cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Arabidopsis gene tardy asynchronous meiosis is required for the normal pace and synchrony of cell division during male meiosis.

Male meiosis in higher organisms features synchronous cell divisions in a large number of cells. It is not clear how this synchrony is achieved, nor is it known whether the synchrony is linked to the regulation of cell cycle progression. Here, we describe an Arabidopsis mutant, named tardy asynchronous meiosis ( tam ), that exhibits a phenotype of delayed and asynchronous cell divisions during male meiosis. In Arabidopsis, two nuclear divisions occur before simultaneous cytokinesis yields a tetrad of haploid cells. In tam , cell divisions are delayed, resulting in the formation of abnormal intermediates, most frequently dyad meiotic products, or in rare cases, dyad pollen (two gametophytes within one exine wall). Temperature-shift experiments showed that the percentage of the abnormal intermediates increased at 27°C. Analysis of tam and the tam / quartet1 double mutant showed that most of these abnormal intermediates could continue through the normal rounds of cell divisions and form functional pollen, though at a slower than normal pace. The asynchrony of cell division started at the G2/M transition, with cells entering metaphase at different time points, during both meiosis I and II. In addition, chromosome condensation defects and mis-segregation were sometimes observed in tam . These observations suggest that the TAM protein positively regulates cell cycle progression, perhaps by promoting the G2/M transition. We speculate that there is a signal, perhaps TAM, that couples the normal pace of cell cycle progression with the synchrony of cell division during male meiosis.
Polymer collapse, protein folding, and the percolation threshold.

We study the transition of polymers in the dilute regime from a swollen shape at high temperatures to their low-temperature structures. The polymers are modeled by a single self-avoiding walk (SAW) on a lattice for which l of the monomers (the H monomers) are self-attracting, i.e., if two nonbonded H monomers become nearest neighbors on the lattice they gain energy of interaction (� =− |� |); the second type of monomers, denoted P, are neutral. This HP model was suggested by Lau and Dill (Macromolecules 1989, 22, 3986-3997) to study protein folding, where H and P are the hydrophobic and polar amino acid residues, respectively. The model is simulated on the square and simple cubic (SC) lattices using the scanning method. We show that the ground state and the sharpness of the transition depend on the lattice, the fraction g of the H monomers, as well as on their arrangement along the chain. In particular, if the H monomers are distributed at random and g is larger than the site percolation threshold of the lattice, a collapsed transition is very likely to occur. This conclusion, drawn for the lattice models, is also applicable to proteins where an effective lattice with coordination number between that of the SC lattice and the body centered cubic lattice is defined. Thus, the average fraction of hydrophobic amino acid residues in globular proteins is found to be close to the percolation threshold of the effective lattice.
A new indirect calibration method for equivalent source mismatch of a power splitter using measurements at only one-port

A new calibration method is described for the equivalent source mismatch (Γ G ) of a power splitter. It uses one-port measurements by an ordinary one-port calibration at the test port of a vector network analyzer, with the remaining ports loaded with termination, imperfect load, and a series of three characterized standards, i.e., open, short and load. It also takes advantage of the reciprocity characteristic of the power splitter. As the system impedance is normalized to the impedance of the termination, the termination works as a perfect load in measurements and calculations for the S-parameters of the power splitter.
Predicting Maternal Rat and Pup Exposures: How Different are They?

