cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A “Consumer's Right” to Choose a Midwife: Shifting Meanings for Reproductive Rights under Neoliberalism

The “right to choose” has long served as the ideological rallying cry for reproductive rights activists. Yet critical attention to the social, political, and economic conditions under which individuals make such choices has been central to anthropological research on reproduction. In the context of neoliberal public policy shifts that favor trust in the market to remedy all social and economic inequality, I explore how women's reproductive rights are becoming characterized by one's ability to consume uneven reproductive “choices.” Based on my ethnographic fieldwork with midwifery supporters in Virginia, I examine how organizers have begun to utilize “consumer rights” rhetoric in their struggle for legal access to midwives. One often-unintended result has been intensified divisions within this movement, particularly as low-income “homebirthers” feel unable to claim the identity of “consumer.” I use Virginia as a case study to raise broader questions about women's shifting strategies toward securing reproductive rights under neoliberalism.
SU-E-I-81: Toward in Vivo Magnetic Spectroscopy of Brownian Motion.

Purpose: Magnetic spectroscopy of Brownian motion (MSB) has been used previously to measuretemperature,viscosity, and cellular binding in vitro. The MSB signal ‐ a ratio of the 5th to 3rd harmonic of the response from magnetic nanoparticles to an oscillating field ‐ provides insight into particle microenvironment. These biosensing capabilities would be productive in vivo but until now were prevented by sensitivity limits. Our goal was to design and create a similar apparatus for work in vivo. In vivo spectroscopy is a viable precursor to imaging, and is essential for drug delivery or therapeutic methods like hyperthermia. Methods: Coil geometries were modeled to optimize a uniform Helmholtz drive coil and imaging coil with maximal spatial resolution. The completed apparatus includes balancing and trim coils to zero out unwanted background fields. The coils were characterized and experiments were performed to verify consistency with previous in vitro experiments. Finally, as an in vivo experiment, we took MSB spectra on living mice with five week old melanomas injected with 200ug of 100nm starch coated nanoparticles.Results: The drive coil is capable of sustaining 12.5mT fields up to 1.5kHz with a field variation of 3% throughout the sample volume. The pickup coil is frequency independent and has a vertical and horizontal range of 5mm and 10mm respectively before the MSB signal drops below 50%. The minimum sensitivity is 50–70μg of iron. MSB signal response to viscosity changes shows the same signatures as the in vitro apparatus. The in vivo data showed successful sensing of nanoparticles. We also saw the MSB signal decay with time showing the apparatus can detect changes in particle behavior due to interactions with biology. Conclusions: We achieved in vivo MSB and due to sufficient sensitivity we are motivated to further work in monitoring in vivo cellular uptake and viscosity.
Creating an alternate reality: Critical, creative, and empathic thinking generated in the Global Village Playground capstone experience

Abstract The Global Village Playground (GVP) was a capstone learning experience designed to address institutional assessment needs while providing an integrated and authentic learning experience for students aimed at fostering critical and creative thinking. In the GVP, students work on simulated and real-world problems as a design team tasked with developing an alternate reality game that makes an impact on the United Nations Millennium Development Goals. Researchers employed a qualitative case study approach to evaluate participant reactions to the course, their perceptions of the instructional design methodology, what they learned in the course, and the challenges they experienced during the pilot implementation of this capstone design. This article documents what students reported to have learned in the course as a result of their experience creating an alternate reality game.
In vitro biosynthesis of rat sperm outer dense fiber components

Abstract Conditions were established for in vitro culture of seminiferous tubules of adult rat testis. Tubules fragments were able to incorporate radioactive amino acids for up to 6 hours of incubation at 32 °C in a modified Eagle's minimum media, indicating biosynthetic activity. Addition of D-glucose (11 Mm) increased the incorporation of either [ 3 H] Leucine or [ 35 S] Methionine four-fold in the protein components of seminiferous tubules. Polyclonal antibodies against outer dense fibers (ODF) polypeptides, which represent approximately 30% of the total sperm proteins, immunoprecipitated 5% of the total radioactivity from cultures carried out either in the presence or absence of D-glucose. Moreover, antibodies specific for the 27–30 kilodalton polypeptides of ODF immunoprecipitated 2% of the total radioactivity, showing no differences in the presence and absence of D-glucose. This study indicates that ODF polypeptides can be synthesized in vitro at 32 °C with and without D-glucose.
Classification of herpes simplex virus keratitis and anterior uveitis.

