cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Color of cooked beef patties as influenced by formulation and final internal temperature

Abstract Five separate formulations of ground beef patties were processed to represent differences in animal maturity, muscle pH, fat content and processing of hot vs cold boned beef. Patties were cooked on electric griddles to internal temperatures (thickest portion) of either 68.3 or 71.1 °C before making visual and instrumental assessment of color. High pH (> 6.2) muscle (whether obtained 48 h post-mortem or through hot processing) produced more red, uncooked color, while patties made from younger age (~36 months) cows (regardless of fat content) appeared more well-done. Patties processed from high pH (not hot processed) muscle had the highest saturation index and highest CIE a∗ values (71.1 °C only), but still required the longest cooking times to reach final internal temperatures. Reductions in CIE a∗ values between 68.3 and 71.1 °C temperatures were observed only for patties made from hot processed muscle. This may be related to the decrease in pH that occurred during the early stages of cooking for this formulation. Differences in color between the two internal temperatures were minimal with patties cooked to 68.3 °C possessing higher CIE b∗, higher saturation index and lower hue angle values (p ≤ 0.01). Inconsistent relationships between cooked color and internal temperature in cooked patties may result when broad differences exist in muscle pH and animal maturity between ground beef formulations.
In-Space Propellant Production Using Water

A new era of space exploration is being planned. Manned exploration architectures under consideration require the long term storage of cryogenic propellants in space, and larger science mission directorate payloads can be delivered using cryogenic propulsion stages. Several architecture studies have shown that in-space cryogenic propulsion depots offer benefits including lower launch costs, smaller launch vehicles, and enhanced mission flexibility. NASA is currently planning a Cryogenic Propellant Storage and Transfer (CPST) technology demonstration mission that will use existing technology to demonstrate long duration storage, acquisition, mass gauging, and transfer of liquid hydrogen in low Earth orbit. This mission will demonstrate key technologies, but the CPST architecture is not designed for optimal mission operations for a true propellant depot. This paper will consider cryogenic propellant depots that are designed for operability. The operability principles considered are reusability, commonality, designing for the unique environment of space, and use of active control systems, both thermal and fluid. After considering these operability principles, a proposed depot architecture will be presented that uses water launch and on orbit electrolysis and liquefaction. This could serve as the first true space factory. Critical technologies needed for this depot architecture, including on orbit electrolysis, zero-g liquefaction and storage, rendezvous and docking, and propellant transfer, will be discussed and a developmental path forward will be presented. Finally, use of the depot to support the NASA Science Mission Directorate exploration goals will be presented.
Preservation of human normal and leukemic cells with dimethyl sulfoxide at −80°C*†

Summary Under the conditions of our experiments we have found that dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is toxic to white blood cells. Regardless of the cell type, the toxicity is more pronounced when the cells are exposed at room temperature (20 to 22°C) than at 4°C. The toxicity progressively increases with the time of exposure to DMSO and, among the cells studied, the toxicity of DMSO is more pronounced for mature granulocytes and monocytes. We have found that, regardless of cell type, 12.5% DMSO is the most desirable concentration for preservation of all white blood cells. We have also found that leukocytes do not preserve equally well. Among the acute leukemias, the more primitive the preserved cell is, the better is the degree of preservation. The reticulum cells, the most primitive leukemic cells tested, gave us the highest degree of preservation, followed by myeloblasts, monoblasts, and lymphosarcoma cells. Among the mature cells, lymphocytes both from normal individuals and from patients with chronic lymphatic leukemic can be successfully preserved, in direct contrast with mature granulocytes and monocytes, which are poorly preserved. Glucose added to the preserving media, at concentrations of 0.5 to 1.0 g%, increases the degree of preservation. Centrifugation seems to have a deleterious effect on the recovery of viable cells. Under the conditions of our experiment, cells were equally well preserved up to periods of 6 months.
Prolactin shifts after neuroleptic withdrawal

Neuroleptic-induced alterations in serum prolactin levels may have important clinical implications. Twenty-two stable schizophrenic patients, taken off medication over a 3-week period, were followed for 40 weeks or until the neuroleptic was reinstituted. Serum prolactin levels were measured during neuroleptic treatment and during the neuroleptic-free period. When serum prolactin levels were plotted over time, 55% of the subjects showed shifting prolactin levels in the shape of a "V" (i.e., a fall in prolactin level preceding an increase in the level) in the early weeks following withdrawal. Subjects with the "V" shape had significantly lower prolactin levels during neuroleptic treatment than those without the "V" shape. The pathophysiological significance of the prolactin "V" pattern is uncertain. It is consistent, however, with transient dopaminergic hyperactivity following neuroleptic withdrawal.
The effect of coarse particles on the microstructural evolution of porous alumina sintered at 1375 °C

