cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Insight into chain dimensions in PEO/water solutions

Small-Angle Neutron Scattering has been performed from poly(ethylene oxide) in deuterated water at temperature ranging from 10 to 80 8C. A simple fitting model was used to obtain a correlation length and a Porod exponent. The correlation length L characterizes the average distance between entanglements in the semidilute region and is proportional to the individual coil sizes in the dilute region. L was found to increase with temperature in the semidilute region but it decreases with temperature in the dilute region. This decrease is the precursor to the single-chain collapse which applies to very dilute polymer solutions. V C 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The Full-Glacial Environment of the Northern Seward Peninsula, Alaska, Reconstructed from the 21,500-Year-Old Kitluk Paleosol

Paleoenvironmental conditions are reconstructed from soils buried under volcanic ash ca. 21,500 years ago on the Seward Peninsula. Soil development was minimal, reflecting the continuous regional deposition of loess, which originated from river floodplains and the exposed Chukchi shelf. Cryoturbated soil horizons, ice wedges, and ice-lens formation indicate a permafrost environment and mean annual temperatures below −6° to −8°C. Shallow active layers (average 45 cm), minimal evidence for chemical leaching of soils, and the presence of earthen hummocks indicate a cold and seasonally dry climate. Neither steppe nor polar desert soils are appropriate analogues for these zonal soils of loess-covered central Beringia. No exact analogues are known; however, soils underlying dry tundra near the arctic coast of northern Yakutia, Russia, and under moist, nonacidic tundra of the Alaskan North Slope have properties in common with the buried soils.
Extracellular Biotransformation of β-Endorphin in Rat Striatum and Cerebrospinal Fluid

Numerous studies have investigated the behavioural effects of beta-endorphin, both endogenous and exogenously applied. However, the potential for biotransformation of beta-endorphin in the extracellular space of the brain has not been previously directly addressed in vivo. Utilising microinfusion/microdialysis and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation mass spectrometry, we investigated beta-endorphin biotransformation in the striatum of rats. We infused 1.0 nmol beta-endorphin into the striatum of adult male Fischer rats and observed rapid cleavage resulting in beta-endorphin 1-18, as well as several fragments resulting from further N-terminal degradation. In vitro studies with incubation of full-length beta-endorphin, with and without protease inhibitors, in the incubation fluid of isolated striatal slices indicate that beta-endorphin is initially cleaved predominantly at the Phe(18)-Lys(19), position, as well as at the Leu(17)-Phe(18) position. Investigations of cerebrospinal fluid revealed similar enzymatic cleavage of beta-endorphin. The observed pattern of cleavage sites (Phe(18)-Lys(19) and Leu(17)-Phe(18)) is consistent with published in vitro studies of purified insulin-degrading enzyme cleavage of beta-endorphin. The binding affinities of full-length beta-endorphin, as well as previously identified beta-endorphin fragments alpha-endorphin (beta-endorphin 1-16) and gamma-endorphin (beta-endorphin 1-17), and the fragment identified in the present study, beta-endorphin 1-18, at heterologously expressed mu, delta and kappa-opioid receptors, respectively, were determined; the affinity of the truncation fragments is reduced at each of the receptors compared to the affinity of full length beta-endorphin.
Structural Basis for Microtubule Binding by the Anti-Parallel Microtubule Crosslinker PRC1 (Protein Regulator of Cytokinesis-1)

Successful cytokinesis is essential for maintaining genome stability. The central spindle, an array of antiparallel microtubules formed prior to cytokinesis, is required for complete furrow ingression to form two daughter cells. Members of the conserved MAP65 family (Ase1, AtMAP-65, PRC1) play a key role in organizing microtubules in the central spindle. Invitro studies indicate that members of this protein family can crosslink microtubules with an anti-parallel orientation bias. We have combined structural methods and single molecule fluorescence to understand the structural basis for biased crosslinking by the human MAP65 protein PRC1.We describe the crystal structure of the conserved domain of PRC1. This domain is capable of binding microtubules (Kd ∼ 6 uM), but shows no sequence similarity to other known microtubule binding proteins. This domain has a spectrin fold, a motif ubiquitous in proteins interacting with the actin cytoskeleton, but not seen previously in microtubule binding proteins. Cryo-EM and helical image analysis yielded a 3D map of PRC1 bound to microtubules. Docking the crystal structure into the EM map gives us a structural view of PRC1-microtubule interactions.PRC1 also has a proteolytically sensitive Lys/Arg rich domain that is thought to regulate microtubule binding. Single-molecule assays reveal that the presence of this domain allows the protein to undergo long diffusional sliding on microtubules. Constructs in which this domain is truncated show reduced interaction-lifetime and crosslinking efficiency.These results suggests that the two domains act together to achieve biased anti-parallel crosslinking. We propose a model where oriented binding and polarity bias is achieved by the spectrin domain and the positively charged flexible domain enhances the probability of biased crosslinking by increasing the dwell time of PRC1 on microtubules via a diffusive binding mechanism.
A unified formalization of four shared-memory models

