cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Chemical shift anisotropy in powdered solids studied by 2D FT NMR with flipping of the spinning axis

We propose a new two-dimensional approach for obtaining the anisotropy information. In this new experiment, the spinning axis of the sample is flipped from 90 to 54.7” between the evolution and detection periods. The experiment appears to be widely applicable and has great promise for the study of complex samples. The experimental scheme is set out in Fig. 1. Cross polarization of, in our case, 13C nuclei is performed while the sample is spun about an axis that makes an angle of 90” with the static magnetic field. It can be shown (IO) that the powder anisotropy pattern that obtains under these conditions is reversed and collapsed to half the width of the static nonspinning case, but keeps the same shape. At the end of the evolution period (t,), the x component of the transverse 13C magnetization is stored along the z axis, parallel to the static magnetic field, by means of a 90,” 13C pulse. The orientation of the spinning axis of the sample is then changed to the magic angle. The sample is spun fast compared with the width of the anisotropy patterns, so that spinning sidebands have negligible intensities. A final 90 o 13C pulse rotates the z-stored 13C magnetization back into the transverse plane, where it precesses in the time domain, tZ, with the corresponding isotropic chemical shift frequencies. Cycling of the phase of the first 90 o 13C pulse alternately along +y and -y, together with adding and subtracting of the acquired data, is used to eliminate spurious signals. The detected isotropic spectrum, S(tl , F2) obtained by Fourier transformation with respect to t2, is modulated in amplitude with the frequencies existing during the evolution period, t,. Hence, the powder anisotropy information and the isotropic chemical shifts will appear in the F, dimension. Because of the amplitude modulation, a pure 2D absorption spectrum can be obtained by calculating the cosine Fourier transform, P(F,, FJ (II, 12).
The Influence of Biomechanical Factors at the Tissue-Biomaterial Interface

When an implant is placed into bone, an interface is created. This interface has a critical biomechanical function: it must support the implant in bone. However, failure of implant fixation (i.e., implant “loosening”), continues to be a leading cause of implant failure [1,2]. While there are a number of factors involved in this problem, it is recognized that biomechanical factors play a role, and this paper reviews the more important factors, including relative motion and interfacial stresses and strains. Also, it presents results from a recent in vivo experiment on controlled loading of an interface.
De Novo Assembly and Annotation of the Transcriptome of the Agricultural Weed Ipomoea purpurea Uncovers Gene Expression Changes Associated with Herbicide Resistance

Human-mediated selection can lead to rapid evolution in very short time scales, and the evolution of herbicide resistance in agricultural weeds is an excellent example of this phenomenon. The common morning glory, Ipomoea purpurea, is resistant to the herbicide glyphosate, but genetic investigations of this trait have been hampered by the lack of genomic resources for this species. Here, we present the annotated transcriptome of the common morning glory, Ipomoea purpurea, along with an examination of whole genome expression profiling to assess potential gene expression differences between three artificially selected herbicide resistant lines and three susceptible lines. The assembled Ipomoea transcriptome reported in this work contains 65,459 assembled transcripts, ~28,000 of which were functionally annotated by assignment to Gene Ontology categories. Our RNA-seq survey using this reference transcriptome identified 19 differentially expressed genes associated with resistance—one of which, a cytochrome P450, belongs to a large plant family of genes involved in xenobiotic detoxification. The differentially expressed genes also broadly implicated receptor-like kinases, which were down-regulated in the resistant lines, and other growth and defense genes, which were up-regulated in resistant lines. Interestingly, the target of glyphosate—EPSP synthase—was not overexpressed in the resistant Ipomoea lines as in other glyphosate resistant weeds. Overall, this work identifies potential candidate resistance loci for future investigations and dramatically increases genomic resources for this species. The assembled transcriptome presented herein will also provide a valuable resource to the Ipomoea community, as well as to those interested in utilizing the close relationship between the Convolvulaceae and the Solanaceae for phylogenetic and comparative genomics examinations.
Characterization and Design of Through-Silicon Via Arrays in Three-Dimensional ICs Based on Thermomechanical Modeling

A general approach has been proposed for predicting the temperature and thermal stress fields of through-silicon-via (TSV) arrays in 3-D integrated circuits (ICs) based on a coupled-field finite-element (FE) method. The heat source under consideration is the active device layers of the ICs that are operating under load. Individual and combined effects of TSV array parameters, including TSV height, diameter, spacing, and array size, on die temperature and thermal stress are predicted. Good linear relationships are identified between the proposed TSV array parameters and predicted temperature and thermal stress fields of the ICs. A 3-D FE model of two-stack field-programmable gate arrays with an embedded TSV array has been built and validated with an analytical model and verified by experimental measurements.
Sample size for biomarker studies: more subjects or more measurements per subject?