The objective of this study was to provide quantitative information concerning the microstructural evolution of porous alumina derived from mixtures of a fine, active powder and a coarse powder with a wide size distribution. The coarse powder increased the green density and reduced the densification rate as expected. The addition of the coarse powder also increased the average grain and pore intercepts at any particular density. However, it was concluded that coarsening of the fine powder was not affected by 30% coarse powder when sintering time was considered rather than density. Coarsening did affect the average grain size when a higher fraction of the fine powder particles were in contact with the larger particles. This is expected to be particularly important for cases where coarse particles are bonded by a relatively small fraction of fine particles of the same phase.
Audio fingerprint extraction for content identification

In this work, we present an audio content identification system that identifies some unknown audio material by comparing its fingerprint with those extracted off-line and saved in the music database. We will describe in detail the procedure to extract audio fingerprints and demonstrate that they are robust to noise and content-preserving manipulations. The main feature in the proposed system is the zero-crossing rate extracted with the octave-band filter bank. The zero-crossing rate can be used to describe the dominant frequency in each subband with a very low computational cost. The size of audio fingerprint is small and can be efficiently stored along with the compressed files in the database. It is also robust to many modifications such as tempo change and time-alignment distortion. Besides, the octave-band filter bank is used to enhance the robustness to distortion, especially those localized on some frequency regions.
Teaching a graduate expert systems course

Because expert systems technology is relatively new, there are only a few papers describing a graduate course on the subject. Most of the described courses were either seminar oriented or centered around a student project, but did not have a complete coverage of the major topics. This paper describes the teaching of a graduate expert system course that has a relatively complete coverage of the subject area. Other additional features of the course include incremental development of the student projects, emphasis on evaluations of tools and projects, as well as using more conventional problems for strengthening expert system shell programming techniques.
Pollen Preference for Psychotria sp. is Not Learned in the Passion Flower Butterfly, Heliconius erato

Heliconius butterflies are known to maximize fitness by feeding on pollen from Gurania sp. and Psiguria sp. (Cucurbitales: Curcurbitaceae), and Psychotria sp. (Gentianales: Rubiaceae). This specialization involves specific physical, physiological, and behavioral adaptations including efficient search strategies in the forest to locate pollen host plants, pollen removal, and pollen external digestion. Reducing pollen host plant search time is crucial to out-compete other flower visitors and to reduce exposure to predators. One way in which this can be achieved is by using chemical cues to learn from experienced foragers in roosting aggregations. Similar strategies have been documented in bumblebees, where inexperienced individuals learn floral odors from experienced foragers. Behavioral experiments using plants preferred by Heliconius erato suggest that pollen preference in H. erato is an innate trait and consequently learning of chemical cues at roosting aggregations is unlikely.
Characterization of phosphorus, calcium, iron, and other elements in organisms at sub-micron resolution using X-ray fluorescence spectromicroscopy

X-ray spectromicroscopy (combined X-ray spectroscopy and microscopy) is uniquely capable of determining sub-micron scale elemental content and chemical speciation in minimally-prepared particulate samples. The high spatial resolutions achievable with this technique have enabled the close examination of important microscale processes relevant to the cycling of biogeochemically important elements. Here, we demonstrate the value of X-ray microscopy to environmental and biological research by examining the phosphorus and metal chemistry of complete individual cells from the algal genera Chlamydomonas sp. and Chlorella sp. X-ray analysis revealed that both genera store substantial intracellular phosphorus as distinct, heterogeneously distributed granules whose X-ray fluorescence spectra are consistent with that of polyphosphate. Polyphosphate inclusions ranged in size from 0.3-1.4 μm in diameter and exhibited a nonspecies-specific average phosphorus concentration of 6.87 ± 1.86 μg cm ‐2 , which was significantly higher than the average concentration of phosphorus measured in the total cell, at 3.14 ± 0.98 μg cm ‐2 (95% confidence). Polyphosphate was consistently associated with calcium and iron, exhibiting average P:cation molar ratios of 8.31 ± 2.00 and 108 ± 34, respectively (95% confidence). In some cells, polyphosphate was also associated with potassium, zinc, manganese, and titanium. Based on our results, X-ray spectromicroscopy can provide high-resolution elemental data on minimally prepared, unsectioned cells that are unattainable through alternative microscopic methods and conventional bulk chemical techniques currently available in many fields of marine chemistry.
Calcium antagonists and renal disease

Keywords: renal protection, renal microcirculation, afferent arteriole, renal mesangium, growth factors, dihydropyridines, ACE inhibitors
High biomass, low export regimes in the Southern Ocean

High Biomass Low Export Regimes in the Southern Ocean Phoebe J. Lam 1,2,* and James K.B. Bishop 1 Earth Sciences Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA Department of Earth and Planetary Science, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA now at Department of Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543 Submitted January 27, 2006 to Deep Sea Research II: Special Topics in Oceanography (Special volume on The Role of Marine Organic Carbon and Calcite Fluxes in Driving Climate Change, Past and Future) Revised version accepted June 28, 2006 Keywords: Ballast, remineralization, POC, Twilight Zone, mesopelagic, Southern Ocean, MULVFS, opal, carbonate, phosphorus
Communicating Mathematics on the Internet: Synchronous and Asynchronous Tools