The authors present a data-race-free-1, shared-memory model that unifies four earlier models: weak ordering, release consistency (with sequentially consistent special operations), the VAX memory model, and data-race-free-0. Data-race-free-1 unifies the models of weak ordering, release consistency, the VAX, and data-race-free-0 by formalizing the intuition that if programs synchronize explicitly and correctly, then sequential consistency can be guaranteed with high performance in a manner that retains the advantages of each of the four models. Data-race-free-1 expresses the programmer's interface more explicitly and formally than weak ordering and the VAX, and allows an implementation not allowed by weak ordering, release consistency, or data-race-free-0. The implementation proposal for data-race-free-1 differs from earlier implementations by permitting the execution of all synchronization operations of a processor even while previous data operations of the processor are in progress. To ensure sequential consistency, two sychronizing processors exchange information to delay later operations of the second processor that conflict with an incomplete data operation of the first processor. >
Pumpen und Wasserhaltung

Im Baubetrieb kommen fast nur noch Tauchmotorpumpen zum Einsatz. Diese Pumpenart ist in der Lage, neben reinem Wasser auch Schmutzwasser oder Schlamme zu fordern. Tauchmotorpumpen konnen ganz in das zu fordernde Wasser eingetaucht werden, da der Elektromotor vollkommen wasserdicht in der Pumpe eingebaut ist. Die Einsatzvielfalt reicht von der Wasserversorgung fur Baustellen, der Beseitigung von unerwunschtem Oberflachenwasser in Baugruben, Umpumpen von Kanalen oder Bachen bis hin zur Grundwasserabsenkung. Der Vorteil der Tauchmotorpumpen ist, dass sie unempfindlich gegen Schmutz, Trockenlauf und Schlurfbetrieb in jeder Lage betriebssicher arbeiten konnen. Zur Grundausrustung der Gerate gehoren eine elektrische Betriebsuberwachung fur die Laufrichtung, der thermische Motorschutz und die Uberwachung bei Phasenausfall. Als Niveausteuergerate kommen Schwimmerschalter oder Tauchelektroden zum Einsatz. Neben der Normalausfuhrung bieten fast alle Hersteller schlanke Pumpenausfuhrungen fur Brunnen an. Durch Laufradwechsel konnen die gewunschten Fordermengen und Forderhohen dem Bedarf angepasst werden.
The role of live animal models for teaching endoscopy

New endoscopic equipment and devices are constantly being developed and improved. New advanced endoscopic procedures are technically demanding, time consuming, and potentially associated with higher complication rates. There is a growing need for safe methods to perform endoscopic research and training, and their successful performance requires a specific teaching method under standardized learning programs. The live animal models, in addition to other types of endoscopic simulators, such as mechanical devices, computer-generated simulators, and ex vivo tissue animal models, can play a role in teaching and practicing the new advanced endoscopic techniques, similar to their role in laparoscopic surgery and minimally invasive surgery. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the live animal models and review the published literature about this topic. Live animal simulators may have a role in feasibility tests of new endoscopic devices, improving skills of experienced endoscopists in more complex techniques. The use of live animal models for endoscopic training should be limited to advanced endoscopy programs, in which participating trainees have enough experience to benefit maximally from the opportunity. There is no consensus regarding the number of cases needed to be performed in animals before application in humans. Not all risks and scenarios can be simulated in animal models and we should be prepared to find unexpected situations when the technique is performed in clinical practice.
Creating Mutual Fund Transparency: The Elimination Of Deceptive Communication

While the SEC debates the overall merits of forming mutual fund company boards with an independent chairman to go along with 75% make-up of independent board members, I question how this is going to create more transparency for the individual investor. The real culprit is the flexibility given to mutual fund companies in allowing them to set fees as permitting trading within funds has confused the true cost to the consumer and has added insult to injury. Dr. Edward O’Neal at Wake Forest states that “the average fund managers cannot recoup these expenses in the form of better performance.” Gaspar, Massa and Matos (2006) brilliantly show that mutual fund families tend to charge various levels of fees on its member funds, forcing different funds to contribute unequally to the total profit. They found that during the January 1991 to July 2001 time period, high value funds (i.e., high fees or high past performance) are favored inside fund families by 6-28 basis points of extra net-of-style performance per month (.7% - 3.3% per year) relative to the low value funds (i.e., low fees or low past performance), based on the criteria they used (i.e., fees or past performance). How can all these deceptive practices be eradicated? The author proposes a five-step “absolute” process in order to create mutual fund transparency: the elimination of all soft dollar arrangements; creation of a mutual fund separateness statue to eliminate what Gaspar, Massa and Matos (2006) call the strategic Cross-Fund Subsidization; terminate all 12-B1 fees; eliminate all “rolling performance periods” by forcing one-year calendar performance periods with mandatory fee return to investors if the manager underperforms; and outlaw all front-end and back-end loads, thus forcing marketers to charge a direct commission. The goal of any transparent system is to protect the consumer, and the individual investor can only be protected by implementing “absolute standards” that will allow no “wiggle room” for mutual fund companies.
STIMULATION OF BILIRUBIN FORMATION IN LIVER OF NEWBORN RATS BY FASTING AND GLUCAGON

