cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Transferable and flexible thin film devices for engineering applications

Thin film devices can be of significance for manufacturing, energy conversion systems, solid state electronics, wireless applications, etc. However, these thin film sensors/devices are normally fabricated on rigid silicon substrates, thus neither flexible nor transferrable for engineering applications. This paper reports an innovative approach to transfer polyimide (PI) embedded thin film devices, which were fabricated on glass, to thin metal foils. Thin film thermocouples (TFTCs) were fabricated on a thin PI film, which was spin coated and cured on a glass substrate. Another layer of PI film was then spin coated again on TFTC/PI and cured to obtain the embedded TFTCs. Assisted by oxygen plasma surface coarsening of the PI film on the glass substrate, the PI embedded TFTC was successfully transferred from the glass substrate to a flexible copper foil. To demonstrate the functionality of the flexible embedded thin film sensors, they were transferred to the sonotrode tip of an ultrasonic metal welding machine for in situ process monitoring. The dynamic temperatures near the sonotrode tip were effectively measured under various ultrasonic vibration amplitudes. This technique of transferring polymer embedded electronic devices onto metal foils yield great potentials for numerous engineering applications.
Gonadotropin releasing hormone stimulates calmodulin redistribution in rat pituitary

Calcium (Ca2+) seems to have an informational role in many tissues. In particular, it fulfills the requirements of a second messenger for gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH)-stim-ulated luteinizing hormone (LH) release from the pituitary gonadotrope (see ref. 1 for review). Very little is known about the effect of this ion on intracellular targets or the mechanism by which Ca2+ mobilization stimulates LH release. One intracellular target for Ca2+ is calmodulin, a ubiquitous intracellular Ca2+ receptor that has been shown to modulate many cellular functions, including cyclic nucleotide and glycogen metabolism, protein phosphorylation, microtubule assembly and disassembly, Ca2+ flux, and the activities of NAD kinase, tryptophan 5′ monooxidase and phospholipase A2 (see refs 2–5 for reviews). We have now used a specific and sensitive radioimmunoassay to determine the quantity and distribution of calmodulin in the gonadotrope before and during GnRH-stimulated LH release. The data indicate that GnRH stimulates redistribution of calmodulin from the cytosol to the plasma membrane and suggest that the molecule may have a role in the mechanism of stimulus–secretion coupling.
Field dependent emission rates in radiation damaged GaAs

We have measured the temperature and field dependence of emission rates from five traps in electron damaged GaAs. Four of the traps have previously been identified as radiation defects. One of the traps, seen in higher doped diodes, has not been previously identified. We have fit the data to a multiphonon emission theory that allows recombination in GaAs to be characterized over a broad range of temperature and electric field. These results demonstrate an efficient method to calculate field-dependent emission rates in GaAs.
The Critical-Care Nurse Practitioner Curriculum at the University of Pennsylvania: Update and Revision

This paper describes the philosophical, conceptual, and programmatic characteristics of the Adult Critical Care Nurse Practitioner (CCNP) Program, which began at the University of Pennsylvania in 1993. It outlines the rationale and strategies for curriculum revisions during the 3rd year of program implementation. The basic content and sequencing of courses in the program did not change. Curricular revision in theoretical and field work courses consisted of modifying the approach to teaching with emphasis on critical thinking, diagnostic reasoning, and clinical decision making. Finally, it discusses the future challenges for educating CCNPs, with an emphasis on market demands and research challenges.
Electronic Band Formation at Organic−Metal Interfaces: Role of Adsorbate−Surface Interaction

We report evidence for an excited molecular anionic resonance in a model system, bilayer C6F6 adsorbed on Cu(111). This resonance is dispersed parallel to the surface, with an effective electron mass of 1.5 me. Both the energetic position and the dispersion of this molecular resonance depend on the strength of molecule−surface interaction, which is weakened by the preadsorption of atomic H. With increasing coverage of preadsorbed H from θ = 0 to 0.34 monolayer (ML), the position of the molecular resonance increases from 2.99 to 3.22 eV above the Fermi level. This is accompanied by a decrease in effective electron mass from 1.5 me on clean Cu(111) to 0.55 me on 0.34 ML H-covered Cu(111). We attribute this to the improved molecule−molecule interaction as the molecule−surface interaction weakens.
Pressure dependence of dislocation mobility in ionic crystals