PurposeTo review the classification of herpes simplex virus (HSV) keratitis and anterior uveitis using the available clinical, pathologic, and laboratory models of disease.MethodsThe literature was reviewed to establish prior classifications of herpes simplex keratitis and uveitis. The author introd
Immunomagnetic Purging of T8 Cells from Peripheral Blood and Bone Marrow: A Preclinical Study for Allogeneic Bone Marrow Transplantation

Methodology for T-cell subset depletion in allogeneic BMT was developed using anti-T8 antibody and magnetic microspheres. Anti-T8 antibodies bound effectively to the cytotoxic/suppressor T-cell subset and were subsequently removed by anti-mouse IgG coated magnetic microspheres. Following optimization of antibodyxell binding, microsphere:cell ratios and flow rate, T8-cells in peripheral blood were effectively removed (95-99% depletion), with an overall recovery of 37.8% ± 5.8%, and with little, if any, differential damage to either stem cells or to NK-cells. When T8 cells were removed from bone marrow mononuclear cells, an average recovery of 76% ± 8.5% was observed, with 90% ± 4.3% removal of T8 cells. This method was developed both for peripheral blood and bone marrow and could therefore be readily used in a clinical purge setting for allogeneic BMT.
Uncle - An RTL Approach to Asynchronous Design

Uncle (Unified NULL Convention Logic Environment) is an end-to-end toolset for creating asynchronous designs using NULL Convention Logic (NCL). Designs are specified in Verilog RTL, with the user responsible for specifying registers, data path elements, and finite state machines for controlling data path sequencing. A commercial synthesis tool is used to produce a gate-level net list of primitive logic gates and storage elements, which is then transformed into an NCL net list by the Uncle mapping flow. Performance optimizations supported by the flow are net buffering for target slew and delay balancing between latch stages. Both data-driven and control-driven (i.e. Balsa-style) schemes are supported. Transistor count, performance, and energy comparisons are made for Uncle versus Balsa-generated net lists for GCD and Viterbi decoder designs, with the Uncle designs comparing favorably in all three areas.
Comparison of quasi-classical and quasi-static quantum approaches to the ionization of helium by a circularly polarized laser field

Employing the quasi-classical Fermi molecular dynamics (FMD) method, we find no evidence for the existence of a nonsequential double-ionization mechanism for helium interacting with a pulse of circularly polarized, high-intensity laser radiation. This contrasts with our earlier research, for linearly polarized laser light [ Phys. Rev. A49, R12 ( 1994)], in which effects of the nonsequential double ionization of helium were noted. We also compute emitted-electron kinetic energy spectra by FMD and compare these with spectra derived from a quasi-static tunneling model calculation. In this context we discuss the applicability of the FMD approach to simulations of the photoionization of multielectron systems by intense pulsed laser fields.
Pharmaceutical enhancement and medical professionals

Emerging data indicates the prevalence and increased use of pharmaceutical enhancements by young medical professionals. As pharmaceutical enhancements advance and become more readily available, it is imperative to consider their impact on medical professionals. If pharmaceutical enhancements augment a person’s neurological capacities to higher functioning levels, and in some situations having higher functioning levels of focus and concentration could improve patient care, then might medical professionals have a responsibility to enhance? In this paper, I suggest medical professionals may have a responsibility to use pharmaceutical enhancements. In some situations, having higher functioning levels of focus and concentration is conducive to providing the best possible care to a patient. In these circumstances medical professionals should use pharmaceutical cognitive enhancements. I conclude by examining the limitations and implications of this responsibility in the practice of medicine and areas for future research.
Design and evaluation of a conit-based continuous consistency model for replicated services

The tradeoffs between consistency, performance, and availability are well understood. Traditionally, however, designers of replicated systems have been forced to choose from either strong consistency guarantees or none at all. This paper explores the semantic space between traditional strong and optimistic consistency models for replicated services. We argue that an important class of applications can tolerate relaxed consistency, but benefit from bounding the maximum rate of inconsistent access in an application-specific manner. Thus, we develop a conit-based continuous consistency model to capture the consistency spectrum using three application-independent metrics, numerical error, order error, and staleness. We then present the design and implementation of TACT, a middleware layer that enforces arbitrary consistency bounds among replicas using these metrics. We argue that the TACT consistency model can simultaneously achieve the often conflicting goals of generality and practicality by describing how a broad range of applications can express their consistency semantics using TACT and by demonstrating that application-independent algorithms can efficiently enforce target consistency levels. Finally, we show that three replicated applications running across the Internet demonstrate significant semantic and performance benefits from using our framework.
Health Care Utilization and the Proportion of Primary Care Physicians

Abstract Background The impact of primary care physicians on health care utilization remains controversial. Some have hypothesized that primary care physicians decrease health care utilization through enhanced coordination of care and a preventive care focus. Methods Using data from the Area Resource File (a Health Resources and Services Administration US county-level database) for the years 1990, 1995, and 1999, we performed a retrospective cross-sectional analysis with generalized estimating equations to determine if measures of health care utilization (inpatient admissions, outpatient visits, emergency department visits, and surgeries) were associated with the proportion of primary care physicians to total physicians within metropolitan statistical areas. Results The average proportion of primary care physicians in each metropolitan statistical area was 0.34 (SD 0.46, range 0.20-0.54). Higher proportions of primary care physicians were associated with significantly decreased utilization, with each 1% increase in proportion of primary care physicians associated with decreased yearly utilization for an average-sized metropolitan statistical area of 503 admissions, 2968 emergency department visits, and 512 surgeries (all P Conclusions Increased proportions of primary care physicians appear to be associated with significant decreases in measures of health care utilization across the 1990s. National efforts aimed at limiting health care utilization may benefit from focusing on the proportion of primary care physicians relative to specialists in this country.
Gold-Aluminum Intermetallics: Ball Bond Shear Testing and Thin Film Reaction Couples

