cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Lattice Boltzmann simulations of flows with fluid–fluid interfaces

This paper reviews recent developments of the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) for the simulation of isothermal flows containing fluid–fluid interfaces. Two formulations of the fluid–fluid LBM and some recent variants of these formulations are discussed. Simulation results are assessed through comparisons with experimental data or theoretical analyses. The goal of this review is to facilitate the judicious application of the LBM to practical flows. Copyright © 2008 Curtin University of Technology and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Actin critical concentration optimizes at intermediate [cytochalasin B]/[actin] ratios

Effect of cytochalasin B on actin critical concentration has been assayed using the fluorescence enhancement of pyrene-labeled actin. A peak effect of cytochalasin B on the critical concentration is observed in the presence of either 100 mM K+, or 100 mM K+ plus 2 mM Mg2+. This may result from two competing activities of cytochalasin B, one associated with its capping activity to the barbed end of actin filaments, and the other associated with its lateral binding site(s) along the filaments resulting in a severing activity of cytochalasin B.
Relative Efficacy and Critical Interval of Antimicrobial Agents in Experimental Infections Involving Bacteroides fragilis

• Activity of seven antimicrobial agents was examined using a mouse model of a subcutaneous infection that involved Bacteroides fragilis . Untreated mice had encapsulated abscesses with approximately 10 10 bacteria. Pharmacokinetic studies showed that all drugs tested penetrated into abscesses to provide mean peak levels that were 17% to 53% of mean peak serum levels. In vivo efficacy v 15 strains was measured by the reduction in counts of viable organisms when treatment was initiated one hour after challenge. This showed that the most active agents, in order of activity, were metronidazole hydrochloride, clindamycin phosphate, moxalactam disodium, and cefoxitin sodium. A delay in treatment of eight to 120 hours after challenge showed a noticeable reduction in activity, except with metronidazole. It is presumed that bacteria within an abscess are in a stationary growth phase, and this has an important influence on in vivo efficacy. ( Arch Surg 1983;118:181-184)
Line interference corrections for X-ray spectrographic determination of vanadium, chromium and manganese in low-alloy steels

Abstract A method of analysis for low-alloy steels is described in which the sum of the intensities of a pair of interfering lines of two elements is measured, and subsequently the contribution due to one of them is determined and subtracted to obtain the other. In the system V-Cr-Mn,V- K β interferes with Cr K α , and Cr K β interferes with Mn K α .
Social support, ethnic heterogeneity, and homicide: A cross-national approach

This study examined the manner that social support theory accounts for the dynamic between social support, ethnic heterogeneity, and homicide at the cross-national level. Using five alternative measures of social support, the findings indicated that social support influences homicide, but these effects are somewhat contingent on the type or dimension of social support provided. Additionally, the analyses performed here revealed that social support and ethnic heterogeneity interact to influence rates of homicide. Taken together, these findings revealed that social support theory provides a useful foundation for exploring the factors that influence homicide at the cross-national level.
Evidence of Natural Reproduction by Planted Lake Trout in Lake Michigan

Lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) fry were captured in southeastern Lake Michigan for the first time since the species was reintroduced from hatchery stocks in 1965. Spawning apparently occurred in fall 1979 on newly placed limestone riprap covering recently constructed power plant intake and discharge pipelines. Eggs presumably hatched in late February–March, 1980, and 57 fry (22–43 mm total length) were collected April–June, 1980, and three fry (55–62 mm) were collected in August, 1980.
Fluorophore-assisted light inactivation of calmodulin involves singlet-oxygen mediated cross-linking and methionine oxidation.

Fluorophore-assisted light inactivation (FALI) permits the targeted inactivation of tagged proteins and, when used with cell-permeable multiuse affinity probes (MAPs), offers important advantages in identifying physiological function, because targeted protein inactivation is possible with spatial and temporal control. However, reliable applications of FALI, also known as chromophore-assisted light inactivation (CALI) with fluorescein derivatives, have been limited by lack of mechanistic information regarding target protein sensitivity. To permit the rational inactivation of targeted proteins, we have identified the oxidizing species and the susceptibility of specific amino acids to modification using the calcium regulatory protein calmodulin (CaM) that, like many essential proteins, regulates signal transduction through the reversible association with a large number of target proteins. Following the covalent and rigid attachment of 4‘,5‘-bis(1,3,2-dithioarsolan-2-yl)fluorescein (FlAsH) to helix A, we have...
Challenges to optomechanical design from x-ray interferometry and gamma-ray diffraction

Optical determination of the spatial period of monocrystalline silicon is a first step toward such diverse goals as an atom-based replacement for the artifact kilogram, reckoning the masses of certain elementary particles, and measurement of the molar Planck constant. The needed measurements are realized through microfringe interferometric precision with a presently achievable accuracy of the order ot 0.01 ppm. Application of such subnanometer standards to x-ray and particulary gamma-ray wavelength measurement requires accurate interferometric angle measurement nowadays effective at the sub-milli-arcsecond level. From results obtained to date, one can infer certain constraints on the future direction of subpicometer interferometry and sub-milli-arcsecond goniometry.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Receipt of High Risk Medications among Elderly Enrollees in Medicare Advantage Plans

