cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Thermodynamic Properties of the C5, C6, and C8 n-Alkanes from Ab Initio Electronic Structure Theory

The heats of formation for the n-alkanes CnHn+2 for n = 5, 6, and 8 have been calculated using ab initio molecular orbital theory. Coupled-cluster calculations with perturbative triples (CCSD(T)) were employed for the total valence electronic energies. Correlation-consistent basis sets were used, up through the augmented quadruple zeta, to extrapolate to the complete basis set limit. Geometries were optimized at the B3LYP/TZVP and MP2/aug-cc-pVTZ levels. The MP2 geometries were used in the CCSD(T) calculations. Frequencies were determined at the density functional level (B3LYP/TZVP), and scaled zero point energies were calculated from the B3LYP frequencies. Core/valence, scalar relativistic, and spin−orbit corrections were included in an additive fashion to predict the atomization energies. The core/valence corrections are not small, (∼1.1 kcal/mol per carbon unit) and cannot be neglected for chemical accuracy. The calculated ΔHf298 values are −35.0, −40.2, and −50.2 kcal/mol for C5H12, C6H14, and C8H18, ...
Parallel Programming with GPUs: Parallel Programming Using Graphics Processing Units with Numerical Examples for Microwave Engineering

Scientific parallel programming has become mainstream in recent years by the introduction of high-performance graphics processing units (GPUs) that are specifically designed for numerical processing. In addition, freely available programming tools have made it possible for anyone who wants to leverage the processing power of GPUs to do so relatively easily. This article provides an introduction to parallel programming using GPUs with numerical examples demonstrating the speedup that can be obtained in a microwave engineering problem. All programming tools that are used in the article can be obtained free-of-charge from online resources. This accessibility is a tremendous benefit to engineers, students, and enthusiasts.
Observation of Noncooperative Folding Thermodynamics in Simulations of 1BBL

One of the predictions of the energy landscape theory of protein folding is the possibility of barrierless, “downhill” folding under certain conditions. The protein 1BBL has been proposed to fold by such a downhill mechanism, though this is a matter of some dispute. We carried out extensive replica exchange molecular dynamics simulations on 1BBL in explicit solvent to address this controversy and provide a microscopic picture of its folding thermodynamics. Our simulations show two distinct structural transitions in the folding of 1BBL. A low-temperature transition involves a disordering of the protein's tertiary structure without loss of secondary structure. A distinct, higher temperature transition involves the complete loss of secondary structure and dissolution of the hydrophobic core. In contrast, control simulations of the 1BBL homolog E3BD show a single high temperature unfolding transition. Further simulations of 1BBL at high ionic strength show a significant destabilization of helix II but not helix I, suggesting that the apparent folding cooperativity of 1BBL may be highly dependent on experimental conditions. Although our simulations cannot provide definitive evidence of downhill folding in 1BBL, they clearly show evidence of a complex, non-two-state folding process.
In vivo microscopy of the gastric microcirculation

A method for observing the gastric microcirculation directly in the living animal and the results of its application to the study of the rat gastric microcirculation are described. The exteriorized stomach of an anesthetized rat was transilluminated by a cool light transmitted from a high intensity light source by means of a quartz rod. Illumination was adequate for direct microscopic visualization of blood flow through the muscle layer. After a portion of muscle and serosa had been dissected carefully, blood flow could be traced through the rich submucosal network of arterioarterial anastamoses down to the mucosa and back through collecting veins, emerging from the mucosa to the submucosal venovenous anastamotic network. By everting and transilluminating the exteriorized stomach, the superficial mucosa was visualized and blood flow could be traced through the hexagonally distributed capillaries surrounding the gastric glands to the collecting veins. The distribution of vessels in each of these layers is described in detail. Despite a careful search, no arteriovenous anastamoses were found, either in the submucosa or in the superficial mucosa.
Three views of the expert's role in policymaking: Systems analysis, incrementalism, and the clinical approach

This paper compares three approaches to improving policymaking: systems analysis, disjointed incrementalism, and the clinical approach (elsewhere referred to as the planned change or human relations approach or organization development). It pays particular attention to the way in which these three approaches view organizations and the role of the expert in reform-mongering.
52.4L: Late-News Paper: a-Si:H TFT Active-Matrix Phosphorescent OLED Pixel

We report a two-transistor amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) thin film transistor (TFT) active-matrix organic light emitting diode (OLED) pixel using high-efficiency phosphorescent OLED devices. The gate to source voltage (VGS) for the OLED drive transistor is less than 8 V for a pixel brightness of 100 cd/m2 and less than 12 V for 400 cd/m2. The low drive voltage is important for good TFT stability and display uniformity.
Multidimensional Targeting: Using Physical and Chemical Forces in Unison