Fasting in newborn Gunn rats caused an increase in serum bilirubin concentration and in liver bilirubin concentration and specific activity, and a significant stimulation of the heme catabolic enzyme, heme oxygenase, in liver. Treatment with glucagon enhanced conversion of newly formed endogenously prelabeled hepatic heme to bilirubin, with subsequent transfer of pigment to the circulation. Activity of heme oxygenase was increased in liver of hormone-treated newborns. These findings suggest that degradation of hemes from nonerythroid sources may play a role in hyperbilirubinemia associated with hypoglycemia and caloric deficiency in newborn infants, and may contribute to elevated serum bilirubin levels in fasting adults.
The Security Implications Of Ubiquitous Social Media

Social media web sites allow users to share information, communicate with each other, network and interact but because of the easy transfer of information between different social media sites, information that should be private becomes public and opens the users to serious security risks. In addition, there is also massive over-sharing of information by the users of these sites, and if this is combined with the increased availability of location-based information, then all this can be aggregated causing an unacceptable risks and unintended consequences for users.
Robustness of spatial learning in flickering networks

It is widely accepted that the network of the hippocampal place cells provides a substrate of the "cognitive map" of the environment. However, thousands of hippocampal neurons die every day and the networks formed by these cells constantly change due to various forms of synaptic plasticity. What then explains the remarkable reliability of our spatial memories? We propose a computational approach to answering this question based on a couple of insights. First, we propose that the hippocampal cognitive map is fundamentally topological, i.e., more similar to a subway map than to a topographical city map [1], and hence it is amenable to analysis by topological methods [2,3]. We then apply several novel methods from homology theory, to understand how dynamic connections between cells influences the speed and reliability of spatial learning. We simulate the rat's exploratory movements through different environments and study how topological invariants (stable topological features of different experimental environments) arise in a network of simulated neurons with dynamic, "flickering" connectivity. We find that despite transient connectivity the network of place cells produces a stable representation of the topology of the environment.
Genetically engineered mice demonstrate that adenosine deaminase is essential for early postimplantation development

Adenosine deaminase (ADA) is an essential enzyme of purine metabolism that is enriched at the maternal-fetal interface of mice throughout postimplantation development. During early postimplantation stages Ada is highly expressed in both maternally derived decidual cells and zygotically derived trophoblast cells. For the current study we utilized genetically modified mice to delineate the relative contribution and importance of decidual and trophoblast ADA at the maternal-fetal interface. In females genetically engineered to lack decidual ADA a striking pattern of expression was revealed in giant trophoblast cells that surround the early postimplantation embryo. Embryos within gestation sites lacking both decidual and trophoblast ADA died during the early postimplantation period, whereas expression in trophoblast cells alone was sufficient for survival through this period. Severe disturbances in purine metabolism were observed in gestation sites lacking decidual ADA, including the accumulation of the potentially toxic ADA substrates adenosine and 2′-deoxyadenosine. These experiments provide genetic evidence that Ada expression at the maternal-fetal interface is essential for early postimplantation development in mice.
Distributed Motion Estimation of Space Objects Using Dual Quaternions

This paper examines the motion estimation problem for space objects using multiple image sensors in a connected network. The objective is to increase the estimation precision of relative translational and rotational motions based on integrated dual quaternion representations and cooperation between connected sensors. The relative motion of space objects is rst formulated using dual elements to express its kinematics and dynamics. Two modular optimization approaches, namely dual decomposition and distributed Newton methods, for decomposing this cooperative estimation problem among the sensors is then proposed. Simulation results from single sensor estimation and two distributed estimation frameworks are provided and compared.
Fasting serum growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-I and -II concentrations in women with leiomyomata uteri treated with leuprolide acetate or placebo.

Eighteen patients with leiomyomata uteri were randomized to receive either leuprolide acetate depot (n = 9) 3.75 mg intramuscularly (IM) or placebo (n = 9) IM every 4 weeks for four injections. Leuprolide acetate treated patients demonstrated a reduction in mean uterine volume of 34% and a decrease in serum estradiol (E2) concentrations from 120 ± 21 pg/mL (mean ± standard error) to 16 ± 9 pg/mL. Leuprolide acetate treated patients also demonstrated significant decreases in serum growth hormone (GH) (3.0 ± 0.4 ng/mL versus 1.4 ± 0.4 ng/mL) and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) concentrations (3.3 ± 0.4 U/mL versus 1.3 ± 0.2 U/mL) over the 12 week treatment period. Serum IGF-II levels did not change. Mean uterine volume and serum E2, GH, IGF-I, and IGF-II concentrations did not change in placebo-treated patients. These data suggest that hypoestrogenism is associated with decreases in circulating GH and IGF-I.
The Role of Microstructure in Permanent Magnets