BACKGROUND Since 2005, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has required all Medicare Advantage (MA) plans to report prescribing rates of high risk medications (HRM).
Evidence for intracellular formation of angiotensins: Coexistence of renin and angiotensin-converting enzyme in Leydig cells of rat testis

Abstract Leydig cells were purified from rat testes by discontinuous metrizamide density gradient and were shown to contain renin (EC 3.4.99.1), angiotensin-converting enzyme (dipeptidyl car☐ypeptidase, (EC 3.4.15.1), and the peptide hormone angiotensins I, II and III as determined by the combined HPLC and radioimmunoassay. In germinal cells only angiotensin II (AII) was found at a significant level. These findings provide evidence for intracellular formation of AII in testicular cells and demonstrate that an intracellular renin-angiotensin system exists in normal non-transformed cells.
Multilevel component-based histogram equalization for enhancing the quality of grayscale images

Contrast enhancement is an important step in almost every image processing and computer vision application. Different applications demand different approaches to achieve the required level of enhancement. In consumer electronics, for example, any enhancement method should be able to enhance both global and local details but not at the expense of deterioration in image quality. In this paper we present our preliminary work on the development of a new method for image contrast enhancement called Multilevel Component-Based Histogram Equalization. This new method is simple and effective, and exploits the capabilities of the classical histogram equalization approach, multiple graylevel thresholding, and connected component analysis to allow for both global and local contrast enhancements with minimum distortion in image appearance. Visual and quantitative evaluation revealed the capability of the new method to achieve this goal.
The Obama Administration's Regulatory Review Initiative: A 21st Century Federal Regulatory Initiative?

On January 18, 2011, President Obama signed Executive Order 13563, Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review, which instructs federal regulators to do the following: coordinate their agencies activities to simplify and harmonize rules that may be overlapping, inconsistent, or redundant; determine whether the present and future benefits of a proposed regulation justify its potential costs (including taking into account both quantitative and qualitative factors); increase participation of industry, experts, and the public (“stakeholders”) in the formal rule-making process; encourage the use of warnings, default rules, disclosure requirements, and provisions of information to the public as an alternative to traditional “command-and-control” rule-making restricting consumer choice; and mandate a government-wide review of all existing administrative rules to remove outdated regulations. Executive Order 13563 includes a qualitative “values” provision to be considered in the required cost–benefit analysis, which can potentially counteract the alleged regulatory reform rationale of President Obama. Furthermore, in Executive Order 13563, President Obama established a deadline of May 18, 2011, for all executive branch agencies to submit their plans to streamline their rulemaking operations and repeal those “overlapping, inconsistent, or redundant” rules. These two issues, along with complementary regulatory review proposals being discussed in the U.S. Congress, are evaluated in this essay.
Finding pleasure and history in the Index Medicus

The author reports on an interesting afternoon spent with an early edition of the Index Medicus, discovering articles written by Osler, Freud and Nascher.
Single-Nucleotide Polymorphism Allele Frequencies Determined by Quantitative Kinetic Assay of Pooled DNA

The identification of genes for complex traits relies on the detection of coinheritance of chromosomal regions in related individuals or the sharing of functional or marker alleles among phenotypically similar individuals. Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) comprise the most abundant and accessible class of sequence polymorphisms in the genome and are valuable for high-throughput genotyping (1). Genotyping individual DNA samples is expensive in time, reagents, labor, and DNA. These limitations can be overcome by applying a sample-pooling approach for allele frequency determination before genotyping (2)(3). For quantitative allelotyping using pools, equivalent amounts of DNA from multiple individuals are combined in a single-tube assay. Most sample-pooling approaches involve post-PCR processing (4)(5)(6)(7). One pooled allelotyping method uses kinetic allelespecific PCR coupled with SYBR Green I fluorescence detection (8). This method requires two separate PCR reactions for each DNA pool, each of which needs to be performed in parallel. Another pooled allelotyping method uses a bioluminometric assay coupled to a modified primer extension reaction. This method also involves multiple procedures (9). Allelotyping by hybridization to DNA chips has been described (10), but its quantitative accuracy has not been fully evaluated. The 5′ nuclease assay (TaqMan®) uses fluorogenic allele-specific detection probes that allow PCR amplification and allele detection in a single procedure (11). To discriminate alleles, each fluorogenic probe is labeled with a different fluorescent reporter dye. The reaction is kinetically monitored in “real time” to quantify the ratio of the two alleles (12). Taking advantage of the specificity and sensitivity of kinetic sequence detection, we developed a method for estimating SNP allele frequencies in pooled DNA samples. Accuracy was evaluated using constructed pools in which allele frequencies were incrementally varied and by comparing the allele frequencies determined from pooled DNA with allele frequencies determined by individual …
Using nanocomposite materials technology to understand and control reverse osmosis membrane compaction