Targeted drug delivery has traditionally relied on finding highly specific biochemical markers at a target location. However, recent developments in this area have shown that purely physical and physicochemical factors are as important and can be used to aid in the targeting process. Here, we review the physicochemical factors affecting the targeting and delivery process and their relation to established biochemical markers. We refer to this combined approach as multidimensional targeting (MDT). More specifically, we examine the role of MDT factors across different length scales of relevance to the drug delivery pathway. Finally, we conclude with our perspective on the future of this burgeoning area.
Comparison of bispectrum, multiframe blind deconvolution and hybrid bispectrum-multiframe blind deconvolution image reconstruction techniques for anisoplanatic, long horizontal-path imaging

The potential benefits of real-time, or near-real-time, image processing hardware to correct for turbulence-induced image defects for long-range surveillance and weapons targeting are sufficient to motivate significant resource commitment to their development. Quantitative comparisons between potential candidates are necessary to decide on a preferred processing algorithm. We begin by comparing the mean-square-error (MSE) performance of speckle imaging (SI) methods and multiframe blind deconvolution (MFBD), applied to long-path horizontal imaging of a static scene under anisoplanatic seeing conditions. Both methods are used to reconstruct a scene from three sets of 1000 simulated images featuring low, moderate, and severe turbulence-induced aberrations. The comparison shows that SI techniques can reduce the MSE up to 47%, using 15 input frames under daytime conditions. The MFBD method provides up to 40% improvement in MSE under the same conditions. The performance comparison is repeated under three diminishing light conditions, 30, 15, 8 photons per pixel on average, where improvements of up to 39% can be achieved using SI methods with 25 input frames, and up to 38% for the MFBD method using 150 input frames. The MFBD estimator is applied to three sets of field data and representative results presented. Finally, the performance of a hybrid bispectrum-MFBD estimator that uses a rapid bispectrum estimate as the starting point for the MFBD image reconstruction algorithm is examined.
High-Saturation-Current Modified Uni-Traveling-Carrier Photodiode With Cliff Layer

We demonstrate two modified uni-traveling carrier photodiode (MUTC) structures that incorporate a charge or “cliff” layer to attain high-saturation-current. MUTC1 achieved responsivity of 0.82 A/W and 134 mA saturation current at -6-V and 20 GHz. The MUTC2 structure, which has higher doping density in the cliff layer and thinner absorption region, exhibited a higher saturation current of 144 mA (at -5-V) and an improved 3 dB bandwidth of 24 GHz; however, the responsivity was reduced to 0.69 A/W. For MUTC2, a high-saturation-current bandwidth product of 3456 GHz mA has been achieved. An intermodulation distortion figure of merit, IP3, > dBm at 20 GHz was observed for both MUTC structures.
Major Gynecologic Surgical Procedures in the Aged

: The results of major gynecologic operations in 160 women over the age of 65 were reviewed and compared with the results in 120 younger women 40–55 years old. Most of the complaints of the elderly group were related to genital prolapse. These conditions caused daily discomfort and anxiety. Contrary to the practice in the younger group, most of the operations in the elderly were vaginal. Vaginal hysterectomy was the preferred procedure in most cases of uterine prolapse. Spinal anesthesia was used, as it is rarely contraindicated in the elderly. Postoperative complications were few and did not cause prolongation of hospital stay. There was only one postoperative death, a mortality rate of 0.6 percent. When care is exercised in medical evaluation, choice of anesthesia, and performance of the operation, the elderly patient usually can tolerate major gynecologic surgical procedures well, and should not be lightly disqualified from receiving the benefits.
Optical method for making spatially and temporally resolved measurements of the hole concentration in organic electrochemical transistors

Electrochemical reduction and oxidation of PEDOT:PSS are used to modulate the channel current in organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs). In addition to changing PEDOT conductivity over more than 4 orders of magnitude, these redox reactions cause a shift in the PEDOT:PSS absorption spectrum. In this work we have used this shift in the absorption spectrum to make spatially and temporally resolved measurements of the redox state of PEDOT:PSS. By applying these measurements to the PEDOT:PSS in an OECT channel, we have shown that the redox state of the PEDOT:PSS is not constant along the channel during transistor operation. Furthermore, we have shown that the time constant of the optical transition is significantly larger near the transistor source than it is near the transistor drain. These results are not considered in existing models of the OECT transient response, and they may lead to a better understanding of geometry-performance relationships in OECTs.
Functional characterization of ether‐à‐go‐go‐related gene potassium channels in midbrain dopamine neurons – implications for a role in depolarization block

