cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Efficacy of Perforated Tubing in Assisting Phosphine Distribution for In-Transit Fumigation of Export Corn

Corn aboard a tanker vessel was fumigated in transit with Detia aluminum phosphide tablets and pellets at the rate of 1.06 g (AI)/m3 and with Detia Gas EX-B Bag Blankets at the rate of 1.04 g (AI)/m3. Different lengths and configurations of perforated, polyethylene Advanced Drainage Systems, drainage tubing containing one-third of the dosage and positioned in some of the tanks effected rapid distribution of the phosphine gas throughout the grain mass. Phosphine concentrations achieved within the grain showed that the fumigations in tubing-rigged tanks were far superior to those in either a deep-probed (5 m) or a surface-treated tank not equipped with tubing. Survivors of caged insects and those insects found by incubation of post fumigation grain samples showed that the fumigation in the surface-treated tank was not as efficacious as any of the other treatments. Phosphine residues on the samples of corn taken at off-loading were well below the established tolerance of 0.1 ppm, regardless of the application method used.
Improvement of a post-embedding immunogold labeling method for osmicated tissue

Objective To establish a new post-embedding immunoelectron microscopy method for localization of protein antigens in central nervous system using colloidal golds as probes.Methods Rat brain tissue sections were fixed with osmium-ferrocyanide mixture.Free floating frozen sections were collected to determine the retrievability of antigens by sodium metaperiodate(NaIO_(4)).Then the best concentration of NaIO_(4) for maximal antigen retrieval was determined on hydrophilic Technovit 7100 resin-embedded semithin sections.Finally,the corresponding antigen was labeled with colloidal golds on ultrathin sections.Results NaIO_(4) showed different retrieving effects on different antigens;to those antigens that could be effectively retrieved by NaIO_(4),low concentration of NaIO_(4)could realize antigen retrieval;EM microscopy showed that ultrathin sections treated by low concentration of NaIO_(4) allowed higher density of colloidal gold labeling without apparently compromising the ultrastructures of tissues.
66‐2: Comparison of Flat and Curved Monitors: Eyestrain Caused by Intensive Visual Search Task

Twenty-seven observers performed intensive visual search tasks with curved and flat monitors. Based on a 22-item eyestrain questionnaire, fewer subjects reported eyestrain, difficulty-to-focus and blurred-vision symptoms with a curved monitor than with a flat monitor. Fewer subjects had reduced saccade peak speed following the curved monitor use.
Decreased Mitochondrial Mutagenesis during Transformation of Human Breast Stem Cells into Tumorigenic Cells

Rare stochastic mutations may accumulate during dormancy of stem-like cells, but technical limitations in DNA sequencing have limited exploring this possibility. In this study, we employed a recently established deep-sequencing method termed Duplex Sequencing to conduct a genome-wide analysis of mitochondrial (mt) DNA mutations in a human breast stem cell model that recapitulates the sequential stages of breast carcinogenesis. Using this method, we found significant differences in mtDNA among normal stem cells, immortal/preneoplastic cells, and tumorigenic cells. Putative cancer stem-like cell (CSC) populations and mtDNA copy numbers increased as normal stem cells become tumorigenic cells. Transformed cells exhibited lower rare mutation frequencies of whole mtDNA than did normal stem cells. The predicted mtDNA rare mutation pathogenicity was significantly lower in tumorigenic cells than normal stem cells. Major rare mutation types in normal stem cells are C>T/G>A and T>C/A>G transitions, while only C>T/G>A are major types in transformed cells. We detected a total of 1,220 rare point mutations, 678 of which were unreported previously. With only one possible exception (m10342T>C), we did not find specific mutations characterizing mtDNA in human breast CSCs; rather, the mitochondrial genome of CSCs displayed an overall decrease in rare mutations. On the basis of our work, we suggest that this decrease (in particular T>C/A>G transitions), rather than the presence of specific mitochondrial mutations, may constitute an early biomarker for breast cancer detection. Our findings support the hypothesis that the mitochondrial genome is altered greatly as a result of the transformation of normal stem cells to CSCs, and that mtDNA mutation signatures may aid in delineating normal stem cells from CSCs. Cancer Res; 76(15); 4569-78. ©2016 AACR.
Spontaneous nontraumatic rupture of the thoracic aorta.

Spontaneous nontraumatic rupture of the thoracic aorta is a rare. life-threatening condition for which emergency diagnostic and therapeutic measures are indicated. The entity should he considered in the differential diagnosis ofpatients presenting with chest pain and signs of pericardial tamponade.
Reconciling Control and Discourse Structure

In this paper we consider how control (initiative) is managed in task-oriented dialogues. We propose that control is subordinate to discourse structure. The initiator of a discourse structure segment has control for the entire segment, except occasionally when the non-initiator takes control briefly, then control generally reverts immediately back to the segment initiator, or a new block begins. In analyzing dialogues from the TRAINS corpus we find that inside a segment initiated by one speaker, the other speaker only makes two types of contributions: collaborative completions, in which the non-initiator helps the segment initiator achieve their goal of completing an utterance, and short contributions to the discourse segment purpose. The proposal has important implications for dialogue management: a system only needs to model intentional structure, from which control follows.
Increased food intake after starvation enhances sleep in Drosophila melanogaster.

