recuperation, mice were challenged with 500 ng/mL of LPS intraperitonially and observed for physical health. Food intake was similar in FO- and SF-fed mice. FO-fed mice compared to SF-fed mice had significantly less body weight gain (P = 0.005), epididymal fat weight (P = 0.005), fasting blood glucose (70.8 vs 83.3 ng/dL; P < 0.05), HOMA-IR (5.0 vs 13.6; P < 0.019), and serum cholesterol (167 vs 94 mg/dL; P < 0.05). When challenged with LPS, FO-fed mice had significantly lower serum IL-1β compared to SF-fed mice (2.0 vs 30.0 pg/mL; P < 0.001). After LPS-challenge, SF-fed mice had higher mortality, lost more body weight, and had greater decrease in blood glucose compared to FO-fed mice. Overall, FO-diet compared to SF-diet offered protection against deleterious effects of LPS in mice.
The landscape of M-theory compactifications on seven-manifolds with G 2 holonomy

We study the physics of globally consistent four-dimensional $$ \mathcal{N} $$ = 1 super-symmetric M-theory compactifications on G2 manifolds constructed via twisted connected sum; there are now perhaps fifty million examples of these manifolds. We study a rich example that exhibits U(1)3 gauge symmetry and a spectrum of massive charged particles that includes a trifundamental. Applying recent mathematical results to this example, we compute the form of membrane instanton corrections to the superpotential and spacetime topology change in a compact model; the latter include both the (non-isolated) G2 flop and conifold transitions. The conifold transition spontaneously breaks the gauge symmetry to U(1)2, and associated field theoretic computations of particle charges make correct predictions for the topology of the deformed G2 manifold. We discuss physical aspects of the abelian G2 landscape broadly, including aspects of Higgs and Coulomb branches, membrane instanton corrections, and some general aspects of topology change.
Reactive compatibilization and in‐line morphological analysis of blends of PET and a thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer

The reactive extrusion of a compatibilized polyethylene terephthlate and thermotropic liquid crystalline copolyester blend system is investigated via in-line optical microscopy and light scattering. The reactivity, morphology, rheological behavior and mechanical properties were studied. It was found that a droplet-fiber transition in the liquid crystalline polymer can occur, and this transition is dependent upon the reactivity, the viscosity ratio of the blend components and the shear fields. The fibers are strongly oriented along the flow direction when specific processing conditions are met. An enhancement in the mechanical properties correlates with the morphology. The formation, deformation and stability of the fiber microstructure under different flow conditions are discussed.
Generalized guaranteed rate scheduling algorithms: a framework

In this paper, we define a class of generalized guaranteed rate (GR) scheduling algorithms that includes algorithms which allocate a variable rate to the packets of a flow. We define work-conserving generalized virtual clock, packet-by-packet generalized processor sharing, and self-clocked fair queueing scheduling algorithms that can allocate a variable rate to the packets of a flow. We also define scheduling algorithms suitable for servers where packet fragmentation may occur. We demonstrate that if a class of rate controllers is employed for a flow in conjunction with any scheduling algorithm in GR, then the resulting non-work-conserving algorithm also belongs to GR. This leads to the definition of several non-work-conserving algorithms. We then present a method for deriving the delay guarantee of a network of servers when: (1) different rates are allocated to packets of a flow at different servers along the path and the bottleneck server for each packet may be different, and (2) packet fragmentation and/or reassembly may occur. This delay guarantee enables a network to provide various service guarantees to flows conforming to any specification. We illustrate this by utilizing delay guarantee to derive delay bounds for flows conforming to leaky bucket, exponentially bounded burstiness, and flow specification. Our method for determining these bounds is valid in internetworks and leads to tighter results.
Grazing Management, Season, and Drought Contributions to Near-Surface Soil Property Dynamics in Semiarid Rangeland