Bursting activity by midbrain dopamine neurons reflects the complex interplay between their intrinsic pacemaker activity and synaptic inputs. Although the precise mechanism responsible for the generation and modulation of bursting in vivo has yet to be established, several ion channels have been implicated in the process. Previous studies with nonselective blockers suggested that ether-a-go-go-related gene (ERG) K+ channels are functionally significant. Here, electrophysiology with selective chemical and peptide ERG channel blockers (E-4031 and rBeKm-1) and computational methods were used to define the contribution made by ERG channels to the firing properties of midbrain dopamine neurons in vivo and in vitro. Selective ERG channel blockade increased the frequency of spontaneous activity as well as the response to depolarizing current pulses without altering spike frequency adaptation. ERG channel block also accelerated entry into depolarization inactivation during bursts elicited by virtual NMDA receptors generated with the dynamic clamp, and significantly prolonged the duration of the sustained depolarization inactivation that followed pharmacologically evoked bursts. In vivo, somatic ERG blockade was associated with an increase in bursting activity attributed to a reduction in doublet firing. Taken together, these results show that dopamine neuron ERG K+ channels play a prominent role in limiting excitability and in minimizing depolarization inactivation. As the therapeutic actions of antipsychotic drugs are associated with depolarization inactivation of dopamine neurons and blockade of cardiac ERG channels is a prominent side effect of these drugs, ERG channels in the central nervous system may represent a novel target for antipsychotic drug development.
Viability Study of All-III–V SRAM for Beyond-22-nm Logic Circuits

A physics-based compact model for III-V FETs is developed for logic circuit applications. The model is applied to study sub-22-nm technology 6T-SRAM cells with InGaAs MOSFETs. The pull-down and pass gate combination is optimized for maximum cell stability. The drawbacks of having a weak III-V PMOS as the pull-up device in a SRAM cell are investigated. In this letter, we propose a minimum requirement for PMOS strength for all-III-V SRAM to be viable in a logic chip. Also, by assuming a high-performance PMOS, we observe a 26% higher static current noise margin and a two times faster write speed compared to conventional SRAM.
Classic "broken cell" techniques and newer live cell methods for cell cycle assessment.

Many common, important diseases are either caused or exacerbated by hyperactivation (e.g., cancer) or inactivation (e.g., heart failure) of the cell division cycle. A better understanding of the ce...
The Water Drop Rebound Problem: Dynamics of Collision

Abstract A method for studying the dynamics of liquid drops by numerical integration of the Navier-Stokes equations is used to examine the motion of colliding drops, with application to the raindrop problem. Consideration is limited to drops of nearly equal size impacting along their line of centers. The numerical solutions are developed to study the problem of water drop rebound in the presence of air, a situation in which the drops fall to make physical contact, but the results also ]have application to a wider variety of phenomena. The internal motion of the drop, changes in the surface configuration, and the associated energetics of the collision are discussed. The variations with impact speed are presented. Calculations are made for drops of 40 μm to 1 mm diameter. It is demonstrated that except for a small viscous effect the collision characteristics, including the drop shape at the stage of maximum deformation and the time for rebound, suitably normalized, are uniquely determined by the Weber numbe...
Body mass index and waist circumference associate to a comparable degree with insulin resistance and related metabolic abnormalities in South Asian women and men

Aim: The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) associate to a comparable degree with insulin resistance and cardiometabolic risk factors in South Asians. Methods: We measured blood pressure and fasting glucose, insulin, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and fibrinogen and calculated the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) in a community-based sample of 923 nondiabetic South Asians. Results: BMI and WC were highly correlated in both genders (r = 0.82 and 0.87). The relationship between BMI and values of blood pressure, glucose, insulin, HOMA-IR, triglyceride, HDL-C, hs-CRP, and fibrinogen was comparable to that between WC and these variables. Fasting insulin and HOMA-IR correlated most strongly with BMI (r = 0.49 to 0.56) and WC (r = 0.52 to 0.59). Conclusion: These results show that BMI and WC associate to a comparable degree with estimates of insulin resistance and related metabolic abnormalities in South Asians.
Targets for Neural Repair Therapies After Stroke

Studies of neural repair after stroke have developed from a relatively small number of laboratories doing highly creative discovery science to a field in which reproducible evidence supports distinct pathways, processes, and molecules that promote recovery. This review focuses on some emerging targets for neural repair or recovery in stroke and on their limitations.
Evaluation of cure state of vinylester resins

The objective of this investigation is to characterize the effect of time and moisture on the degree of cure of two room temperature (RT)-curable vinylester resins (VE), VE8084, and VE510A. Both resins were cured at RT for 24 h. Following the initial cure, some specimens were cured at RT over an extended period of time; others were immersed in seawater or a humidity chamber (85% RH) at 50°C, or post-cured (PC) at elevated temperatures. Dynamic-mechanic analysis (DMA) and differential scanning calorimetry techniques were performed to characterize the degree of cure. The degree of cure for 24 h RT-cured and seawater exposed specimens ranged from 83 to 86% for VE510A and from 86 to 93% for VE8084. After PC at elevated temperature, or exposure to 85% RH at 50°C, the degree of cure of both resins increased to about 99–100%. Analysis of the viscoelastic response of the resins by DMA revealed two heterogeneous transitions for partially cured VE resins and a single transition for fully cured resins. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2013
Theology and Experience