Communicating and collaborating online are becoming common requirements in education. The specialized notations and symbols necessary for some content areas where mathematical expressions are part of the conversation require that users select appropriate communication tools. The purpose of this article is to describe tools that can be used for online, asynchronous or synchronous communication involving mathematical expressions.
Linear state feedback stabilisation on time scales

For a general class of dynamical systems (of which the canonical continuous and uniform discrete versions are but special cases), we prove that there is a state feedback gain such that the resulting closed-loop system is uniformly exponentially stable with a prescribed rate. The methods here generalise and extend Gramian-based linear state feedback control to much more general time domains, e.g., nonuniform discrete or a combination of continuous and discrete time. In conclusion, we discuss an experimental implementation of this theory.
Key technologies for wireless networking in the next decade

Summary form only given. Key technologies such as wireless sensor networks, sensor and actor networks, WiMAX, wireless mesh networks, hybrid networks, are presented and several research challenges are highlighted. Predictions about the wireless technology development for the next decade are listed.
Torque control of friction stir welding for manufacturing and automation

Friction stir welding (FSW) is a solid-state welding process that utilizes a rotating tool to plastically deform and forge together the parent materials of a workpiece. The process involves plunging the rotating tool that consists of a shoulder and a pin into the workpiece and then traversing it along the intended weld seam. The welding process requires a large axial force to be maintained on the tool. Axial force control has been used in robotic FSW processes to compensate for the compliant nature of robots. Without force control, welding flaws would continuously emerge as the robot repositioned its linkages to traverse the tool along the intended weld seam. Insufficient plunge depth would result and cause the welding flaws as the robot’s linkages yielded from the resulting force in the welding environment. The research present in this paper investigates the use of torque instead of force to control the FSW process. To perform this research, a torque controller was implemented on a retrofitted Milwaukee Model K milling machine. The closed loop proportional, integral plus derivative control architecture was tuned using the Ziegler–Nichols method. Welding experiments were conducted by butt welding 0.25 in. (6.35 mm) × 1.5 in. (38.1 mm) × 8 in. (203.2 mm) samples of aluminum 6061 with a 0.25 in. (6.35 mm) threaded tool. The results indicate that controlling torque produces an acceptable weld process that adapts to the changing surface conditions of the workpiece. For this experiment, the torque was able to be controlled with standard deviation of 0.231 N-m. In addition, the torque controller was able to adjust the tool’s plunge depth in reaction to 1 mm step and ramp disturbances in the workpiece’s surface. It is shown that torque control is equivalent to weld power control and causes a uniform amount of energy per unit length to be deposited along the weld seam. It is concluded that the feedback signal of torque provides a better indicator of tool depth into the workpiece than axial force. Torque is more sensitive to tool depth than axial force. Thus, it is concluded that torque control is better suited for keeping a friction stir welding tool properly engaged with the workpiece for application to robotics, automation, and manufacturing.
Hydrodeoxygenation of dibenzofuran and related compounds

The catalytic hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of dibenzofuran was examined on a presulfided NiMo/γAl2O3 catalyst. Based on the reaction intermediates identified in the present study a reaction network for the removal of oxygen from dibenzofuran has been established. In view of the failure to detect certain key reaction intermediates an approximate network has been proposed for kinetic analysis. Using the approximate network the effects of temperature in the range 616–649K, hydrogen pressure in the range 6.89–13.78 MPa and initial concentration of dibenzofuran in the range 9.78 × 10−5 − 21.39 × 10−5 g mol/g oil were examined upon the individual steps. The removal of oxygen from dibenzofuran under the above conditions proceeded via direct oxygen extrusion without hydrogenation of the adjacent benzene rings as well through the formation of hydrogenated intermediates, with the catalyst showing selectivity towards the latter mode of oxygen removal. Presulfiding the catalyst as well as addition of CS2, to maintain a partial pressure of H2S during the reaction, enhanced the activity of the catalyst. The effect of initial concentration of dibenzofuran indicated a retarding influence on its HDO, possibly due to the formation of refractory reaction intermediates. The HDO of two key reaction intermediates in the network for dibenzofuran, namely, o-phenyl phenol and o-cyclohexyl phenol, was also examined on a presulfided NiMo/γAl2O3 catalyst to establish the reaction network for dibenzofuran. The primary mode of oxygen removal from both the phenols, in the temperature range of 561–644K and 10.34 MPa hydrogen pressure, was through the formation of highly reactive hydrogenated intermediates. All the primary reactions for o-phenyl phenol were catalytic in nature, whereas, o-cyclohexyl phenol was found to crack to phenol and cyclohexane even under purely thermal conditions. The rates of decomposition of the above phenols were fairly rapid and highly temperature sensitive, thereby explaining their absence in the reaction products of dibenzofuran.
Soundprism: An Online System for Score-Informed Source Separation of Music Audio