Abstract PURPOSE: In molecular epidemiologic studies, optimizing the use of available biological specimens while minimizing the cost is always a challenge. This is particularly true in pilot studies, which often have limited funding and involve small numbers of biological samples too small for assessment of recently developed biomarkers. METHODS: In this study we examined several statistical approaches for determining how many experimental subjects to use in a biomarker study and how many repeated measurements to make on each sample, given specific funding considerations and the correlated nature of the repeated measurements. RESULTS: A molecular epidemiology study of DNA repair and aging in basal cell carcinoma was used to illustrate the application of the statistical methods proposed. CONCLUSIONS: Our methods extend traditional designs on biomarker studies with repeated measurements to including funding constraints.
Making Sense of Safeguards

The ASG was negotiated in response to the use of extralegal measures and inappropriate use of legal measures to restrict imports. More effective disciplines regarding implementation of Article XIX was recognized as an important unilateralism deterrent in policy implementation. These disciplines are subjective and objective. Disciplines that are quantifiable are more effective. Utilizing both balances rules and discretion. A home and foreign producer are used to assess SG in the context of adverse shocks. This framework entails a novel feature appropriate to SG. Firms are permitted to select optimal levels of downward flexibility in output in response to a possible shock. The extent of adjustment is directly related to the cost incurred. Firms choose flexibility in stage one and output in stage two. Without SG, firms will not insulate themselves completely from the conditional expectation of an adverse shock. Introducing the ASG increases the relative adjustment burden for the foreign firm.
Active filtering of harmonic currents in three-phase, four-wire systems with three-phase and single-phase nonlinear loads

A novel active harmonic-neutralizing filter is proposed which eliminates current harmonic effects, caused by any configuration of nonlinear loads in a three-phase, four-wire systems. The authors present proposed filter topologies and simulation results verifying the concept. Theoretical analysis of the circuit is included to facilitate a detailed converter design. The proposed topology is shown to have distinct advantages over traditional approaches to the problem, particularly over the three single-phase inverter approach. >
Role of progesterone in normal breast physiology

The extant literature indicates that progesterone significantly influences normal mammary growth and differentiation. However, most breast tissue research is conducted using malignant cells, in which the progesterone activity differs greatly from that in normal cells. Although progesterone has been demonstrated to support cyclic proliferation in the breast during the menstrual cycle and pregnancy, in vitro studies have been inconsistent in their assessments of progesterone's role in proliferation. Similarly, mitotic activity in the breast reaches its peak during the progesterone-dominant luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, and therefore some researchers claim that progesterone plays a major role in breast cancer; however, several clinical observations have found evidence dismissing progesterone as a key factor. Thus, researchers seek to expand our current understanding of the role of progesterone in breast physiology.
Brief paper: An analysis of the effects of spectral uncertainty on wiener filtering

A representative selection of results from an extensive study of the performance of Wiener filtering under spectral uncertainty is presented. For a variety of spectral uncertainty models the Wiener filter is shown to have undesirable sensitivity to even small deviations from those signal and noise spectral densities which were used to design the filter. Performance of a robust filter (designed to have the best possible performance when the uncertainty is worst) is also examined. In most cases the robust filter's insensitivity to spectral uncertainty makes it preferable to the traditional Wiener filter.
Solving interpolation problems with LOGO and BOXER

The results of the present experiment indicate that BOXER must not be regarded as only a modernized update of LOGO, but as a real improvement over LOGO - at least with respect to the features which have been the subject of the present investigation. Whether this evaluation will hold for all features of the presentation mode in BOXER as well as for other task domains should be investigated in further studies. In addition, performance data should be gathered from online sessions with either LOGO and BOXER in order to evaluate whether and where data from controlled experiments may be generalized. Nevertheless, the present study may be regarded as a first step in that direction as well as BOXER may be regarded as a promising step in providing efficient visual aids in programming.
Concurrent reinforcement learning as a rehearsal for decentralized planning under uncertainty

Dec-POMDPs are a powerful tool for modeling multi-agent planning and decision-making under uncertainty. Prevalent Dec-POMDP solution techniques require centralized computation given full knowledge of the underlying model. Recently, reinforcement learning (RL) based approaches have been proposed for distributed solution of Dec-POMDPs without full prior knowledge of the model. These methods assume that agents have only local information available to them during the learning process, i.e. that conditions during learning and policy execution are identical. However, in practical scenarios this may not be the case, and agents may have difficulty learning under such unnecessary constraints. We propose a novel RL approach in which agents are allowed to \emph{rehearse} with information that will not be available during policy execution. The key is for the agents to learn policies that do not explicitly rely on this information. We show experimentally that incorporating such information can ameliorate the difficulties faced by non-rehearsal-based learners, and demonstrate fast, (near) optimal performance on many existing benchmark Dec-POMDP problems. We also propose a new benchmark domain that is less abstract than existing domains and is designed to be particularly challenging to RL-based solvers, as a target for current and future research on RL solutions to Dec-POMDPs.
Direct Peritoneal Resuscitation Alters Hepatic miRNA Expression after Hemorrhagic Shock