Risk and safety assessments for early life exposures to environmental chemicals or pharmaceuticals based on cross-species extrapolation would greatly benefit from information on chemical dosimetry in the young. Although relevant toxicity studies involve exposures during multiple life stages, the mother's exposure dose is frequently used for extrapolation of rodent toxicity findings to humans and represents a substantial source of uncertainty. A compartmental pharmacokinetic model augmented with biological information on factors changing during lactation and early postweaning was developed. The model uses adult pharmacokinetics, milk distribution, and relevant postnatal biology to predict dosimetry in the young for chemicals. The model addressed three dosing strategies employed in toxicity studies (gavage, constant ppm diet, and adjusted ppm diet) and the impact of different pharmacokinetic properties such as rates of clearance, milk distribution, and volume of distribution on the pup exposure doses and internal dosimetry. Developmental delays in clearance and recirculation of chemical in excreta from the pup to mother were evaluated. Following comparison with data for two chemicals, predictions were made for theoretical chemicals with a range of characteristics. Pup exposure was generally lower than the mother's with a shorter half-life, lower milk transfer, larger volume of distribution, and gavage dosing, while higher with longer half-life, higher milk transfer, smaller volume of distribution, and dietary exposures. The present model demonstrated pup exposures do not always parallel the mother's. The model predictions can be used to help design early life toxicity and pharmacokinetic studies and better interpret study findings.
Physical and Electrical Properties of Polycrystalline Silicon Thin Films

Physical and electrical properties of chemically-vapordeposited polycrystalline silicon films have been investigated. Effects of deposition parameters, doping, and high temperature processing on grain size and orientation, carrier concentration, carrier mobility and electrical resistivity, have been studied. By relating the physical and electrical properties to each other it has been shown that electrical conduction is controlled by dopant segregation, carrier tunneling, and trapping at grain boundaries. Models for these three mechanisms have been developed and by combining them a generalized model for electrical conduction has been developed. Presence of grain boundaries has also been shown to strongly influence the thermal oxidation and dopant diffusion in polycrystalline silicon.
Empirical comparison of cross-platform normalization methods for gene expression data

Simultaneous measurement of gene expression on a genomic scale can be accomplished using microarray technology or by sequencing based methods. Researchers who perform high throughput gene expression assays often deposit their data in public databases, but heterogeneity of measurement platforms leads to challenges for the combination and comparison of data sets. Researchers wishing to perform cross platform normalization face two major obstacles. First, a choice must be made about which method or methods to employ. Nine are currently available, and no rigorous comparison exists. Second, software for the selected method must be obtained and incorporated into a data analysis workflow.
Spatial-temporal clustering of neural data using linked-mixtures of hidden Markov models

This paper builds upon the previous Brain Machine Interface (BMI) signal processing models that require apriori knowledge about the patient's arm kinematics. Specifically, we propose an unsupervised hierarchical clustering model that attempts to discover both the interdependencies between neural channels and the self-organized clusters represented in the spatial-temporal neural data. Results from both synthetic data generated with a realistic neural model and real BMI data are used to quantify the performance of the proposed methodology. Since BMIs must work with disabled patients who lack arm kinematic information, the clustering work described within this paper is relevant for future BMIs.
A geospatial analysis of persons opting out of an exception from informed consent out-of-hospital clinical trial.

Summary Study objective For trials involving exception from informed consent, some IRBs require that community members be allowed to “opt out” prior to enrollment. We tested for geospatial clustering of opt-out requests and the associated census tract characteristics in one study region. Methods This was a retrospective study at a single site of a multicenter exception from informed consent resuscitation trial. We collected and geocoded mailing addresses for persons requesting opt-out bracelets over 16 months, then tested for geospatial clustering using geographic information systems (GIS) analysis. Characteristics for tracts with and without bracelet clustering were compared using univariate tests, multivariable regression, and classification and regression tree (CART) analysis. Results We received 395 phone calls requesting 718 bracelets, of which 673 were analyzable. Of 397 census tracts in the region, 208 (52%) had at least one request and 38 (10%) demonstrated clustering. In multivariable models, an increasing proportion of family households (OR .90, 95%CI .85–.93), veterans (OR .91, 95%CI .81–1.02), and renters (OR .96, 95%CI .92–.99) were associated with lower odds of requesting an opt-out bracelet, while census tracts with higher income had higher odds of opting-out (OR 1.07, 95%CI 1.02–1.11). Using CART, the proportion of family households and graduate education identified the majority of opt-out requests by census tracts (cross-validation sensitivity 92%, specificity 56%). Conclusions Opt-out requests for an exception from informed consent trial at one study site were geographically clustered and associated with certain population demographics. These findings may help identify key target groups for community consultation in future trials.
An updated study of mortality among North American synthetic rubber industry workers