In the light of these warnings from two philosophers who are attended to very carefully by contemporary theologians it might be expected that theologians would use the term “experience” with considerable caution. Exactly the opposite, however, seems to be the case. Contemporary theologians are talking a great deal about experience and, as we shall see, without much clarity or precision. This is probably the result of the swing of the theological pendulum to the left in the latter half of this century. It is also probably determined by the “hunger for experience” (Gadamer, Biersdorf) which has emerged in Western culture since the sixties. This in turn I take to be an aspect of a contemporary romantic movement which, like its predecessor in the last century, is marked by a reaction against the effects of modern science and technology and their accompanying secularism and rationalization of society, and by a longing for a deeper experience of the self, the world, and the divine.
Viscoplasticity of Geomaterials

First one describes the main rheological properties exhibited by geomaterials and how to choose the most appropriate constitutive equation in order to describe these dominant properties. One presents the procedure to be followed in order to determine all constitutive functions and parameters necessary to describe transient and stationary creep. Examples are given as well as a comparison of model predictions with the data. Damage and creep failure is described by an energetic criterium. Temperature influence on transient and stationary creep is shortly presented. Finally mining engineering examples are given as creep around vertical shaft or cavern and around horizontal tunnel, dilatancy and/or compressibility, failure and creep failure around underground excavations, closure of caverns, etc.
Automatic Modernism: D. H. Lawrence, Vitalism, and the Political Body

This article argues for the centrality of ideas of automatism and habit within the political and aesthetic life of literary modernism. D. H. Lawrence's characteristic interest in the raptures of sexuality and corporality are read in relation to shifts in the nature of political life, in particular the function of material conditioning within the institutions of the nation-state. The rise of such a political technology, this article suggests, was an important precondition for Lawrence's own emphasis on alternative categories of political life, most importantly the “primary cognition” of the body. Lawrence's sense of political embodiment placed him in fundamental accord with the work of the vitalist philosophers Henri Bergson and Georges Sorel. Sorel's notion of political myth in particular informs a reading of Lawrence's late novel The Plumed Serpent (1926), which enacts a vitalist drama of political embodiment. Considered by Lawrence to be his best novel, The Plumed Serpent enables a retrospective reading of Lawrence's formal method, including the value of readerly affect in his attempts to counter the habituating forces of mass modernity.
Transfer in variable-reward hierarchical reinforcement learning

Transfer learning seeks to leverage previously learned tasks to achieve faster learning in a new task. In this paper, we consider transfer learning in the context of related but distinct Reinforcement Learning (RL) problems. In particular, our RL problems are derived from Semi-Markov Decision Processes (SMDPs) that share the same transition dynamics but have different reward functions that are linear in a set of reward features. We formally define the transfer learning problem in the context of RL as learning an efficient algorithm to solve any SMDP drawn from a fixed distribution after experiencing a finite number of them. Furthermore, we introduce an online algorithm to solve this problem, Variable-Reward Reinforcement Learning (VRRL), that compactly stores the optimal value functions for several SMDPs, and uses them to optimally initialize the value function for a new SMDP. We generalize our method to a hierarchical RL setting where the different SMDPs share the same task hierarchy. Our experimental results in a simplified real-time strategy domain show that significant transfer learning occurs in both flat and hierarchical settings. Transfer is especially effective in the hierarchical setting where the overall value functions are decomposed into subtask value functions which are more widely amenable to transfer across different SMDPs.
Transplantation of Germ Cells from Rabbits and Dogs Into Mouse Testes

Spermatogonial stem cells of a fertile mouse transplanted into the seminiferous tubules of an infertile mouse can develop spermatogenesis and transmit the donor haplotype to progeny of the recipient mouse. When testis cells from rats or hamsters were transplanted to the testes of immunodeficient mice, complete rat or hamster spermatogenesis occurred in the recipient mouse testes, albeit with lower efficiency for the hamster. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of increasing phylogenetic distance between donor and recipient animals on the outcome of spermatogonial transplantation. Testis cells were collected from donor rabbits and dogs and transplanted into testes of immunodeficient recipient mice in which endogenous spermatogenesis had been destroyed. In separate experiments, rabbit or dog testis cells were frozen and stored in liquid nitrogen or cultured for 1 mo before transplantation to mice. Recipient testes were analyzed, using donor-specific polyclonal antibodies, from 1 to >12 mo after transplantation for the presence of donor germ cells. In addition, the presence of canine cells in recipient testes was demonstrated by polymerase chain reaction using primers specific for canine alpha-satellite DNA. Donor germ cells were present in the testes of all but one recipient. Donor germ cells predominantly formed chains and networks of round cells connected by intercellular bridges, but later stages of donor-derived spermatogenesis were not observed. The pattern of colonization after transplantation of cultured cells did not resemble spermatogonial proliferation. These results indicate that fresh and cryopreserved germ cells can colonize the mouse testis but do not differentiate beyond the stage of spermatogonial expansion.
Design, Fabrication and Characterization of High-Performance Silicon Nanowire Transistor