Feeding and sleep are highly conserved, interconnected behaviors essential for survival. Starvation has been shown to potently suppress sleep across species; however, whether satiety promotes sleep is still unclear. Here we use the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, as a model organism to address the interaction between feeding and sleep. We first monitored the sleep of flies that had been starved for 24 h and found that sleep amount increased in the first 4 h after flies were given food. Increased sleep after starvation was due to an increase in sleep bout number and average sleep bout length. Mutants of translin or adipokinetic hormone, which fail to suppress sleep during starvation, still exhibited a sleep increase after starvation, suggesting that sleep increase after starvation is not a consequence of sleep loss during starvation. We also found that feeding activity and food consumption were higher in the first 10-30 min after starvation. Restricting food consumption in starved flies to 30 min was sufficient to increase sleep for 1 h. Although flies ingested a comparable amount of food at differing sucrose concentrations, sleep increase after starvation on a lower sucrose concentration was undetectable. Taken together, our results suggest that increased food intake after starvation enhances sleep and reveals a novel relationship between feeding and sleep.
Evaluation of the Detonation Performance of Insensitive Explosive Formulations Based on 3,3ʹ Diamino-4,4ʹ-Azoxyfurazan (DAAF) and 3-Nitro-1,2,4-Triazol-5-One (NTO)

Two energetic materials identified for relatively high energy, but little to no response to impact, spark or friction stimuli are 3-nitro-1,2,4-triazole-5-one (NTO), and 3,3ʹ diamino-4,4ʹ-azoxyfura...
Alcohol and Adaptation to Exile in Miami’s Cuban Population

Miami has a multicultural population in which Hispanics are a plurality (about 35%), and primarily Cuban (Metropolitan Dade County, 1983). Because Cubans who originally immigrated to other parts of the United States are constantly “trickling back” to settle in Dade County (Prohias & Casal, 1973), and Hispanic households tend to underreport in the Census, total figures are approximate, but 700,000 to 800,000 is a reasonable estimate of the Cuban population here.
Menkes' syndrome: ophthalmic findings.

Abstract Purpose To report the prevalence and clinical significance of ocular findings in 20 patients with Menkes' syndrome recruited for a clinical trial at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHHD). Design Retrospective observational case series. Participants Twenty patients with Menkes' syndrome enrolled in a clinical trial at the NICHHD, who underwent ophthalmic evaluation at the National Eye Institute from 1990 through 1997. Methods Review of clinical ophthalmic examination records, photographs, and visual evoked potential recordings. Main outcome measures Prevalence of ophthalmic signs of unusual frequency in patients with Menkes' syndrome. Results There was a high prevalence of very poor visual acuity (8 patients), myopia at 21 months old or younger (5 of 9 patients this age who underwent cycloplegic refraction), strabismus (11 of 18 patients whose motility was evaluated), blue irides (15 of 16 patients whose iris color was documented), iris stromal hypoplasia and bilateral peripheral transillumination (7 and 3 patients, respectively), peripheral retinal hypopigmentation (7 of 18 patients whose retinal periphery was noted at the initial examination), and aberrant eyelashes (5 patients). Conclusions Patients with Menkes' syndrome exhibit a high prevalence of several ocular findings, including some (very poor visual acuity, myopia, strabismus) that may warrant special care. Early ocular examination is thus indicated for patients with Menkes' syndrome, particularly those with mild variants of the disease, whose neurologic status is better and lifespan is longer.
Record fT, fmax, and GHz amplification in 2dimensional CVD MoS2 embedded gate fets

We report on chemical vapor deposited (CVD) M0S2 radio frequency (RF) transistors with a record fT of 20 GHz and fmax of 11.4 GHz, and the largest high-field saturation velocity, Vsat = 1.88 × 106 cm/s, in MoS2 reported so far. The gate-first approach, facilitated by cm-scale CVD MoS2, offers enhancement mode operation, Ion/Ioff ratio of 108, and the highest reported transconductance (gm) of 70 μS/μm. The intrinsic ft (fmax) obtained here is 3X (2X) greater than previously reported top-gated CVD MoS2 RF FETs. With as-measured S-parameters, we demonstrate the design of a GHz MoS2-based RF amplifier. This amplifier has gain greater than 15 dB at 1.2 GHz, input return loss > 10 dB, bandwidth > 200 MHz, and DC power consumption of ∼10 mW.
Investigating and eliminating powder separation in pre-mixed powder supply for laser metal deposition process