This publication is based on the work supported in part by Award No. KUS-C1-018-02, made by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), in addition to the UCLA California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) and NanoH 2 O Inc. Additional financial support for MTMP was provided by the UCLA Cota Robles Fellowship and the UCLA Faculty Women's Club Russell and Sallie O'Neill Memorial Scholarship, and for JMN by the Environmental Engineers for the Future funding program.
Poster: In silico hypotheses of the Aβ42 peptide aggregation process in Alzheimer's disease

In Alzheimer's disease (AD), the aggregates of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide form large fibrillar deposits and are believed to be the cause for cognitive decline. Hence, the nucleation dependent Aβ aggregation process has been subject to intense investigation for biophysical understanding. Here, we present a molecular-level simulation model to understand and predict the dynamics of this process supported by in vitro biophysical analyses data.
Towards multimodal deception detection -- step 1: building a collection of deceptive videos

In this paper, we introduce a novel crowdsourced dataset of deceptive videos. We describe the collection process and the characteristics of the dataset, and we validate it through initial experiments in the recognition of deceptive language. The collection, consisting of 140 truthful and deceptive videos, will enable future experiments in multimodal deceptive detection.
The Quality of Administration: An Exploration in the American States

This article proposes seven standards for evaluating the quality of administration in the American states and offers quantitative indicators for five of these standards. The interrelationships amon...
The evolution of primate malaria parasites based on the gene encoding cytochrome b from the linear mitochondrial genome.

We report a phylogenetic analysis of primate malaria parasites based on the gene encoding the cytochrome b protein from the mitochondrial genome. We have studied 17 species of Plasmodium, including 14 parasitic in primates. In our analysis, four species were used for rooting the Plasmodium phylogenetic tree: two from closely related genera (Hepatocystis sp. and Haemoproteus columbae) and two other Apicomplexa (Toxoplasma gondii and Theileria parva). We found that primate malaria parasites form a monophyletic group, with the only exception being the Plasmodium falciparum–Plasmodium reichenowi lineage. Phylogenetic analyses that include two species of non-Plasmodium Haemosporina suggest that the genus Plasmodium is polyphyletic. We conclude that the biologic traits, such as periodicity and the capacity to relapse, have limited value for assessing the phylogenetic relationships among Plasmodium species. For instance, we found no evidence that would link virulence with the age of the host–parasite association. Our studies also reveal that the primate malaria parasites originated in Africa, which contradicts the presently held opinion of Southeast Asia as their center of origin. We propose that the radiation of Asian monkey parasites is a recent event where several life history traits, like differences in periodicity, appeared de novo.
Optimal preventive maintenance policies in a serial production system

There have been many publications dealing with preventive maintenance policies for stochastically deteriorating systems. However, most of them study systems having one device subject to failure. Much of the limited research dealing with multi-device production systems has been conducted through simulation experiments. In this paper, the preventive maintenance problem for serial production systems is formulated as a mathematical model. This formulation permits management to analyse the impact of a preventive maintenance policy on a serial production system without resorting to simulation. Numerical examples are used to provide managerial implications for maintaining a serial production system. The results show that the operating characteristics of the stations are interrelated; therefore, it is important to examine the joint effects of a maintenance policy on the various stations of the production system simultaneously rather than study each station separately.
Case tool integration and utilization within the joint theater level simulation (JTLS)

Illustrates the initial integration of CASE technology into the JTLS software lifecycle. The Software Engineering Institute's (SEI) software process maturity model is used to measure the utility of CASE integration. Current CASE integration focuses on several areas within the JTLS software process. The software development areas include some of the lower components of software production, testing and configuration management. Areas for future integration include the upper phases of software production. These areas include: requirements analysis, software design, software development scheduling and quality assurance. The main purpose of this paper is to provide simulation managers with a reference point for CASE integration into their projects.
The effect of 1Q2 and αs corrections on tests of QCD

We discuss in detail the use of the structure function F3(x,Q2) of deep-inelastic neutrino scattering for testing quantum chromodynamics. We show that higher-twist (order l/Q') contributions which are commonly neglected can have a dramatic impact on tests of QCD. With or without such contributions, QCD is entirely consistent with all data. At presentthe data are not accurate enough to determine the magnitudes of these l/Q2 contributions within the context of QCD. Furthermore, the possible presence of higher-twist terms makes it impossible to unambiguously detect the logarithmic Q2 dependence and anomalous dimensions which distinguish QCD from hypothetical alternative theories. As a result, more precise data with higher Q2 are needed to provide definitive tests of QCD. The corrections of second-order in as introduce fewer complications for testing QCD, and provide a useful context for understanding critical ambiguities in the definitions of as and A.
Care Ethics and Animal Welfare