The gold-aluminum intermetallic phases are known to contribute to the long term degradation of gold wire ball bonds to aluminum metallization on semiconductor devices. The properties of these intermetallics were investigated through two techniques: 1) ball bond shear testing and 2) preparation of known intermetallic compositions by using thin film Au-Al diffusion couples. The influence of thermal aging on gold ball bonds attached to aluminum metallization (on both Si and SiO 2 ) was determined through ball shear measurements. The strength of gold wire bonds made to films of Au-Al intermetallics was similarly measured. Failure mode analyses of the sheared bonds for the various systems examined are presented. The effect of a nondestructive ball shear test on the ultimate ball shear strength is given. Ultraviolet (UV)-ozone cleaning of the aluminum prior to gold wire bonding is discussed in light of Auger spectroscopy of the aluminum oxide formed on the surface. The effect of shearing direction relative to the direction of the ultrasonic scrubbing was also examined.
The Compositional Impact of Team Diversity on Performance: Theoretical Considerations:

During the past 2 decades, numerous theories have been postulated to test the compositional effects of member characteristics on group and organizational performance. However, the impact of team composition on performance and moderating variables potentially affecting this relationship is still not clearly understood, and research endeavors have, consequently, produced mixed and inconsistent findings. This review, therefore, synthesizes the current theories and models of team diversity into an integrative theoretical framework by conceptually refining key variables to examine the multidimensional facets of the relationship between team diversity and performance. The implications of this review for future research and organizational practices are also discussed.
Improving Accuracy and Efficiency of Blind Protein-Ligand Docking by Focusing on Predicted Binding Sites

The use of predicted binding sites (binding sites calculated from the protein structure alone) is evaluated here as a tool to focus the docking of small molecule ligands into protein structures, simulating cases where the real binding sites are unknown. The resulting approach consists of a few independent docking runs carried out on small boxes, centered on the predicted binding sites, as opposed to one larger blind docking run that covers the complete protein structure. The focused and blind approaches were compared using a set of 77 known protein-ligand complexes and 19 ligand-free structures. The focused approach is shown to: (1) identify the correct binding site more frequently than blind docking; (2) produce more accurate docking poses for the ligand; (3) require less computational time. Additionally, the results show that very few real binding sites are missed in spite of focusing on only 3 predicted binding sites per target protein. Overall the results indicate that, by improving the sampling in regions that are likely to correspond to binding sites, the focused docking approach increases accuracy and efficiency of protein ligand docking for those cases where the ligand-binding site is unknown. This is especially relevant in applications such as reverse virtual screening and structure-based functional annotation of proteins.
Characterization of Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube (MWCNT) Composites in a Waveguide of Square Cross Section

Multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) composites are characterized within 8-10 GHz using a waveguide of square cross section. The complex permittivity is extracted and empirical expressions are obtained as a function of frequency by minimizing the difference between the measured and theoretical values of the scattering parameters. Composites with CNT concentrations ranging from 0%-20% are investigated. The square cross section of the waveguide allows for different orientations of samples to test the anisotropy of MWCNT composites.
Geology of Middle Stone Age Archaeological Sites in the Main Ethiopian Rift Valley

On a ridge west of Lake Ziway, northernmost of the Galla Lakes, rich Middle Stone Age sites are present in paleosols of the late Pleistocene Gademotta Formation. The underlying rocks are of alkali rhyolite and tuff, the eruption of which commenced over 1 m.y. ago and was climaxed by caldera collapse and explosive ejection of pumiceous tephra. Lower Gademotta sediments consist of tuffaceous laharic mudstone interbedded with thick paleosols developed on unsorted colluvial volcanic detritus. Artifacts are lacking. A paleosol in the middle of the Gademotta Formation contains obsidian tools of Levallois-Mousterian technology, the earliest Middle Stone Age artifacts thus far discovered in the area. This soil was covered by a crystal-rich volcanic ash, which has been dated at ∼ 181,000 yr B.P. Above the ash, in turn, are three superposed paleosols, each with Middle Stone Age artifacts intercalated with water-laid sandstone, and two additional ash beds. Late in the sedimentary history of the Gademotta Formation it was eroded by intermittent streams forming deep gullies which subsequently were aggraded. Perhaps the cutting and filling were related to the fluctuations of an ancient lake whose level may have reached more than 100 m above present Lake Ziway (1,636 m). The consistent occurrence in this region of Middle Stone Age sites — > 35,000 to > 100,000 yr B.P., elevations ≧ 150 m above Lake Ziway — suggests geographic control of human settlement by high lake stands during late Pleistocene time. Topographically lower volcanic hills, which probably formed contemporaneously with Gademotta Ridge, appear not to have been inhabited until the Late Stone Age (< 15,000 yr B.P.) when the lake level was substantially lower.
Food Portion Patterns and Trends among U.S. Children and the Relationship to Total Eating Occasion Size, 1977–2006