Abstract Laser Metal Deposition (LMD) is an effective process to fabricate customized material compositions using pre-mixed powders. The deposited material composition is expected to be similar or same as supplied powder mixture. The current investigation is aimed at optimizing and setting up powder feed capable of producing consistent composition ratio in the output material using LMD process. Through experimental investigation the authors identified an important phenomenon: separation in powder mixture during flow from feeder to melt pool. Such separation can cause severe composition deviation in deposited material. This paper introduces a novel particle size optimization method as the solution to eliminate the powder separation. Two types of experiments were done in this study. First, pure Cu and 4047 Al powders were mixed with equal volume percentages (50%–50%), and were transported from the powder feeder to the deposition site. The flow out of the feed tube was captured and preserved in an epoxy resin coating. The volume percentage of each type of powder was plotted by quantifying the distribution of different particles in the pattern. Clear powder separation and consequently composition deviation was found in the first experiment result. During the second experiment, powder mixtures with the same volume percentage composition was transported and captured. However, the particle size distributions of Al4047 and Cu were optimized to equalize the particle acceleration during transportation in the feed tube. By optimizing powder size to equalize acceleration the powder separation was observed to be effectively eliminated. The composition deviation was also significantly reduced. The results from this study are pathbreaking contributions in the research of customized material fabrication with pre-mixed powder in LMD process.
Die Welt des Wissenschaftlichen Rechnens

Die vielen tausend Rechner, die inzwischen weltweit ihre Arbeit verrichten, bewaltigen eine verwirrende und standig wachsende Vielfalt von Aufgaben: sie stellen Rechnungen aus und erledigen die Bestandskontrollen fur Industrie und Verwaltung, leisten Buchungsdienste fur Luftlinien und ahnliche Einrichtungen, bewerkstelligen in bescheidenem Rahmen Ubersetzungen naturlicher Sprachen wie Russisch oder Englisch, uberwachen Produktionsprozesse, usw. usf. Eine ihrer fruhesten Aufgaben - und auch heute noch immer eine der umfangreichsten - bestand darin, Probleme aus Wissenschaft und Technik zu losen, genauer: Losungen fur mathematische Modelle physikalischer Sachverhalte bereitzustellen. Die Verfahren, die solche Losungen liefern, sind Bestandteil des Gebietes, das man gemeinhin Wissenschaftliches Rechnen nennt, und der Gebrauch dieser Verfahren wird, sofern er tieferen Einblick in die wissenschaftlichen oder ingenieurtechnischen Probleme verschafft, rechnerorientierte Wissenschaft oder rechnerorientierte Ingenieurwissenschaft genannt.
Errors, Ambiguity, and Awareness in Language Perception and Production

Three interrelated puzzles have been haunting my work on speech errors, almost since it began in 1965. The awareness puzzle is one, and it consists of two parts. Part 1 of the awareness puzzle concerns relations between awareness and the “adjustments” or accommodations that often follow the production of errors. For example, the speaker who misproduced “cow tracks” as “track cowz” (Garrett, 1980; see also MacKay, 1979) selected the appropriate context-dependent plural unconsciously from among the three alternatives that English allows (/z/, /ez/, and /s/) for the transposed word track. The unconscious nature of these ”context-sensitive accommodations” indicates that speakers can choose unconsciously among alternative outputs, contrary to the proposal of Reason (1984) and others that unconscious processes are inflexible and that only conscious processes are sensitive to context and capable of choice. Context-sensitive accommodations also undermine Marcel’s proposal (1983) that choice among actions can serve as a criterion for consciousness. The puzzle is how these unconscious choices are made.
Ex vivo expansion of murine marrow cells with interleukin-3 (IL-3), IL- 6, IL-11, and stem cell factor leads to impaired engraftment in irradiated hosts

In vitro incubation of bone marrow cells with cytokines has been used as an approach to expand stem cells and to facilitate retroviral integration. Expansion of hematopoietic progenitor cells has been monitored by different in vitro assays and in a few instances by in vivo marrow renewal in myeloablated hosts. This is the first report of studies, using two competitive transplant models, in which cytokine-treated cells, obtained from nonpretreated donors (eg, 5-fluorouracil), were competed with normal cells. A basic assumption is that the expansion of progenitors assayed in vitro as high- and low-proliferative potential colony-forming cells (HPP- and LPP-CFCs) indicates an expansion of stem cells which will repopulate in vivo. This study shows that culture of marrow cells with four cytokines (stem cell factor, interleukin-3 [IL-3], IL-6, IL-11) induces significant expansion and proliferation of HPP-CFC and LPP-CFC. Cell-cycle analysis showed that these hematopoietic progenitors were induced to actively cell cycle by culture with these cytokines. In the first competitive transplant model, which uses Ly5.2/Ly5.1 congenic mice, cytokine-cultured Ly5.2 cells competed with noncultured Ly5.1 cells led to 5% +/- 1% engraftment at 12 weeks and to 4% +/- 2% engraftment at 22 weeks posttransplantation for the cytokine exposed cells. Noncultured Ly5.2 cells competed with cultured Ly5.1 cells led to 70% +/- 1% engraftment at 12 weeks and to 93% +/- 2% engraftment at 22 weeks posttransplantation. In the second model, which uses BALB/c marrow of opposite genders, cultured male cells lead to 13% +/- 9% engraftment at 10 weeks and 2% +/- 1% engraftment at 14 weeks posttransplantation; noncultured male cells lead to 70% +/- 2% and 95% +/- 2% engraftment at 10 and 14 weeks posttransplantation, respectively. Data presented here from two different competitive transplant studies show a defect of cytokine expanded marrow related to cell cycle activation which manifests as defective long-term repopulating capability in irradiated host mice. The engraftment defect is more profound at longer time intervals, suggesting that the most striking effect may be on long-term repopulating cells.
Multidisciplinary Optimization of Urban-Air-Mobility Class Aircraft Trajectories with Acoustic Constraints