In the last ten years major advances in magnetic materials have been appearing at an accelerating pace.1,2 Permanent magnets have developed from AlNiCo with (BH)m ~ 8 MGOe to the strong rare-earth magnets of SmCo5 ((BH)m ~ 20 MGOe), Sm2(Co,Fe,Cu,Zr)17, ((BH)m ~ 30 MGOe) and the recently discovered Nd-Fe-B super-magnets with (BH)m up to 50 MGOe. The remarkable progress that has been made in magnetic materials has been brought about by an interplay between experimental measurements and theoretical models.4 However, we are still far away from a complete understanding of magnetic hysteresis. This is mainly due to the complexity of the effect. Coercivity is a structure sensitive property and since the microstructure depends critically on composition, heat-treatment and other processing techniques, the coercivity varies considerably even in the same magnet prepared at different labs. The Stoner and Wohlfarth model5 for single domain particles helped significantly in understanding the origin of magnetic hysteresis in permanent magnets. But, this oversimplified theory is often used incorrectly to describe the hysteresis behavior of more complex systems where a “domain wall pinning”6 or a “nucleation of reverse domains”7 model would be rather more appropriate. This has been brought about by the lack of microstructural data which are essential for the discussion of magnetic hysteresis behavior.
An Approach to Cosmeceuticals

The cosmeceutical industry is a multi-billion dollar, consumer-driven market. Products promise highly desirable anti-aging benefits, but are not subject to regulation. We present an introduction to cosmeceuticals for the general and cosmetic dermatologist, including definitions and explanations of key terms, an approach to the evidence base, a dissection of chamomile and green tea, two paradigmatic cosmeceutical products, and a window into the underlying psychology of this vast marketplace.
In Reply: Blood pressure targets

in reply : We thank the readers for their important and insightful comments and questions. Dr. Yilmaz raises the point that there was no mandate in the SPRINT trial to preferentially use any specific class of anti-hypertensive medications in either group. However, there was greater use of all drug
Intrinsic healable and recyclable thermoset epoxy based on shape memory effect and transesterification reaction

Abstract A shape memory and healable epoxy was prepared based on esterification between diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A and tricarballylic acid. The healing was achieved through transesterification at the fracture surface between two epoxy blocks in a confined space assisted by shape recovery force. The shape recovery of the compression programmed epoxy at elevated temperature tightly closed the gap between the two epoxy blocks, whose fracture surfaces are saw-cut and not perfectly matched during healing, which is the worst case scenario for the healing test. A healing efficiency of ∼60% was achieved. This suggests that, for naturally cracked surfaces, which have smoother fracture surfaces and better surface alignments during healing, higher healing efficiencies could be expected. We believe that the combination of shape memory and intrinsic healing capability within one network will broaden the applications of thermosets and enable recycling.
Development Application of Composite Indices (CI): An Emerging Method to the Disciplines of Engineering, Economics and Finance

Interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary research involves the use of a combination of principles from various disciplines: engineering, economics, finance, etc. This particular approach makes a lot of sense; otherwise, all the research will become compartmentalized, and researchers from one discipline will not know what researchers from other disciplines are doing and how those principles can be applied to their own disciplines. One way to create a common base connecting all these disciplines is to use the concept of composite indicators (CI), which is an emerging field of study. The use of composite indices, as part of an emerging method, for research problems in various fields allows for greater understanding of research problems and provides a visionary approach to solve such problems. This paper first states the existing methods for calculation of composite indicators in the literature and then suggests a new method.
Hand preference in free-ranging white-throated capuchins (Cebus capucinus) in Costa Rica

I studied the hand preference patterns of individuals in three troops of white-throated capuchins (C. capucinus) in Palo Verde, Costa Rica, during 11 months from February 1995 to January 1996. I used focal and ad libitum sampling techniques and tested several frameworks that seek to explain and to predict primate hand use patterns via a variety of spontaneous tasks that differ in manipulative difficulty and required postural regulation: reach, tap, grab, carry, and object-use. The monkeys showed symmetrical hand use patterns for the easy tasks, reach and tap; strongly asymmetrical patterns for the highly manipulative task, object-use, at the individual level; and weak population-level biases for tasks requiring a degree of postural regulation, carry. The results for data on grab are inconclusive. These results do not support the available primate hand use frameworks and differ from most of the captive literature on hand preference in Cebus. The findings indicate that postural regulation may influence hand use patterns in nonhuman primates at the population level.
Thermally expanded core fiber with a 4-μm mode field diameter suitable for low-loss coupling with silicon photonic devices

We developed thermally expanded core fibers with a 4-μm mode field diameter. The connection loss with conventional single-mode fibers is below 0.2 dB. The coupling loss with silicon devices can be below 1.5 dB/facet.
Characterization of the starch-binding domain of Aspergillus glucoamylase produced in Escherichia coli