Food and beverage portion sizes are related to childhood obesity. We examined trends in food portion sizes and the association with total meal sizes among U.S. children. We selected children 2- to 18-y-old (n = 31,337) from 4 nationally representative surveys of food intake between 1977-1978 and 2003-2006. We assessed portion sizes (kcal and g) of selected key foods (soft/fruit drinks, salty snacks, desserts, French fries, burgers, pizzas, Mexican fast foods, and hot dogs), the total energy from eating occasions that included key foods, and portion sizes of the selected key foods by source (stores, restaurants, and fast-food locations). These foods represented over one-third of children's energy intake in 2003-2006. Portion sizes increased significantly over the 30-y period and increases in pizza were particularly pronounced in the last decade [+176 kcal (736 kJ). Energy from eating occasions including pizzas and soft drinks increased, as did the proportion of energy from these foods in an eating occasion. Hamburgers and cheeseburgers increased in portion size and eating occasion size, but the proportion of these foods in the total eating occasions did not increase. Portion sizes of other key foods increased, although the total energy from eating events that included them remained constant (e.g. Mexican fast-foods, French fries, fruit drinks) or decreased (e.g. salty snacks, desserts). Portion sizes increased across all food sources (stores, restaurants, and fast foods) for soft drinks and pizzas but only at fast-food locations for French fries. Portion sizes continue to grow for selected foods. Fast-food chains appear to be linked with less healthful portion size increases for selected foods.
Electron Transport in Si Nanowires

We investigate electron transport in silicon nanowires taking into account acoustic, non-polar optical phonons and surface/interface roughness scattering. We find that at very high transverse fields the reduced density of final states to which the carriers can scatter into gives rise to a reduced influence of interface-roughness scattering, which is promising result from a fabrication point of view.
Tricks of the Trade: Motivating Sales Agents to Con Older Adults

Purpose of the Study: Financial fraud is estimated to cost consumer s approximately $50 billion annually. To examine how new hires are trained to engage in fraud, this study analyzed a sales training transcript from Alliance for Mature Americans (Alliance). In 1996, Alliance was charged with using deception and misrepresentation to sell more than $200 million worth of living trusts and annuities to 10,000 older adults in California. Design and Methods: T ranscribed recordings from a 2-day Alliance sales training seminar were analyzed using NVivo10, coded inductively, and examined to identify emergent themes. Results: P redominant themes were as follows: (a) indoctrination using incentives and neutralization techniques and (b) training on persuasion tactics targeted at older adults. Findings suggest that sales training focuses on establishing the company’s legitimacy, normalizing unethical sales practices, and refining trainees’ knowledge about how to influence older consumers. Implications: P redatory and fraudulent businesses peddling ill-suited products threaten the economic security of older Americans. Improved insights into sales manipulation strategies can guide the development of protective policies including educational approaches to help older adults detect scams and resist purchasing fraudulent products.
Predicting GPR Target Locations Using Time Delay Differences

We describe an efficient approach for finding probable target areas quickly with a minimal number of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) measurements. Since a potential GPR target creates a hyperbolic signature in the space-time domain, our approach uses the time delay differences from consecutive GPR A-Scan data to estimate the location of the apex of the hyperbolic signature, thus locating a target. This apex prediction method uses many fewer measurements than a full backprojection algorithm. Regions of low target probability are determined using a Neyman-Pearson detection approach in order to eliminate redundant measurements. In this regard, our approach is especially suitable as a pre-screener: other sensors that are more accurate, but require more measurement time, can then be applied only to high probability-of-target areas to corroborate results, differentiate between targets, or provide more accurate location measurements. Compared to a standard backprojection algorithm more signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is needed to achieve similar detection performance. This SNR loss can be reduced by using a more conservative algorithm which reduces the step size of the GPR antenna. Results from experimental data collected at a model mine field at the Georgia Institute of Technology show that target positions can be found accurately using less than 10 % of the measurements utilized by conventional imaging algorithms.
Diversion ahead: imaging appearance of urinary diversions and reservoirs

The imaging appearance of urinary diversion is determined by the indication and type of surgical procedure performed. These patients often undergo an imaging follow-up to detect complications or recurrence. Understanding the postoperative anatomy and early detection of complications are keys to adept interpretation of radiological evaluation of urinary reservoirs. The purpose of following review is to offer a brief account of commonly used surgical techniques, relevant anatomy, and concise overview of the imaging techniques for evaluation of the urinary diversions and features of their complications.
Temperature dependence of the Hall mobility in polycrystalline silicon.