Soundprism, as proposed in this paper, is a computer system that separates single-channel polyphonic music audio played by harmonic sources into source signals in an online fashion. It uses a musical score to guide the separation process. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first online system that addresses score-informed music source separation that can be made into a real-time system. The proposed system consists of two parts: 1) a score follower that associates a score position to each time frame of the audio performance; 2) a source separator which reconstructs the source signals for each time frame, informed by the score. The score follower uses a hidden Markov approach, where each audio frame is associated with a 2-D state vector (score position and tempo). The observation model is defined as the likelihood of observing the frame given the pitches at the score position. The score position and tempo are inferred using particle filtering. In building the source separator, we first refine the score-informed pitches of the current audio frame by maximizing the multi-pitch observation likelihood. Then, the harmonics of each source's fundamental frequency are extracted to reconstruct the source signal. Overlapping harmonics between sources are identified and their energy is distributed in inverse proportion to the square of their respective harmonic number. Experiments on both synthetic and human-performed music show both the score follower and the source separator perform well. Results also show that the proposed score follower works well for highly polyphonic music with some degree of tempo variations.
Right-angled narrowing of the distal oesophagus secondary to carcinoma of the tail of the pancreas

Dysphagia due to secondary involvement of the oesophagus by pancreatic carcinoma is relatively rare. Occasionally, the oesophagus may be involved by direct extension of a carcinoma of the body and/or tail of the pancreas or metastatic lymphadenopathy in the posterior mediastinum. Although the literature contains a few case reports in which barium studies revealed displacement or obstruction of the distal oesophagus, a benign-appearing, smooth, tapered narrowing of the distal oesophagus with a fixed, right-angled configuration is a radiological finding which has not been previously emphasised. In the author's experience, this abnormality may be a helpful radiological clue to the diagnosis of carcinoma of the tail of the pancreas. The clinical, radiological and pathological findings in four patients with dysphagia and a right-angled narrowing of the distal oesophagus secondary to carcinoma of the tail of the pancreas are described and illustrated; the radiological differential diagnosis is briefly discussed.
Fault Tolerant SAMI for Vision-Based Probe and Drogue Autonomous Aerial Refueling

This paper develops a fault tolerant Structured Adaptive Model Inversion controller integrated with a reliable relative position sensor for practical autonomous aerial refueling. The refueling scenario of an unmanned tanker aircraft refueling an unmanned receiver aircraft using the probe-and-drogue method is addressed. The structured adaptive model inversion controller does not depend on fault detection information, yet reconfigures and provides smooth trajectory tracking and probe docking in the presence of control eector failure. The controller also handles parameter uncertainty in the receiver aircraft model. In this paper the controller is integrated with a vision based relative position sensor which tracks the relative position of the drogue, and a reference trajectory generator. Feasibility and performance of the controller and integrated system is demonstrated with simulated docking maneuvers with a non-stationary drogue, in the presence of system uncertainties and control eector failures. Results presented in the paper demonstrate that the controller/sensor system can provide successful docking in the presence of system uncertainties for a specified class of control eector failures.
Effects of Motexafin gadolinium on tumor metabolism and radiation sensitivity

Purpose: Experiments were undertaken to determine if metabolic changes induced by Motexafin gadolinium (Gd-Tex+2, XCYTRIN) predict time intervals between drug and radiation wherein there is enhancement of radiation efficacy. Methods and Materials: We evaluated the effect of Gd-Tex+2 on tumor metabolism and on tumor growth using a mouse mammary carcinoma model and 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments. Response to therapy was evaluated based on time for the tumor to regrow to pretreatment size and also tumor doubling time. Results: 31P NMR experiments indicated that Gd-Tex+2 effected tumor energy metabolism during the first 24 hours postadministration. A decrease in phosphocreatine was noted at 2 (p < 0.04), 6 (p < 0.006), and 24 (p < 0.001) hours post Gd-Tex+2. A decrease in nucleoside triphosphates was noted only at 2 hours (p < 0.02), with subsequent recovery at 6 hours. Phosphocreatine in control (saline treated) tumors showed a significant decrease only at 24 hours (p < 0.01). Irradiation at 2 and 6 hours post Gd-Tex+2 induced an enhanced effect compared to radiation alone as measured by analyzing the growth curves, maximum tumor volumes, and the time for the tumors to regrow to their initial volumes. Irradiation at 24 hours post Gd-Tex+2 induced a modest enhancement in tumor growth delay compared to radiation alone. Discussion: NMR spectroscopy may be useful for monitoring tumor metabolism after treatment with Gd-Tex+2 and administering radiation during the time of maximal efficacy of Gd-Tex+2.
Intracellular Lifestyles and Immune Evasion Strategies of Uropathogenic Escherichia coli