Grazing management effects on soil property dynamics are poorly understood. A study was conducted to assess effects of grazing management and season on soil property dynamics and greenhouse gas flux within semiarid rangeland. Grazing management treatments evaluated in the study included two permanent pastures differing in stocking rate (moderately and heavily grazed pastures) and a fertilized, heavily grazed crested wheatgrass (Agropyron desertorum [Fisch. ex. Link] Schult.) pasture near Mandan, North Dakota. Over a period of 3 yr, soil properties were measured in the spring, summer, and fall at 0‐5 cm and 5‐10 cm. Concurrent to soil-based measurements, fluxes of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide were measured on 1-wk to 2-wk intervals and related to soil properties via stepwise regression. High stocking rate and fertilizer nitrogen (N) application within the crested wheatgrass pasture contributed to increased soil bulk density and extractable N, and decreased soil pH and microbial biomass compared to permanent pastures. Soil nitrate nitrogen tended to be greatest at peak aboveground biomass, whereas soil ammonium nitrogen was greatest in early spring. Drought conditions during the third year of the study contributed to nearly two-fold increases in extractable N under the crested wheatgrass pasture and the heavily grazed permanent pasture, but not the moderately grazed permanent pasture. Stepwise regression found select soil properties to be modestly related to soil‐atmosphere greenhouse gas fluxes, with model r 2 ranging from 0.09 to 0.76. Electrical conductivity was included most frequently in stepwise regressions and, accordingly, may serve as a useful screening indicator for greenhouse gas ‘‘hot spots’’ in grazing land.
Design and motion planning of a mechanical snake

The paper presents the design and motion planning for a mechanical snake robot that was built at the University of Michigan. The structure of the robot enables it to move without wheels. It is constructed of a series of articulated links, each one with a motor and linear solenoid. Although each link has only one motor, this structure allows the body configuration to be easily controlled thereby enabling the robot to move in very cluttered environments. The motion planning system provides the robot with a basic motion pattern that can be easily modified for different tasks and environments. The mechanical snake does not avoid obstacles on its way, but rather "accommodates" them by continuing its motion towards the target while in contact with the obstacles. With the authors' design and motion planning, each link has a different number of degrees-of-freedom in each motion stage, providing the robot with great adaptability even during contact with obstacles in a cluttered environment. >
GPR Imaging Using Compressed Measurements

A new data acquisition and imaging method exploiting the sparsity of the target space is presented for ground penetrating radar (GPR) imaging. Sparsity is enforced by solving a convex lscr1 minimization problem which uses a very small number of random measurements. The method can greatly reduce the data acquisition time while producing sparse target space images. Simulation and experimental data results are provided to show that the method has excellent resolution and is robust to noise and random spatial sampling.
Out-of-Hospital Deaths Within 30 Days Following Hospitalization Where Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Was Performed

Much has been learned about predictors of in-hospital death after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), but little is known about the predictors of short-term death after discharge. This is particularly important for PCI, with its short postprocedural hospitalization and concern about postprocedural events such as stent thrombosis and need for emergency cardiac surgery. The focus of this study was all 51,695 patients who underwent PCI in New York State from January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2007, who were discharged alive by December 31, 2007. All patients were followed for 30 days after discharge to determine if they died after discharge within 30 days. The in-hospital and 30-day mortality rate for PCI patients was 0.94%, the in-hospital mortality rate was 0.56%, and the mortality rate for deaths that occurred after discharge within 30 days of the procedure was 0.38%. Of the PCI deaths that occurred either in the index admission or after discharge within 30 days, 40.5% occurred after discharge. The percentage of short-term (in-hospital or within 30 days) deaths in hospitals with ≥10 short-term deaths ranged from 15% to 71%. In conclusion, compared to PCI patients dying in the index admission, patients who died
5-Aminosalicylate Therapy

Aminosalicylates are a class of medications commonly used as first-line therapy for induction and maintenance of remission in mild to moderate inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) [1]. Although their use in ulcerative colitis (UC) is well established, their role in Crohn’s disease (CD) remains controversial. Aminosalicylates were derived from sulfasalazine (SASP), comprised by two moieties with antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties, sulfapyridine and 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA), respectively [2, 3]. In the colonic lumen, bacteria metabolize the azo bond that joins the subunits thereby releasing the therapeutically active 5-ASA and the inactive sulfapyridine [4]. Although effective for the treatment of IBD, the dose-related adverse effects and hypersensitivity reactions associated with sulfapyridine led to the development nonsulfa aminosalicylates. The use of 5-ASAs in adults with IBD is well established; however, there is limited evidence for their safety and efficacy in the pediatric IBD population. This shortcoming is further accentuated by mounting evidence that suggests important differences between adult and pediatric IBD. Nonetheless, 5-ASAs are commonly used in pediatric IBD patients and their use in this population remains mainly guided by the adult literature.
Rifampin for Surgically Treated Staphylococcal Infective Endocarditis: A Propensity Score-Adjusted Cohort Study.