The mobility of screw dislocations in lithium fluoride single crystals and of edge dislocations in potassium chloride single crystals has been measured in pure bending tests under hydrostatic pressures of 1 bar and 4.3 kilobars, using the repeated etching technique. The increase of pressure has no effect on the velocity-stress relationship: similarly, no pressure dependence is observed in macroscopic deformation tests conducted under comparable conditions on the same materials. The results show that point defect formation does not control the dislocation motion in these crystals; comparison is made with earlier work, and the effect of impurity distribution on the pressure dependence of dislocation mobility in lithium fluoride is discussed. Die Beweglichkeit von Schraubenversetzungen in Lithiumfluorid-Einkristallen und von Stufenversetzungen in Kaliumchlorid-Einkristallen wurden in reinen Biegungsuntersuchungen unter hydrostatischen Drucken von 1 bar und 4,3 Kilobar gemessen, wobei Wiederholungsatztechnik angewendet wurde. Druckanstieg hat keinen Einflus auf die Geschwindigkeits-Dehnungs-Beziehung; in ahnlicher Weise wurde keine Druckabhangigkeit in makroskopischen Deformationsuntersuchungen, die unter vergleichbaren Bedingungen an denselben Materialien gefuhrt wurden, gefunden. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, das Punktdefektbildung die Versetzungswanderung in diesen Kristallen nicht steuert. Ein Vergleich mit fruheren Arbeiten wird durchgefuhrt und der Einflus einer Defektverteilung von der Druckabhangigkeit der Versetzungswanderung in Lithiumfluorid diskutiert.
Teaching Practical Ethics

For several decades, we have had an interest in introducing ethics across the curriculum at our universities, especially in areas that help students prepare for their working careers. This has involved encouraging faculty from a variety of disciplines other than philosophy to reflect with their students on the ethical problems one is most likely to face in professional and working life. Many students are already working and are anxious to discuss the ethical difficulties that occur daily in their work places. Without a strong background in philosophical ethics is it appropriate for faculty in these disciplines to take on the educational task of trying to help their students anticipate and think through possible solutions to the ethical problems they are likely to encounter? Our answer is, yes; and, as we will maintain below, we believe Thomas Reid would give the same response.
cat-ELCCA: a robust method to monitor the fatty acid acyltransferase activity of ghrelin O-acyltransferase (GOAT).

Assays armed with catalytic signal amplification have arisen as superior systems for ultrasensitive detection of analytes. Here we describe a conceptually new enzyme assay based on cat-ELISA, catalytic assay using enzyme-linked click chemistry assay (cat-ELCCA), where an enzyme-linked azide is utilized to arm the assay with catalytic fluorescence signal amplification. Using this assay technology, we have developed the first potentially high-throughput screen for the recently disclosed acyltransferase, ghrelin O-acyltransferase (GOAT).
Effects of electromagnetic force on melt flow and porosity prevention in pulsed laser keyhole welding

Porosity formation in pulsed laser keyhole welding was found to be affected by two competing factors: (1) the solidification rate of molten metal and (2) the back filling speed of molten metal during the keyhole collapse process. Porosity (pores/voids) was found in welds when the solidification rate of molten metal exceeds the back filling speed of molten metal. In this study, the use of electromagnetic force was proposed to control the back filling speed of molten metal, and a mathematical model was developed to investigate the effects of electromagnetic force on the transient melt flow, keyhole dynamics, and porosity formation. The results demonstrate that porosity in pulsed laser welding can be prevented by an applied electromagnetic force. Parametric studies to determine the desired strength of the electromagnetic force and its duration were also conducted to achieve quality welds.
A machine learning approach to expert systems for fault diagnosis in communications equipment

This paper describes how a machine learning system (MLS), achieved by using adaptive pattern recognition and filter techniques, is applied as an expert system to fault diagnosis and performance optimisation of microwave digital radios. In other applications the MLS may offer a complete solution or may be combined with more conventional expert system techniques.
Commentary on “The Provision of Spiritual Care by Registered Nurses on a Maternal–Infant Unit”

This study was done using a sample that all expressed religious beliefs, but a nurse does not need to hold strong religious beliefs in order to offer spiritual care. It is important that all nurses, regardless of their own religious beliefs, be educated about how to assess the spiritual needs of patients and provide appropriate spiritual care. This education needs to take place in Schools of Nursing and as continuing education in workplaces. Spiritual assessment should be more complex than asking the patient if he or she has any spiritual needs.
Performance analysis for optical CDMA networks with random access schemes

This paper proposes a generalized approach for throughput analysis and demonstrates its application for performance evaluation in OCDMA networks. The proposed analysis approach takes into account not only the characteristics of the physical layer to support arbitrary BER models, but also the nodal architecture design at higher layers. In particular, we investigate the effects of packet corruption, channel collision, and destination contention on network performance, and obtain steady-state estimation for effective throughput. This throughput estimation sets a tight upper bound for achievable throughput in OCDMA networks with random access schemes. The proposed analytic approach leads to results consistent with simulation experiments. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach by analyzing a representative OCDMA scheme with various system parameters. The derived performance metrics have proven effective in characterizing the OCDMA network dynamics.
Effective free distance of turbo codes

The authors define and study the effective free distance of a turbo code. If a turbo code is constructed from a number of component codes, they argue that the effective free distance can be maximised by choosing the component codes to be IIR convolutional code fragments with maximal input weight-2 free distance. They then present some theoretical bounds for, and some numerical tables of; IIR code fragments with maximal input weight-2 free distance.
The decadal tropical mean radiation data and the Iris hypothesis