Aim: This study evaluated the mortality experience of workers from the styrene-butadiene industry. Methods: The authors added seven years of follow up to a previous investigation of mortality among 17 924 men employed in the North American synthetic rubber industry. Analyses used the standardised mortality ratios (SMRs) to compare styrene-butadiene rubber workers’ cause specific mortality (1943–98) with those of the United States and the Ontario general populations. Results: Overall, the observed/expected numbers of deaths were 6237/7242 for all causes (SMR = 86, 95% CI 84 to 88) and 1608/1741 for all cancers combined (SMR = 92, 95% CI 88 to 97), 71/61 for leukaemia, 53/53 for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and 26/27 for multiple myeloma. The 16% leukaemia increase was concentrated in hourly paid subjects with 20–29 years since hire and 10 or more years of employment in the industry (19/7.4, SMR = 258, 95% CI 156 to 403) and in subjects employed in polymerisation (18/8.8, SMR = 204, 95% CI 121 to 322), maintenance labour (15/7.4, SMR = 326, 95% CI 178 to 456), and laboratory operations (14/4.3, SMR = 326, 95% CI 178–546). Conclusion: The study found that some subgroups of synthetic rubber workers had an excess of mortality from leukaemia that was not limited to a particular form of leukaemia. Uncertainty remains about the specific agent(s) that might be responsible for the observed excesses and about the role of unidentified confounding factors. The study did not find any clear relation between employment in the industry and other forms of lymphohaematopoietic cancer. Some subgroups of subjects had more than expected deaths from colorectal and prostate cancers. These increases did not appear to be related to occupational exposure in the industry.
Satellite Observations of Sea Ice

Synoptic observations of the polar regions can be achieved only from space using sensors that collect data at regular intervals, night and day and in all weather. NASA has developed techniques for acquiring frequent global coverage of the polar ice cover, and for spotlighting selected regions to reveal detailed features within the ice pack.
Evidence for a P‐wave velocity anomaly in D″

A number of strong P-coda phases have been observed on European WWSSN-station short-period recordings of intermediate-magnitude, Kurile arc earthquakes which occurred at several different depths of focus. These phases have been observed for several different events and cannot be explained by known phases, such as PcP or source multiplicity. A lower-mantle model, containing a first-order discontinuity with a 2.75% P-wave velocity contrast and located about 344 km above the core-mantle boundary, produces synthetic seismograms which approximately reproduce the observed amplitudes and arrival times of the coda phases. However, the fact that these phases are not always observed and that their amplitudes vary significantly for different events and stations suggests that the discontinuity at the top of D″ may be a transition zone and may be laterally variable in thickness and contrast.
ACQUIRING INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATIVE COMPETENCE FROM TEXTBOOKS . Lies Sercu . Leuven, Belgium: Leuven University Press, 2000. Pp. 425. 1,100 BF paper.

Recently, classroom-based foreign language learning, particularly as practiced in Europe, has begun moving from a focus on teaching for communicative competence to teaching for intercultural communicative competence. Like communicative competence, intercultural communicative competence includes the knowledge and abilities needed to participate in communicative activities in which the target language is the primary communicative code and in situations where it is the common code for those with different preferred languages. It also includes cognitive and affective skills and behaviors needed to engage in unfamiliar encounters with culturally different interlocutors, to negotiate one's cultural identities in light of one's roles in these encounters, and to understand the norms and assumptions underlying the various communicative activities on one's own terms.
Organolanthanide-catalyzed intramolecular hydroamination/cyclization/bicyclization of sterically encumbered substrates. Scope, selectivity, and catalyst thermal stability for amine-tethered unactivated 1,2-disubstituted alkenes.