Background Rifampin is recommended as adjunctive treatment for staphylococcal prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE). It is unclear whether this should hold for surgically treated patients. The purpose of this study was to examine whether adjunctive rifampin treatment in addition to cell wall active antimicrobial agents in patients with surgically treated staphylococcal infective endocarditis (IE) results in better outcomes. Methods Patients operated on for staphylococcal IE from April 1, 2008, to July 1, 2014, were identified from our institution's IE registry. Rifampin treatment was defined as 3 or more days of rifampin postoperatively. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to compare a composite outcome of death or reoperation for IE relapse, between patients treated and not treated with rifampin, adjusted for propensity to be treated with rifampin, methicillin resistance, all-purpose refined diagnosis related group (APR-DRG) severity score, and APR-DRG mortality risk. Results In all, 273 patients were identified. The mean age was 56 years, 66% were male, 50% had PVE, 60% had S. aureus or S. lugdunensis infection, 89% had left side involvement, and 57% had invasive disease. Fifty-one (27%) received 3 or more days of rifampin postoperatively. Ninety-two patients died or underwent reoperation for IE relapse at a median of 205 days (interquartile range 56 to 718 days). In a multivariable model, patients treated with rifampin had a similar hazard of death or reoperation for IE relapse as those not treated (hazard ratio 0.76, 95% confidence interval 0.44 to 1.32, p value 0.34). The results were robust to varying definitions of rifampin treatment. Conclusions Among patients with surgically treated staphylococcal IE there was insufficient evidence to claim a reoperation-free survival benefit from treatment with rifampin. Rifampin should not be used as adjunctive therapy for staphylococcal IE in patients who have undergone surgical procedures for its treatment.
Empirical Evidence on the Behavior and Impact of Patent Trolls: A Survey

We survey the empirical literature on non-practicing entity (NPE) litigation behavior and its consequences. We document both aggregate trends and cross-sectional differences amongst various types of NPEs. Survey evidence illustrates a number of ways in which NPEs can potentially act opportunistically, and indicates at least some instances and consequences of observed NPE opportunism. Large-sample empirical work has recently begun corroborating and amplifying the findings from survey evidence. NPEs on average behave as "patent trolls." Indeed, NPEs hold and frequently litigate patents that are likely to be at least partially invalidated; moreover, NPEs, target cash irrespective of its relation to alleged infringement. Cash-targeting is neither the main driver of practicing entity (PE) intellectual property (IP) litigation, nor of non-IP litigation against publicly traded firms. The empirical evidence suggests, however, that not all NPEs exhibit trolling behavior -- the cash-targeting observed in the data is primarily the behavior of large patent aggregators, rather than small inventors. NPE patent trolling has a real negative impact on targeted firms, without any increase in innovation, technology transfer, or other counterbalancing benefits measured thus far.
Electrospray from an Ionic Liquid Ferrofluid utilizing the Rosensweig Instability

A new type of electrospray technology that could be used for space propulsion was developed at Michigan Technological University. This thruster utilized an ionic liquid ferrofluid that was synthesized by suspending magnetic nanoparticles in an ionic liquid carrier solution so that the resulting fluid is superparamagnetic. The magnetic properties of the fluid were exploited to create self-assembling static arrays of surface peaks which were then amplified with an applied electric field until ion current was emitted from the array. The current and voltage profile of the emitting array was measured and its ability to self-heal after a damaging event was observed.
Breeding of Rice Sterile Line G29A

The rice sterile line G29A was bred by maintainer materials 04N1129CMS line G98A,backcrossed for seven continuous generations and approved by Guizhou Crop Variety Approval Committee in 2012.The 04N1129was selected through the hybridization of maintainer line G98Band an intermediate material 145Bhybridization and a few years of individual selection.
The role of physicians' assistants in a university teaching service.