The design and analysis of on-demand mobility class vehicles will require thorough acoustic analysis to ensure that more numerous aircraft can operate in densely populated areas without causing excessive levels of noise. This work is a step towards a comprehensive ODM vehicle analysis capability. The authors use 6DOF equations of motion to model the electric quad-rotor concept developed by NASA's Revolutionary Vertical Lift Technologies program. As a first step towards acoustic analysis, this trajectory is coupled to an acoustic model that tracks the sound pressure level perceived by an acoustic observer on the ground. The results show that the approach is successful in finding trajectories that minimize total propulsive impulse while obeying limits imposed on the sound pressure level. Future work will involve adding acoustic analysis of increasing fidelity and tying the resulting trajectories to the performance of the electric propulsion system.
Running for office

Robert P Crease meets a physicist who is trying to get into politics – and finds out what you need to succeed
Biodegradable Polymeric Implants for Retina and Posterior Segment Disease

Drug delivery to the retina and posterior segment of the eye is challenging as the traditional procedures involve frequent clinical visits and administration of medications, drugs, and other injections that could potentially increase chances of infection and intraocular hazards.
Evaluation of a brief sodium screener in two samples

The Sodium Screener© (SS©), as developed by NutritionQuest (Berkeley, CA, USA), was designed to reduce the burden of repeated dietary or urinary sodium measurements, but the accuracy of daily sodium intake estimates has not been reported. Associations were examined between sodium intakes derived from the SS© scores and repeated 24-h recalls (24DR) in two studies with different administration modes. In one study, 102 registered dietitians (RD) completed three Automated Self-Administered 24DRs (ASA24©), version 2014, followed by the SS©; both were self-administered and web-based. In the second sample, (the Study of Household Purchasing Patterns, Eating, and Recreation or SHoPPER), trained dietitians conducted 24DR interviews with 69 community-dwelling adults in their homes; all the community adults then completed a paper-based SS© at the final visit. In the RD study, SS© -predicted sodium intakes were 2604 ± 990 (mean ± Standard deviation (SD)), and ASA24© sodium intakes were 3193 ± 907 mg/day. In the SHoPPER sample, corresponding values were 3338 ± 1310 mg/day and 2939 ± 1231 mg/day, respectively. SS©-predicted and recall sodium estimates were correlated in the RD study (r = 0.381, p = 0.0001) and in the SHoPPER (r = 0.430, p = 0.0002). Agreement between the SS© and 24-h recalls was poor when classifying individuals as meeting the dietary sodium guidelines of 2300 mg/day or not (RD study: kappa = 0.080, p = 0.32; SHoPPER: kappa = 0.207, p = 0.08). Based on repeated 24DR either in person or self-reported online as the criterion for estimating daily sodium intakes, the SS© may require additional modifications.
Supercomputer in a Laptop: Distributed Application and Runtime Development via Architecture Simulation

Architecture simulation can aid in predicting and understanding application performance, particularly for proposed hardware or large system designs that do not exist. In network design studies for high-performance computing, most simulators focus on the dominant message passing (MPI) model. Currently, many simulators build and maintain their own simulator-specific implementations of MPI. This approach has several drawbacks. Rather than reusing an existing MPI library, simulator developers must implement all semantics, collectives, and protocols. Additionally, alternative runtimes like GASNet cannot be simulated without again building a simulator-specific version. It would be far more sustainable and flexible to maintain lower-level layers like uGNI or IB-verbs and reuse the production runtime code. Directly building and running production communication runtimes inside a simulator poses technical challenges, however. We discuss these challenges and show how they are overcome via the macroscale components for the Structural Simulation Toolkit (SST), leveraging a basic source-to-source tool to automatically adapt production code for simulation. SST is able to encapsulate and virtualize thousands of MPI ranks in a single simulator process, providing a “supercomputer in a laptop” environment. We demonstrate the approach for the production GASNet runtime over uGNI running inside SST. We then discuss the capabilities enabled, including investigating performance with tunable delays, deterministic debugging of race conditions, and distributed debugging with serial debuggers.
P65 Feasibility Test of ASA24-2016 to Assess Children's Diets as Reported by Parents Enrolled in Washington State EFNEP