This paper reports the organolanthanide-catalyzed intramolecular hydroamination/cyclization of amine-tethered unactivated 1,2-disubstituted alkenes to afford the corresponding mono- and disubstituted pyrrolidines and piperidines using coordinatively unsaturated complexes of the type (η5-Me5C5)2LnCH(TMS)2 (Ln = La, Sm), [Me2Si(η5-Me4C5)2]SmCH(TMS)2, and [Me2Si(η5-Me4C5)(tBuN)]LnE(TMS)2 (Ln = Sm, Y, Yb, Lu; E = N, CH) as precatalysts. [Me2Si(η5-Me4C5)(tBuN)]LnE(TMS)2 mediates intramolecular hydroamination/cyclization of sterically demanding amino-olefins to afford disubstituted pyrrolidines in high diastereoselectivity (trans/cis = 16/1) and good to excellent yield. In addition, chiral C1-symmetric organolanthanide catalysts of the type [Me2Si(OHF)(CpR*)]LnN(TMS)2 (OHF = η5-octahydrofluorenyl; Cp = η5-C5H3; R* = (−)-menthyl; Ln = Sm, Y), and [Me2Si(η5-Me4C5)(CpR*)]SmN(TMS)2 (Cp = η5-H3C5; R* = (−)-menthyl) mediate asymmetric intramolecular hydroamination/cyclization of amines bearing internal olefins and af...
The Stability of Ethanol in Human Whole Blood Controls: An Interlaboratory Evaluation

preservatives and approximately 90, 150, and 230 mg/dl, ethanol with and without 0.3% (w/v) sodium azide. Aliquots in sealed vials were stored by the manufacturer at 2-8~ until shipped monthly to three academic toxicology laboratories that analyzed them in duplicate by gas chromatographic headspace methods at monthly intervals for one year. resulting data were pooled, and grand mean values were statistically analyzed to determine the respective alcohol stability in these azide-free and azidecontaining blood samples. Azide-containing blood samples showed no alcohol losses during the 1-year period. Azide-free blood containing 1.0% (w/v) sodium fluoride and anticoagulants had small alcohol decreases over time, the total losses after one year being less than 5% of the original alcohol concentrations. The initial alcohol concentration of approximately 40 mg/dL also did not change during storage of additional samples of azide-free blood for one month at 4~ We concluded that addition of sodium azide to performance-test and control blood
Extended resections for lung cancer. How far is too far

Pulmonary resection is the preferred treatment for patients with lung cancer. Half of all patients, however, have signs of unresectability at the time of diagnosis. Contraindication to pulmonary resection is based on cell type, the extent of the disease, and the patient's overall general medical condition. Invasion of the chest wall by bronchogenic carcinoma is not rare. The diagnostic importance of this findings, however, has been controversial. Early reports had regarded thoracic wall invasion as a uniformly ominous sign, while recent reports have been more optimistic, especially when lymph nodes were not metastatically involved. Chest wall resection should be preceeded by mediastinoscopy. If lymph nodes are negative, excision is generally performed en bloc with pulmonary resection. After the thorax is entered and the cancer is found to be invading the chest wall, wide resection of the chest wall with attached lung is performed. Generally, the line of resection should encompass the area of invasion by several centimeters. The lung with attached chest wall is then allowed to fall back into the pleural cavity, where the appropriate pulmonary resection is performed. If the chest wall defect is less than 5 cm in diameter, no reconstruction of the defect is required. If, however the defect is larger and structural, stability is required. The defect should be reconstructed with a prosthetic material, such as the various meshes, metals, or soft tissue patches, and reinforced with a muscle flap. If the wound is contaminated from an intrathoracic source, prosthetic material should be avoided and reconstruction with a muscle flap alone is preferred. Muscles commonly used include serratus anterior, pectoralis major, latissimus dorsi, and occasionaly, rectus abdominus. Because the omentum lacks structural stabilitly, it should be considered a back-up alternative procedure. Operative mortality is usually related to the extent of pulmonary resection rather than the extent of chest wall resection. Five-year survival approaches 50% for patients with T3N0M0 lesions. For patients with either N1 or N2 neoplasms, 5-year survial is less than 10%. Postoperative radiation therapy appears to have no effect on surival.
Six Credit Hours for Arizona, the United States, and the World: A Case Study of Teacher Content-Knowledge Preparation and the Creation of Social Studies Courses