This study examines the evidence of the strong negative climate feedback of the Iris hypothesis using decadal satellite observations of tropical mean radiative energy budget anomalies, and finds that the decadal satellite measurements do not support the Iris effect.
An Exploratory Examination of the Influence of National Culture on Cross-National Product Diffusion

Abstract This study examines the direct influence of national culture on the cross-national diffusion of innovations. Focusing on seven technological innovations across 13 European countries, the authors use Hofstede's multidimensional approach to culture to investigate this relationship. They find support linking four cultural dimensions—individualism, masculinity, power distance, and long-term orientation—to cross-national product diffusion. The findings suggest that national culture explains a relatively sizable amount of variation in cross-national diffusion rates. The authors discuss theoretical and practical implications of these results, including prescriptive guidance with respect to product launch strategy and tactics.
Structure and Function of the HTLV-1 pro-pol Frameshift Site

Human T-cell leukemia Virus Type I (HTLV-1) was the first identified human retrovirus, identified in 1980 (1). Infection with HTLV-1 results in adult T-cell leukemia with 5-10% incidence. An estimated 15-20 million individuals worldwide are infected with HTLV. Replication of retroviruses, such as HTLV, is dependent upon synthesis of viral structural and enzymatic proteins. Synthesis of HTLV’s enzymatic proteins (Protease (PR), Reverse Transcriptase (RT), and Integrase (IN)) is dependent upon programmed ribosomal frameshifting (PRF). PRF is defined by a programmed change in the ribosome’s reading frame during translation. In this work, HTLV-1 pro-pol -1 PRF is investigated. The pro-pol frameshift site consists of a heptanucleotide slippery sequence (UUUAAAC) followed by a downstream structure. The frameshift efficiency at this site is ~10% (2). A pseudoknot structure is predicted downstream of the slippery sequence (3). We hypothesize that the pseudoknot structure contributes significantly to the frameshift efficiency. To test this hypothesis, we designed four variant frameshift sites to test the importance of the pseudoknot structure to frameshifting. An in vitro dual-luciferase frameshift assay will be utilized to determine the frameshift efficiencies for the wild-type and variant frameshift sites. We report successful cloning of all of the plasmid DNAs, which code for the experimental and control RNAs used in the dual-luciferase frameshift assay. Eight of the ten plasmid DNAs has been successfully linearized and used for RNA synthesis and subsequently purified. Future work will include the synthesis and purification of the remaining RNAs, and final determination of the in vitro frameshift efficiency for each site.
Generation of an isolable, monomeric manganese(V)-oxo complex from O2 and visible light.

The direct conversion of a MnIII complex [(TBP8Cz)MnIII (1)] to a MnV–oxo complex [(TBP8Cz)MnV(O) (2)] with O2 and visible light is reported. Complex 1 is also shown to function as an active photocatalyst for the oxidation of PPh3 to OPPh3. Mechanistic studies indicate that the photogeneration of 2 does not involve singlet oxygen but rather likely occurs via a free-radical mechanism upon photoactivation of 1.
Intelligent transportation system design based on single-chip microcomputer

In order to improve the operation of intelligent transportation system and information level,the intelligent transportation system was designed based on wireless frequency-hopping communication.The system mainly includes the public transportation systems and bus stop systems,and the realizing system of hardware and software is proposed.The results show that: the use of wireless transmission platform of information communication technologies can complete a voice automated of bus stop and bus number;the system can achieve an accurate location of real-time vehicle,the passenger can receive the information of the bus arriving bus stop.8 figs,7 refs.
IN VITRO ESTERIFICATION OF CHOLESTEROL BY PANCREATIC JUICE AND BY ACETONE POWDER EXTRACTS OF SMALL INTESTINE: THE EFFECT OF UNSATURATED FATTY ACIDS UPON ESTERIFICATION WITH SATURATED FATTY ACIDS.

The esterification of cholesterol by rat pancreatic juice and by extracts of acetone powders of rat small intestine was studied with palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acids. When each fatty acid was tested individually, the extent of esterification was highest with oleic acid and lowest with the two saturated fatty acids. The esterification of cholesterol with palmitic and stearic acids by the intestinal extracts and with palmitic acid by pancreatic juice was greatly increased by the addition of either oleic or linoleic acid to the incubation mixture. It is suggested that the difference between esterification of cholesterol with saturated fatty acids and esterification with unsaturated fatty acids, as well as the enhancement of the esterification with saturated fatty acids by the addition of an unsaturated fatty acid, is accounted for by micellar solubilization of cholesterol and of saturated fatty acid in the presence of an unsaturated fatty acid and bile salts.
Drilling technology of long hole using for discharging gas from coal seams

It is introduced that the test of long drilling hole using for discharging gas from coal seams. Executed 3 hole using directional drilling technology,one drilling hole depth is up to 509.03 m,which is the longest drilling hole in coal seams,average sheet drilling speed is up to 24.4 m/h.Discharge of all these hole is up to 2.0-2.5 m3/min.
Extracting keyphrases from research papers using citation networks

Keyphrases for a document concisely describe the document using a small set of phrases. Keyphrases were previously shown to improve several document processing and retrieval tasks. In this work, we study keyphrase extraction from research papers by leveraging citation networks. We propose CiteTextRank for keyphrase extraction from research articles, a graph-based algorithm that incorporates evidence from both a document's content as well as the contexts in which the document is referenced within a citation network. Our model obtains significant improvements over the state-of-the-art models for this task. Specifically, on several datasets of research papers, Cite Text Rank improves precision at rank 1 by as much as 9-20% over state-of-the-art baselines.
Biofunctionalization of Large Gold Nanorods Realizes Ultrahigh-Sensitivity Optical Imaging Agents.