Objective To determine the feasibility of using the Automated Self-Administered 24-Hour Dietary Assessment Tool (ASA24-2016) to assess children's diets as reported by parents enrolled in the Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP). Use of Theory or Research Washington EFNEP collects adult dietary data with a facilitated group 24-hour dietary recall (24HDR) using the form “Food Tracker: What I ate yesterday,” supported by the facilitator and visual guides (Townsend et al 2013). The facilitation of ASA24 mirrored the facilitated process with guided instruction and visuals. Target Audience A sample of English and Spanish speaking parents enrolled in WA EFNEP. Program Description As part of a larger study, parents were asked to complete a 24HDR via ASA24 for their youngest child between ages 2-8 at week two and nine of EFNEP classes. A facilitation kit was used to assist participants. All ASA24 data collections were conducted by trained professional staff. Evaluation Methods Raw data was exported from ASA24 to track the number of successful logins and attempts to enter recalls at each timepoint, total calories consumed, meal times, and food codes. Data collectors recorded errors frequently encountered, adjustments made to specific recalls, and user difficulties. Results Of the 88 enrolled participants, 62% completed ASA24 entry in Spanish and 38% in English. Fifty four percent (47) successfully completed ASA24, 27% (24) were unable to complete ASA24 and their child recalls were collected on paper, and 19% (17) did not attend the data collection. Conclusions ASA24 can successfully be used to assess children's diets reported by parents enrolled in EFNEP. However, users may encounter challenges with connectivity, limited participant literacy levels, and technical difficulties within the ASA24 system. Identifying challenges and strategies to overcome them, is critical to inform the advancement and dissemination of this web-based tool. Funding USDA.
Long-Term Outcomes and Responses to Retreatment in Patients With Melanoma Treated With PD-1 Blockade.

PURPOSETo analyze long-term outcomes after treatment discontinuation of anti–programmed death-1 (anti–PD-1) therapy in a cohort of patients with melanoma with the longest follow-up yet available to...
Measuring Problem Solving Skills in Portal 2

While many researchers believe that problem solving skills can be improved via video gameplay, few empirical studies support the claim. This chapter describes a research project intended to bridge this gap. We recruited 77 college students from a university in northern Florida. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups: (a) the experimental condition, playing the video game Portal 2, and (b) the control condition, playing Lumosity. Results showed a significant difference between the two groups on an overall measure of problem-solving skill after 8 h of gameplay, with an advantage for the Portal 2 players. An examination of specific tests revealed that the difference was primarily due to differential performance on the Insight test. In addition, we found that the Portal 2 in-game performance measures significantly correlated with the insight test scores, but the “problem solving” and “flexibility” measures reported by Lumosity were not correlated with any of our external problem solving tests.
The Correlation of the Trans-Atlantic Inter-Society Consensus Classification to Outcomes of Pedal Amputations.

Abstract In an attempt at limb salvage for patients with peripheral arterial disease, revascularization is often performed prior to pedal amputation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between proximal arterial lesions, based on Trans-Atlantic Inter-Society Consensus aortoiliac, femoropopliteal, and infrapopliteal classifications, and healing pedal amputations post endovascular revascularization. Patients with revascularization up to 90 days prior to pedal amputation with a minimum of 12 months postoperative follow-up were included. Each level of proximal disease was subdivided into Trans-Atlantic Inter-Society Consensus classifications A through D, which range in severity from a single short stenosis or occlusion to more complex stenoses and chronic total occlusion. For comparison, we categorized A and/or B lesions into Group 1 and C and/or D lesions into Group 2. The frequency of proximal lesions was recorded as either isolated, bi-level, or multilevel disease. Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were used to compare categorical variables. Of the 310 patients, there were a total of 68 aortoiliac, 256 femoropopliteal, and 172 infrapopliteal lesions; 140 patients had isolated lesions, 154 had bi-level disease, and 16 had multilevel disease. Although not statistically significant, patients in Group 1 (A and/or B lesions) had higher proportion of failed amputation compared to Group 2 (C and/or D lesions) in either aortoiliac (84.4% vs 15.6%, p = .17), femoropopliteal (61.2% vs 38.8%, p = .72), or infrapopliteal (57.3% vs 42.7%, p = .44). Bi-level disease showed a higher proportion of failure (50.6%) compared to isolated lesions (43.8%) and multilevel disease (5.6%), (p = .86). To our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate the association between Trans-Atlantic Inter-Society Consensus arterial lesions and incisional healing of pedal amputations. Despite our belief, there was no correlation between patients with simple, isolated lesions compared to either complex arterial lesions or multilevel disease in healing pedal amputations.
Synopsys Technology Library

Synopsys technology library format has almost become the de-facto library standard. Its compact yet informative format allows adequate representation of the deep sub-micron technologies. The popularity of the Synopsys library format is evident from the fact that most place and route tools provide a direct translation of the Synopsys libraries, with almost a one-to-one mapping between the timing models in Synopsys libraries, and the place and route timing models. A basic understanding of the library format and delay calculation methods is the key for successful synthesis.
The Role Played by Self-Focused Emotional Ad Appeals on Intentions to Call a Domestic Violence Helpline: Exploring Guilt, Hope, and the Independent Self-Construal in an Indian Context:

Background:Domestic violence against women is a serious health and social issue, with victims found across the world. Utilizing the collective help of bystanders has become an increasingly importan...
Identifying metabolic pathway intermediates that modulate the gallate dioxygenase (DesB) from Sphingobium sp. strain SYK-6