Several significant problems are currently facing training programs in thoracic and cardiovascular surgery. These include an excess of trainees; the increased clinical activities in a number of medical centers, necessitating large cardiovascular surgical teams; and the less than optimal practice of using thoracic surgery trainees to perform routine tasks. We propose that the addition of physicians' assistants (P.A.'s) to the surgical team should alleviate these problems. These individuals can fit into the gap that separates the registered nurse from the thoracic surgery resident. After having been trained for a 2 year period, the P.A. can perform many routine tasks of minimal teaching value now assigned to the, thoracic surgery trainee. Relieving the trainee of these tasks should improve his morale, give him more time to evaluate the progress of each patient, and thereby improve the over-all patient care. We believe that by offering the P.A. a position with a thoracic surgery team, we are providing an exciting new profession in the health care delivery system.
PARP inhibitors: what we know and what we have yet to know.

Pharmacologic strategies targeting the DNA of tumor cells have been in use for much of the past century for many different cancer types. Radiation has also been a long-employed strategy to cause DNA damage and subsequent tumor cell death. However, the class of agents designed to inhibit the enzyme poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) have taken this a step further—these agents do not damage DNA themselves, but rather, inhibit the repair of DNA via inhibition of the base excision single-strand repair pathway. PARP inhibitors have been shown preclinically and clinically to enhance the affects of chemotherapies known to damage DNA or interefere with DNA replication. However, the most exciting use of PARP inhibitors may be in exploiting the concept of synthetic lethality. In this setting, the concept is based on two factors: (1) BRCA1/2-positive malignancies cannot use one of the major pathways to repair double-strand DNA breaks (ie, homologous recombination), and (2) making the base excision repair pathway nonfunctional via inhibition of PARP leads to tumor cell death, as unrepaired single-strand breaks are converted into double-strand breaks.
Population and Comparative Genomics Inform Our Understanding of Bacterial Species Diversity in the Soil

Estimates of bacterial soil diversity are astronomical. In fact, the soil is so rich with bacteria that we require new methods to even measure it. As we seek to provide ever more accurate diversity estimates, have we created an even greater challenge with respect to how we name it? In other words, can we make sense of this staggering amount of diversity at the species level? The introduction of whole genome sequencing has provided new insights into the levels and types of variation segregating in what are considered “robust” bacterial species. These data suggest that a species concept based upon the classic Biological Species Concept, originally proposed by Ernst Mayer, may well serve in many cases. However, we are at the earliest stages of characterizing bacterial species at the genome level and we are almost certain to be surprised along the way.
Imposing limits on autonomous systems.

AbstractOur present era is witnessing the genesis of a sea-change in the way that advanced technologies operate. Amongst this burgeoning wave of untrammelled automation there is now beginning to arise a cadre of ever-more independent, autonomous systems. The degree of interaction between these latter systems with any form of human controller is becoming progressively more diminished and remote; and this perhaps necessarily so. Here, I advocate for human-centred and human favouring constraints to be designed, programmed, promulgated and imposed upon these nascent forms of independent entity. I am not sanguine about the collective response of modern society to this call. Nevertheless, the warning must be voiced and the issue debated, especially among those who most look to mediate between people and technology.Practitioner Summary: Practitioners are witnessing the penetration of progressively more independent technical orthotics into virtually all systems’ operations. This work enjoins them to advocate for ...
Time-Variant Redundancy of Ship Structures

An efficient procedure for the computation of the redundancy of ship structures is presented. The changes in the redundancy due to corrosion section loss over time are also studied. Moreover, uncertainties associated with structural geometry, material properties, and loading, are accounted for. In order to calculate the redundancy index, the probability of failure of the first component and the probability of ultimate failure of the whole hull girder must be evaluated. The probability of failure is computed using a hybrid Latin Hypercube - second-order reliability method (SORM) technique. The deterministic analyses during the simulations are conducted using an optimization approach for computing the ultimate bending strength of the whole hull girder and the progressive collapse method for computing the first bending failure.
Transfer of a Computer-Assisted Instrument Procedures Trainer to Flight

A simple, comparatively inexpensive instrument flight trainer based on computer-assisted instruction (CAI) technology was compared with more traditional devices in training 48 private pilots to fly a standard instrument procedure. Groups of students were trained using either (a) CAI and aircraft training, (b) ground school, ground-based trainer and aircraft training, or (c) ground school and aircraft training. Both the CAI system and the general aviation flight trainer were found to provide similar magnitude of transfer to the aircraft. The results suggest that substantial cost benefit could be derived by substituting such CAI training for more costly higher fidelity training in the flight training curriculum.
Student-Athlete Career Development through Community Service: A Retrospective Study