A li-galactosidase and two J3-galactosidase fusion proteins containing amino acids 498-616 (BSB119), and amino acids 537616 (BSB80) of Aspergillus glucoamylase I were purified on a large scale. The yields of A-galactosidase, BSB80, and BSB119 were 8.8, 3.4, and 3.2 mg/1, respectively. Maintaining dissolved oxygen at 80% in the fermenter doubled the yield of BSB119. Adsorption isotherms of the three proteins were of the Langmuirian type. Analysis of the granular starch adsorption data by using the Scatchard plot indicated the presence of homogeneous binding sites on the starch surface. BSB119 has a maximum binding capacity of 36.3 mg/g starch, which is about 10 times higher than that of BSB80 and B-galactosidase. The apparent association constant (K^) is three times higher than that of BSB80 and /i-galactosidase.
When Saying Sorry May Not Help: The Impact of Apologies on Social Rejections.

If you have to socially reject someone, will it help to apologize? Social rejection is a painful emotional experience for targets, yet research has been silent on recommendations for rejectors. Across three sets of studies, apologies increased hurt feelings and the need to express forgiveness but did not increase feelings of forgiveness. The investigation of hurt feelings arising from a social rejection is challenging because previous research has shown that participants are reluctant to admit they felt hurt by the rejection. The present research addressed the self-report issue in two ways. First, participants rated how much social rejections would hurt someone’s feelings as a function of whether an apology was included across various social rejection scenarios (Studies 1a-e). Second, aggressive behavior was measured in response to face-to-face social rejections that were manipulated to include or exclude apologies (Studies 2a-c). More specifically, Studies 1a-e (N = 1096) found that although individuals sometimes use apologies in social rejections, social rejections with apologies are associated with higher levels of explicit hurt feelings. Studies 2a-c (N = 355) manipulated the presence of an apology in face-to-face social rejections and found that social rejections with apologies cause more aggressive behavior. As in previous research, participants are reluctant to admit to feeling hurt. Finally, Study 3 (N = 426) found that in response to social rejections with apologies, individuals feel more compelled to express forgiveness despite not actually feeling more forgiveness. Implications for the role of language in social rejections are discussed.
Pilot Integration of HIV Screening and Healthcare Settings with Multi- Component Social Network and Partner Testing for HIV Detection.

BACKGROUND Healthcare settings screen broadly for HIV. Public health settings use social network and partner testing ("Transmission Network Targeting (TNT)") to select high-risk individuals based on their contacts. HIV screening and TNT systems are not integrated, and healthcare settings have not implemented TNT. OBJECTIVE The study aimed to evaluate pilot implementation of multi-component, multi-venue TNT in conjunction with HIV screening by a healthcare setting. METHODS Our urban, academic health center implemented a TNT program in collaboration with the local health department for five months during 2011. High-risk or HIV positive patients of the infectious diseases clinic and emergency department HIV screening program were recruited to access social and partner networks via compensated peer-referral, testing of companions present with them, and partner notification services. Contacts became the next-generation index cases in a snowball recruitment strategy. RESULTS The pilot TNT program yielded 485 HIV tests for 482 individuals through eight generations of recruitment with five (1.0%; 95% CI = 0.4%, 2.3%) new diagnoses. Of these, 246 (51.0%; 95% CI = 46.6%, 55.5%) reported that they had not been tested for HIV within the last 12 months and 383 (79.5%; 95% CI = 75.7%, 82.9%) had not been tested by the existing ED screening program within the last five years. CONCLUSION TNT complements population screening by more directly targeting high-risk individuals and by expanding the population receiving testing. Information from existing healthcare services could be used to seed TNT programs, or TNT could be implemented within healthcare settings. Research evaluating multi-component, multi-venue HIV detection is necessary to maximize complementary approaches while minimizing redundancy.
A miRNA Signature for Cognitive Deficits and Alcohol Use Disorder in Persons Living with HIV/AIDS

HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND) affects more than half of persons living with HIV-1/AIDS (PLWHA). Identification of biomarkers representing the cognitive status of PLWHA is a critical step for implementation of successful cognitive, behavioral and pharmacological strategies to prevent onset and progression of HAND. However, the presence of co-morbidity factors in PLWHA, the most common being substance abuse, can prevent the identification of such biomarkers. We have optimized a protocol to profile plasma miRNAs using quantitative RT-qPCR and found a miRNA signature with very good discriminatory ability to distinguish PLWHA with cognitive impairment from those without cognitive impairment. Here, we have evaluated this miRNA signature in PLWHA with alcohol use disorder (AUD) at LSU Health Sciences Center (LSUHSC). The results show that AUD is a potential confounding factor for the miRNAs associated with cognitive impairment in PLWHA. Furthermore, we have investigated the miRNA signature associated with cognitive impairment in an independent cohort of PLWHA using plasma samples from the CNS HIV Antiretroviral Therapy Effects Research (CHARTER) program. Despite differences between the two cohorts in socioeconomic status, AUD, and likely misuse of illicit or prescription drugs, we validated a miRNA signature for cognitive deficits found at LSUHSC in the CHARTER samples.
Yield, quality and genetic diversity of hybrid hazelnut selections in the Upper Midwest of the USA