We report the fabrication and characterization of double-gated Si nanowire field effect transistors with excellent current-voltage characteristics, low subthreshold slope ~85 mV/dec and high on/off current ratio ~106. The Si nanowire devices are fabricated by using a self-aligned technique with standard photolithographic alignment and metal lift-off processes, enabling the large-scale integration of high-performance nanowire devices. We have also studied the effect of device structure and forming gas rapid thermal annealing on the nanowire transistor's electrical properties. We conclude that the self-aligned fabrication and non-overlapped gate-source/drain structure combined with appropriate post annealing leads to the excellent observed device performance.
Editorial Introduction on Proceedings of the 2015 International Congress on Ultrasonics, 2015 ICU Metz☆

Abstract A brief summary of the 2015 International Congress on Ultrasonics is presented. The 2015 ICU has taken place in Metz, France, at the Arsenal and was hosted by Georgia Tech Lorraine in collaboration with the French Acoustical Society. The congress hosted a record number of 700 participants. The report focuses on the awards presented during the congress, the invited speakers and some statistics. Other details can be found in reports available on the congress website. The author N. F. Declercq, president of 2015 ICU and Editor of the congress proceedings, wishes to publish the congress proceedings in loving memory of his father Maurice Alois who suddenly passed away 5 weeks after the end of the congress.
‘Doublethink’ing Privacy Under the Multi-State Antiterrorism Information Exchange

The Multi-State Antiterrorism Information Exchange (MATRIX) was a state-level, data-collection program funded by the federal government after Congress eliminated funding for a similar program employed by the Pentagon. This Article examined the development of the MATRIX program, analyzed its effect on an individual's "right to be let alone," and, more broadly, attempted to answer the following question: How much control over the individual should the government assume in the name of national defense?
Competition and Integration Among Stock Exchanges in Europe: Network Effects, Implicit Mergers and Regulatory Considerations

The economic theory of network externalities and a simple-game theoretical framework are used to explore the issue of competition among stock exchanges and the possibility of consolidation in the European stock-exchange industry, among the different exchanges. The main features of this paper are the following: the treatment of exchanges as firms; the application of network externalities to study competition among exchanges; the extension of network externalities, through implementing 'cross-network' effects; and the existence of equilibria where exchanges may decide, even unilaterally, to achieve full compatibility through implicit mergers and remote access, specializing only in trading or listing services. One implication is that consolidation of European exchanges into one may occur with a welfare-efficient outcome or with a lock-in to a Pareto-inferior equilibrium. This is due to the network externalities and the different starting points of the various exchanges. 'Implicit mergers' among exchanges together with remote access are always weakly (in half of the cases, strictly) more efficient than the actual competition. This finding also sheds light on the existence and efficacy, especially in the U.S., of automated trading systems, which are exchanges specializing in trading services.
17.2 5.6Mb/mm2 1R1W 8T SRAM arrays operating down to 560mV utilizing small-signal sensing with charge-shared bitline and asymmetric sense amplifier in 14nm FinFET CMOS technology

System-on-Chip (SoC) designs contain a variety of IP blocks which use multiport memories to improve performance by enabling multiple simultaneous operations in the same memory bank. Conventional 2-read/write 8T dual-port SRAMs (2RW) suffer from read and write disturb issues when both wordlines in one row are activated at the same time. 1-read, 1-write 8T decoupled dual port cells (1R1W) eliminate read disturb by preventing charge-sharing with internal storage nodes while the read wordline (RDWL) is activated. Dummy-read disturb can also be prevented in 1R1W arrays by using a non-interleaved design.
Contributions of Health Care Coalitions to Preparedness and Resilience: Perspectives From Hospital Preparedness Program and Health Care Preparedness Coalitions

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this article was to describe how the Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) and other health care coalitions conceptualize and measure progress or success and to identify strategies to improve coalition success and address known barriers to success. METHODS: We conducted a structured literature review and interviews with key leaders from 22 HPPs and other coalitions. Interview transcripts were analyzed by using constant comparative analysis. RESULTS: Five dimensions of coalition success were identified: strong member participation, diversity of members, positive changes in members' capacity to respond to or recover from disaster, sharing of resources among members, and being perceived as a trendsetter. Common barriers to success were also identified (eg, a lack of funding and staff). To address these barriers, coalitions suggested a range of mitigation strategies (eg, establishing formal memoranda of agreement). Both dimensions of and barriers to coalition success varied by coalition type. CONCLUSIONS: Currently, the term health care coalition is a one-size-fits-all term. In reality, this umbrella term describes a variety of different configurations, member bodies, and capabilities. The analysis offered a typology to categorize health care coalitions by primary function during a disaster response. Developing a common typology that could be used to specify capabilities or functions of coalitions may be helpful to advancing their development. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2015;9:690-697). Language: en
Actin polymerization and depolymerization during apoptosis in HL-60 cells

Little is known about the biochemical “machinery” responsible for the morphological features of apoptosis, although the cytoskeleton is presumed to be involved. Using flow cytometry, polyacrylamide...
Comparison of three methods of handling missing observations.