Crystallization of amorphous silicon thin films by various methods has fostered enhancements in the electrical characteristics over their amorphous counterparts. For example, carrier mobilities ranging from 10 to >100 cm2/V·sec have been reported for laser crystallized films. The rather large variability of the transport characteristics with crystallization processing conditions is not well understood and, as a result, greatly complicates device process debugging. In addition, while it is generally believed that defects inherent in the grain boundaries provide the primary barriers degrading transport properties relative to single crystal silicon, the specific nature of these defects is not known. In this paper, we present data on the temperature dependence of the Hall mobility of thin silicon films crystallized by thermal and excimer laser processing. Hall data for the laser-crystallized phosphorus-doped material show a temperature dependence which differs dramatically from that for thermally crystallized materials, while the effects of hydrogenation are similar, reducing the barriers at the grain boundaries.REFERENCES
Community‐Based Assessments of Risk and Vulnerability: Combating Hunger in Africa with Local Knowledge

Keywords: commentary, Famine Early Warning System, FEWS NET, disaster, food insecurity, food crisis, hunger, food shortage, famine threats, international aid, Africa, ecology and environment, development
Rate-agnostic (Causal) structure learning

Causal structure learning from time series data is a major scientific challenge. Extant algorithms assume that measurements occur sufficiently quickly; more precisely, they assume approximately equal system and measurement timescales. In many domains, however, measurements occur at a significantly slower rate than the underlying system changes, but the size of the timescale mismatch is often unknown. This paper develops three causal structure learning algorithms, each of which discovers all dynamic causal graphs that explain the observed measurement data, perhaps given undersampling. That is, these algorithms all learn causal structure in a "rate-agnostic" manner: they do not assume any particular relation between the measurement and system timescales. We apply these algorithms to data from simulations to gain insight into the challenge of undersampling.
Comprehension challenges in the fourth grade: The roles of text cohesion, text genre, and readers’ prior knowledge

We examined young readers’ comprehension as a function of text genre (narrative, science), text cohesion (high, low), and readers’ abilities (reading decoding skills and world knowledge). The overarching purpose of this study was to contribute to our understanding of the fourth grade slump . Children in grade 4 read four texts, including one high and one low cohesion text from each genre. Comprehension of each text was assessed with 12 multiple-choice questions and free and cued recall. Comprehension was enhanced by increased knowledge: high knowledge readers showed better comprehension than low knowledge readers and narratives were comprehended better than science texts. Interactions between readers’ knowledge levels and text characteristics indicated that the children showed larger effects of knowledge for science than for narrative texts, and those with more knowledge better understood the low cohesion, narrative texts, showing a reverse cohesion effect. Decoding skill benefited comprehension, but effects of text genre and cohesion depended less on decoding skill than prior knowledge. Overall, the study indicates that the fourth grade slump is at least partially attributable to the emergence of complex dependencies between the nature of the text and the reader’s prior knowledge. The results also suggested that simply adding cohesion cues, and not explanatory information, is not likely to be sufficient for young readers as an approach to improving comprehension of challenging texts.
Tissue-Specific Knockout of Androgen Receptor in Mice

Androgen acting through the androgen receptor (AR) is known to be essential for male sexual differentiation and development. Using Cre-lox technology, we have generated the floxed AR mice, which have been bred with general or tissue-specific Cre expressing transgenic mice to knock out the AR gene in specific target cells. Our findings indicated that AR is required for sexual development and that loss of AR can have significant effects on many aspects of physiological functions and disease progression, such as immune function, metabolism, and tumorigenesis. Furthermore, our strategy can generate AR knockout (ARKO) in female mice, which allows researchers to study the AR function in the female. In brief, our floxed AR mouse model provides a powerful tool to study in vivo AR functions in selective tissues and cell types and has made possible several research breakthroughs in the field of endocrinology.
Apparent Adverse Outcome of Acupuncture

Alternative and complementary medical care are becoming increasingly popular in the United States, although many patients continue to consult mainstream physicians as well. As a result, physicians are seeing an increasing number of interactions between alternative treatments and their own medical practices. Many alternative and complementary forms of medicine are not studied in a scientific or evidence-based manner, frequently making the interaction and its extent difficult to determine. The case reported here is an example of that difficulty.
Use and effectiveness of quitlines versus Web‐based tobacco cessation interventions among 4 state tobacco control programs