Abstract Lignin is often considered an underutilized carbon source for the production of biofuels and other value-added compounds. Depolymerized lignin results in a collection of different aromatic compounds that have their own metabolic pathways for conversion into central metabolites. This investigation describes the chemical crosstalk of compounds between different metabolic pathways involved in the catabolism of lignin. Specifically, seven compounds were identified as inhibitors of the dioxygenase DesB. The most potent inhibitor, protocatechuate, moderately impacts both vmax and KM of DesB (71 s−1 and 167 μM versus 130 s−1 and 123 μM, in the presence and absence of protocatechuate, respectively) suggesting a mixed (competitive and non-competitive) inhibition profile. Molecular docking identified a putative allosteric pocket adjacent to the active site, in a position analogous to one identified previously for a related dioxygenase. This work demonstrates that lignin catabolic pathway intermediates can modulate the activity of multiple enzymes within the lignin degradation pathway and need to be considered when engineering organisms to utilize lignin for biomass conversion.
What is the Role of the Claustrum in Cortical Function and Neurologic Disease

The claustrum is a thin, sheet-like structure located between the insular cortex and the putamen and is characterized by its reciprocal connections with all neocortical areas.1–6 This remarkable connectivity led to the proposal that the claustrum may be a nodal structure for conscious perceptual experience.1 The cortical inputs to the claustrum have both anterior–posterior and dorsal–ventral organization, with reciprocal claustral projections back to the cortex.2 The claustrum communicates most densely with medial frontal cortical regions and receives prominent inputs from the amygdala, hippocampus, and mediodorsal nucleus of the thalamus.7 Functions attributed to the claustrum include top-down control of attention by segregating attention between modalities,2,8,9 salience processing,10 allocation of attention to reward-related contextual cues,11 executive control,12 and regulation of impulsivity.13 The claustrum primarily exerts a feedforward inhibitory control over the cortex7,14 and may also orchestrate and integrate cortical activity by boosting synchronized oscillations between cortical areas.13,15 However, the functions of the claustrum remain poorly understood. Experimental studies suggest that the claustrum may be involved in focal seizures associated with altered awareness.16 The claustrum shows reversible MRI changes in disorders associated with severe seizures in the setting of encephalitis17–20 and may potentially be involved in motor and cognitive disorders. The claustrum may thus have a potential role and constitute a therapeutic target in disorders associated with disturbances of cognition, behavior, and cortical excitability.
How to Interpret Covid-19 Predictions: Reassessing the IHME’s Model

The IHME Covid-19 prediction model has been one of the most influential Covid models in the United States. Early on, it received heavy criticism for understating the extent of the epidemic. I argue that this criticism was based on a misunderstanding of the model. The model was best interpreted not as attempting to forecast the actual course of the epidemic. Rather, it was attempting to make a conditional projection: telling us how the epidemic would unfold, given certain assumptions. This misunderstanding of the IHME’s model prevented the public from seeing how dire the model’s projections actually were.
Using the integrated behavioral model to explain and predict cannabis vaping among college students

Background: As cannabis laws have become more permissive, use of electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) to vaporize cannabis has also become more prevalent, particularly among college students. With this increase in cannabis vaporizer use, detrimental health effects are emerging, including a new medical diagnosis for vaping-induced respiratory disease, referred to as Electronic cigarette or Vaping-Associated Lung Injury (EVALI). The Integrated Behavior Model is based on the premise that fundamental theoretical constructs explain individual health behavior. Fishbein and Ajzen (2010) posit that the function of attitudes, norms, and personal agency (control beliefs and self-efficacy) are the primary determinants of intention to perform a behavior. Specific research regarding cannabis vaping among college students examining personal agency, or the Integrated Behavioral Model in its entirety, is lacking; the aim of this scientific inquiry is to address this gap in the literature. Methods: Researchers used a cross-sectional research design to collect 423 online survey responses. The survey instrument consisted of 35 items assessing the IBM constructs: Experiential Attitude, Instrumental Attitude, Injunctive Norms, Descriptive Norms, Perceived Control, Self-Efficacy, and Behavioral Intention. Additionally, participants reported past use of cannabis and nicotine, as well as any cannabis vaping behavior changes related to COVID-19. The confirmatory factor analysis indicated good fit of the data to the measurement model. The structural equation model was used to assess the effects of IBM predictors on Behavioral Intention. Results: The IBM predictors accounted for 54.2% of the variance in Behavioral Intention. The strongest path coefficients on Behavioral Intention were Perceived Norm and Experiential Attitude. Additionally, there was a weak positive correlation between vaping cannabis and smoking cannabis within the sample. Conclusions: The results from this study can be used to design interventions to decrease cannabis vaping use among college students. More specifically, social norm interventions and addressing other misconceptions about vaping cannabis, appears to be a promising theoretical approach to help ameliorate this unique public health challenge. Additionally, the low correlation between combustible cannabis use and vaping it indicates the motives for using the different delivery devices vary, suggesting the need to tailor education efforts.
Paracrine Immunotherapy with Interleukin-2 and Local Chemotherapy Is Synergistic in the Treatment of Experimental Brain Tumors