Care theorists have outlined an approach to animal welfare issues that appears to avoid many of the most contentious claims of other animal welfare positions. The reason to oppose animal suffering from the perspective of care ethics is not because we wish to maximize utility or consistently apply our rights theory across species, but because we have relations with animals and care about them. By grounding human beings’ moral duties to animals in our relationships with them, care theorists sidestep debates about whether or not animals possess the necessary cognitive capacities to qualify for rights possession. They likewise evade disputes about whether or not social utility actually supports abolishing factory farming, eliminating animal testing and the like. In care ethics, our duties to animals arise out of the concrete, empirically verifiable relationships we have with them. Despite its promise, care ethics’ approach to animal welfare issues has been criticized as vague and underdeveloped, or in the words of one critic, as “simplistic and superficial,” “confused and confusing.” Some care theorists suggest that our capacity for caring is located in an innate sense of sympathy that needs only to be extended to include animals. Julian Franklin asks, however, whether we should extend sympathy to all animals or only some: Should we sympathize with the lion or the gazelle, the hawk or the field mouse? By his account, some sort of general rules or guidelines are necessary for deciding conflicts and directing applications of our compassionate feelings. “The lack of a rule of reason to regulate compassion is . . . a serious objection to the ecofeminist ‘ethic of care’.” Critics have also argued that care theorists fail to explain adequately why we should extend our sympathy to animals. Tom Regan asks, “What are the resources within the ethic of care that can move people to consider the ethics of their dealings with individuals who stand outside the existing circle of their valued interpersonal relationships?” Regan’s question is important since the majority of people currently do not seem to consider most animals worthy of moral consideration. Gary Francione further censures care theorists for failing to justify their speciesist bias. Most care theorists endorse some preference for human life over animal life, but fail to explain why human beings should enjoy absolute protections to life and bodily integrity while animals might sometimes be killed or harmed. Care ethics’ ambiguous position on animal welfare reflects deeper ambiguities in this still relatively new field. Carol Gilligan first outlined an account of care ethics about twenty-five years ago, and it is only in the last decade or so that care
Friendly virtual machines: leveraging a feedback-control model for application adaptation

With the increased use of "Virtual Machines" (VMs) as vehicles that isolate applications running on the same host, it is necessary to devise techniques that enable multiple VMs to share underlying resources both fairly and efficiently. To that end, one common approach is to deploy complex resource management techniques in the hosting infrastructure. Alternately, in this paper, we advocate the use of self-adaptation in the VMs themselves based on feedback about resource usage and availability. Consequently, we define "Friendly" VM (FVM) to be a virtual machine that adjusts its demand for system resources, so that they are both efficiently and fairly allocated to competing FVMs. Such properties are ensured using one of many provably convergent control rules, such as Additive-Increase/Multiplicative-Decrease (AIMD). By adopting this distributed application-based approach to resource management, it is not necessary to make assumptions about the underlying resources nor about the requirements of FVMs competing for these resources. To demonstrate the elegance and simplicity of our approach, we present a prototype implementation of our FVM framework in User-Mode Linux (UML)---an implementation that consists of less than 500 lines of code changes to UML. We present an analytic, control-theoretic model of FVM adaptation, which establishes convergence and fairness properties. These properties are also backed up with experimental results using our prototype FVM implementation.
Design Illustrations to Make Adoption of Ola Technology More Beneficial for Indian Auto-Rickshaw Drivers

“Ola” is a p2p platform, similar to Uber, which connects passengers to car and auto-rickshaw (auto) drivers in India. Indian auto drivers face challenges when adopting the Ola app. Ola is the first internet technology most drivers in India have used, and changes their work practices by introducing a new workflow. We describe the contrast in the workflow of drivers- before and after the adoption of Ola taking a user experience (UX) perspective. We propose design implications, using the contrast as an opportunity for the betterment of the auto drivers.
The relations between allometry, phylogeny, and functional morphology in some calceocrinid crinoids

Calceocrinids are unique crinoids with the crown movably hinged to a recumbent stem. The crown was raised for feeding by closing the hinge and bending the proximal stem. While resting, the crown lay parallel to the stem with the hinge opened. Allometric equations for four species reflect a combination of ontogeny, adult body size, phylogeny, habitat, and functional morphology. The hinge of most adult calceocrinids is extended into ear-like projections which made the crown more stable on the seafloor. For the hinge moment versus the effective weight of the crown, positive allometry characterized taxa that lived in agitated environments, whereas isometry was adequate for quiet-water species. The adult body size provides a secondary effect on the data for crinoids from the same type of environment. Here, the initial intercepts are transposed so that larger animals functioned like smaller ones. The equations are independent of phylogenetic position. All species exhibit positive allometry of the length and number of plates in the arms. The food-gathering capacity of a crinoid is estimated by the number of food-catching tube-feet multiplied by the width of the food grooves, whereas the soft parts that must be fed are proportional to the crown volume. The ratio of food-gathering capacity to crown volume is either fixed or decreases slightly in larger crinoids. Statistical tests reveal that all species follow a single developmental pattern for these two parameters. However, some of the evolutionary changes in the arms permitted calceocrinids to retain an adequate food-gathering capacity into larger adult body sizes.
How important are two-step processes in 16 O( 3 He, d) 17 F?