Paradigms in the pathogenesis of urinary tract infections have shifted dramatically as a result of recent scientific revelations. Beyond extracellular colonization of the bladder luminal surface, as traditional clinical thinking would hold, uropathogenic bacteria direct a complex, intracellular cascade that shelters bacteria from host defenses and leads to persistent bacterial residence within the epithelium. After epithelial invasion, many organisms are promptly expelled by bladder epithelial cells; a minority establish a niche in the cytoplasm that results in the development of biofilm-like intracellular bacterial communities and serves as the primary location for bacterial expansion. Exfoliation of the superficial epithelial layer acts to reduce the bacterial load but facilitates chronic residence of small nests of bacteria that later reemerge to cause some episodes of recurrent cystitis, a familiar clinical scenario in otherwise healthy women. Advances in both in vitro and animal models of cystitis promise to provide insights into the bacterial and host transcriptional and biochemical pathways that define these pathogenic stages.
Ring-enhancing brain lesion in a man with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

RESENTATION 46-year-old Hispanic man with acquired immunodefiiency syndrome (AIDS) and a history of cryptococcal eningitis presented with new-onset simple partial seizures. e had noticed 2 weeks of progressive weakness and numbess of his right arm for which his highly active antiretroiral therapy (HAART) had been discontinued. He denied ny fever, weight loss, changes in his vision, or headache. n examination, the patient had oral thrush, was unable to ift his right arm against gravity, had some weakness in his ight leg, and sensation was decreased on the right side of is body. Head computed tomography (CT) scan with conrast and a brain magnetic resonance image (MRI) showed ring-enhancing lesion in the left posterior frontal lobe with urrounding edema, without midline shift (Figures 1 and 2). erebral spinal fluid (CSF) analysis was within normal imits. No growth of bacteria, mycobacteria, or fungus was oted. Tests for Epstein Barr virus, herpes simplex virus, ytomegalovirus DNA, and the cryptococcal antigen were egative. The patient’s CD4 count was 182 cells/mm and he viral load was 400 copies/mm. He was found to have icrocytic anemia with a hemoglobin of 8.4. His urinalysis evealed 4-10 red blood cells/hpf. Toxoplasma gondii serolgy returned positive for immunoglobulin G and negative or immunoglobulin M. Based on the patient’s head CT ndings, he was started on treatment for central nervous ystem toxoplasmosis and a bacterial brain abscess. Beause he showed no clinical improvement and a repeat head T showed an increase in the size of the lesion, the patient nderwent a brain biopsy. What is the diagnosis?
The effect of an external electric field on the vibrational frequency of CO

Ab initio calculations, using a CAS SCF wavefunction and extended basis set, show a change in the vibrational frequency with electric field strength for the ground 1sigma(+) state of CO of one third that observed for CO/Ni(110). This result supports the view of Lambert.
CatchIt: Detect Malicious Nodes in Collaborative Spectrum Sensing

Collaborative spectrum sensing in cognitive radio networks has been proposed as an efficient way to improve the performance of primary users detection. In collaborative spectrum sensing schemes, secondary users are often assumed to be trustworthy. In practice, however, cognitive radio nodes can be compromised. Compromised secondary users can report false detection results and significantly degrade the performance of spectrum sensing. In this paper, we investigate the case that there are multiple malicious users in cognitive radio networks and the exact number of malicious users is unknown. An onion-peeling approach is proposed to defense against multiple untrustworthy secondary nodes. We calculate suspicious level of all nodes according to their reports. When the suspicious level of a node is beyond certain threshold, it will be considered as malicious and its report will be excluded in decision-making. We continue to calculate the suspicious level of remaining nodes until no malicious node can be found. Simulation results show that malicious nodes greatly degrade the performance of collaborative sensing, and the proposed scheme can efficiently detect malicious nodes. Compared with existing defense methods, the proposed scheme significantly improves the performance of primary user detection, measured by ROC curves, and captures the dynamic change in the behaviors of malicious users.
Orbitofrontal cortex and dynamic filtering of emotional stimuli.

Event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded in response to mildly aversive somatosensory and auditory stimuli. Patients with orbitofrontal lesions exhibited enhanced ERPs (i.e., P3 amplitudes), as compared with control subjects. Moreover, these patients did not habituate to somatosensory stimuli across blocks of trials. The results were specific to orbitofrontal damage, since patients with damage to the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex did not exhibit enhanced P3 amplitudes. These findings suggest that damage to the orbitofrontal cortex impairs the ability to modulate or inhibit neural responses to aversive stimuli. The findings are couched in terms of dynamic filtering theory, which suggests that the orbitofrontal cortex is involved in the selection and active inhibition of neural circuits associated with emotional responses.
Computational Models of HIV-1 Resistance to Gene Therapy Elucidate Therapy Design Principles