The majority of hazelnut plantings in the Upper Midwest of the United States are planted with seedlings from crosses between American hazelnuts (Corylus americana) and European hazelnuts (C. avellana) that were initially made in the 1930’s. To evaluate the potential of this material to support a commercial industry, we have populated replicated field trials at five locations with clonal material of high performing accessions selected from these plantings. The hybrid plants in these trials were found to have high levels of genetic diversity when assessed at 10 microsatellite loci. Principal component analysis shows these Midwestern hybrids group genetically with American hazelnuts from the Upper Midwest region, but separately from European hazelnuts and hybrid hazelnuts developed elsewhere. We conclude that this pool of hybrids has sufficient genetic diversity for a breeding program to support a regional hazelnut industry. The average yield of the eight highest yielding of these genotypes, at ages six to 8 years, was 180 g m−2 of canopy area at the most productive site, which in a production system with 50% of the land covered by the crop canopy would translate to 895 kg of kernel ha−1. This compares favorably with expected yields of similarly aged European tree hazelnuts in Oregon. Though smaller than nuts from European cultivars, kernel quality of the top eight selections was deemed to be adequate for the processed nut market.
Hermeneutics and Deconstruction

Phenomenology, as was indicated in part two of this book, originated in Germany with the work of Edmund Husserl, who wanted to lay a new foundation for philosophy as a rigorous science. Through the phenomenological reductions he sought to set aside the presuppositions of every day consciousness until we have before us the unbiased outlook upon transcendental pure phenomena. By locating meaning in the intentional relation between consciousness and its object Husserl sought a rigorous foundation for knowledge. If Husserl’s concerns were primarily epistemological, Heidegger’s concerns, as was shown in the chapter on Existential Philosophy, were more ontological. Husserl bracketed the question of Being and Heidegger called for revisions in the phenomenological method which would make it appropriate for asking the question of the meaning of being, or what it means to be. In his early work Heidegger approached the question of the meaning of being through that being which is ontologically distinctive, the being of human existence or Dasein. Phenomenology becomes for him a description of the basic structures of Dasein. Since, however, the meaning of being is hidden and Dasein finds itself in a hermeneutical circle, phenomenological description is interpretation. According to Heidegger, “Phenomenology of Da-sein is hermeneutics in the original signification of that word, which designates the work of interpretation.”1
Fully automatic surface-based pre- to intra-operative CT registration for cochlear implant

Percutaneous cochlear implantation (PCI) is an image-guided surgical approach, where access to the cochlea is achieved by drilling a channel from the outer skull to the cochlea. The PCI requires pre- and intra-operative planning. Computation of a safe drilling trajectory is performed in a pre-operative CT. This trajectory is mapped to intra-operative space using the transformation matrix that registers the pre- and intra-operative CTs. However, the misalignment between the two CTs is too extreme to be recovered by standard registration methods. Thus the registration is initialized manually. In this work we present a method that aligns the scans completely automatically. We compared the performance of this method to the manually initialized registration. There is a maximum difference of 0.19 mm between the entry and target points resulting from the automatic and manually initialized registrations. This suggests that the automatic method is accurate enough to be used in a PCI surgery.
Adapting Fine with a Little Help from the Null Space.

During motor adaptation, the brain must learn to produce new muscle outputs without disrupting the intricate coordination between numerous motor areas. A new paper (Perich et al., 2018) shows how adaptation can occur in a subset of neural dimensions and avoid muddling inter-area communication.
Euripides and the Origins of Democratic «Anarchia»

In this essay, I argue that the terms anarchia and anarchos had become associated with critiques of democracy before the final quarter of the fifth century BCE. I begin with a review of archaic and early classical uses of the term, with a particular focus on two instances in Aeschylus’ Oresteia. I then examine Euripides’ two uses of anarchia/anarchos, one in Hecuba and the other in Iphigenia at Aulis. In each case, we see that the concept of anarchic behavior is associated with democratic bodies; that charges of anarchia are laid by characters who engage with critiques of democracy throughout the dramas; and that the term itself is embedded within discourses that are laden with the language and rhetoric of anti-democratic discourses found in Thucydides, Herodotus, and the Old Oligarch. Given that Euripidean references to anarchia are embedded within terminology that was already current in contemporary anti-democratic thought, I conclude that the concept of democracy’s ‘anarchic’ tendencies had already been developed by the final quarter of the fifth century BCE.
HIV Screening and Early Referral in the Trauma Population: The Experience of a Large Safety Net Hospital