Background MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small segments of noncoding RNA that regulate gene expression and protein function, and therefore are key regulators of cellular processes including those of the inflammatory cascade after hemorrhagic shock (HS). We have previously shown that direct peritoneal resuscitation (DPR), as an adjunct to traditional IV fluid resuscitation, improves visceral blood flow and reduces pro-inflammatory cytokines released during HS. The effects of DPR on hepatic miRNA (miR) expression patterns after resuscitated HS are not known. Study Design Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 3 groups: sham (no HS); conventional resuscitation (CR; HS, then resuscitated with shed blood and 2 volumes of saline); and DPR (CR plus 30 mL peritoneal dialysis solution). Animals were sacrificed at 4 hours, and miRNAs were measured using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Results Use of DPR downregulated 68 of 92 hepatic miRNAs compared with only 2 of 92 upregulated when compared with CR alone, p Conclusions Adding DPR downregulated most hepatic miRNAs compared with CR alone. Some miRNAs were affected more significantly, suggesting that although this clinical intervention causes a near-global downregulation of hepatic miRNA, it still targets specific inflammatory pathways. Use of DPR for resuscitation of patients in HS may reduce hepatic inflammation to improve patient outcomes after hemorrhage.
Development of a ReaxFF Reactive Force Field for Ammonium Nitrate and Application to Shock Compression and Thermal Decomposition

We have developed a new ReaxFF reactive force field parametrization for ammonium nitrate. Starting with an existing nitramine/TATB ReaxFF parametrization, we optimized it to reproduce electronic structure calculations for dissociation barriers, heats of formation, and crystal structure properties of ammonium nitrate phases. We have used it to predict the isothermal pressure–volume curve and the unreacted principal Hugoniot states. The predicted isothermal pressure–volume curve for phase IV solid ammonium nitrate agreed with electronic structure calculations and experimental data within 10% error for the considered range of compression. The predicted unreacted principal Hugoniot states were approximately 17% stiffer than experimental measurements. We then simulated thermal decomposition during heating to 2500 K. Thermal decomposition pathways agreed with experimental findings.
Isolation and Purification of the Attractant of the Striped Ambrosia Beetle

A volatile substance known to attract the striped ambrosia beetle, Trypodendron lineatum (Olivier), is produced only by the feeding, mated female. This material may be collected either by extraction from the boring dust with suitable solvents, or by condensation of air passed through the heated frass. Since the attractant was found to be soluble in polar compounds such as ethanol and chloroform, but not in benzene, it is very likely a polar compound. The attractive substance is thermally stable under the conditions necessary to fractionate it on a gas-liquid chromatograph.
Cathodic Electrodeposition of Amorphous Elemental Selenium from an Air- and Water-Stable Ionic Liquid

Electrodeposition of selenium from 1-propyl-1-methylpiperidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide is reported. In situ UV–vis spectroelectrochemistry was used to investigate the reduction of diethyl selenite to form elemental selenium thin films from an ionic liquid–acetonitrile medium. Three reduction peaks of diethyl selenite were observed via cyclic voltammetry and are attributed to the stepwise reduction of the selenium precursor adsorbed on the electrode. The electrodeposition mechanism is influenced by both potential and time. Electrodeposition at −1.7 V vs Pt QRE resulted in the deposition of elemental selenium nanoparticles that with time coalesced to form a continuous film. At reduction potentials more negative than −1.7 V the morphology of the deposit changed significantly due to the reduction of elemental Se to Se2–. In addition, p-type photoconductivity of the films was observed during the spectroelectrochemical measurements. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy confirmed that the deposit...
EVOLUTION OF FITNESS. II. CORRELATED EFFECTS OF NATURAL SELECTION ON THE PRODUCTIVITY AND SIZE OF EXPERIMENTAL POPULATIONS OF DROSOPHILA SERRATA.

The average size of a population at equilibrium in a certain environment may be used as a measure of the performance, or fitness, of the population in that environment (Carson, 1961; Dobzhansky and Pavlovsky, 1961; Cannon, 1963; Ayala, 1965a, 1966a, 1967). The average number of individuals emerged in the population per unit time and their biomass may also be used as measures of the fitness of populations. The two measures, average size and productivity, are mutually dependent but need not be strictly correlated. Natural or experimental populations of sexually reproducing organisms are not likely to remain genetically stationary for many generations. Under the action of natural selection, a population evolves genetically to improve its Darwinian fitness in the environment in which it lives. Some attempts have been made to observe and measure improvements in the ability of a population to exploit the resources of a particular environment (Dobzhansky and Spassky, 1947; Buzzati-Traverso, 1955; Carson, 1958; Strickberger, 1963; Ayala, 1965b, 1966b, etc.). Ayala (1965b) studied the performance of four experimental populations of D. serrata over one and a half years, using population size and productivity as fitness estimates. A gradual increase in the average size of the populations was observed throughout the experimental period. The number of flies emerging per unit time remained, however, approximately constant from the 16th week, when an approximate equilibrium was reached, until the end of the experiment. A number of questions are raised by such results. First, is the gradual increase in population size due to genetic changes in the population, or is this increase simply due to the improving ability of the experimenter in handling the populations? Second, has the productivity of the population remained constant, or did it improve genetically during the first few generations of selection when the population was rapidly growing and the experimental design did not allow estimation of fitness improvements? Finally, the relationship between the productivity and the size of a population is brought into question: to what extent may natural selection result in increases of the average size of the population when its productivity is not increasing? The two experiments reported here were designed to answer these questions.
Parties, Drugs, and High School Hookups Socioemotional Challenges for European and Mexican American Adolescents