The purpose of this study was to examine, through a retrospective lens, the effects that collegiate community service has on the career development of student-athletes under the umbrella of functional motivation theory. To do so, researchers analyzed the career development of seven former Southeastern Conference (SEC) student-athletes who were awarded membership to the SEC Community Service team through both individual and team contributions. NCAA Division-I student-athletes face hindrances through time restraints but also have resources designed to enhance academic and vocational development, such as the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Life Skills program (formerly CHAMPS). Through phone interviews focused on reflective collegiate community service and career development, several themes emerged. For collegiate community service the most common themes were: Service Settings, Current Service, and Time Restraints. For career development, the major themes were: Working with Diverse Groups, Scholarship and Admittance into Graduate Programs, and Career Choice/Personal Values. In analysis, the majority of the discovered themes align firmly with the National Association of College and Employer’s (NACE) career readiness competencies.
Who Contributes to the Provision of Public Goods at the Community Level? The Case of Potable Water in Ghana

This article offers an analytical framework to explain participation in the provision of drinking water in communities in Ghana along with empirical evidence of the individual factors that influence this provision. Framed in the context of the debate about the devolution of responsibilities from the government to the users of public goods to increase management efficiency and sustainability, the study analyzes how individuals respond to potable water participation activities. Distinguishing activities by the type of participation incentives they offer, the study finds that social exclusion is more likely in activities that lack effort complementarities and which have larger impacts on output allocation. Appropriation of social benefits is found to determine participation more strongly than the appropriation of the natural resource itself.
The politics of promoting social cash transfers in Zambia

In 2015 the Government of Uganda agreed to start rolling out a social pension programme, and increasing its own contribution to it. This was driven by the highly politicized efforts of a transnational policy coalition, led by international donors and national bureaucrats. It was a struggle over ideas as well as resources, with this coalition having to overcome strong resistance from Finance Ministry tendencies until the policy coalition started â€˜thinking and working politicallyâ€™ to help align the social protection agenda with Ugandaâ€™s shifting political settlement dynamics. Governmentâ€™s apparent commitment to social protection remains meagre; only a tiny proportion of Ugandaâ€™s poor will benefit. The evidence presented here raises serious concerns regarding the developmental character of Ugandaâ€™s contemporary political settlement and the costs of the â€˜going with the grainâ€™ motif of the new â€˜thinking and working politicallyâ€™ agenda. Aligning policy agendas with dominant interests and ideas may render interventions politically acceptable while further embedding clientelist logics and doing little to address distributional problem.
Residual Stress Influence on Dissimilar Material Weld Junction Fracture

In most of nuclear reactors such as Pressurized Water Reactors (PWR) or Boiling Water Reactors (BWR), heavy section components made in low alloy steel are connected with stainless steel piping systems. The dissimilar material weld (DMW) junctions are performed between ferritic nozzle ends and austenitic stainless steel piping, following a special manufacturing procedure to ensure a good resistance of the joint. Post weld heat treatment (PWHT) is applied to reduce residual stresses in the heat affected zone (HAZ), but whatever the process is, the difference in thermal expansion coefficients induces residual stresses during the cooling stage. Furthermore, differences in tensile properties may cause strain concentration at the weld to ferritic steel interface which enhances the risk of crack initiation and extension. Several experiences from the field confirm sensitivity to fatigue, corrosion or low toughness areas in this type of junction.
The Influence of Disease-Specific Prognostic Factors on the Outcome of Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Myeloma