Gold nanorods (GNRs, ∼ 50 × 15 nm) have been used ubiquitously in biomedicine for their optical properties, and many methods of GNR biofunctionalization have been described. Recently, the synthesis of larger-than-usual GNRs (LGNRs, ∼ 100 × 30 nm) has been demonstrated. However, LGNRs have not been biofunctionalized and therefore remain absent from biomedical literature to date. Here we report the successful biofunctionalization of LGNRs, which produces highly stable particles that exhibit a narrow spectral peak (FWHM ∼100 nm). We further demonstrated that functionalized LGNRs can be used as highly sensitive scattering contrast agents by detecting individual LGNRs in clear liquids. Owing to their increased optical cross sections, we found that LGNRs exhibited up to 32-fold greater backscattering than conventional GNRs. We leveraged these enhanced optical properties to detect LGNRs in the vasculature of live tumor-bearing mice. With LGNR contrast enhancement, we were able to visualize tumor blood vessels at...
Adherence and Separation of Leukemic Cells on Glass Bead Columns

Leukemic cells showed differences in adherence to glass bead columns which permitted their partial to complete separation. Several fractions with markedly varied differential cell counts could be obtained from the same blood. Such fractions may be utilizable for a variety of assays which, with simple, or sometimes more complex calculations (computer), would be valuable in the determination of values for individual cell types.
Mother-Child Interactions and Preschoolers’ Emotion Regulation Outcomes: Nurturing Autonomous Emotion Regulation

Emotion regulation is a complex process that begins in infancy and continues through childhood with parents’ support. Early parent-child interactions shape the way children learn emotion management. We took a sociocultural and social learning approach to exploring the specific components of mother-child interactions that are related to mothers’ perceptions of her child’s regulatory ability and the child’s observed emotion regulation. Thirty mothers and their preschool children were recruited from two New England urban areas: one community sample and one head start sample. Dyads engaged in a free play session, children completed an observed compliance task, and mothers completed a set of questionnaires assessing their perceptions of their child’s regulation. Regression analyses revealed that maternal behaviors during free play predicted child’s observed hostility (F (2,29) = 3.137, p < .05) and mothers’ perceptions of her child’s regulatory ability predicted observed child compliance (F (2, 17) = 4.990, p < .05). Child behaviors during play significantly predicted child’s compliance (F (3,20) = 4.722, p < .05) and child’s hostility (F (1, 26) = 9.220, p < .001). Maternal modeling and intentional scaffolding as well as perceptions of her child’s regulatory capacity have a powerful impact on her child’s observed regulation. Results indicate that it is particularly important for mothers of preschoolers to support autonomy while guiding socially appropriate behavior. Interventions that target improving mothers’ negative perceptions of their children, educating on appropriate preschool expectations, and facilitating preschoolers’ mature play may help mothers interact with their children in the ways that foster children’s autonomous emotion regulation.
Decoupled Ion Transport in a Protein-Based Solid Ion Conductor.

Simultaneous achievement of good electrochemical and mechanical properties is crucial for practical applications of solid ion conductors. Conventional polymer conductors suffer from low conductivity, low transference number, and deteriorated mechanical properties with the enhancement of conductivity, resulting from the coupling between ion transport and polymer movement. Here we present a successful fabrication and fundamental understanding of a high performance soy protein-based solid conductor. The conductor shows ionic conductivity of ∼10–5 S/cm, transference number of 0.94, and modulus of 1 GPa at room temperature, and still remains flexible and easily processable. Molecular simulations indicate that this is due to appropriate manipulation of the protein structures for effective exploitation of protein functional groups. A decoupled transport mechanism, which is able to explain all results, is proposed. The new insights can be utilized to provide guidelines for design, optimization, and fabrication of...
Save the Children from Gastric and Intestinal Perforation Secondary to Small Magnet Ingestion by Educating Families with the Help of Pediatricians

The ingestion of foreign bodies is a comprehensive problem affecting the pediatric population, especially under 5 years of age. The ingestion of 2 or more magnets may lead to their attraction over planes of intervening soft tissue with enough force to cause significant complications including obstruction, fistula formation or even perforation.This case series report have documented the cases of 4 children age 2-9 years, who have experienced a variety of complications from magnet ingestion. Included are the cases of a 2 years old boy and 9 years old girl with bowel perforation, a 7 years old boy with mucosal erosion, and a 4 years old boy who underwent magnet retrieval before complications arose.
Motivational technologies: a theoretical framework for designing preventive health applications

Every day, millions of people seek health information online, but we still do not know how to create websites or mobile applications that could motivate them to change their health-related behaviors in a proactive manner. There is a big difference between learning about one's health status and doing something about it. In order to bridge this gap, we provide a theoretical framework for designing Motivational Technologies. We discuss how three affordances of modern media interfaces--navigability, interactivity, and customization--could be used to enhance individuals' intrinsic motivation for preventive health, based on self-determination theory. Empirical evidence and design guidelines discussed here could lead to significant advances in health information systems aimed at promoting preventive health behaviors.
Vacuole-inducing compounds that disrupt endolysosomal trafficking stimulate production of exosomes by glioblastoma cells.