Potent immune responses against malignant brain tumors can be elicited by paracrine intracranial (IC) immunotherapy with interleukin (IL)-2. Additionally, IC delivery of carmustine via biodegradable polymers has been shown to significantly prolong survival in both animal models and clinical trials. In this study, we show that the combination of paracrine immunotherapy, with nonreplicating genetically engineered tumor cells that produce IL-2, and local delivery of chemotherapy by biodegradable polymers prolongs survival in a synergistic manner in mice challenged intracranially with a lethal murine brain tumor. Animals receiving IL-2-transduced cells and polymers containing 10% 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea had significantly improved survival compared with animals receiving IL-2-transduced cells or 10% 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea alone. Median survival for the control group was 19 days. Survival in animals receiving IL-2-transduced cells and 1% carboplatin-containing polymers was also significantly improved compared with either therapy alone. Histopathological examination on day 14 of animals receiving combination treatment showed rare degenerating tumor cells. In addition to tissue necrosis surrounding the polymer, a marked inflammatory reaction was observed. In long-term survivors (all animals receiving combination treatment), no tumor was observed and the inflammatory reaction was completely resolved. The brains of animals receiving combination therapy showed both tissue necrosis due to local chemotherapy and strong inflammation due to paracrine immunotherapy. The demonstration of synergy between paracrine IL-2 and local IC delivery of antineoplastic drugs is novel and may provide a combined treatment strategy for use against both primary and metastatic IC tumors.
Thermo-mechanical properties of super sylramic SiC fibers

Ceramic matrix composites (CMC) reinforced by Sic fibers, such as SiC/SiC, are targeted for application in hot-section components of advanced engines for aerospace propulsion and for electrical power generation. Two Super Sylramic Sic fiber types recently developed at NASA using the Sylramic fiber from COI Ceramics are candidates fof providing these components with improved thermal capability and improved performance. This paper reports on the state-of-the-art ability of these new fiber types to meet the key fiber requirements of these applications: high strength, high creep-rupture resistance, high environmental resistance, and high thermal conductivity. For example, creep-rupture tests performed at from 1350 to 1500 C under various environments to simulate CMC fabrication and service conditions show creep resistance in air improved -20 and -7 times in comparison to current Sylramic and Sylramic-iBN fiber types, respectively. This in turn resulted in an increase in fiber rupture life by up to two orders of magnitude. TEM and AES microscopic observations are presented to indicate that these improvements can be correlated with the replacement of weak grain boundary phases with stronger phases that hinder grain boundary sliding more effectively. SiC/SiC composite results are also provided to show the advantages of the Super Sylramic fiber types both for CMC fabrication and high temperature application.
Managerial Discipline and Corporate Restructuring Following Performance Declines

We examine the incidence of managerial control-reducing disciplinary events (e.g. takeovers, board dismissals, and shareholder activism) and corporate restructuring among firms experiencing a large decline in operating performance during an active takeover period (1985-1988) and a less active period (1989-1992). We document a significant decline in the disciplinary events from the active to the less active period that is driven by a significant decline in disciplinary takeovers (i.e. those takeovers that result in a top executive change). Following the performance decline, however, there is a substantial amount of corporate restructuring (e.g. asset sales, cost-cutting efforts, layoffs) and a significant improvement in operating performance during both the active and the less active takeover period. We conclude that, although some managerial disciplinary events are related to overall takeover activity, the decline in takeover activity has not precluded performance-enhancing resturcturings following performance declines.
Analysis of stretch-activated ion channels

Stretch-activated ion channels (SACs) in myocytes isolated from neonatal rats were studied in cell-attached patches. Stretch was applied to cell-attached patches by suction (5-20 mm Hg) in the recording pipet. Stretch caused the triggering of action potentials that were recorded in cell-attached patches as biphasic action currents (ACs). The significance of a temporal correlation between SAC open probability and ACs was tested using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Poisson distributions. It was shown that current from a small number of SACs injects sufficient charge (0.22 pC during 50 ms) to trigger action potentials in myocytes. >
Small changes with big effects: Tuning polymer properties with supramolecular interactions

For biological polymers like DNA and proteins, supramolecular interactions dictate the folding and assembly of the polymer chains. Advances in synthetic polymer chemistry enable the synthesis of polymers of defined length and composition, but the field has yet to reach the same level of sophistication as nature's polymers. However, the incorporation of just a few supramolecular interactions into a synthetic polymer chain can drastically change the manner in which the polymer assembles and interacts, thereby altering the properties of a polymeric material. This highlight will focus on approaches wherein a low-density of supramolecular functionalities (<10 wt %) were used per polymer chain. How the selection of the appropriate supramolecular functionality (based on the directionality and strength of the interaction), along with the location of these groups on a polymer chain, can afford a spectrum of material properties has been highlighted. At one end, the supramolecular motif can dramatically alter the elasticity of a material, and at the other, the motif can have a more subtle effect like increasing the stability of a micelle. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2016, 54, 457–472
Breast Health Beliefs, Behaviors, and Barriers Among Latina Permanent Resident and Migratory Farm Workers