Although uncommitted sexual relationships have become increasingly accepted by adolescents, the contexts and socioemotional consequences of these relationships are unknown, particularly among Mexican American youths. Using focus group methodology, we explored the dating experiences of Mexican and European American male and female middle adolescents and found that “hookups” are a salient dating experience that generally occurs in the context of substance use and parties. Females, particularly Mexican American, were more likely to hold mismatched expectations of their desire for a hookup to transition into a more committed type of relationship. A feminist developmental lens is invoked in the discussion of the findings.
Cell-Wall Antigens of V. Cholerae and Their Implication in Cholera Immunity

In a previous study, highly purified polysaccharide preparations obtained from an Ogawa type of Vibrio cholerae showed very high mouse protective potency when tested by the method described by Feeley and Pittman [1], while others were very poor in antibody production in animals and man, thus indicating that mouse protective potency and antibody eliciting activity do not always coincide [2]. In contrast, similarly purified polysaccharide preparations from Inaba-type strains failed to show high mouse protective activity, and a protein moiety combined with polysaccharide was required to maintain mouse protective activity and antibody eliciting power [3]. This difference in immunological behaviour seems to be due more to the character of the strains used than to a technical error during the purification processes, since the technique of preparing Ogawa purified polysaccharide has been quite reproducible in our hands. It therefore appeared that the same purification method could not be applied to all strains or types of V. cholerae in order to prepare immunogenically potent antigen.
Synthesis of Main Chain Purine-Based Copolymers and Effects of Monomer Design on Thermal and Optical Properties

The ability to incorporate diverse monomeric building blocks enables the development of advanced polymeric materials possessing a wide range of properties that suits them for myriad applications. Herein, that synthetic toolbox is expanded through the first report of purine-based copolymers in which purines are incorporated directly into the polymer main chain. Stille cross-coupling of dibromopurine monomers with benzodithiophene (BDT) comonomers is used to generate these “poly(purine)s”, and variations in the substitution pattern of the purine monomer and BDT side-chains provides insight into the role of monomer design on their resultant thermal and photophysical properties. Specifically, thermal analyses show that poly(purine)s exhibit high thermal stability and high glass transition temperatures depending on the BDT side-chain substituents and substitution pattern of the purine-derived comonomer. Furthermore, optical properties measured via UV–vis and fluorescence spectroscopies show dependence on monom...
The Use of Green Fluorescent Proteins to View Association Between Phospholipase Cβ and G Protein Subunits in Cells

A major advance in biology is the ability to attach either green fluorescence protein (GFP) or one of its variants to a target protein and follow its cellular localization and interaction with other partners by fluorescence microscopy. Our laboratory has previously developed fluorescence energy-transfer methods to measure the kinetics and affinities of the lateral association between phospholipase C (PLC) and G protein subunits on membrane surfaces. We are currently developing methods to view these associations in living cells using fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) between GFP-based chimeras. Because the improvements and variations of these GFP-based FRET techniques has continued on a rapid pace, we focus only on the basic principles behind these measurements and the methods used, which may continue to be applicable as improvements become available.
The role of imaging techniques in stress testing

The addition of various cardiac imaging techniques to standard ECG stress testing has permitted enhanced diagnostic capability in the evaluation of patients with suspected coronary artery disease. In addition, the prognostic and pathophysiologic information provided by such imaging modalities has given us insight not previously available by standard stress testing alone. This has been helpful in guiding management decisions in patients with known coronary artery disease. The modalities include myocardial perfusion imaging, stress echocardiography, and radionuclide ventriculography. These techniques can provide complementing and unique information in the evaluation of myocardial blood flow, function, and viability.
Are Indirect Benefits Relevant to Health Care Allocation Decisions

When allocating scarce healthcare resources, the expected benefits of alternative allocations matter. But, there are different kinds of benefits. Some are direct benefits to the recipient of the resource such as the health improvements of receiving treatment. Others are indirect benefits to third parties such as the economic gains from having a healthier workforce. This article considers whether only the direct benefits of alternative healthcare resource allocations are relevant to allocation decisions, or whether indirect benefits are relevant too. First, we distinguish different conceptions of direct and indirect benefits and argue that only a recipient conception could be morally relevant. We analyze four arguments for thinking that indirect benefits should not count and argue that none is successful in showing that the indirectness of a benefit is a good reason not to count it. We conclude that direct and indirect benefits should be evaluated in the same way.
Divine Simplicity and the Holy Trinity: Divine Simplicity and the Holy Trinity