The Teaching Foundations Project, part of a collaborative federally funded initiative, addressed the social studies content-area knowledge of future elementary teachers through the combined efforts of university faculty in teacher education and liberal arts and sciences, along with faculty from community colleges in Arizona. The project developed two courses combining history, political science, geography, and economics. The chapter describes the development, evaluation, piloting, and institutionalization of the courses, highlighting three themes: the opportunities and challenges in aligning different institutions in shared commitments to teacher preparation; resources as a lever for change brings tensions of compliance and cooperation across institutions; and the identification and operationalization of theories about what content and pedagogy future elementary teachers need, particularly when faculty from university in teacher education and liberal arts and sciences, as well as community colleges in Arizona, are all working together.
Artificial domain duplication replicates evolutionary history of ketol-acid reductoisomerases.

The duplication of protein structural domains has been proposed as a common mechanism for the generation of new protein folds. A particularly interesting case is the class II ketol-acid reductoisomerase (KARI), which putatively arose from an ancestral class I KARI by duplication of the C-terminal domain and corresponding loss of obligate dimerization. As a result, the class II enzymes acquired a deeply embedded figure-of-eight knot. To test this evolutionary hypothesis we constructed a novel class II KARI by duplicating the C-terminal domain of a hyperthermostable class I KARI. The new protein is monomeric, as confirmed by gel filtration and x-ray crystallography, and has the deeply-knotted class II KARI fold. Surprisingly, its catalytic activity is nearly unchanged from the parent KARI. This provides strong evidence in support of domain duplication as the mechanism for the evolution of the class II KARI fold and demonstrates the ability of domain duplication to generate topological novelty in a function-neutral manner.
Life or Death for the Dead-Donor Rule?

Several scholars have proposed permitting dying patients who are beyond harm to donate organs before death. But such a shift away from the dead-donor rule could lead to lost trust in physicians, reduced confidence in the organ-donation system, and a decline in organ donation.
Applications of matrix algebra to communication nets

A “generic” problem amenable to matrix algebraic treatment is outlined. Several examples are given and one, a communication system, is studied in some detail. A typical structure matrix is used to describe the channels of communication and a “status” matrix is used to describe the distribution of information in the system at any time. A theorem is proved relating the status matrix at any timet to thetth power of the structure matrix. The elements of the communication system are interpreted as individuals who can send messages to each other. For the individuals attempting to solve a “group problem” certain relations are derived between the structure and status matrices and time of solution. The structure of the communication system is permitted to vary with time. A general theorem is proved relating the status matrix to the matrix product of the series of structure matrices representing the changing structure of the system. Some suggestions are made for further generalizations. In particular, it is suggested that so-called “higher order” information transmission can be similarly treated.
Prepublication Release of Scientific Data and the Right of the Public to Know: Adapting to Our Times

Technical innovations for more rapid and cheaper communication have begun to blur the boundaries of professional and other expert fields. This change has greatly widened the market for reliable new medical information, but it has also brought new tensions among authors, journals publishing their papers, and the news media. Does informal publication of new medical information before its appearance in scientific documents injure the interests of authors, journals, and the wider public? The possible answers depend in large part on how physicians should be expected to function in this new age of expanding information and speedier communication. A possible solution for these new problems would be access for all interested parties to journal papers through an on-line system at the point of their acceptance.
Varieties of No: Simple, Complex, Ironic and Poetic Negativities in Recent U.S. Presidential Campaigns