Abstract Background While the prevalence of HIV infection in the population is 0.5%, it is higher among trauma patients as are rates of unknown seropositivity. Routine HIV screening for all trauma evaluations was implemented at our urban level I center in 2009. We aimed to evaluate use and results of the program in our trauma population. Methods This was a retrospective analysis of all trauma evaluations between July 2015 and February 2018. After passage of legislation rescinding the requirement for consent to perform HIV testing, our trauma service instituted an order set which automatically tested for HIV unless the ordering physician opted out. Patients found to be infected with HIV were to be counseled and referred to specialty care. Results Of 6175 consecutive trauma evaluations during the study period, 449 (7.3%) patients had been screened within the prior year and were excluded. Of the remaining cohort, 2024 (35.3%) patients were screened with 27 (1.3%) testing positive. Among those testing positive for infection, 100% were male, 77% white, 63% non-Hispanic, and 70% lacked insurance. Twenty-five (92.6%) patients received counseling and 19 were referred to specialty care. Age, gender, race, ethnicity, Injury Severity Score, trauma activation level, and payor type were not significant predictors for positive HIV screen on logistic regression analysis. Conclusions Despite a significantly higher rate of HIV in the trauma population, only a third of patients are screened. Such high infection rates justify the existence of this screening program but steps must be taken to increase screening rate. Level of Evidence Level 3.
Solving Stochastic Dynamic Programming Problems: A Mixed Complementarity Approach

We present a mixed complementarity problem (MCP) formulation of continuous state dynamic programming problems (DP-MCP). We write the solution to projection methods in value function iteration (VFI) as a joint set of optimality conditions that characterize maximization of the Bellman equation; and approximation of the value function. The MCP approach replaces the iterative component of projection based VFI with a one-shot solution to a square system of complementary conditions. We provide three numerical examples to illustrate our approach.
Lifetime inequality: Income and occupational differences and dynamics in the US

Abstract Income inequality's growth over recent decades sparked interest in income mobility over the life course. A coherent framework links intragenerational mobility and inequality, showing how movement into different income positions during adulthood tends to equalize incomes in the long term. We expand this framework to incorporate intergenerational mobility. This expansion is crucial for understanding the connection between inequality and mobility, because both intra- and intergenerational mobility tend to equalize incomes in the long term, while income persistence from parents to their adult children maintains inequality in the long term. We use the expanded framework to answer three questions: first, how do intra- and intergenerational mobility dynamics contribute to lifetime income inequality; second, how do they differentially contribute to lifetime occupational inequality versus lifetime income inequality; and third, how have their contributions varied across cohorts. Using data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics, we find that mobility dynamics equalize lifetime family income much more than occupational prestige or occupational income. This difference remained remarkably stable across cohorts, because rising income inequality between people was not offset by especially high income mobility over the life course, nor was it matched by rising occupational inequality.
The Metabolic Rainbow: Deep Learning Phase i Metabolism in Five Colors

Metabolism of drugs affects their absorption, distribution, efficacy, excretion, and toxicity profiles. Metabolism is routinely assessed experimentally using recombinant enzymes, human liver micros...
Effect of Drug Disposal Kits and Fact Sheets on Elimination of Leftover Prescription Opioids: The DISPOSE Multi-Arm Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective To determine how passively providing informational handouts and/or drug disposal kits affects rates of leftover prescription opioid disposal. Design A multi-arm parallel-group randomized controlled trial with masked outcome assessment and computer-guided randomization. Setting Johns Hopkins Health System outpatient pharmacies. Subjects Individuals who filled ≥1 short-term prescription for an immediate-release opioid for themselves or a family member. Methods In June 2019, 499 individuals were randomized to receive an informational handout detailing U.S. Food and Drug Administration-recommended ways to properly dispose of leftover opioids (n = 188), the informational handout and a drug disposal kit with instructions on its use (n = 170), or no intervention (n = 141) at prescription pickup. Subjects were subsequently contacted by telephone, and outcomes were assessed by a standardized survey. The primary outcome was the use of a safe opioid disposal method. Results By 6 weeks after prescription pickup, 227 eligible individuals reported they had stopped taking prescription opioids to treat pain and had leftover medication. No difference in safe disposal was observed between the non-intervention group (10% [6/63]) and the group that received disposal kits (14% [10/73]) (risk ratio = 1.44; 95% confidence interval: 0.55 to 3.74) or the group that received a fact sheet (11% [10/91]) (risk ratio = 1.15; 95% confidence interval: 0.44 to 3.01). Conclusions These findings suggest that passive provision of a drug disposal kit at prescription pickup did not increase rates of leftover opioid disposal when compared with provision of a fact sheet alone or no intervention. Active interventions may deserve further investigation.
Analysis of Organic, Elemental, and Carbonate Carbon in Ambient Aerosols