Gene therapy is an emerging alternative to conventional anti-HIV-1 drugs, and can potentially control the virus while alleviating major limitations of current approaches. Yet, HIV-1's ability to rapidly acquire mutations and escape therapy presents a critical challenge to any novel treatment paradigm. Viral escape is thus a key consideration in the design of any gene-based technique. We develop a computational model of HIV's evolutionary dynamics in vivo in the presence of a genetic therapy to explore the impact of therapy parameters and strategies on the development of resistance. Our model is generic and captures the properties of a broad class of gene-based agents that inhibit early stages of the viral life cycle. We highlight the differences in viral resistance dynamics between gene and standard antiretroviral therapies, and identify key factors that impact long-term viral suppression. In particular, we underscore the importance of mutationally-induced viral fitness losses in cells that are not genetically modified, as these can severely constrain the replication of resistant virus. We also propose and investigate a novel treatment strategy that leverages upon gene therapy's unique capacity to deliver different genes to distinct cell populations, and we find that such a strategy can dramatically improve efficacy when used judiciously within a certain parametric regime. Finally, we revisit a previously-suggested idea of improving clinical outcomes by boosting the proliferation of the genetically-modified cells, but we find that such an approach has mixed effects on resistance dynamics. Our results provide insights into the short- and long-term effects of gene therapy and the role of its key properties in the evolution of resistance, which can serve as guidelines for the choice and optimization of effective therapeutic agents.
Solubility of Anthracene in Ternary Methyl tert-Butyl Ether + Alcohol + Cyclohexane Solvent Mixtures at 298.15 K

Article on the solubility of anthracene in ternary methyl tert-butyl ether + alcohol + cyclohexane solvent mixtures at 298.15 K.
Extrafascial versus interfascial nerve-sparing technique for robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy: comparison of functional outcomes and positive surgical margins characteristics.

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the pathologic and functional outcomes of patients with bilateral interfascial (IF) or extrafascial nerve-sparing (EF-NSP) techniques. It is believed that the IF-NSP technique used during robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) spares more nerve fibers, while EF dissection may lower the risk for positive surgical margins (PSM). METHODS A prospective database was analyzed for RARP patients with bilateral IF- or EF-NSP technique. Collected parameters included age, body mass index, prostate-specific antigen, clinical and pathologic Gleason score and stage, estimated blood loss, operative time, and PSM characteristics. Functional outcomes were evaluated with the use of the University of California Los Angeles Prostate Cancer Index questionnaire. Men receiving postoperative hormonal or radiation therapy were excluded from sexual function analysis. RESULTS A total of 110 and 703 cases with bilateral EF- and IF-NSP, respectively, were analyzed. EF-NSP patients had higher prostate-specific antigen, clinical, pathologic stage, and pathologic Gleason score. PSM rate did not achieve statistically significant difference between groups. There was a trend toward lower pT3-PSM in the EF group (51% vs 28%; P = .08). Mid- and posterolateral PSM location were lower in the EF-NSP group, 11% vs 37% and 11% vs 29%, respectively (P < .001). The IF-NSP group patients achieved statistically significant better sexual function (P = .02) and potency rates (P = .03) at 12 months after RARP. CONCLUSIONS In lower risk patients, bilateral IF-NSP technique does not result in significantly higher PSM rates. EF-NSP appears to reduce posterolateral and mid-prostate PSM. Men with bilateral IF-NSP demonstrate significantly better sexual function outcomes.
The Most Important Unresolved Issue in the Addictions: Conceptual Chaos

This article suggests that the field of addiction study and treatment remains in a state of conceptual chaos. The addictions is an emerging scientific field that lacks conceptual clarity. To develop the precision necessary for scientific advance, we must begin by developing improved definitions of substance use, abuse, dependence, and addiction. Complicating matters, psychoactive substance use is not a necessary and sufficient cause of addiction. For example, pathological gamblers experience addiction, including tolerance and withdrawal, often in the absence of any drug use. The neurobiology of subjective experience may be a more important factor in helping to explain addictive behaviors. Consequently, this article concludes that it is improper to consider drugs as the necessary precondition for addiction. Better operational definitions will advance addictions research.
Novel mutations in CPT 1A define molecular heterogeneity of hepatic carnitine palmitoyltransferase I deficiency

Liver carnitine palmitoyltransferase I (CPT I) deficiency is a rare disorder of hepatic mitochondrial long-chain fatty acid oxidation. It characteristically presents with symptoms associated with failure of ketogenesis (hypoketotic hypoglycemia). The disorder is due to mutations in the CPT 1A gene for which few patients have been characterized. We present here four novel mutations in five patients from four families with severe enzyme deficiency. Three of these are missense mutations (G465W, R316G, and F343V) and the fourth a nonsense mutation (R160X). Other than small Inuit and Hutterite populations in Canada and the Northern plains, there is complete heterogeneity of disease-causing mutations within CPT I deficient families with each demonstrating unique mutations. Because there are no easily recognizable disease-specific metabolite markers, diagnostic confirmation of this disorder requires a combination of enzymatic analysis and whole gene sequencing.
Olanzapine in diverse syndromal and subsyndromal exacerbations of bipolar disorders.