Angular distributions were measured for the $^{16}\mathrm{O}(^{3}\mathrm{He}, d)^{17}\mathrm{F}$ reaction leading to the first four states of $^{17}\mathrm{F}$. Comparison with distorted-wave Born-approximation (DWBA) calculations yields spectroscopic factors of 0.94 and 0.83 for the ground and first-excited states, respectively. Comparison with unbound DWBA predictions calculated from the known proton widths of the next two states indicates the presence of a large two-step component for population of the ${\mathrm{\textonehalf{}}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ state and possibly of the ${\frac{5}{2}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ state.
A platform for actively loading cargo RNA to elucidate limiting steps in EV-mediated delivery

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) mediate intercellular communication through transfer of RNA and protein between cells. Thus, understanding how cargo molecules are loaded and delivered by EVs is of central importance for elucidating the biological roles of EVs and developing EV-based therapeutics. While some motifs modulating the loading of biomolecular cargo into EVs have been elucidated, the general rules governing cargo loading and delivery remain poorly understood. To investigate how general biophysical properties impact loading and delivery of RNA by EVs, we developed a platform for actively loading engineered cargo RNAs into EVs. In our system, the MS2 bacteriophage coat protein was fused to EV-associated proteins, and the cognate MS2 stem loop was engineered into cargo RNAs. Using this Targeted and Modular EV Loading (TAMEL) approach, we identified a configuration that substantially enhanced cargo RNA loading (up to 6-fold) into EVs. When applied to vesicles expressing the vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein (VSVG) – gesicles – we observed a 40-fold enrichment in cargo RNA loading. While active loading of mRNA-length (>1.5 kb) cargo molecules was possible, active loading was much more efficient for smaller (~0.5 kb) RNA molecules. We next leveraged the TAMEL platform to elucidate the limiting steps in EV-mediated delivery of mRNA and protein to prostate cancer cells, as a model system. Overall, most cargo was rapidly degraded in recipient cells, despite high EV-loading efficiencies and substantial EV uptake by recipient cells. While gesicles were efficiently internalized via a VSVG-mediated mechanism, most cargo molecules were rapidly degraded. Thus, in this model system, inefficient endosomal fusion or escape likely represents a limiting barrier to EV-mediated transfer. Altogether, the TAMEL platform enabled a comparative analysis elucidating a key opportunity for enhancing EV-mediated delivery to prostate cancer cells, and this technology should be of general utility for investigations and applications of EV-mediated transfer in other systems. Keywords: extracellular vesicles; exosomes; microvesicles; active loading; Lamp2b; VSVG; MS2 coat protein dimer; CD63 (Published: 13 May 2016) Citation: Journal of Extracellular Vesicles 2016, 5: 31027 - http://dx.doi.org/10.3402/jev.v5.31027
Effect of Platelets Stored at 22° C for 24 Hours in Patients With Acute Leukemia

We have compared the ability of transfused platelets that were fresh or stored for 24 hr at room temperature (22° C) to increase the platelet counts of thrombocytopenic patients with acute leukemia. Increments in the recipients’ platelet counts after transfusion of stored platelets were substantially smaller and shorter-lived than those given by fresh platelets. This was the case even in patients who responded consistently to fresh platelets.
Hydrogels derived from cartilage matrices promote induction of human mesenchymal stem cell chondrogenic differentiation

Abstract Limited supplies of healthy autologous or allogeneic cartilage sources have inspired a growing interest in xenogeneic cartilage matrices as biological scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering. The objectives of this study were to determine if shark and pig cartilage extracellular matrix (ECM) hydrogels can stimulate chondrocytic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) without exogenous growth factors and to determine if the soluble factors retained by these ECM hydrogels are responsible. Human MSCs cultured on hydrogels from shark skull cartilage, pig articular cartilage, and pig auricular cartilage ECM had increased expression of chondrocyte markers and decreased secretion of angiogenic factors VEGF-A and FGF2 in comparison to MSCs cultured on tissue culture polystyrene (TCPS) at one week. MSCs grown on shark ECM gels had decreased type-1 collagen mRNA as compared to all other groups. Degradation products of the cartilage ECM gels and soluble factors released by the matrices increased chondrogenic and decreased angiogenic mRNA levels, indicating that the processed ECM retains biochemically active proteins that can stimulate chondrogenic differentiation. In conclusion, this work supports the use of cartilage matrix-derived hydrogels for chondrogenic differentiation of MSCs and cartilage tissue engineering. Longer-term studies and positive controls will be needed to support these results to definitively demonstrate stimulation of chondrocyte differentiation, and particularly to verify that calcification without endochondral ossification does not occur as it does in shark cartilage. Statement of Significance The objectives of this study were to determine if shark and pig cartilage extracellular matrix (ECM) hydrogels can stimulate chondrocytic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) without exogenous growth factors and to determine if the soluble factors retained by these ECM hydrogels are responsible for this induction. Sharks are an especially interesting model for cartilage regeneration because their entire skeleton is composed of cartilage and they do not undergo endochondral ossification. Culturing human MSCs on porcine and shark cartilage ECM gels directly, with ECM gel conditioned media, or degradation products increased mRNA levels of chondrogenic factors while decreasing angiogenic factors. These studies indicate that xenogeneic cartilage ECMs have potential as biodegradable scaffolds capable of stimulating chondrogenesis while preventing angiogenesis for regenerative medicine applications and that ECM species selection can yield differential effects.
Universal microbial diagnostics using random DNA probes