The doctrine of divine simplicity is largely ignored in modern continental theology and has been criticized by some analytic theists. However, it plays a central role in patristic and medieval trinitarian thought, and is a doctrinal affirmation of the Catholic Church. This article seeks to illustrate the significance of the teaching first by examining the contrasting modern trinitarian theologies of Karl Barth and Richard Swinburne, noting how each suffers from a deficit of reference to the doctrine of divine simplicity. The article then presents four aspects of Aquinas’ teaching on divine simplicity. From this a consideration of trinitarian persons ensues that illustrates why the distinction of persons in God can best be understood by making use of Aquinas’ theology of ‘subsistent relations’, while the unified nature of God can best be understood in terms of ‘personal modes of subsistence’. Based on this analysis, the contrasting insights of both Barth and Swinburne can be fully retained, without the contrasting inherent problems that the theology of each presents.
Bacteriological Profiles of Human Milk from Individual Donors and Pooled Samples from a Commercial Milk Bank.

The bacteriological profiles of human milk samples collected from individual donors under supervised conditions of collection were compared to pooled human milk samples obtained from a commercial human milk bank. Total aerobic counts and total coliform counts of individual donor samples were lower than those of pooled, banked human milk. All of the 200 isolates from ten individual samples were staphylococci with Staphylococcus epidermidis predominating (82%). Only 1% of the isolates was identified as Staphylococcus aureus . Forty-two percent of the 100 isolates from five pooled samples were staphylococci and all of these staphylococci were coagulase-negative. Three percent of the isolates from the pooled samples were Streptococcus faecalis . The remainder (55%) were gram-negative organisms. S. epidermidis was the microorganism that was isolated most frequently from either individual (9 of 10) or pooled (3 of 5) samples.
Capability, compatibility, and usability evaluation of hardware-in-the-loop platforms for DC-DC converter

This paper evaluates the capability, compatibility, and usability of Hardware-in-the-Loop platforms for DC-DC converter. This was accomplished by interfacing the platforms with a physical power stage as well as a controller. The employed platforms are Hi-Rel Power-pole board, Texas Instruments Digital Controller, RTDS, OPAL-RT, dSPACE, and Typhoon. Two sets of experimentation were performed: the power stage represented by the Power-pole board, RTDS, OPAL-RT, dSPACE, and Typhoon and the controller replaced by TI DSC, RTDS, OPAL-RT, dSPACE, and Typhoon. Three points of evaluation for a testing platform that are of interest to industrial researchers as well as academia are capability (speed or modeling capacity), compatibility (ease of porting models from other platforms), and usability (ease of use of software and hardware). This paper provides an introductory resource for research and education by providing results of a simple buck converter example.
Theoretical Analysis of a Soft Cut Discretization

Crisp discretization is widely-used and easy to implement, but it cannot work well on some situations, for example, when there is no clear boundary between attribute values or the attribute values are close to a cut point and possibly affected by random noise. A discretization method named Softcut was proposed to accommodate such situations and has been applied to face recognition. Softcut introduced a parameter τ that defined a symmetrical interval (0.5-τ, 0.5+τ) named uncertain interval. The attribute values in (0.5-τ, 0.5+τ) were undiscretizable. However, because the performance of Softcut may deteriorate in some situations, an extension named eSoftcut was proposed, in which the uncertain interval was defined by two parameters, (τj1, τj2). In this article, the theoretical aspects of eSoftcut including its definition, algorithm, and properties are introduced.
Effects of cover crop termination and cotton planting methods on cotton production in conservation systems

In conservation agriculture, cover crops are utilized to improve soil properties and to enhance cash crop growth. One important part of cover crop management is termination. With smaller profit margins and constraints on time and labor, producers are searching for ways to reduce time and labor required to terminate cover crops while maintaining or increasing profitability. This study examined the effect of 11 different combinations of terminating cereal rye (Secale cereale L.) and planting cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) on population, seed cotton yield, total costs and net returns; and how combined operations affect labor, fuel consumption and carbon (CO2) emissions in a conservation system. Cereal rye followed by cotton was planted in central Alabama during the 2009–2011 crop years. Treatments included cotton planted directly into standing cereal rye, cover crops terminated at early milk growth stage using mechanical (roller or roller/crimper) with or without chemical termination (spraying) followed by cotton planting, and cover crop termination combined with cotton planting using spraying with or without rolling termination. While the 2011 crop year had the lowest plant populations, there was no year effect on seed cotton yields, total costs or net returns. Rolling with or without spraying yielded higher plant populations (26%), seed cotton yields (18.3%) and net returns (17.2%) than cotton planted into standing rye; however, rolling with or without spraying also had 23.8% higher costs due to increased fuel usage, machinery and labor hours, and yield varying costs. While rolling with spraying had slightly higher total costs compared with rolling alone (6.5%), plant populations, seed cotton yields and net returns were 11.42%, 6.4% and 6.5% higher, respectively. Converting from three separate operations for cover crop termination and cotton planting to rolling and spraying combined with planting, producers could potentially reduce CO2 emissions from fuel use and labor hours associated with cover crop termination and cotton planting by up to 51%.
A Twinkle in the Eyes