Abstract Although allogeneic HSCT is potentially curative in myeloma, series reporting encouraging results with submyeloablative regimens suffer from limited follow-up and incomplete information on prognostic factors known to be relevant in myeloma. The outcome of 24 myeloma patients (50–66 years, median 52) undergoing reduced-intensity allogeneic HSCT after 100 mg/m2 melphalan from related (n=21) or unrelated (n=3) donors. The 9 patients who had not relapsed after preceding autotransplantation received 50 mg/kg cyclophosphamide in addition. No patient underwent a planned sequential autograft-allograft procedure. Complete prognostic factor information was available on each patient. High-risk disease (n=16) was defined by one or more of the following: del(13) on conventional karyotyping, t(4;14), del(17p), plasma cell labeling index >1%, elevated LDH, plasmablastic morphology. The disease was refractory to therapy in 16 patients. Three patients (13%) had disease that was neither high-risk nor progressive, 10 had disease that was either high-risk or refractory, and 11 had refractory, high-risk disease. Four patients died of toxicity (3 GVHD, 1 multiorgan failure) and 19 relapsed. 18 of 19 relapsing patients died of progressive disease and 1 is alive in CR after a second allograft. High-risk (RR 0.11, P=0.0007) disease and refractoriness to therapy (RR=0.10, P=0.0006) were associated with poorer event-free survival. High-risk (RR 0.16, P=0.002) disease and refractoriness to therapy (RR=0.23, P=0.007) were associated with poorer event-free survival. The combination of the two factors resulted in the identification of 3 categories of patients with highly disparate outcomes as shown in Figure 2. Download : Download high-res image (77KB) Download : Download full-size image Download : Download high-res image (97KB) Download : Download full-size image Our data suggest that the outcome of allogeneic HSCT in myeloma is disappointing unless the disease is sensitive to therapy and biologically low-risk. However, such disease responds exceedingly well to autotransplantation–and is associated with prolonged survival that can rival that seen after allogeneic HSCT. Alternative strategies are needed to improve the outcome of patients with refractory or high-risk disease–and may include elective post-allograft maintenance therapy with novel agents such as thalidomide, lenalidomide or bortezomib.
The Other Function: Class II-Restricted Antigen Presentation by B Cells

Mature B lymphocytes (B cells) recognize antigens using their B cell receptor (BCR) and are activated to become antibody-producing cells. In addition, and integral to the development of a high-affinity antibodies, B cells utilize the specialized major histocompatibility complex class II (MHCII) antigen presentation pathway to process BCR-bound and internalized protein antigens and present selected peptides in complex with MHCII to CD4+ T cells. This interaction influences the fate of both types of lymphocytes and shapes immune outcomes. Specific, effective, and optimally timed antigen presentation by B cells requires well-controlled intracellular machinery, often regulated by the combined effects of several molecular events. Here, we delineate and summarize these events in four steps along the antigen presentation pathway: (1) antigen capture and uptake by B cells; (2) intersection of internalized antigen/BCRs complexes with MHCII in peptide-loading compartments; (3) generation and regulation of MHCII/peptide complexes; and (4) exocytic transport for presentation of MHCII/peptide complexes at the surface of B cells. Finally, we discuss modulation of the MHCII presentation pathway across B cell development and maturation to effector cells, with an emphasis on the shaping of the MHCII/peptide repertoire by two key antigen presentation regulators in B cells: HLA-DM and HLA-DO.
Neisseria gonorrhoeae Lytic Transglycosylases LtgA and LtgD Reduce Host Innate Immune Signaling through TLR2 and NOD2.

Neisseria gonorrhoeae releases anhydro peptidoglycan monomers during growth through the action of two lytic transglycosylases encoded in the N. gonorrhoeae genome, LtgA and LtgD. Because peptidoglycan and peptidoglycan components activate innate immune signaling, we hypothesized that the activity of LtgA and LtgD would influence the host responses to gonococcal infection. N. gonorrhoeae lacking LtgA and LtgD caused increased host production of inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and TNF-α. Culture supernatants from ΔltgA/ΔltgD N. gonorrhoeae contain more shed outer membrane-associated proteins and multimeric peptidoglycan fragments rather than monomers. These culture supernatants were more potent activators of host TLR2 and NOD2 signaling when compared to supernatants from the isogenic parental N. gonorrhoeae strain. Purified peptidoglycan monomers containing anhydro muramic acid produced by LtgA were poor stimulators of NOD2, whereas peptidoglycan monomers containing reducing muramic acid produced by host lysoz...
Clinical and pathological classification of canine intraocular lymphoma.