Early identification of pathogens is essential for limiting development of therapy-resistant pathogens and mitigating infectious disease outbreaks. Most bacterial detection schemes use target-specific probes to differentiate pathogen species, creating time and cost inefficiencies in identifying newly discovered organisms. We present a novel universal microbial diagnostics (UMD) platform to screen for microbial organisms in an infectious sample, using a small number of random DNA probes that are agnostic to the target DNA sequences. Our platform leverages the theory of sparse signal recovery (compressive sensing) to identify the composition of a microbial sample that potentially contains novel or mutant species. We validated the UMD platform in vitro using five random probes to recover 11 pathogenic bacteria. We further demonstrated in silico that UMD can be generalized to screen for common human pathogens in different taxonomy levels. UMD’s unorthodox sensing approach opens the door to more efficient and universal molecular diagnostics.
A modular spin-circuit model for magnetic tunnel junction devices

We introduce a modular, physics-based, spin-circuit SPICE model to analyze conventional (charge-voltage driven) and next-generation (spin-voltage driven) Magnetic Tunnel Junctions (MTJ) in a unified circuit framework. Proposed model has 3 important novelties: (1) Quantitatively matches representative experiments for charge-driven (c-MTJ) [1,2] and spin-driven MTJ (s-MTJ) devices [3], by solving transport equations and magnetization dynamics, linking experiments directly to circuits, (2) through benchmarked circuit modules against experiments and theory [4], covers a wide range of transport and magnet phenomena, including detailed spin-transfer-torque (STT) physics at interfaces (SMR due to Giant Spin Hall Effect) [5], thermal noise in magnets, magnetic interactions between magnets as well as voltage-dependent spin-torque and TMR of MTJ devices. (3) provides circuit metrics such as Energy-Delay product [6] by capturing non-idealities including spin-absorption efficiency at the GSHE-FM interface, high-bias features of TMR and STT of the MTJs, bridging material parameters to circuit metrics. The modularity of our framework allows a "plug-and-play" approach to add or subtract different phenomena that are derived from a diverse set of underlying theories (spin-diffusion, quantum transport, magnetization dynamics through Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert (LLG) equation to achieve the desired level of complexity for modeling MTJ devices. Due to these reasons, we believe our model stands out compared to others in terms of flexibility, extensibility, close connection to material parameters and depth of physics captured and is the best candidate TCAD model for the STT-MRAM industry.
Normal State Magnetic Behavior of (U1−xREX)BE13 Pseudobinaries

To understand the underlying physics of the heavy electron superconductor UBe13,1 its superconducting transition temperature Tc and its critical field behavior have been studied extensively as a function of impurity doping.2−5 Thorium and yttrium substitution on uranium lattice sites generate a non-monotonic Tc suppression as a function of impurity concentration. Moreover, for Th-substitutions x, 0.02 < x < 0.04, a second large anomaly appears4 in the specific heat below Tc, perhaps indicating the transition to a second superconducting phase.6 Doping of UBe13 with magnetic Gd impurities results in an unusually small Tc suppression (ΔTC/Gd = −0.40 K/%). On the other hand, adding a few percent of nonmagnetic impurities (La, Sc, Lu) suppresses Tc rapidly, being an unusually strong effect of nonmagnetic impurities on superconductivity. Altogether, any impurity doping seems to modify the low temperature properties of UBe13 in a way rather unusual compared to normal superconductors. So far, however, little attention has been paid to the modification of the normal state properties of impurity doped UBe13. We have investigated the normal state magnetic behavior of impurity doped (U1−xREx)Be13 pseudobinaries (RE = Th, Y, La, Lu, Sc) in the temperature range between 2 K and 380 K for impurity concentrations x ≤ 0.05 to see if there are correlations with Tc(x).
Vegetative Propagation of Oconee Azalea (Rhododendron flammeum) by Stem Cuttings and Mound Layering