With large-scale data collection stimulated by computer analysis the problem of what to do about missing observarions on Ss arises more often. In a research project by Turner, Guertin, and Cooper' correlations of GPA with 10 achievement rest scores were computed three ways because of missing scores for some Ss: ( a ) insert the mean score for that variable, ( b ) insert a multiple regression estimate, and ( c ) omit that S from the calculation. Results are given in the table, with the per cent of missing observations given in italics.
Cholesterol Analog Utilization by Grasshoppers

Although cholesterol is thought to be uncommon in plant tissues, this sterol is widely used in artificial diets for phytophagous as well as carnivorous insects. Levinson (1962) suggested that a variety of phytophagous insects convert plant sterols to cholesterol. Noland (1954) also showed that certain structural analogs of cholesterol act as cholesterol antimetabolites in the German cockroach, Blattella germanica (L.). He postulated that this antimetabolic activity was due to the competitive inhibition of cholesterol esterase. Cholesteryl chloride is a cholesterol antagonist for the larvae of the oriental house fly, Musca domestica vicina Macquart (Levinson and Bergmann 1957), and reversibly inhibits the utilization of tissue sterols of the yellow meal-worm, Tenebrio molitor L., by Dermestes maculatus DeGeer larvae (Levinson 1962). However, Robbins et al. (1961) found that utilization of cholesterol by German cockroaches decreased only 9–11% when cholesterol and cholesteryl chloride were included in the diet at a 1:10 ratio.
Enhanced Transcriptional Activity and Mitochondrial Localization of STAT3 Co-induce Axon Regrowth in the Adult Central Nervous System

Signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) is a transcription factor central to axon regrowth with an enigmatic ability to act in different subcellular regions independently of its transcriptional roles. However, its roles in mature CNS neurons remain unclear. Here, we show that along with nuclear translocation, STAT3 translocates to mitochondria in mature CNS neurons upon cytokine stimulation. Loss- and gain-of-function studies using knockout mice and viral expression of various STAT3 mutants demonstrate that STAT3's transcriptional function is indispensable for CNS axon regrowth, whereas mitochondrial STAT3 enhances bioenergetics and further potentiates regrowth. STAT3's localization, functions, and growth-promoting effects are regulated by mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase (MEK), an effect further enhanced by Pten deletion, leading to extensive axon regrowth in the mouse optic pathway and spinal cord. These results highlight CNS neuronal dependence on STAT3 transcriptional activity, with mitochondrial STAT3 providing ancillary roles, and illustrate a critical contribution for MEK in enhancing diverse STAT3 functions and axon regrowth.
Heartbreak hotel: a convergence in cardiac regeneration

ABSTRACT In February 2016, The Company of Biologists hosted an intimate gathering of leading international researchers at the forefront of experimental cardiovascular regeneration, with its emphasis on ‘Transdifferentiation and Tissue Plasticity in Cardiovascular Rejuvenation’. As I review here, participants at the workshop revealed how understanding cardiac growth and lineage decisions at their most fundamental level has transformed the strategies in hand that presently energize the prospects for human heart repair.
Integrated Inventory Model Based on Linear Demand

The paper formulates a vendor-buyer integrated production-inventory model under the condition that the manufacturer and the buyer have made a distribution contract by assuming a decreasing linear trend in demand and constant productivity and makes a numeral analysis by planar search arithmetic.
Yellow fever: Victor, Victoria? Conqueror, conquest? Epidemics and research in the last forty years and prospects for the future.

Yellow fever once ranked among the greatest of human afflictions, conquered attempts at colonial settlement and economic development, and caused epidemics with much suffering in towns and cities as far north as Boston and Swansea. The conquest of yellow fever began in 1900 with Walter Reed's decisive investigations that proved transmission of the virus by Aedes aegypti, expelled public fear and confusion about causation, and provided a practical recipe for combating the disease. By 1927, the yellow fever virus had been isolated. Within a decade, tests were generated for measuring human immunity, and the French neurotropic and 17D live, attenuated vaccines were developed. Although discovery of the jungle cycle of yellow fever transmission in 1935 dispelled hopes of ever eradicating the disease, widescale use of vaccines in the 1940s and systematic efforts to subdue Ae. aegypti brought yellow fever under control.
The Race-Specific Incidence of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Individuals With Exposure to Tobacco and Alcohol

The Race-Specific Incidence of Esophageal Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Individuals With Exposure to Tobacco and Alcohol
Fluorescence and Bioluminescence Imaging of Orthotopic Brain Tumors in Mice

Optical imaging strategies, such as fluorescence and bioluminescence imaging, are non-invasive, in vivo whole body imaging techniques utilized to study cancer. Optical imaging is widely used in preclinical work because of its ease of use and cost-friendliness. It also provides the opportunity to study animals and biological responses longitudinally over time. Important considerations include depth of tissue penetration, photon scattering, absorption and the choice of light emitting probe, all of which affect the resolution (image quality and data information) and the signal to noise ratio of the image. We describe how to use bioluminescence and fluorescence imaging to track a chemotherapeutic delivery nanocarrier conjugated with a fluorophore to determine its localization in vivo.
Automatic high-resolution infarct detection using volumetric multiphase dual-energy CT