Objective: To evaluate effects of olanzapine in diverse exacerbations of bipolar disorders. Methods: Twenty-five evaluable bipolar disorder [14 bipolar I (BPI), 10 bipolar II (BPII) and one bipolar disorder not otherwise specified (BP NOS)] outpatients received open olanzapine (15 adjunctive, 10 monotherapy). Thirteen had elevated (11 syndromal, two subsyndromal) and 12 depressed (four syndromal, eight subsyndromal) mood symptoms of at least mild severity, with Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) scores of at least 3. Only one had psychotic symptoms. Results: With open olanzapine (15 adjunctive, 10 monotherapy), overall symptom severity (CGI-S) as well as mood elevation (Young Mania Rating Scale), depression (Hamilton and Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scales), and anxiety (Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale), rapidly decreased (significantly by days 2–3). Patients with the greatest baseline severity (CGI-S) had the greatest improvement. Fifteen of 25 (60%) patients responded. Time to consistent response was bimodal, with five early (by 0.5 ± 0.3 weeks) and 10 late (by 7.0 ± 1.9 weeks) responders. Early compared with late responders had 51% lower final olanzapine doses. Olanzapine was generally well tolerated, with sedation and weight gain the most common adverse effects. Conclusions: Olanzapine was effective in diverse exacerbations of bipolar disorders. The bimodal distribution of time to response and different final doses are consistent with differential mechanisms mediating early compared with late responses. Controlled studies are warranted to further explore these preliminary observations.
Amorphous Cu-Sb-S based semiconductors for thin-film solar cell applications

We report on the disposition and characterization of Cu-Sb-S based amorphous semiconductor films grown by magnetron sputtering of a Cu-Sb-S home-made target. We find that the Cu-Sb-S films deposited at 150°C exhibit the amorphous phase and have high optical absorptions with a band gap at ∼2.0eV and weaker absorptions due to the fringe effect of the thin-film. X-ray diffraction displays no clear crystal morphology consistent with scanning electron microscopy imaging showing a grain-less, smooth, and densely packed microstructure. Our Cu-Sb-S based thin-film solar cells exhibit clear diode characteristics. The best cell measured under an AM1.5 illumination presents an open-circuit voltage of 365mV and a FF of 51.6%. However, due to the low short-circuit current of only about 1 mA/cm2, the conversion efficiency is only 0.17%.
Fine tuning of a DNA fork by the RecQ helicase.

Helicases are enzymes that couple the hydrolysis of ATP to the unwinding of duplex nucleic acids (NAs), thus providing the single-stranded NA (ssNA) intermediates necessary for nucleic acid processing and maintenance such as replication, recombination, repair, and transcription (1⇓–3). All helicases possess a core helicase domain containing RecA-like motifs that are responsible for NA binding and ATP hydrolysis. Variation among individual helicases and helicase families within both the helicase core and in accessory domains allows this single class of enzymes to perform a myriad of different functions within the cell in different manners on various substrate types, resulting in helicases specific for every process involving NA in the cell. In PNAS, Rad et al. (4) provide a close-up view of a member of the RecQ family of enzymes that can modulate its activity to “fine tune” unwinding at a DNA fork. When DNA needs to be unwound, a helicase is typically involved. Unwinding produces a DNA fork structure, but the number of base pairs melted and the rate of melting are modulated to fit the needed task. For example, DNA replication requires a highly processive helicase activity, whereas some forms of DNA repair might require only a few base pairs to be melted. DNA recombination can involve unwinding of a few base pairs, … [↵][1]1To whom correspondence may be addressed. Email: akbyrd{at}uams.edu or raneykevind{at}uams.edu. [1]: #xref-corresp-1-1
Cap-assisted retrograde single-balloon enteroscopy results in high terminal ileal intubation rate.

Background and study aims: Retrograde single-balloon enteroscopy (RSBE) facilitates evaluation of the distal small bowel and provision of appropriate therapy when necessary. Intubation of the terminal ileum (TI) is a major rate-limiting step, with failure rates as high as 30 %. Cap-assisted endoscopy has proven beneficial in other aspects of endoscopy. We have noticed that it similarly aids in TI intubation during RSBE by facilitating opening of the ileocecal valve (ICV). The primary aim of this study was to measure the TI intubation rate using cap-assisted RSBE. Other procedural details and outcomes were also measured. Patients and methods: A total of 36 consecutive RSBEs performed between July 2011 and May 2014 at the Medical University of South Carolina were retrospectively reviewed. All procedures were performed or supervised by our center’s small bowel endoscopist (ASB). Outcomes measured included TI intubation rate, procedure time, depth of maximal insertion (DMI), diagnostic yield (DY), therapeutic yield (TY), and complications. Results: The TI intubation rate was 97 % (35 /36). The one failure was due to stool completely obscuring the cecum. Median procedure time was 54 minutes, with a mean DMI of 68 cm beyond the ICV. The technical success rate was 86 %, whereas DY and TY were 61 % and 25 %, respectively. There were no complications. The study was limited in that it involved a single endoscopist at a single center. Conclusions: Cap-assisted RSBE results in a high TI intubation rate, without compromise to safety or procedural yield.
Soils with Plinthite