Deciduous azaleas (Rhododendron L.) offer a range of desirable ornamental characteristics and can be valuable nursery crops. Availability in the nursery trade, however, can be limited by the lack of effective propagation protocols. Therefore, the objectives of this research were to develop and optimize vegetative propagation protocols for Oconee azalea, Rhododendron flammeum (Michx.) Sarg., utilizing stem cuttings or in-field mound layering. An optimal method for producing rooted stem cuttings with large root systems (> 20 cm 2 ) was to collect softwood stem cuttings from hedged stock plants followed by treatment with 10,000 ppm of the potassium salt (K-salt) of indolebutyric acid (K-IBA). Mound layering was also effective. Fifty percent of the stems on each mound resulted in rooted layers and approximately six layers were produced per mound regardless of mounding season (March or June), with or without wounding, or application of 5000 ppm K-IBA to stems prior to mounding in June. Both softwood cuttings and mound layering can be utilized to produce high quality plants.
Correction to "Artifact-Free and Detection-Profile-Independent Higher-Order Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy for Microsecond-Resolved Kinetics. 2. Mixtures and Reactions".

Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) is a primary tool in the time-resolved analysis of nonreacting or reacting molecules in solution, based on fluorescence intensity fluctuations. However, conventional FCS alone is insufficient for a complete determination of reaction or mixture parameters. In an accompanying article, a technique for the computation of artifact-free higher-order correlations with microsecond time resolution was described. Here, we demonstrate the applications of the technique to analyze the systems of fast and slow reactions. As an example of non- or slow-reacting systems, the technique is applied to resolve two-component mixtures of labeled oligonucleotides. Next, the protonation reaction of fluorescein isothiocyanate in phosphate buffer is analyzed as an example of fast reactions (relaxation time <1 μs). By reference to an (apparent) nonreacting system, the simple factorized form of cumulant-based higher-order correlations is exploited to remove the dependence on the molecular d...
Spontaneous resolution of low-flow spinal arteriovenous fistulas.

Spinal vascular anomalies with arteriovenous blood shunting include spinal arteriovenous malformations (SAVMs) and spinal arteriovenous fistulas (SAVFs), which are distinguished by the presence or absence of an interposed nidus. SAVFs can be further characterized based on their location (perimedullary, dural, or extradural) and flow pattern (high-flow versus low-flow shunts). The spontaneous resolution of a spinal vascular malformation, i.e., the complete disappearance—in the absence of therapeutic measures—of a lesion previously identified by angiography, seems to represent an exceptional phenomenon. This study retrospectively analyzed seven patients with spontaneously resolving spinal vascular malformations observed by the senior author between January 2008 and April 2017. A total of 143 spinal vascular malformations were angiographically evaluated during the considered time period, including nine spontaneously resolving SAVFs in six patients, seven spinal epidural fistulas, and two spinal dural arteriovenous fistula. The “spontaneous” resolution of spinal vascular malformations appears to selectively involve SAVFs. While vessel wall alterations previously documented on the venous side of SAVFs may play an important role in the regression of these lesions, angiography seems to represent a significant contributing factor, probably through the prothrombotic properties of nonionic contrast agents.
Women's Experience of Orgasm During Intercourse: Question Semantics Affect Women's Reports and Men's Estimates of Orgasm Occurrence.

The name of coauthor Kaytlin J. Renfro has been corrected since this article was originally published.
Obsessive, compulsive, and conscientious? The relationship between OCPD and personality traits.

Objective Obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) is defined as being overly controlling, rigid, orderly, and perfectionistic. At a definitional level, OCPD would appear to be highly related to the trait of Conscientiousness. The current study attempts to disentangle this relationship by examining the relationship at a facet level using multiple forms of OCPD assessment and using multiple reports of OCPD and personality. In addition, the relationship between OCPD and each Big Five trait was examined. Method The study relied on a sample of 1,630 adults who completed self-reports of personality and OCPD. Informants and interviewers also completed reports on the targets. Bifactor models were constructed in order to disentangle variance attributable to each facet and its general factors. Results Across four sets of analyses, individuals who scored higher on OCPD tended to be more orderly and achievement striving, and more set in their ways, but less generally conscientious. OCPD was also related to select facets under each Big Five trait. Notably, findings indicated that OCPD has a strong interpersonal component and that OCPD tendencies may interfere with one's relationships with others. Conclusions Findings suggest that OCPD's relationship with personality can be more precisely explained through its relationships with specific tendencies rather than general, higher-order traits.
Why Math? By R. P. Driver

(1987). Why Math? By R. P. Driver. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 94, No. 5, pp. 479-483.
Herding Behavior as a Network Externality

Crowd-funding markets have recently emerged as a new avenue for entrepreneurs to raise funds. In these markets, any individual can pitch ideas and interested others can then invest in them. These markets provide investors with rich information on the investment decisions of prior others, thus they are rife with the potential for social influence. With this in mind, I examine a crowd-funded market for fashion, empirically evaluating some implications of Banerjee’s “simple model of herd behavior.” Specifically, I examine the implication that an increase in the number of observable decision makers within a marketplace should drive an increase in herding, because a greater number of inexperienced deciders will lower the average level of private knowledge in the market. I find evidence that supports this notion. Further, I identify a negative association between herding and the optimality of investor decision-making, supporting the characterization of herding as a negative network externality.
Understanding the link between traumatic brain injury and Alzheimer's disease.