Abstract Objectives Late contrast enhancement CT (LCE-CT) visualizes the presence of myocardial infarcts. Differentiation of the contrast-enhanced infarct from blood pool is challenging. We developed a novel method using data from first pass CT angiography (CTA) imaging to enable automatic infarct detection. Materials and methods A canine model of myocardial infarction was produced in 11 animals. Two months later, first pass CTA (90 kVp) and LCE-CT (dual energy 90 kVp/150 kVp tin filtered) were performed. Late gadolinium enhancement MRI was used as reference standard. The CTA and LCE-CT were co-registered using a fully automatic non-rigid method based on curved B-splines. The method allowed for limited elastic deformation and the considerable differences in attenuation between first-pass and delayed image. The blood pool was easily identified on the CTA image by high attenuation. Because CTA and LCE-CT were registered, the blood pool segmentation can be directly transferred to the LCE-CT – thereby solving the key problem of infarct/blood pool differentiation. The remaining segmentation of infarcted vs. noninfarcted myocardium was performed using a threshold. Automatic and MRI-guided expert segmentations of LCE-CT infarcts were compared to each other on volume and area basis (intraclass correlation coefficient, ICC) and on voxel basis (dice similarity coefficient, DSC between automatic and expert CT segmentation). CT infarct volumes were compared with the reference standard MRI. Results The infarcts were mainly subendocardial (81%) and relatively small (median MRI infarct mass 7.4 g). The automatic segmentation showed excellent agreement with expert segmentation on volume and area measurements (ICC = 0.96 and 0.87, respectively). DSC showed moderately good agreement (DSC = 0.47). Compared to MRI there was modest agreement (ICC = 0.62) and excellent correlation (R = 0.9). Manual interaction was less than 1 min per exam. Conclusion We propose an automatic method for infarct segmentation on LCE-CT using multiphase CT information, which showed excellent agreement with expert readers and favorable correlation with MRI.
Legal vs. Factual Normative Questions & the True Scope of Ring

When is a normative question a question of law rather than a question of fact? The short answer, based on common law and constitutional rulings, is: it depends. For example, if the question concerns the fairness of contractual terms, it is a question of law. If it concerns the reasonableness of dangerous risk-taking in a negligence suit, it is a question of fact. If it concerns the obscenity of speech, it was a question of fact prior to the Supreme Court’s seminal cases on free speech during the 1970s, but is now treated as law-like. This variance in the case law cannot be explained by traditional accounts of the law/fact distinction and has fueled recent skepticism about the possibility of gleaning a coherent principle from judicial rulings. This Article clarifies a principle implicit in the settled classifications. I suggest that judicial practice is consistent: it can be explained by the distinction between normative questions that are convention-dependent and those that are convention-independent. Convention-dependent normative questions, or those that turn essentially on facts about conventions (roughly, what we do around here) are reasonably classified as questions of law. By contrast, convention-independent normative questions, which turn primarily on fundamental moral norms concerning what persons are owed simply on account of being persons, are properly classified as questions of fact. This principle, echoed in recent holdings, clarifies law/fact classifications in such diverse areas as torts, contracts, First Amendment law and criminal procedure. The principle also promises to resolve a looming constitutional controversy. In Ring v Arizona, the Supreme Court held that all factual findings that increase a capital defendant’s sentence must be decided by the jury under the 6th Amendment. Two recent denials of cert. suggest that members of the Court wish to revisit, in light of Ring, the constitutionality of judges deciding whether a criminal defendant deserves the death penalty. Applying the principle to Ring, I argue that the question of death-deservingness is a convention-independent normative question, and for that reason should be deemed a factual question for the jury.
Characterization of Charcot–Marie–Tooth optic neuropathy

Varying degrees of optic neuropathy can be seen in patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease. To define and characterize the extent of optic neuropathy in patients with CMT2A and CMT1A, two patients from both sub-classifications were evaluated. All patients underwent complete neuro-ophthalmic examinations, and optical coherence (OCT) measurements of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) and ganglion cell layer complex (GCC) were obtained, along with pattern visual evoked potential (VEP) and pattern electroretinogram (ERG) recordings. RNFL thickness measurements were decreased in both patients with CMT2A, and normal in both patients with CMT1A. GCC measurements were decreased in both patients with CMT2A, mildly decreased in one patient with CMT1A and normal in the second CMT1A patient. VEP latencies were delayed in one patient with CMT2A and one patient with CMT1A. VEP latencies were immeasurable in the other CMT2A patient and not obtained in the second CMT1A patient. Pattern ERG P50-N95 amplitudes were decreased in both patients with CMT2A and normal in one patient with CMT1A. The pattern ERG was immeasurable in the second patient with CMT1A. The pattern of RNFL and GCC thinning in CMT2A with optic neuropathy, a subset of HMSN VI, closely resembles that seen in other mitochondrial optic neuropathies.
A changeable day in the life of Venus