BACKGROUND Comparative effectiveness studies of state tobacco quitlines and Web-based tobacco cessation interventions are limited. In 2009, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention undertook a study of the comparative effectiveness of state quitlines and Web-based tobacco cessation interventions. METHODS Standardized questionnaires were administered to smokers who enrolled exclusively in either quitlines or Web-based tobacco cessation services in 4 states in 2011-2012. The primary outcome was the 30-day point prevalence abstinence (PPA) rate at 7 months both between and within interventions. RESULTS A total of 4086 participants were included in the analysis. Quitline users were significantly older, more heterogeneous in terms of race and ethnicity, less educated, less likely to be employed, and more often single than Web-based users. The 7-month 30-day PPA rate was 32% for quitline users and 27% for Web-based users. Multivariate models comparing 30-day PPA rates between interventions indicated that significantly increased odds of quitting were associated with being partnered, not living with another smoker, low baseline cigarette use, and more interactions with the intervention. After adjustments for demographic and tobacco use characteristics, quitline users had 1.26 the odds of being abstinent in comparison with Web-based users (95% confidence interval, 1.00-1.58; P = .053). CONCLUSIONS This is one of the largest comparative effectiveness studies of state tobacco cessation interventions to date. These findings will help public health agencies develop and tailor evidence-based tobacco cessation programs. Further research should focus on users of Web-based cessation interventions sponsored by state health departments and their cost-effectiveness. Cancer 2015. Published 2015. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
Neural spike-timing patterns vary with sound shape and periodicity in three auditory cortical fields.

Mammals perceive a wide range of temporal cues in natural sounds, and the auditory cortex is essential for their detection and discrimination. The rat primary (A1), ventral (VAF), and caudal suprarhinal (cSRAF) auditory cortical fields have separate thalamocortical pathways that may support unique temporal cue sensitivities. To explore this, we record responses of single neurons in the three fields to variations in envelope shape and modulation frequency of periodic noise sequences. Spike rate, relative synchrony, and first-spike latency metrics have previously been used to quantify neural sensitivities to temporal sound cues; however, such metrics do not measure absolute spike timing of sustained responses to sound shape. To address this, in this study we quantify two forms of spike-timing precision, jitter, and reliability. In all three fields, we find that jitter decreases logarithmically with increase in the basis spline (B-spline) cutoff frequency used to shape the sound envelope. In contrast, reliability decreases logarithmically with increase in sound envelope modulation frequency. In A1, jitter and reliability vary independently, whereas in ventral cortical fields, jitter and reliability covary. Jitter time scales increase (A1 VAF > cSRAF) with ventral progression from A1. These results suggest a transition from independent encoding of shape and periodicity sound cues on short time scales in A1 to a joint encoding of these same cues on longer time scales in ventral nonprimary cortices.
Pulse Code Modulation (PCM)

Pulse Code Modulation (PCM), also known as baseband transmission, converts the input analog signal into digital format and transmits over a digital communication channel. It involves: Band limiting the input analog signal Sampling Quantization A to D conversion Signal shaping
ENZYMES AND GROWTH SUBSTANCES OF RHIZOPOGON SPECIES IN RELATION TO MYCORRHIZAL HOSTS AND INFRAGENERIC TAXONOMY

Acid and alkaline phosphatase and nitrate reductase activities, acid phosphatase isozyme patterns, and cytokinins and indoleacetic acid production were determined for thirteen isolates encompassing six species and three sections of the genus Rhizopogon. Two of the species are mycorrhizal associates particularly with Douglas-fir, one with pines, one a host generalist but particularly associated with pines, and two broadly host-general. Isolates within species generally differed as much from each other as did species or sections of the genus. Of all parameters examined, isozyme patterns were most consistent within species and differed most between sections.
Silicon Growth at the Two-Dimensional Limit on Ag(111)

Having fueled the microelectronics industry for over 50 years, silicon is arguably the most studied and influential semiconductor. With the recent emergence of two-dimensional (2D) materials (e.g., graphene, MoS2, phosphorene, etc.), it is natural to contemplate the behavior of Si in the 2D limit. Guided by atomic-scale studies utilizing ultrahigh vacuum (UHV), scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), and spectroscopy (STS), we have investigated the 2D limits of Si growth on Ag(111). In contrast to previous reports of a distinct sp2-bonded silicene allotrope, we observe the evolution of apparent surface alloys (ordered 2D silicon–Ag surface phases), which culminate in the precipitation of crystalline, sp3-bonded Si(111) nanosheets. These nanosheets are capped with a √3 honeycomb phase that is isostructural to a √3 honeycomb-chained-trimer (HCT) reconstruction of Ag on Si(111). Further investigations reveal evidence for silicon intermixing with the Ag(111) substrate followed by surface precipitation of crystal...
Calcium substituted Y‐Ba‐Cu‐O superconductors with enhanced Tc

The Tc of 124 is enhanced by Ca substitution: CaxY(1-x)Ba2Cu4Oy prepared at 200 bar at 930°C shows Tc = 89 K for x = 0.1. The 124 phase remains stable with Ca substitution at P(O2) ≥ 50 bar. For P(O2) = 2-16 bar, Ca substitution stabilizes a tetragonal 123 phase CaxY(1-x)Ba2Cu4Oy, which shows a Tc (87 K for x = 0.2) comparable to that of unsubstituted orthorhombic 123. The synthesis of CaT-123 has been achieved in oxygen overpressure as small as 1 bar.
Effect of stress on response to fludrocortisone excess in the rat.