Due to the multitude of failed clinical trials for neurodegenerative diseases, many prominent researchers have begun to re-examine what we know about these diseases and how they progress. A recent review article by Ramos-Cejudo and colleagues discussed the contribution of cerebrovascular dysfunction following traumatic brain injury as a potential mechanism leading towards neurodegeneration (1).
The Integral Nature of Ethnicity and Religion during Northern Ireland’s Troubles

Northern Ireland’s Troubles conflict, like many complex conflicts through the world, has often been conceived as considerably motivated by religious differences. This paper demonstrates that religion was often integrated into an ethno-religious identity that fueled sectarian conflict between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland during the Troubles period. Instead of being a religious-based conflict, the conflict derived from historical divides of power, land ownership, and civil and political rights in Ireland over several centuries. It relies on 12 interviews, six Protestants and six Catholics, to measure their use of religious references when referring to their religious other . The paper concludes that in the overwhelming majority of cases, both groups did not use religious references, supporting the hypothesis on the integrated nature of ethnicity and religion during the Troubles. It offers grounding for looking into the complex nature of sectarian and seemingly religious conflicts throughout the world, including cases in which religion acts as more of a veneer to deeply rooted identities and historical narratives.
A Single Coin Monetary Mechanism for Distributed Cooperative Interference Management

We present an example, where a distributed coordinated protocol supported by a simple monetary mechanism leads to achieving optimal information theoretic degrees of freedom gains. The considered setting is that of a linear interference network, where cooperative transmission is allowed, but at no cost in terms of the overall backhaul load. We show that a simple monetary mechanism that consists only of one coin type can enable the achievability of the optimal centralized solution. The proposed greedy distributed algorithm relies on incentivizing the users to share their resources in one channel use, in return of credit they receive for maximizing their rate gains in future channel uses. This example is the first in its class and it opens the door for constructing a unified framework for monetary mechanisms for optimal interference management and spectrum sharing. This problem carries the promise of a significant impact as blockchain techniques open the door for implementing such mechanisms in practice.
Data Models for Optical Devices in Data Center Operator Networks

Standardized, vendor agnostic data models deliver major operational benefits. OpenConfig has been implemented on multiple platforms and is an ideal data model to take advantage of these benefits. This document provides an overview.
Regional Variation in Utilization of Hepatitis C-Positive Organs for Heart Transplantation in the United States

Purpose With increasing organs available in light of the national opioid epidemic and the availability of direct acting-antiviral (DAA) therapy for Hepatitis C virus (HCV), HCV antibody (Ab)+ organs serve as an important potential supply to the donor pool. We sought to examine trends over time in the utilization of HCV Ab+ organs both nationally and regionally. Methods We queried the United Network for Organ Sharing registry data in the DAA era between January 2012 and March 2018 for adults ≥18 years who had undergone heart transplantation with a HCV Ab+ donor as well as donor recovery data. Results The incidence of HCV Ab+ deceased donors have increased from 4.6% in 2012 to 8.7 in 2018 (p Conclusion Over the last two years, with the availability of DAA therapy, there has been increased nationwide recovery and utilization of HCV Ab+ donor hearts that is accompanied by significant regional variability. Adopting standardized protocols across UNOS regions and transplant centers may increase utilization of these donors more effectively and potentially lead to better outcomes.
Variability in Antinuclear Antibody Testing to Assess Patient Eligibility for Clinical Trials of Novel Treatments for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Objective In the development of novel therapies for systemic lupus erythematosus, antinuclear antibody (ANA) positivity represents a criterion for trial eligibility. Since as many as 30% of patients enrolled in trials have been ANA negative, we evaluated the performance characteristics of immunofluorescence assays (IFAs) for ANA determinations for screening. Methods This study used 5 commercially available IFAs to assess the ANA status of 181 patients enrolled in a phase II clinical trial for an anti-interleukin-6 antibody. Enrollment included a detailed review of medical records to verify a historical ANA value. IFA results were related to various clinical and serologic features at enrollment. Results While the frequency of ANA negativity assessed by the central laboratory was 23.8% in a cohort of 181 patients, the evaluated IFA kits demonstrated frequencies of negativity from 0.6 to 27.6%. With 2 IFA kits showing a significant frequency of ANA negativity, positive and negative samples differed in levels of anti-double-stranded DNA, C3, and presence of other ANAs as well as the frequency of high interferon (IFN) expression. Conclusion These findings indicate that, when used for screening, IFAs can vary because of performance characteristics of kits and thus can affect determination of trial eligibility. With kits producing a significant frequency of ANA negativity, ANA status can be associated with other serologic measures as well as the presence of the IFN signature, potentially affecting responsiveness to a trial agent.