Plinthite (Gr. plinthos, brick) is defined in ST as an iron-rich, humus-poor mixture of clay with quartz and other minerals. It commonly occurs as dark red redoximorphic concentrations formed in platy, polygonal, or reticulate patterns. Upon exposure to repeated wetting and drying, plinthite changes irreversibly to an ironstone hardpan or to irregular aggregates, particularly if it is exposed to the sun. The lower boundary of a plinthite zone generally is diffuse or gradual, but it may be abrupt at a lithologic discontinuity.
Optimal sensor placement in structural health monitoring using discrete optimization

The objective of optimal sensor placement (OSP) is to obtain a sensor layout that gives as much information of the dynamic system as possible in structural health monitoring (SHM). The process of OSP can be formulated as a discrete minimization (or maximization) problem with the sensor locations as the design variables, conditional on the constraint of a given sensor number. In this paper, we propose a discrete optimization scheme based on the artificial bee colony algorithm to solve the OSP problem after first transforming it into an integer optimization problem. A modal assurance criterion-oriented objective function is investigated to measure the utility of a sensor configuration in the optimization process based on the modal characteristics of a reduced order model. The reduced order model is obtained using an iterated improved reduced system technique. The constraint is handled by a penalty term added to the objective function. Three examples, including a 27 bar truss bridge, a 21-storey building at the MIT campus and the 610 m high Canton Tower, are investigated to test the applicability of the proposed algorithm to OSP. In addition, the proposed OSP algorithm is experimentally validated on a physical laboratory structure which is a three-story two-bay steel frame instrumented with triaxial accelerometers. Results indicate that the proposed method is efficient and can be potentially used in OSP in practical SHM.
Volatile Retention and Morphological Properties of Microencapsulated Tributyrin Varied by Wall Material and Drying Method

Butyric acid is an important short-chain fatty acid for intestinal health and has been shown to improve certain intestinal disease states. A triglyceride containing 3 butyric acid esters, tributyrin (TB) can serve as a source of butyric acid; however, the need to target intestinal delivery and mitigate unpleasant sensory qualities has limited its use in food. Microencapsulation, the entrapment of one or more cores within a matrix, may provide a solution to the aforementioned challenge. This research primarily focused on the influence of (1) wall material: whey and soy protein isolate (WPI and SPI, respectively) and gamma-cyclodextrin (GCD), (2) wall additives: inulin of varying chain length, and (3) processing method: spray or oven drying (SD or OD, respectively) on the morphological properties and volatile retention of TB within microcapsules. SPI-based microcapsules retained significantly less (P < 0.001) TB compared to WPI-based microcapsules as measured by gas chromatography. The inclusion of inulin in the SD WPI-based microcapsules increased (P < 0.001) TB retention over WPI-based microcapsules without inulin. Inulin inclusion into WPI-based microcapsules resulted in a smoother, minimally-dented, circular morphology as compared to noninulin containing WPI-based microcapsules as shown by scanning electron microscopy. GCD and TB OD microcapsules retained more (P < 0.001) TB (94.5% ± 1.10%) than all other WPI, WPI-inulin, and GCD TB SD microcapsules. When spray dried, the GCD-based microcapsules exhibited (P < 0.001) TB retention than all other microcapsules, indicating the GCD may be unsuitable for spray drying. These findings demonstrate that microencapsulated TB in GCD can lead to minimal TB losses during processing that could be utilized in functional food applications for intestinal health.
Aluminum Alloy Formation and Impacts in Advanced Replacement Metal Gate Process

For the gate last approach of a high K metal gate scheme used in advanced CMOS technology, various materials were tested as wetting layers to allow Aluminum (Al) gap fill at gate widths of10 to 45 nanometers. In this study, Titanium (Ti) and Cobalt (Co) were investigated as a wetting layer for Al gap fill. It was discovered that Al-Ti and Al-Co alloys were formed during high temperature Al deposition. Alloys were characterized using XRD. Alloy’s impacts on line resistivity and subsequent Al Chemical Mechanical Polish (Al CMP) were also investigated. In addition, a model was established to predict the alloy type and alloy mole% with respect to feature size. The predicted Al mole% by this model correlated very well with 1) line resistivity trend and 2) morphologies. The model also predicted that due to Al lower electrochemical potential than Ti, Co or its alloys, galvanic corrosion could take place depending on the chemical environment in the Al CMP slurry. Different slurry or cleaning chemical may reduce or increase the risk of galvanic corrosion. The knowledge gained with the help of the model provides clear directions on selection criteria for wetting layers, optimization for deposition processes and Al CMP consumable design to meet the challenges.
Cooperative Search Using Human-UAV Teams

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been widely adopted for autonomously conducting search missions in recent decade. Due to the limited capabilities of UAVs, including human partners in the search process is promising to tackle many realistic applications that mere UAVs are not sufficient to deal with. This paper presents a collaboration scheme using a human-UAV team to cooperatively localize a stationary missing target. To achieve efficient collaboration, Bayesian inverse planning approach is utilized for inferring the goal area that human plans to search. By incorporating the inferred human goal into a model predictive control-based path planning framework, the UAV is able to design effective search path to assist in localizing the target in the human’s goal area. The proposed scheme is evaluated on a simulated target search scenario.