The objectives of this retrospective study of 100 dogs with intraocular lymphoma were to describe the histomorphologic and immunohistochemical features of canine intraocular lymphoma, determine the proportion of cases with presumed solitary ocular lymphoma (PSOL) compared to multicentric disease, and assess the clinical outcomes of these patients. Selected cases from Penn Vet Diagnostic Laboratory and Comparative Ocular Pathology Lab of Wisconsin (2004-2015) were evaluated and subtyped using the WHO classification system. Peripheral T-cell lymphoma and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma were the two most common subtypes. Questionnaires were distributed to the referring veterinarians and veterinary ophthalmologists inquiring about clinical signs at time of enucleation, staging, patient outcome, treatment, and disease progression. Cases were categorized as PSOL if only ocular involvement was noted at the time of diagnosis based on the clinical staging criteria. The majority of cases (61%) did not have systemic involvement at the time of diagnosis, and these cases did not progress postoperatively. Median survival time (MST) was significantly higher for the presumed solitary intraocular cases: 769 vs. 103 days, hazard ratio of 0.23 (95% CI: 0.077-0.68). The subtype of lymphoma did not affect survival time. The results of this study suggest two significant points of clinical interest: the majority of dogs (61%) presented without signs of systemic involvement of lymphoma at the time of enucleation, and dogs with only ocular involvement showed no disease progression postenucleation.
Milling solid proteins to enhance activity after melt-encapsulation

Abstract Polymeric systems for the immobilization and delivery of proteins have been extensively used for therapeutic and catalytic applications. While most devices have been created via solution based methods, hot melt extrusion (HME) has emerged as an alternative due to the high encapsulation efficiencies and solvent-free nature of the process. HME requires high temperatures and mechanical stresses that can result in protein aggregation and denaturation, but additives and chemical modifications have been explored to mitigate these effects. This study explores the use of solid-state ball milling to decrease protein particle size before encapsulation within poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) via HME. The impact of milling on particle dispersion, retained enzymatic activity, secondary structure stability, and release was explored for lysozyme, glucose oxidase, and the virus-like particle derived from Qβ to fully understand the impact of milling on protein systems with different sizes and complexities. The results of this study describe the utility of milling to further increase the stability of protein/polymer systems prepared via HME.
Photodiode-integrated UWB phased array antennas

High-power, high-linearity CC-MUTC photodiodes, directly integrated into connected and tightly coupled array antennas enable ultra-wideband (UWB) phased array operation with improved size, weight, and power (SWaP). Presented is high-fidelity beam steering and bandwidth performance of several of these one-dimensional photodiode-integrated antenna arrays.
Flavonoid-derived anisotropic silver nanoparticles inhibit growth and change the expression of virulence genes in Escherichia coli SM10

We hereby present a novel greener and ecofriendly synthesis of anisotropic silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using water soluble quercetin diphosphate (QDP). QDP was employed as a reducing, capping and stabilizing agent at room temperature without any extraneous reagents. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of modified quercetin pentaphosphate silver nanoparticles (QPP-AgNPs) and quercetin diphosphate derived silver nanoparticles (QDP-AgNPs) on microbial growth and expressions of virulence-related genes in Escherichia coli SM10. The gene expression analysis was carried out for 12 genes which are related to virulence and stress in E. coli SM10, namely: RpoD, RpoS, ibpB, clpB, uspA, fliC, fimH, fimF, kdpE, artJ, hyaA, and gyrA. Results showed that QDP-AgNPs reduced the swarming motility by 98% which correlated with the reduction in the expression of FliC flagellar gene. A simultaneous increase in the expression of the fimbrial genes FimH and FimF that are related to motility was recorded. In contrast, treatment of the microbes with QPP-AgNPs resulted in 90% of the swarming motility at different patterns compared to QDP-AgNPs treatment for the gene expressions of motility elements. The study revealed that QDP-AgNPs up-regulated the stress related RpoD and ibpB expressions, while QPP-AgNPs up-regulated the stress related RpoS and uspA gene expressions. However, both QDP-AgNPs and QPP-AgNPs up-regulated kpdE, artJ and gry at different levels. QDP-AgNPs were also tested for their antibacterial and antifungal activities, which showed μmolar cidal activity. The growth kinetics of both Gram (−) and Gram (+) bacteria were strongly altered by QDP-AgNPs activity. Energy dispersive absorption spectroscopy (EDS) studies revealed that silver ions and/or the nanoparticles themselves transferred into bacterial cells. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of studying the genetic and kinetic response of bacteria to modified quercetin phosphate mediated silver nanoparticles and we hereby report that the molecules used to synthesize AgNPs bring about a strong effect on AgNPs manipulatory activity on the tested 12-genes.
Automatic Detection and Estimation of Unannounced Meals for Multivariable Artificial Pancreas System