SummaryThe influence of stress upon the response to fludrocortisone was assessed. The steroid caused atrophy of the spleen and thymus and hypertrophy of the heart and kidney, changes which were neither induced nor modified by stress. Body growth was slightly retarded by stress and markedly impaired by fludrocortisone, but the effect of combined treatment was greatest. Although the steroid alone caused adrenal involution, adrenal hypertrophy was found in animals subjected to stress or to stress and steroid treatment together. Mortality was insignificant from steroid alone, but great among animals subjected also to stress. There was some indication that stress enhanced the hypertensive and nephropathic response to steroid treatment, but precise assessment of this effect was rendered difficult by high mortality in the group exposed to dual treatment and the prevalence of emaciation and lowered vitality among survivors.
Depiction of idealized youth lifestyles in magazine advertisements: A content analysis

The study described in this manuscript examines the extent to which children are depicted as: (a) scholarly, and (b) non-scholarly in magazine advertisements and the degree to which children in the two classes were portrayed favorably or unfavorably. The study indicated that children were often depicted in roles that were not scholarly (such as athletics). Further, when children were depicted in scholarly roles, the portrayal was often negative. Implications based upon these findings are raised.
The optimization of purification method for detection of pyrethroid pesticide residual in tilapia

Objective To study the best purification method of pre-treatment of nine pyrethroids pesticides residuals detection in tilapia.Methods Optimizing the purification condition,including the selection of purification column,the selection of elution,and the elution volume,etc.The verification method was by GC-ECD analysis.Results The best filling material was Na2SO4-Florisil-Na2SO4(2∶3∶2),the elution was ethyl acetate-n-hexane(1∶9,v/v),the dosage of elution was15 mL.The separation of nine kinds of pyrethroids in the gas chromatogram was better.linear correlation in 1-100ng/mL showed better(r≥0.991),and mean recovery rates were 76.3%-117.6%.The precision ranges were 3.12-14.60%and the minimum detection limits were 0.4-3.2μg/kg.Conclusion With the establishing of the optimum analysis conditions in the lab,both of the recovery rate of pyrethroids pesticides and the detection result of samples can reach to the standard of pesticide residual detection.
The Analysis of Frequency Conversion Relation in Harmonic Detection Method Based on Generalized d_k-q_k Coordinate Transform

The power harmonic detection method based on generalized d_k-q_k coordinate transform which can accurately detect any harmonics in real time is one of the extensively used harmonic detection method.But the frequency conversion relation during coordinate transforming has not been studied deeply.The paper analyzes the frequency conversion relation in the process of transformation of the harmonic detection method by formulating,and specifically presents the harmonic frequency conversion relation and rules between the rotating coordinate and the three-phase coordinate.The simulations validate the legitimacy of the research and analysis.The study provides a reference for the relevant harmonic detecting research.
A coupled, multiphase heat flux boundary condition for the discrete element method

Abstract Similar to single-phase flows, multiphase systems with a constant heat flux at the wall are common in practice. Unlike single-phase flows, however, the numerical implementation of a constant boundary flux is non-trivial due to the coupling between phases – i.e., the partition of the total flux between the phases can vary in space and time. A numerical technique for modeling such a boundary condition is proposed here and verified via simulations of gas-solid flows. While discrete-particle simulations of monodisperse particles are considered here, the technique can be extended to include radiation, polydisperse systems, and/or a continuum representation of the solids phase.
Structured Macrovoids in Ceramic PZT

The hydrostatic response of PZT is only about 10% of its uniaxial response, dh=d33−d31−d32 \(= {d_{33}}\left( {1 - \frac{{{d_{31}} + {d_{32}}}}{{{d_{33}}}}} \right)\) where $$\frac{{{d_{31}} + {d_{32}}}}{{2{d_{33}}}}$$ is about 0.4. A reduction of this ratio will then raise dh.
History of the Development of Guidewires, Access Sheaths, Baskets, and Ureteral Stents