Navarro and colleagues present simulations of the Venusian atmosphere that show how gravity waves launched above mountains in the afternoon can produce the global-scale, bow-shaped features observed by the Akatsuki spacecraft. These gravity waves can torque the planet, causing its rotation rate to change over the course of a Venusian day. The effect is small, but it may help to explain the different estimates of the length of day measured by past spacecraft.
Waste Disposal Assessment of HYLIFE-II Structure

Initial scoping analysis indicates that by using Type 304 stainless steel (SS), most of the vacuum vessel’s structural mass in the HYLIFE-II inertial fusion energy power plant conceptual design cou...
The Effects of Two Taped-Words Interventions on Sight-Word Reading in Students with Mental Retardation

Multiple-baseline and alternating treatments design elements were combined to evaluate the effects of two taped-words (TW) interventions (rapid-paced and slow-paced) on sight-word reading accuracy levels in elementary students with mental retardation. During rapid TW, one word was presented every second via tape recorder and students were instructed to read aloud along with the tape. During slow TW, words were presented every 5s. Both TW interventions increased word reading accuracy but differences in learning rates between the two TW interventions were inconsistent across participants. Although no firm conclusions can be drawn regarding which pace is more effective, results show that regardless of pace, this efficient, self-managed intervention can be used to increase sight-word reading in students with mental retardation.
Analysis of TERT promoter mutations, polymorphisms, clinicopathologic features and recurrence-free survival in primary melanoma.

e21065Background: Somatic mutations in the promoter of the telomerase reverse transcriptase gene (TERT) appear to confer a worse prognosis in several cancers, an effect which may be modulated by in...
Merger Guidelines and the Limits of Our Understanding

The merger guidelines have evolved from a structural standard for determining the legality of mergers to an open-ended evaluation that attempts to predict whether some specific harm to competition is likely. These efforts have been unsuccessful; moreover, mergers generally contribute no positive economic gain. Blocking mergers that may have little or no adverse effect on competition will not cause significant economic harm; but the failure to interdict mergers that do cause harm imposes significant costs on the economy. Merger enforcement policy should return to the structural method of the 1968 Guidelines as well as impose stricter structural standards.
Genomic clustering of fitness‐affecting mutations favors the evolution of chromosomal instability

Most solid cancers are characterized by chromosomal instability (CIN)-an elevated rate of large-scale chromosomal aberrations and ploidy changes. Chromosomal instability may arise through mutations in a range of genomic integrity loci and is commonly associated with fast disease progression, poor prognosis, and multidrug resistance. However, the evolutionary forces promoting CIN-inducing alleles (hereafter, CIN mutators) during carcinogenesis remain poorly understood. Here, we develop a stochastic, individual-based model of indirect selection experienced by CIN mutators via genomic associations with fitness-affecting mutations. Because mutations associated with CIN affect large swaths of the genome and have the potential to simultaneously comprise many individual loci, we show that indirect selection on CIN mutators is critically influenced by genome organization. In particular, we find strong support for a key role played by the spatial clustering of loci with either beneficial or deleterious mutational effects. Genomic clustering of selected loci allows CIN mutators to generate favorable chromosomal changes that facilitate their rapid expansion within a neoplasm and, in turn, accelerate carcinogenesis. We then examine the distribution of oncogenic and tumor-suppressing loci in the human genome and find both to be potentially more clustered along the chromosome than expected, leading us to speculate that human genome may be susceptible to CIN hitchhiking. More quantitative data on fitness effects of individual mutations will be necessary, though, to assess the true levels of clustering in the human genome and the effectiveness of indirect selection for CIN. Finally, we use our model to examine how therapeutic strategies that increase the deleterious burden of genetically unstable cells by raising either the rate of CIN or the cost of deleterious mutations affect CIN evolution. We find that both can inhibit CIN hitchhiking and delay carcinogenesis in some circumstances, yet, in line with earlier work, we find the latter to be considerably more effective.
RESEARCH AS IT AFFECTS THE MILK SANITARIAN

The milk sanitarian occupies a special place in the dairy industry with equal responsibility to all segments: producers, processors, distributors, and consumers. The entire industry is dependent upon the technical competence and personal integrity of the members of this group. The primary function of the milk sanitarian is the enforcement of regulatory laws. The regulatory laws are by their nature restrictive in character and by reason of this restrictive nature tend to limit the application of research. The milk sanitarian of the future will need to have knowledge that will enable him to exercise judgment in a much wider field than is now necessary. As research findings continue to modify processing techniques, it is their responsibility, first, to insure the safety of the public from harmful materials, and secondly, to avoid unnecessary restrictions that will retard desirable progress.