Exosomes are produced from mammalian cells when multivesicular endosomes fuse with the plasma membrane, releasing their intralumenal vesicles. In this study we assessed the effects of MOPIPP, a novel indole-based chalcone, and vacuolin-1, a distinct triazine-based compound, on exosome production in cultured glioblastoma and 293T cells. Both compounds promote vacuolization of late endosome compartments and interfere with trafficking of late endosomes to lysosomes, without significant cytotoxicity. The results show that vacuolated cells treated with these compounds release exosomes with morphologies similar to untreated controls. However, both compounds trigger multi-fold increases in release of exosome marker proteins (e.g., CD63, Alix) in exosome fractions collected from equivalent numbers of cells. Despite the marked increase in exosome production, the profiles of selected miRNA cargoes carried by the exosomes were generally similar in cells treated with the compounds. Insofar as MOPIPP and vacuolin-1 seem able to increase the overall yield of exosomes from cultured cells, they might be useful for efforts to develop exosome-based therapeutics.
Dietary resveratrol confers apoptotic resistance to oxidative stress in myoblasts

High levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) contribute to muscle cell death in aging and disuse. We have previously found that resveratrol can reduce oxidative stress in response to aging and hindlimb unloading in rodents in vivo, but it was not known if resveratrol would protect muscle stem cells during repair or regeneration when oxidative stress is high. To test the protective role of resveratrol on muscle stem cells directly, we treated the C2C12 mouse myoblast cell line with moderate (100 μM) or very high (1 mM) levels of H2O2 in the presence or absence of resveratrol. The p21 promoter activity declined in myoblasts in response to high ROS, and this was accompanied a greater nuclear to cytoplasmic translocation of p21 in a dose-dependent matter in myoblasts as compared to myotubes. Apoptosis, as indicated by TdT-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling, was greater in C2C12 myoblasts as compared to myotubes (P<.05) after treatment with H2O2. Caspase-9, -8 and -3 activities were elevated significantly (P<.05) in myoblasts treated with H2O2. Myoblasts were more susceptible to ROS-induced oxidative stress than myotubes. We treated C2C12 myoblasts with 50 μM of resveratrol for periods up to 48 h to determine if myoblasts could be rescued from high-ROS-induced apoptosis by resveratrol. Resveratrol reduced the apoptotic index and significantly reduced the ROS-induced caspase-9, -8 and -3 activity in myoblasts. Furthermore, Bcl-2 and the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio were partially rescued in myoblasts by resveratrol treatment. Similarly, muscle stem cells isolated from mouse skeletal muscles showed reduced Sirt1 protein abundance with H2O2 treatment, but this could be reversed by resveratrol. Reduced apoptotic susceptibility in myoblasts as compared to myotubes to ROS is regulated, at least in part, by enhanced p21 promoter activity and nuclear p21 location in myotubes. Resveratrol confers further protection against ROS by improving Sirt1 levels and increasing antioxidant production, which reduces mitochondrial associated apoptotic signaling, and cell death in myoblasts.
Alignment of collagen matrices using magnetic nanowires and magnetic barcode readout using first order reversal curves (FORC) (invited)

Abstract Collagen matrices are one form of artificial tissue that has applications in biomimetic organs or tumors, and in fundamental biology. Anatomical organs and tissues are often composed of aligned collagen, and in this study cross-linking nickel magnetic nanowires (MNWs) to collagen allowed a one-step bi-directional alignment of the collagen matrices when processed in a uniform magnetic field. These matrices were analyzed by differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and polarized transmittance. The bi-directional alignment was also confirmed by plated, stained arachnoid cells from the blood-brain-barrier (BBB). Arachnoid cells are morphologically sensitive to their extracellular matrix (ECM) environment, and in this study, they were observed to spider out in two distinct directions as predicted by microscopy and transmittance. In fact, MNW-collagen matrices plated with arachnoid-cells are promising for future studies of artificial BBBs. Other cells (here osteosarcoma) have been observed to internalize MNWs, which leads to the possibility of barcoding matrices and cells with distinct signatures, pending a magnetic readout technique. To this aim, mixtures of two different MNW populations were analyzed using first order reversal curves (FORC), and the relative concentrations of the two populations were correctly estimated with negligible error for ratios of 1: 23 and only 7% error for ratios of 1: 115. Together, these studies open a path for magnetic identification of artificial tissues where distinct magnetic labels on matrices and in cells combine for a unique fingerprint.
Hygiene, sociality, and culture in contemporary rural China: the uncanny new village