My memory is becoming increasingly porous, but I believe I first met Walter in February of 1965, in San Diego, during a short reprieve from the winter besetting the University of Chicago (and I deduce from this that Walter must have been on the right side of 40 then). At Cambridge, where I had studied for my Ph.D., I had made very close acquaintance with the metallic state of matter. But the insulating state, in a fully many-body context, was a puzzle to me then. Walter had written some beautiful papers on this topic, and in early 1965 began to set me on the right path. I thought then (and do so now) that he was one of the most congenial of men, and that he was endowed, as we all know, with the most extraordinary physical insight and perspicacity. The nearly four decades that have since passed have only served to solidify my view; in fact during this period I simply cannot count the number of times that, tracking back through the literature on a particular research topic in condensed matter theory, I have ended up at a seminal paper of Walter’s. It is abundantly clear that he has had a profound impact not only on our chosen field, but on allied fields as well. His remarkable creation of the density functional approach to correlated quantum systems has actually far transcended theoretical condensed matter physics per se.
Generalized crossover description of the thermodynamic and transport properties in pure fluids: II. Revision and modifications

Abstract In our previous work [S.B. Kiselev, J.F. Ely, Fluid Phase. Equilib. 222–223 (2004) 149], we developed a generalized cubic (GC) EoS for pure fluids, which incorporates non-analytic scaling laws in the critical region and reproduces the thermodynamic properties of pure fluids with high accuracy, including the asymptotic scaling behavior of the isochoric heat capacity in the one- and two-phase regions. However, it appears that in some cases the GC EoS can give unphysical behavior when extrapolated to high temperatures and densities. In this work, we present a modification of the generalized cubic EoS, which in the critical region is physically equivalent to the GC EoS developed earlier, but is more reliable in its extrapolation to high temperatures.
An IDSS for Regional Aquaculture Planning

The field of regional planning is characterized by the large number of issues and attributes involved, and regional planning for aquaculture development is no exception. Moreover, aquacultural plans do not have clearly defined objectives and require information that, if it exists, is often imprecise and uncertain. This chapter presents the development of an intelligent decision support system (IDSS) for regional aquaculture planning. The IDSS applies fuzzy set theory to multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) in regional aquaculture planning. A case study from Egypt demonstrates the proposed IDSS and the fuzzy MCDM framework.
Rational modification of vanillin derivatives to stereospecifically destabilize sickle hemoglobin polymer formation

Increasing the affinity of hemoglobin for oxygen represents a feasible and promising therapeutic approach for sickle cell disease by mitigating the primary pathophysiological event, i.e. the hypoxia-induced polymerization of sickle hemoglobin (Hb S) and the concomitant erythrocyte sickling. Investigations on a novel synthetic antisickling agent, SAJ-310, with improved and sustained antisickling activity have previously been reported. To further enhance the biological effects of SAJ-310, a structure-based approach was employed to modify this compound to specifically inhibit Hb S polymer formation through interactions which perturb the Hb S polymer-stabilizing αF-helix, in addition to primarily increasing the oxygen affinity of hemoglobin. Three compounds, TD-7, TD-8 and TD-9, were synthesized and studied for their interactions with hemoglobin at the atomic level, as well as their functional and antisickling activities in vitro. X-ray crystallographic studies with liganded hemoglobin in complex with TD-7 showed the predicted mode of binding, although the interaction with the αF-helix was not as strong as expected. These findings provide important insights and guidance towards the development of molecules that would be expected to bind and make stronger interactions with the αF-helix, resulting in more efficacious novel therapeutics for sickle cell disease.
Mapping Vibronic Couplings in a Solar Cell Dye with Polarization-Selective Two-Dimensional Electronic-Vibrational Spectroscopy.

This study uses polarization-selective two-dimensional electronic–vibrational (2D EV) spectroscopy to map intramolecular charge transfer in the well-known solar cell dye, [Ru(dcbpy)2(NCS)2]4– (N34–), dissolved in water. A static snapshot of the vibronic couplings present in aqueous N34– is reported. At least three different initially excited singlet metal-to-ligand charge-transfer (MLCT) states are observed to be coupled to vibrational modes probed in the lowest energy triplet MLCT state, emphasizing the role of vibronic coupling in intersystem crossing. Angles between electronic and vibrational transition dipole moments are extracted from spectrally isolated 2D EV peaks and compared with calculations to develop a microscopic description for how vibrations participate with 1MLCT states in charge transfer and intersystem crossing. These results suggest that 1MLCT states with significant electron density in the electron-donating plane formed by the Ru-(NCS)2 will participate strongly in charge transfer thro...
Fiber Formation during Melt Blowing