Considerable scholarly attention has been paid to the putatively corrosive power of negativity on American politics and culture. This article focuses, instead, not on the ethics of negativity but on the less studied distinctions between simpler and complex negativity strategies, rhetorically and performatively. Negativity strategies are examined across a continuum from the conventional (i.e., simple, credibility-damaging attack) to more complex negativities marked by irony, inspiration, and poetics. The article’s frame of reference includes, but is not limited to, the 2012 U.S. presidential campaign that matched incumbent Democrat Barack Obama against his Republican challenger, Mitt Romney.
Many-molecule encapsulation by an icosahedral shell

Bacterial microcompartments are protein shells that are found inside bacteria and enclose enzymes and other chemicals required for certain biological reactions. For example, the carboxysome is a type of microcompartment that enables the bacteria to convert the products of photosynthesis into sugars. During the formation of a microcompartment, the outer protein shell assembles around hundreds of enzymes and chemicals. This formation process is tightly controlled and involves multiple interactions between the shell proteins and the cargo – the enzymes and other reaction ingredients – they will enclose. Understanding how to control which enzymes are encapsulated within microcompartments could help researchers to re-engineer the microcompartments so that they contain drugs or other useful products. Recent studies have used microscopy to visualize how microcompartments are assembled. However, most of the intermediate structures that form during assembly are too small and short-lived to be seen. It has therefore not been possible to explore in detail how shell proteins collect the necessary cargo and then assemble into an ordered shell with the cargo on the inside. Experiments alone are probably not enough to understand the process, especially since microcompartment assembly can currently only be studied within live cells or cellular extract. Within these complex environments it is difficult to determine the effect of any individual factor on the overall assembly process. Perlmutter, Mohajerani and Hagan have now taken a different approach by developing computational and theoretical models to explore how microcompartments assemble. Computer simulations showed that microcompartments could assemble by two pathways. In one pathway, the protein shell and cargo coalesce at the same time. In the other pathway, the cargo molecules first assemble into a large disordered complex, with the shell proteins attached on the outside. The shell proteins then assemble, carving out a piece of the cargo complex. The simulations showed that many factors affect how the shell assembles, such as the strengths of the interactions between the shell proteins and the cargo. They also identified a factor that controls how much cargo ends up inside the assembled shell. Perlmutter, Mohajerani and Hagan found that, in addition to revealing how microcompartments may assemble within their natural setting, the simulations provided guidance on how to re-engineer microcompartments to assemble around other components. This would enable researchers to create customizable compartments that self-assemble within bacteria or other host organisms, for example to carry out carbon fixation or make biofuels. A future challenge will be to investigate other aspects of microcompartment assembly, such as the factors that control the size of these compartments.
CV and CM chondrite impact melts

Abstract Volatile-rich and typically oxidized carbonaceous chondrites, such as CV and CM chondrites, potentially respond to impacts differently than do other chondritic materials. Understanding impact melting of carbonaceous chondrites has been hampered by the dearth of recognized impact melt samples. In this study we identify five carbonaceous chondrite impact melt clasts in three host meteorites: a CV3red chondrite, a CV3oxA chondrite, and a regolithic howardite. The impact melt clasts in these meteorites respectively formed from CV3red chondrite, CV3oxA chondrite, and CM chondrite protoliths. We identified these impact melt clasts and interpreted their precursors based on their texture, mineral chemistry, silicate bulk elemental composition, and in the case of the CM chondrite impact melt clast, in situ measurement of oxygen three-isotope signatures in olivine. These impact melts typically contain euhedral–subhedral olivine microphenocrysts, sometimes with relict cores, in glassy groundmasses. Based on petrography and Raman spectroscopy, four of the impact melt clasts exhibit evidence for volatile loss: these melt clasts either contain vesicles or are depleted in H2O relative to their precursors. Volatile loss (i.e., H2O) may have reduced the redox state of the CM chondrite impact melt clast. The clasts that formed from the more oxidized precursors (CV3oxA and CM chondrites) exhibit phase and bulk silicate elemental compositions consistent with higher intrinsic oxygen fugacities relative to the clast that formed from a more reduced precursor (CV3red chondrite). The mineral chemistries and assemblages of the CV and CM chondrite impact melt clasts identified here provide a template for recognizing carbonaceous chondrite impact melts on the surfaces of asteroids.
Direct comparisons of commercial weight-loss programs on weight, waist circumference, and blood pressure: a systematic review