In Hygiene, Sociality, and Culture in Contemporary Rural China, Lili Lai provides an intimate account of the ways in which residents of a village in southwest Henan Province maintain order in their...
Selecting the Optimal Deadlock Resolution Strategy in Buffer Space Allocation of Flexibly Automated Production Systems: An Analytical Perspective

Motivated by the emerging need to reconsider the problem of selecting the optimal deadlock resolution strategy for buffer space allocation in some contemporary production environments — e.g., semiconductor manufacturing cluster tools — this work extends past results on deadlock resolution in sequential resource allocation systems in a number of different ways.First, it extends the formal framework modeling the resource allocation taking place in these environments, by introducing a probabilistic structure on the considered job routing schemes, and bringing, thus, the whole analysis in the context of kprobabilistic automata [17, 14]. In this new modeling paradigm, it introduces the concept of randomized deadlock avoidance policies (R-DAP’s), which establishes a continuum between the two extreme options of deadlock prevention avoidance and detection & recovery, traditionally recognized as the possible deadlock resolution strategies.Finally, it outlines an analytical framework for selecting optimally the deadlock resolution strategy that maximizes the system production throughput. The defining logic and the effectiveness of this framework are demonstrated by applying it on a prototype case study, while the obtained results admit an interesting intuitive interpretation.
Conservation Efforts, Contemporary

This article presents many current issues and challenges involved with converting theories from the natural sciences, into practical applications for biological conservation in societies where resource supplies are finite. Two philosophical changes diverging from historical conservation theories have created the most problems for implementing current conservation strategies. The first has been the shifting emphasis of scientific inquiry from the species to the ecosystem level. This has triggered the re-evaluation of species based theories, and management, when translated to ecosystem scale applications. The second change has been the recognition that humans are an integral part of most ecosystems, and will likely influence the success of most conservation projects. The approach used by conservation managers to include humans into a conservation project has varied depending on how industrialized a country is and how dependent society is on extracting the resources to develop their economies from lands delivering conservation services. In less industrialized countries, conservation projects are linked to economic development strategies because local communities are dependent upon collecting resources from lands designated for conservation. In highly industrialized countries, the conservation tools and approaches have focused on restoring species and habitats, and developing models as decision-making tools at the landscape scale.
Disease Resistance in Sorghum

Over the past decades considerable progress has been made in describing and utilizing sources of resistance to many of the important diseases of sorghum. Much of the work was interdisciplinary, international and collaborative. Procedures for developing cultivars with resistance to variable pathogens such as those causing downy mildew, anthracnose and head smut as well as those diseases of sorghum with profound environmental interactions such as stalk rot and grain mold have been incorporated into the program. New sources of resistance have been introduced into production systems by the conversion of tall, late maturing, photosensitive sorghums to dwarf, early maturing insensitive genotypes. Monitoring of resistance occurs in disease prone environments world wide, either in the form of a Uniform Nursery or a combination of Uniform Nurseries (All Disease and Insect Nursery). Current strategies include the mapping of virulence-/avirulence traits in pathogens and the development of a genetic map of the sorghum genome with resistance traits linked with RFLP or PCR markers.
Integration of Automated Highway Systems into Existing California Freeways

Automated Highway Systems (AHS) have the potential for providing improvements over conventional freeways in terms of vehicle throughput, traffic safety, driver comfort, and environmental impacts. Although a number of AHS deployment concepts have been presented in the literature, few studies have attempted to evaluate the issues and risks associated with alternative deployment concepts.(1–3) This research is devoted to an investigation of the issues and risks associated with the integration of AHS facilities into existing California freeways, in both urban and rural environments.
Critical assessment of implementation of the Forest Rights Act of India

Abstract Under a centralized forest management system dating back to the start of the British colonial regime, forest-dwelling communities across India were denied formal rights to access forest resources, while large tracts of forest land were degraded or deforested. Enacted in 2006, The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, better known as the Forest Rights Act, was a landmark piece of legislation in India. Its attempt at righting a “historic injustice” and “strengthening the conservation regime” through recognition of forest dwellers’ right to sustainably use and manage forests is significant for socioeconomic, political and ecological reasons. Beyond implications for people and forests of India, the Forest Rights Act represents an important case study that informs analysis of a global trend toward decentralization of governance of forests as well as rights-based approaches to development. This study analyses implementation of the Forest Rights Act across India for the period 2008-2017. We examine rates of formal distribution of rights claims at the level of individual states, and we try to explain variance across states through reliance on political, economic and ecological considerations. In trying to make sense of the large variation in the outcomes of claims made under the Forest Rights Act across states, we find that extent of forest cover is positively associated with rate of distribution of claims, and presence of left-wing extremism is positively associated with claim rejection rates. These findings indicate constraints to wider and more even formal implementation of this legal foundation for development, and they highlight important governance tensions underlying prospects for environmental conservation through decentralization of forest management authority.
When One Drug Is Not Enough: Context, Methodology, and Future Prospects in Antibacterial Synergy Testing