Experimental measurements are presented to provide phenomenological insight into the commercial melt blowing process. In particular, we discuss the following experimental measurements obtained at v...
Lewis Acid-Catalyzed Carbonyl–Olefin Metathesis

Catalytic carbonyl-olefin metathesis reactions enable direct carbon-carbon bond formation between carbonyl and olefin substrates relying on carbonyl-activation with a suitable Lewis acid. Based on this reaction design principle, efficient protocols for intermolecular carbonyl-olefin metathesis, as well as ring-closing and ring-opening carbonyl-olefin metathesis have been developed.
Total Hip Arthroplasty for Pediatric Disorders

In general, hip preserving procedures are preferred in the pediatric and adolescent patient. However, in the setting of advanced osteoarthritis hip preservation may not be a viable option. In these patients, total hip arthroplasty is becoming the intervention of choice as implant longevity continues to improve. In this chapter, we will explore the indications, historical context, and technical considerations of total hip arthroplasty in the very young patient.
Online education: MOOCs taken by educated few

Remarkably, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1 infects macrophages — immune cells that are equipped to detect pathogens and mediate innate immune responses — without stimulating innate immunity. Greg Towers and colleagues now show that this depends on the recruitment to the HIV-1 capsid of specific cofactors that are involved in orchestrating nuclear entry and targeting. When these capsid–cofactor interactions are prevented either by virus mutation, cofactor depletion or pharmacological inhibition of cofactor recruitment, viral DNA can be detected by innate immune sensors, including cyclic GMP-AMP synthase.
A Framework for the Systematic Design of Segmentation Workflows

Segmentation of microscopy images is an essential step in most experimental studies of process–structure–property relationships in advanced materials. Currently employed segmentation approaches require the user to identify and string together a sequence of algorithms (and codes) into customized workflows that need extensive tweaking and optimization (often accomplished through repeated trials) for producing the most reliable results for each set of images. Recent advances in materials characterization instruments have significantly increased the throughput and variety of microscopy images that could be generated in the efforts to document and understand the material internal structure. There is a critical need for a guiding framework for the systematic design of segmentation workflows that can eventually lead to fully automated segmentation workflows. In this work, we propose one such modular framework consisting of five sequential steps that is applicable to segmentation of a broad variety of microscopy images. Each step is designed to accomplish a specific subtask in the overall segmentation using available functions in popular software packages. Furthermore, the modular nature of the framework allows the user to explore alternate functions in each step, while systematically comparing their relative efficacies. We describe this new segmentation framework in this paper and demonstrate its value through case studies involving a variety of microstructures.
Foundation One Genomic Interrogation of Thyroid Cancers in Patients With Metastatic Disease Requiring Systemic Therapy.

Context Clinical applications of genomic assessment of thyroid cancers are rapidly evolving. Objectives, design, and setting We studied tumor samples from patients with imminently threatening and rare thyroid cancers to identify genomic alterations that might correlate with outcomes and/or be productively therapeutically targetable. Patient context Progressive and metastatic, and/or rare, thyroid cancers were studied, 2012 to 2016, at Mayo Clinic sites. Intervention The intervention was Foundation One tumor interrogation. Main outcome measures Main outcome measures included genomic alterations, patient characteristics, and overall survival. Results Samples from 55 patients were evaluated: 20 anaplastic thyroid cancers (ATCs) (36%), 25 radioactive iodine-refractory differentiated thyroid cancers (DTCs)/poorly differentiated thyroid cancers (PDTCs) (45%; 14 papillary thyroid cancer [PTCs], 6 PDTCs, 5 Hurthle cell cancers), 8 medullary thyroid cancers (MTCs) (15%), and 2 others (a spindle epithelial tumor with thymus-like differentiation, and a primary thyroid sarcoma). Overall, 72% of DTCs, 79% of ATCs, and 75% of MTCs were deemed to have potentially productively targetable alterations. The most commonly encountered mutation was of TERT promoter (56% of DTCs, 68% of ATCs)-but this is not presently targetable. Targetable BRAFV600E mutations were found in 40% of DTCs/PDTCs (83% of PTCs) and 32% of ATCs; of MTCs, 75% had targetable RET mutations, and 25% HRAS mutations. Of patient tumors with nonmutated BRAFV600E, 53% of DTC/PDTCs and 69% of ATCs had other potentially productively targetable mutations. Genomic alterations in our series of poor prognosis metastatic DTC/PDTCs also closely resembled those seen in ATC. Conclusions Whereas genomic interrogation of favorable prognosis thyroid cancer seems ill advised, potentially productively targetable mutations were demonstrated in the majority of tumors from patients with metastatic thyroid cancers requiring systemic therapy, suggesting a rationale for the selective application of this technology.
Neuropeptides and Articular Cartilage Pathology: Harmful or Helpful or Both?