Obesity is common in the U.S. and many individuals turn to commercial programs to lose weight. Our objective was to directly compare weight loss, waist circumference, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure (SBP, DBP) outcomes between commercially available weight-loss programs. We conducted a systematic review by searching MEDLINE and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews from inception to November 2014 and by using references identified by commercial programs. We included randomized, controlled trials (RCTs) of at least 12 weeks duration that reported comparisons with other commercial weight-loss programs. Two reviewers extracted information on mean change in weight, waist circumference, SBP and DBP and assessed risk of bias. We included seven articles representing three RCTs. Curves participants lost 1.8 kg (95%CI: 0.1, 3.5 kg) more than Weight Watchers in one comparison. There was no statistically significant difference in waist circumference change among the included programs. The mean reduction in SBP for SlimFast participants was 4.5 mmHg (95%CI: 0.4, 8.6 mmHg) more than that of Atkins participants in one comparison. There was no significant difference in mean DBP changes among programs. There is limited evidence that any one of the commercial weight-loss programs has superior results for mean weight change, mean waist circumference change, or mean blood pressure change.
Assessing demand by urban consumers for plug-in electric vehicles under future cost and technological scenarios

ABSTRACTPlug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) are not currently being sold in the United States at rates sufficient to meet the stated goals of vehicle manufacturers or the federal government. Although touted as able to help mitigate a range of public problems—including climate change, oil insecurity, and urban air pollution—PEVs face numerous barriers to commercialization. Research and development activities are under way that may overcome some of the key disadvantages of the current generation of PEVs. This analysis employs a survey-based discrete-choice exercise with 961 potential new vehicle purchasers in large US cities to assess how consumer demand might change with various breakthroughs in PEV technology. Respondents are presented with different price and technology scenarios and are asked to choose which of four powertrains they are most likely to purchase: a gasoline vehicle, a conventional hybrid, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), or a battery electric vehicle (BEV). A multinomial logit is us...
Enhanced mechanical properties of photo-clickable thiol–ene PEG hydrogels through repeated photopolymerization of in-swollen macromer

Current hydrogels used for tissue engineering are limited to a single range of mechanical properties within the replicated tissue construct. We show that repeated in-swelling by a single hydrogel pre-cursor solution into an existing polymerized hydrogel followed by photo-exposure increases hydrogel mechanical properties. The process is demonstrated with a photo-clickable thiol–ene hydrogel using a biocompatible precursor solution of poly(ethylene glycol) dithiol and 8-arm poly(ethylene glycol) functionalized with norbornene. The polymer fraction in the precursor solution was varied by 5, 10, and 20 percent by weight and an off-stoichiometric ratio of thiol:ene was used, leaving free enes available for subsequent reaction. Multiple swelling and exposure cycles for the same precursor solution were performed. The compressive modulus increased by a factor between three and ten (formulation dependent), while volume swelling ratio decreased by a factor of two, consistent with increased crosslink density. The modified hydrogels also demonstrate increased toughness by fracturing at compressive forces five times greater than the initial hydrogel. We attribute the increased toughness to subsequent increases in crosslink density created by the repeated photopolymerization of in-swollen macromer. This technique demonstrates the ability to significantly modify hydrogel network properties by exploiting swelling and polymerization processes that can be applied to traditional three-dimensional printing systems to spatially control local mechanical properties.
Representations of Pitch and Timbre Variation in Human Auditory Cortex.