Antibacterial combinations have long been used to accomplish a variety of therapeutic goals, including prevention of resistance and enhanced antimicrobial activity. In vitro synergy testing methods, including the checkerboard array, the time-kill study, diffusion assays, and pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic models, are used commonly in the research setting, but are not routinely performed in the clinical microbiology laboratory because of test complexity and uncertainty about their predictive value for patient outcomes. Optimized synergy testing techniques and better data on the relationship between in vitro results and clinical outcomes are needed to guide the rational use of antimicrobial combinations in the multidrug resistance era.
Patel, Raj and Stephen Moore: A History of the World in Seven Cheap Things: A Guide to Capitalism, Nature, and the Future of the Planet

This work reviews and relates relevant information from the book. A History of the World in Seven Cheap Things: A Guide to Capitalism, Nature, and the Future of the Planet. In this book the authors trace how seven essential ‘things” were made cheap by capitalism, pushing the closer to environmental catastrophe. The seven ‘things’ investigated by Patel and Moore are nature, money, work, care, food, energy and lives. The authors examine the history of each ‘cheap’ thing and way capitalism has rendered it a commodity and then cheap. The authors employ the term ‘cheap not in a colloquial sense, by cheap they argue each of the seven items have been devalued and debased by capitalism in order to be exploited.
Cadence and Position Tracking for Decoupled Legs during Switched Split-Crank Motorized FES-Cycling

Functional electrical stimulation (FES) has proven to be an effective method for improving health and regaining muscle function for people with limited or reduced motor skills. Closed-loop control of motorized FES-cycling can facilitate recovery. Many people with movement disorders (e.g., stroke) have asymmetries in their motor control, motivating the need for a closed-loop control system that can be implemented on a split-crank cycle. In this paper, nonlinear sliding mode controllers are designed for the FES and electric motor on each side of a split-crank cycle to maintain a desired cadence and a crank angle offset of 180 degrees, simulating standard pedaling conditions. A Lyapunov-like function is used to prove stability and tracking of the desired cadence and position for the combined cycle-rider system. One experimental trial on an able-bodied individual demonstrated the feasibility and stability of the closed-loop controller, which resulted in an average cadence error of 2.62 ± 3.54 RPM for the dominant leg and an average position and cadence error of 39.84 ± 10.77 degrees and −0.04 ± 8.79 RPM for the non-dominant leg.
El amor en los tiempos de crisis: La comedia romántica española

Este ensayo analiza el reciente auge de la comedia romantica espanola en un ciclo de peliculas protagonizadas por personajes afectados por la recesion economica en las que el amor se ofrece como co...
Easy Rule Identifies Patients with Low-Risk Penicillin Allergies.

A label of penicillin allergy clears the shelves of many effective treatments for various infections. A simple rule outlined in the synopsis effectively identifies (without allergy testing) low-risk penicillin allergies in patients with a history of a penicillin allergy event.
A Survey of Insect Families Attracted to Carbon-Dioxide in Thomas Park and the Surrounding Area in College Station, Texas

It is very important to be aware of the insects living in or around one’s home for many reasons. Insects can vector numerous diseases, damage structures and plants, and be pests. Knowing what insects are in certain areas can help aid in control and prevention methods. This experiment focused on surveying insect families attracted to carbon dioxide in and around Thomas Park in College Station, Texas. Three insect traps were made, using carbon dioxide producing-yeast as the attractant. The three traps captured 325 insects, a majority of them being vinegar flies. All three traps captured at least one fly from the family Calliphoridae and one from the family Muscidae. Trap 3 captured a beetle belonging to the family Bostrichidae. The flies captured were forensically important because they colonize remains soon after death. The beetle, known as a powderpost beetle, was significant because it was a wood-boring beetle that could cause structural wood damage. By knowing that these insects live in a certain location, proper control measures can be performed to effectively control the population.
Direct observations of ultrasonically generated hot spots in polymer composite energetic materials

Abstract Thermally dissipated energy from periodic mechanical action can lead to the creation of areas of intense, localized heating in heterogeneous composite materials, called hot spots. Measurements of hot spots have been performed in shock, impact, and friction studies of energetic materials, amongst others. In this work, high-frequency contact loading allows for the controlled development of hot spots near explosive crystals embedded in polymer with temperature gradients suitable for shadowgraph visualization. Heat dissipation initiated the delamination of crystal-binder interfaces, which led to increased heating from interfacial motion and further delamination propagation. A variety of explosives were considered. Low melting point explosives were driven to reaction despite a hypothesized reduction in interfacial friction upon melting, and crystals with controlled surface morphology still experienced damage. Shadowgraphy allows nonintrusive access to internally developing hot spots which, in turn, enables the identification of heat generation mechanisms to inform our understanding of explosive initiation.
The Qur'an and the Aramaic Gospel Traditions