Guidewires are a mainstay of endourologic procedures, as they provide safe access to the urinary tract and allow the passage of catheters and stents [1]. The development of guidewires in urology began with the application of angiographic tools in urologic endoscopy. Fritzche et al. reported the use of angiographic guidewires in 7 patients with ureteral obstruction in 1981 [2]. The authors noted in this study that their methods allow the “placement of angiographic guide wires and catheters past ureteral obstacles when standard urological retrograde procedures are not feasible technically.” The transvesical approach was described as where a 6Fr open-ended polyethylene catheter was placed at the ureterovesical junction and followed by advancing a 0.035 in. diameter guide wire [2]. The authors noted several advantages of the angiographic catheters and wires that allowed their urological application. The smaller diameter floppy tip reduced the risk of ureteral injury. A curve could be applied to the wire to facilitate manipulation and a wide range of shapes and sizes available for angiography allowed the urologist to attach a stone basket to the catheter for multiple passages through the level of obstruction [2]. Advances over subsequent years created specialized categories of guidewires which allowed the urologist to select the most appropriate tool for a given circumstance. These wires include hydrophilic straight and angled guidewires (used for bypassing more difficult obstructions or for the tortuous ureter), the hybrid wires (wires with a hydrophilic distal tip for bypassing obstructing stones and a nitinol core which is kink resistant to be used as a working wire) and stiffer wires such as Amplatz extra stiff (used to straighten ureter or for stabilization when passing dilating catheters and access sheaths) [1, 3]. More recent studies have evaluated the mechanical characteristics and performance elements of guidewires, including tip bending, resistance, pull force, shaft bending resistance, tip puncture force, shaft stiffness, and lubricity [1, 4]. The authors corroborated that hybrid wires offer the combination of the hydrophilic tip and stiffer shaft than standard wires, while the extra stiff wires may be best-suited for placement of ureteral access sheaths or larger stents. Interestingly they also noted that “brand name” guidewires designed for the same purposes may differ from one manufacturer to the next.
Ultra-Brief, Immediate, and Resurgent: A College Counseling Paradigm Realignment

College counseling centers are experiencing a surging in demand for services that is unaccompanied by an equivalent growth in resources. A possible solution to this disparity is the adoption of a s...
A signal detection–item response theory model for evaluating neuropsychological measures

Introduction: Models from signal detection theory are commonly used to score neuropsychological test data, especially tests of recognition memory. Here we show that certain item response theory mod...
Deep learning based sparse view x-ray CT reconstruction for checked baggage screening

X-ray computed tomography is widely used in security applications. With growing interest in view-limited systems, which have increased throughput, there is a significant interest in constrained image reconstruction techniques that allows high fidelity reconstruction from limited data. These image reconstruction techniques are commonly characterized by their intense computational requirements making their deployment in real-time imaging applications challenging. Recent success of deep learning techniques in various signal and image processing applications has sparked an interest in using these techniques for image reconstruction problems. In this work, we explore the use of deep learning techniques for reconstruction of baggage CT data and compare these techniques to constrained reconstruction methods.
FLexiTASK: A Flexible FPGA Overlay for Efficient Multitasking

One of the major obstacles to the adoption of FPGAs in high-performance computing is their programmability. It requires hardware design skills and long compilation times. Overlays have been proposed as a way to abstract FPGA resources. Unfortunately, most of the time, the topologies they use to connect computing cores impose restrictions on where tasks are placed and how they communicate. In this paper, we propose an overlay architecture designed for efficiency and flexibility. It features a novel Network-on-Chip (NoC) infrastructure making flexible, with no limitation, the placement of hardware tasks. The presented architecture allows tasks to communicate with a low latency and eases the reconfiguration of desired areas on the fabric at runtime. After prototyping the proposed architecture on an Altera Cyclone V FPGA, a maximum frequency of 282 MHz has been reached and a speedup ranging from 4x to 195x has been observed in some applications compared to the native execution.
An Interactive Multiple Criteria Linear Programming Package

Zionts and Wallenius first published their interactive method of Multiple Objective Linear Programming (MOLP) in 1976 [1]. They extended the method in 1983 [2] to include the class of pseudo-concave utility functions, as well as linear utility functions. Their method has been implemented by several organizations interested in applying MOLP; the results have been favorable. These organizations used experimental computer programs that the authors had used in their research and a terse set of instructions to implement the Zionts-Wallenius method.
Disorder guides domain rearrangement in elongation factor Tu.

Elongation factor Tu (EF-Tu) is a three-domain protein that is responsible for delivering aminoacyl-tRNA (aa-tRNA) molecules to the ribosome. During the delivery process, EF-Tu undergoes a large-scale (~50A) conformational transition that results in rearrangement of domain I, relative to the II/III superdomain. Despite the central role of EF-Tu during protein synthesis, little is known about the structural and energetic properties of this reordering process. To study the physical-chemical properties of domain motion, we constructed a multi-basin structure-based (i.e., Gō-like) model, with which we have simulated hundreds of spontaneous conformational rearrangements. By analyzing the statistical properties of these events, we show that EF-Tu is likely to adopt a disordered intermediate ensemble during this transition. We further show that this disordered intermediate will favor a specific sequence of conformational substeps when bound to the ribosome, and the disordered ensemble can influence the kinetics of the incoming aa-tRNA molecule. Overall, this study highlights the dynamic nature of EF-Tu by revealing a relationship between conformational disorder and biological function.