There is a dearth of research on the breast health behaviors of migratory farm workers. This research used focus group methodology to compare the breast cancer beliefs and barriers of Latina women working as migratory farmers (n = 33) and permanent residents (n = 31). In comparison to their permanent resident counterparts, migrant farmers had low knowledge about the causes of breast cancer, and experienced significant barriers to care. Many barriers were cultural-specific, including culturally-based gender roles. These findings have significant implications for designing culturally-relevant interventions to improve access to care among this population.
Questionnaire Format Bias: When are Juxtaposed Scales Appropriate: A Call for Further Research:

This study examined the use of juxtaposed scales, a type of self-report response scale used to study numerous attitudinal and behavioral concepts. This research is an extension of the exploratory work on the bias associated with juxtaposed scales begun by Hunt and Miller in 1983. Findings support the hypothesis that juxtaposed scales will elicit different responses than separate scales. When are these differences explicit and when are they an unwanted bias? Results and attendant discussion and recommendations are used to call attention to the importance of planning for the method bias which can be created by the use of juxtaposed scales.
COPPER(I) COMPLEXES OF 3,3'-BRIDGED 2,2'-BIQUINOLINE : SYNTHESIS, PROPERTIES, AND STRUCTURE

A series of 3,3‘-bridged derivatives of 2,2‘-biquinoline have been prepared where the bridge consists of one to four methylene units or a −CHCH− moiety. The corresponding [CuL2](ClO4) complexes were also prepared and their structures analyzed and confirmed by 1H NMR. Electronic absorption maxima for the metal-to-ligand transition were found to move to higher energy and oxidation potentials were found to increase as the ligands became more distorted from planarity. An X-ray analysis was carried out for the most distorted system having a 3,3‘-tetramethylene bridge (C44H36BCuF4N4: triclinic, P1, a = 11.605(2) A, b = 12.622(3) A, c = 14.524(3) A, α = 106.05(1)°, β = 109.06(1)°, γ = 105.37(1)°, V = 1778 A3, Z = 2). A wide variation in Cu−N bond lengths, 1.98−2.23 A, was observed, and the two more weakly complexed quinolines were seen to be arranged in an almost parallel fashion. Ligand exchange studies with neocuproine indicated that the strength of Cu(I) binding depends on the planarity of the system as wel...
Reducing the losses of optical metamterials

The field of metamaterials is driven by fascinating and far-reaching theoretical visions, such as perfect lenses, invisibility cloaking, and enhanced optical nonlinearities. However, losses have become the major obstacle towards real world applications in the optical regime. Reducing the losses of optical metamaterials becomes necessary and extremely important. In this thesis, two approaches are taken to reduce the losses. One is to construct an indefinite medium. Indefinite media are materials where not all the principal components of the permittivity and permeability tensors have the same sign. They do not need the resonances to achieve negative permittivity, e. So, the losses can be comparatively small. To obtain indefinite media, three-dimensional (3D) optical metallic nanowire media with different structures are designed. They are numerically demonstrated that they are homogeneous effective indefinite anisotropic media by showing that their dispersion relations are hyperbolic. Negative group refraction and pseudo focusing are observed. Another approach is to incorporate gain into metamaterial nanostructures. The nonlinearity of gain is included by a generic four-level atomic model. A computational scheme is presented, which allows for a self-consistent treatment of a dispersive metallic photonic metamaterial coupled to a gain material incorporated into the nanostructure using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method.more » The loss compensations with gain are done for various structures, from 2D simplified models to 3D realistic structures. Results show the losses of optical metamaterials can be effectively compensated by gain. The effective gain coefficient of the combined system can be much larger than the bulk gain counterpart, due to the strong local-field enhancement.« less
Synthesis of Novel Multifunctional Siloxane Oligomers Using Sol−Gel Techniques and Their Photoinitiated Cationic Polymerization

Employing modified sol−gel techniques, trialkoxysilanes bearing either epoxy or 1-propenyl ether functional groups can be condensed under well controlled conditions to yield a series of soluble multifunctional siloxane oligomers. The key to the success of this synthetic approach was the use of weakly acidic ion-exchange resins as catalysts. The novel multifunctional oligomers displayed exceptionally high reactivity in photoinitiated cationic polymerization using diaryliodonium salts as photoinitiators. Polymerization involved not only addition polymerization of the pendant epoxide or 1-propenyl ether groups but also acid-catalyzed hydrolysis and condensation of residual alkoxy groups along the siloxane backbone.
Cavitation in nonlinear elastodynamics for neo-Hookean materials

Abstract In this paper, we consider the problem of an incompressible elastic solid sphere, composed of a neo-Hookean material, which is set into motion by a suddenly applied uniform radial tensile dead-load p 0 on its boundary. One solution, for all values of p 0 , corresponds to a trivial homogeneous static state in which the sphere remains undeformed while stressed. However, for sufficiently large values of p 0 , another radially symmetric solution exists involving a traction-free spherical cavity at the center of the sphere. The applied load at which such “cavitation” can occur in the dynamic problem is shown to coincide with that for the corresponding static problem.