1 Sources and Method 2 Prophetic Tradition in the Late Antique Near East 3 Prophets and their Righteous Entourage 4 The Evils of the Clergy 5 The Divine Realm 6 Divine Judgement and the Apocalypse 7 Data Analysis and Conclusion
Abstract A76: Loss of GLI1 accelerates pancreatic cancer progression in the KPC mouse model

The role of the transcription factor GLI1 in pancreatic tumor initiation promoting the progression of preneoplastic lesions into tumors is well established. However, its function at later stages of pancreatic carcinogenesis remains poorly understood. To address this issue, we crossed the GLI1 knockout animal (GKO) with cre-dependent pancreatic activation of oncogenic KRAS concomitant with loss of the tumor suppressor TP53 (KPC). Interestingly, in this model, GLI1 played a tumor protective function, where survival of GKO/KPC mice was reduced compared to KPC littermates. Both cohorts developed pancreatic cancer without significant histopathological differences in survival studies. However, analysis of mice using ultrasound-based imaging at earlier time-points showed increased tumor burden in GKO/KPC mice. These animals have larger tumors, decreased body weight, increased lactate dehydrogenase production, and leukopenia. Expression studies identified FAS and FAS ligand as potential mediators of this phenomenon. The FAS /FASL axis, an apoptotic inducer, plays a role in the progression of pancreatic cancer, where its expression is usually lost or significantly reduced in advanced stages of the disease. Chromatin immunoprecipitation assays identified FAS and FASL as direct targets of GLI1 where GKO/KPC mice showed lower levels of this ligand compared to KPC animals. Furthermore, GLI1 overexpression and knockdown studies demonstrate a key regulatory role for GLI1 in both FAS and FASL expression. Finally, decreased levels of apoptosis were detected in the tumor tissue in the absence of GLI1 by TUNEL staining. Together, these findings define a novel pathway regulated by GLI1 controlling pancreatic tumor progression and provide a new theoretical framework to help the design and analysis of trials targeting GLI1-related pathways. Citation Format: Lisa D. Mills, Lizhi Zhang, Ronald J. Marler, Phyllis A. Svingen, Maite Fernandez-Barena, Maneesh Dave, William Bamlet, Robert McWilliams, William A. Faubion, Martin E. Fernandez-Zapico. Loss of GLI1 accelerates pancreatic cancer progression in the KPC mouse model. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Pancreatic Cancer: Innovations in Research and Treatment; May 18-21, 2014; New Orleans, LA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(13 Suppl):Abstract nr A76.
Measurement of the product mass distributions from heavy-ion-induced nuclear reactions: I: Gamma-ray spectrometric product identification

A system for the measurement of the product mass yield distributions from heavy-ion-induced nuclear reactions has been developed. This system is based on the gamma-ray spectrometric identification of product radioactivities in the irradiated target materials or in separated chemical fractions derived from the target. Gamma-ray spectra are collected as a function of time and all peaks and peak areas are identified and measured with a modified version of SAMPO. Decay curves for all gamma-rays observed in two or more spectra are constructed by the computer code TAU1. A current table of all the known gamma-ray transitions is then used to match a known gamma-ray energy and half-life to each measured decay curve. This is done interactively with the computer code TAU2 and a Tektronix graphics terminal. Examples of the various options are given. Nuclear reaction cross-sections are calculated on weighted average of all the observed gamma-rays for each product nuclide after the identifications have been screened for duplicate or erroneous identifications and for self-consistency.
Interests and sentience: Life Before Birth: The Moral and Legal Status of Embryos and Fetuses by Bonnie Steinbock.

Book reviewed in this article: Life Before Birth: The Moral and Legal Status of Embryos and Fetuses. By Bonnie Steinbock.
cGAS is activated by DNA-induced oligomerization and has pivotal roles in antiviral defense and immune adjuvant effects (INM6P.412)

The presence of DNA in the cytoplasm of mammalian cells is a danger signal that alerts the host to microbial infection. We have recently identified cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) as a cytosolic DNA sensor that triggers innate immune responses. Here, we further investigate the mechanism of cGAS activation by DNA and the function of cGAS in vivo through a combination of structural, biochemical and genetic approaches. Surprisingly, in contrast to several recent structural studies, which described the formation of a 1:1 complex between cGAS and DNA through a single interaction site, our results reveal that cGAS interacts with DNA through two distinct binding sites, forming a complex composed of dimeric cGAS bound to two molecules of DNA. Functional analyses of cGAS mutants demonstrate that both the dimeric interface and the two DNA binding surfaces are critical for cGAS activation. We also show that multiple cell types from cGAS-deficient mice failed to produce type I interferons and other cytokines in response to DNA virus infection. cGas-/- mice were more susceptible to lethal infection with herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV1) than wild-type mice. In addition, cGAS product cGAMP is an adjuvant that boosts antigen-specific T cell activation and antibody production in mice. These results not only provide new insights into the mechanism of DNA sensing by cGAS, but also demonstrate that cGAS is a nonredundant and general cytosolic DNA sensor that activates type I interferon pathway.