BACKGROUND: Osteoarthritis, a major cause of chronic disabling pain among older adults has long been considered a non-inflammatory “wear and tear” disease associated with aging that largely implicates the loss of articular cartilage of one or more freely moving joints such the knee and hip as a result of biomechanical mechanisms. Recent findings however, imply that in addition to mechanical disruption of an affected joint, its disabling features, including pain, inflammatory mechanisms, and changes in the synovium surrounding the joint play a pivotal role in this regard. QUESTIONS: Do neuropeptides, small protein like molecules involved in neural transmission processes play a pivotal role in pathogenesis of osteoarthritis associated articular cartilage pathological changes, and can this information be applied clinically, to prevent or ameliorate the condition, and if so how? METHODS: PUBMED, SCOPUS, and WEB OF SCIENCE articles related to the topic were searched and examined and reported in narrative form. RESULTS: Neuropeptides are widespread neural modulators within the central and peripheral nervous system. Both excess as well as deficient neuropeptide production may prove harmful to articular cartilage, the tissue affected most clearly in osteoarthritis. Some neuropeptides appear trophic rather than catabolic, but very little definitive information prevails that can guide clinical practice safely and effectively. CONCLUSION: More research to tease out a distinctive role for neuropeptides in the context of articular cartilage destruction and/or repair is strongly indicated.
Ferrosilicon-Based Calcium Treatment of Aluminum-Killed and Silicomanganese-Killed Steels

Calcium-containing ferrosilicon—FeSi(Ca)—does give much higher calcium yield than calcium disilicide during calcium treatment of steel under laboratory conditions, in line with industrial observations. Upon calcium treatment of both aluminum-killed and silicomanganese-killed steel, a new population of small calcium-rich inclusions forms. The results indicate that pre-existing (deoxidation) inclusions dissolve into the liquid steel after calcium addition, rather than directly reacting with the added calcium.
Wildnisauffassungen in der aktuellen Politik und das unterschätzte Potenzial der Fließgewässer

Wildnis und Wildniserlebnis in Deutschland haufiger zu ermoglichen wurde vor uber zehn Jahren in der Nationalen Biodiversitatsstrategie als Vision formuliert. Fur Wildnisgebiete wurde als Ziel festgelegt, bis zum Jahr 2020 den Anteil von 2 % der Landesflache Deutschlands zu erreichen. Der Frage, warum dieses Ziel voraussichtlich nicht erreicht wird, geht dieser Beitrag mit folgender These nach: Die gesellschaftliche Vieldeutigkeit von Wildnis wird nur teilweise thematisiert und findet nicht genugend stringente Beachtung in den praktischen Konzepten. Mit einem diskursanalytischen Ansatz unter heuristischer Verwendung von Ernst Cassirers Raumtheorie wird die Pluralitat an Auffassungen und Bewertungen aufgezeigt, die im Spannungsfeld Wildnis wesentliche Diskursstrange pragen. Es zeigt sich am Beispiel Fliesgewasser, dass auch relativ kleinflachige Gebiete gesellschaftlich als Wildnis entdeckt, erlebt und ambivalent wertgeschatzt oder abgelehnt werden. Dieses Wildnispotenzial wird in der Praxis aktuell unterschatzt.
Visual Control of Locomotion

This Element examines visual perception in the context of activities that involve moving about in complex, dynamic environments. A central theme is that the ability of humans and other animals to perceive their surroundings based on vision is profoundly shaped by the need to adaptively regulate locomotion to variations in the environment. As such, important new insights into what and how we perceive can be gleaned by investigating the connection between vision and the control of locomotion. I present an integrated summary of decades of research on the perception of self-motion and object motion based on optic flow, the perception of spatial layout and affordances, and the control strategies for guiding locomotion based on visual information. I also explore important theoretical issues and debates, including the question of whether visual control relies on internal models.
Keeping Each Other Safe: Who Checks on Their Neighbors During Weather Extremes in Summer and Winter?

OBJECTIVE Weather extremes are increasing with climate change and associated with higher morbidity and mortality. Promotion of social connections is an emerging area of research and practice for risk reduction during weather extremes. This study examines the practice of checking on neighbors during extreme summer heat and extreme winter weather. Objectives are to (1) describe the extent of neighbor checking during these extremes, and (2) examine factors associated with neighbor checking. METHODS We analyze survey data (n = 442) from a primarily low- and moderate- income study sample in a Southeastern U.S. city, using descriptive statistics and logistic regression. RESULTS About 17.6% of participants checked on neighbors during extreme summer heat, and 25.2% did so during extreme winter weather. Being middle or older aged and having more adverse physical health impacts were positively associated with neighbor checking, for both extremes. For winter only, having less education was positively associated with neighbor checking. CONCLUSIONS Community-based partnerships for reducing risk during weather extremes may consider people who are older or have experienced their own adverse health impacts as initial target groups for promoting neighbor checking. Future research should also examine the motivations for, details about, and impacts of neighbor checking in greater depth.