A method has been developed for the analysis of organic, elemental, and carbonate carbon in ambient aerosols collected on glass-fiber or quartz-fiber filters. The organic analysis proceeds in two steps. The filter is first heated in an oxygen (2 percent)-helium atmosphere at 340°C to volatilize the bulk of the organic carbon. The volatilized carbon passes through a manganese dioxide (MnO 2 ) bed at 900°C and is converted to carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), which is reduced to methane (CH 4 ) and measured in a flame ionization detector. After the oven has been purged with helium, the oven temperature is raised to 600°C, and a secondary volatilization of organic carbon results. This is measured by the technique just described. The purpose of the two-step organic measurement is to minimize the pyrolytic conversion of organic to elemental carbon during the organic carbon analysis. For typical filter samples, approximately two thirds of the organic carbon is removed in the 340°C oxygen-helium step. The elemental carbon is then measured by combusting the sample in an oxygen-helium atmosphere at 600°C and measuring the evolved CO 2 as described. A second combustion at 700°C in the oxygen-helium atmosphere is included to ensure complete recovery of the elemental carbon. The carbonates are measured by acidification of the filter and measurement of the resultant CO 2 . Because there is still some conversion of organic to elemental carbon during the organic analysis, the values for organic carbon and elemental carbon must be considered as lower and upper limits, respectively. An optical technique is being refined to permit a quantitative determination of the degree of conversion.
Partitions and Relations

In this chapter the foundations for models of subsequent chapters are discussed. S4 contains some definitions and first properties of fuzzy sets. The important device of mathematical embedding first appears here. Interestingly enough, however, a property of the embedded structure (that a subset and its complement reproduce the original set under union) which is not preserved under embedment turns out to be one of its most useful aspects! In S5 partitions of finite data sets are given a matrix-theoretic characterization, culminating in a theorem which highlights the difference between conventional and fuzzy partitions. S6 is devoted to exploration of the algebraic and geometric nature of the partition embedment: the main results are that fuzzy partition space is compact, convex, and has dimension n (c − 1). S7 considers hard and fuzzy relations in finite data sets and records some connections between relations and partitions that tie the observational and relation-theoretic approaches together.
A general functional analysis to dispersive structures

A new functional for 3-dimensional waveguiding structures with dielectric and conductor losses is rigorously derived. Numerical examples are presented for anisotropic dielectric image waveguide, PTEE bilateral fin line, and two coupled asymmetrical dual lossy transmission lines with finite conductivity and finite thickness. Agreement with previous publications wherever available are observed.
Internet distributed computing the intersection of web services, P2P, and grid computing

David Barkai is a member of the Distributed Systems Lab of Intel's Corporate Technology Group. He has also been a content architect for the Intel Developer Forum conference and a software scientist in the Microcomputer Software Lab. Before joining Intel in 1996, David worked for 25 years in the field of scientific and engineering supercomputing for Control Data Corporation, Cray Research Inc., Supercomputer Systems Inc., and NASA Ames Research Center.
Abstract 14914: Sex-Related Differences in Aortic Stenosis: Pre-operative Hemodynamics and Correlates of Aortic Valve Weight

Introduction: Valve weight in calcific aortic stenosis (AS) is thought to be mostly secondary to calcification and female sex is associated with less calcium burden. Contemporary data describing sex-related differences in pre-operative clinical characteristics, hemodynamics, and postoperative aortic valve weight (AVW) are scarce. Hypothesis: AVW will correlate well with CT calcium score and female sex will be associated with lower AVW even after correction for anthropomorphic and clinical factors. Methods: Postoperative AVW was measured in 1090 consecutive patients (692 male, 398 female) with AS. Results: Women were slightly older (74±11 vs 73±10 years, p=0.04), had more hypertension (79% vs 73%, p=0.04), slightly higher NYHA functional class (2.64±0.71 vs 2.51±0.72, p=0.004), and less coronary artery disease (39% vs 54%, p<0.0001). Women had higher ejection fraction (63±10 vs 59±12, p<0.0001) and smaller aortic valve area (0.80±0.19 vs 0.91±0.18 cm2, p<0.0001), but had a similar indexed valve area (0.44±0.09 vs 0.44±0.10 cm2/m2, p=0.49) and mean gradient (51±15 vs 49±14 mm Hg, p=0.10). In 142 patients, CT aortic valve calcium score correlated well with AVW (r=0.80, p<0.0001) and was lower in women compared to men (2400±1170 AU vs 3557±1616, p<0.0001). Univariate and multivariate discriminators of AVW can be found in table 1. Conclusions: CT coronary calcium scoring correlates well with AVW and the major correlates of increased AVW are male sex, bicuspid valve, and increased left ventricular outflow tract size. Despite a similar severity of AS, women had less aortic valve calcium and lower AVW compared to men even after correction for other confounding variables. This may be related to a greater degree of aortic valve fibrosis than calcification in women and/or varying adaptability to AS in men versus women. Examination of potential sex-related differences in the pathophysiology of AS may be helpful in elucidating potential non-surgical targets to treat AS. ![][1] [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif
Food, song and speciation

It is said that you are what you eat. Diet can also determine how you sound and perhaps even what species you are — if you are one of Darwin's finches.