Abstract Background: Automatically attenuating the postprandial rise in the blood glucose concentration without manual meal announcement is a significant challenge for artificial pancreas (AP) systems. In this study, a meal module is proposed to detect the consumption of a meal and to estimate the amount of carbohydrate (CHO) intake. Methods: The meals are detected based on qualitative variables describing variation of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) readings. The CHO content of the meals/snacks is estimated by a fuzzy system using CGM and subcutaneous insulin delivery data. The meal bolus amount is computed according to the patient's insulin to CHO ratio. Integration of the meal module into a multivariable AP system allows revision of estimated CHO based on knowledge about physical activity, sleep, and the risk of hypoglycemia before the final decision for a meal bolus is made. Results: The algorithm is evaluated by using 117 meals/snacks in retrospective data from 11 subjects with type 1 diabetes. S...
Changes in brain connectivity following exposure to bilateral eye movements.

Abstract The present research assessed how engaging in bilateral eye movements influences brain activity. Participants had their resting-state brain activity recorded with electroencephalography (EEG) before and after they performed 30 s of bilateral eye movements or a center-control manipulation. We assessed differences in change scores for absolute power and coherence between the eye-movement and center-control conditions. A main effect for handedness was present for EEG power in the theta and beta frequency bands, with inconsistent-handed participants displaying a greater increase than consistent-handed participants in both frequency bands. For theta, the increase in power for inconsistent handers was specific to participants in the bilateral eye-movement condition, whose increase in theta power exceeded the increase in theta power for consistent-handed participants regardless of condition. In contrast, for coherence, a main effect for condition was present for the delta frequency band, with participants in the control condition exhibiting a significant drop in posterior delta coherence pre to post. We suggest that the maintenance of posterior delta coherence over time may be an important factor in sustaining attention. Further, the malleability of EEG power for inconsistent-handed participants reveals the importance of individual-differences variables in the potential for behavioral manipulations to change brain activity.
On The Relation Between Equation-of-Motion Coupled-Cluster Theory and the GW Approximation

We discuss the analytic and diagrammatic structure of ionization potential (IP) and electron affinity (EA) equation-of-motion coupled-cluster (EOM-CC) theory, in order to put it on equal footing with the prevalent GW approximation. The comparison is most straightforward for the time-ordered one-particle Green’s function, and we show that the Green’s function calculated by EOM-CC with single and double excitations (EOM-CCSD) includes fewer ring diagrams at higher order than does the GW approximation, due to the former’s unbalanced treatment of time-ordering. However, the EOM-CCSD Green’s function contains a large number of vertex corrections, including ladder diagrams, mixed ring-ladder diagrams, and exchange diagrams. By including triple excitations, the EOM-CCSDT Green’s function includes all diagrams contained in the GW approximation, along with many high-order vertex corrections. In the same language, we discuss a number of common approximations to the EOM-CCSD equations, many of which can be classifie...
Branding and Political Marketing in the United States

Similar to the challenge that companies have in branding their products and services in the commercial marketplace, governments, political parties and campaign organizations all rely on similar theories and strategic tools to carve out successful niches for their leaders. Political parties are like corporate brands that offer an umbrella of predictability of performance just as a corporate endorsement does for a new product that enters the market. Candidates become the political brands of a political party. Branding is all about appealing to peoples’ dreams. Politics is all about selling hope to a people. It has become very difficult for politicians to communicate to their respective target audiences without a clearly defined brand image. We live in an era where politicians manufacture their images through clever branding strategies. These images are sometimes altered overnight because of unexpected events and uncontrollable forces that may take place around the world. Theories and models that explain how products and services are branded are inadequate when one attempts to make the leap to the political marketplace. This article will provide a “strategic overview” of the role of branding in politics; focus on the differences between the role that branding plays in the commercial and political marketplaces; and point to the increasingly more important role that branding is playing in the field of political marketing today and in the future.