Pitch and timbre are two primary dimensions of auditory perception, but how they are represented in the human brain remains a matter of contention. Some animal studies of auditory cortical processing have suggested modular processing, with different brain regions preferentially coding for pitch or timbre, whereas other studies have suggested a distributed code for different attributes across the same population of neurons. This study tested whether variations in pitch and timbre elicit activity in distinct regions of the human temporal lobes. Listeners were presented with sequences of sounds that varied in either fundamental frequency (eliciting changes in pitch) or spectral centroid (eliciting changes in brightness, an important attribute of timbre), with the degree of pitch or timbre variation in each sequence parametrically manipulated. The BOLD responses from auditory cortex increased with increasing sequence variance along each perceptual dimension. The spatial extent, region, and laterality of the cortical regions most responsive to variations in pitch or timbre at the univariate level of analysis were largely overlapping. However, patterns of activation in response to pitch or timbre variations were discriminable in most subjects at an individual level using multivoxel pattern analysis, suggesting a distributed coding of the two dimensions bilaterally in human auditory cortex. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Pitch and timbre are two crucial aspects of auditory perception. Pitch governs our perception of musical melodies and harmonies, and conveys both prosodic and (in tone languages) lexical information in speech. Brightness—an aspect of timbre or sound quality—allows us to distinguish different musical instruments and speech sounds. Frequency-mapping studies have revealed tonotopic organization in primary auditory cortex, but the use of pure tones or noise bands has precluded the possibility of dissociating pitch from brightness. Our results suggest a distributed code, with no clear anatomical distinctions between auditory cortical regions responsive to changes in either pitch or timbre, but also reveal a population code that can differentiate between changes in either dimension within the same cortical regions.
Peri-SRS Administration of Immune Checkpoint Therapy for Melanoma Metastatic to the Brain: Investigating Efficacy and the Effects of Relative Treatment Timing on Lesion Response.

Objective To investigate the efficacy of immune checkpoint therapy (ICT) administered with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and determine the effects of relative treatment timing on lesion response. Methods A prospective institutional database of all patients with intact brain metastases treated with SRS from 2008 to 2015 was reviewed for patients diagnosed with malignant melanoma. Lesion response was determined using a modified RECIST v1.1 criteria. Patients were grouped according to if they received ICT and the timing of ICT relative to SRS. Cox regression was used to identify predictors of lesion failure (LF) and distant brain failure (DBF). The Wilcoxon rank-sum test was used to compare median lesion regression after SRS between treatment groups. Results Fifty-one patients with 167 metastases were evaluated. Eighteen patients (59 lesions) were treated with peri-SRS ICT with anticytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 or antiprogrammed cell death protein 1 therapy. Peri-SRS ICT was a significant favorable predictor for reduced hazard of LF (hazard ratio, 0.131; confidence interval, 0.028–0.610). Concurrent ICT given with SRS (hazard ratio, 0.364; confidence interval, 0.161–0.825) significantly predicted freedom from DBF. When quantitative lesion response was examined, peri-SRS ICT resulted in a significantly greater median percent lesion regression than did SRS alone at 1.5 (−30.7% vs. −14.6%; P = 0.018), 4 (−42.3% vs. −18.8%; P = 0.031), and 5 months after SRS (−52.01 vs. −14.9%; P = 0.002). Conclusions ICT combined with SRS was associated with greater lesion regression of melanoma brain metastases and decreased LF. When given concurrently, combined SRS and ICT may result in improved freedom from DBF.
Abstract A73: Knowledge of precision medicine among African-Americans: A pilot study

Precision Medicine has the potential to improve clinical outcomes and minimize risk and adverse effects of treatments and medication. During President Obama9s State of the Union address in 2015, he highlighted the promise of precision medicine and announced the Precision Medicine Initiative (PMI). Part of the PMI is the creation of the Precision Medicine Initiative Cohort. This program aims to recruit at least one million Americans to contribute their data over the span of many years to improve health outcomes, understand the impact of new treatments, and accelerate a new era of data-drive and precise preventive care and treatment. Precision medicine could address multiple issues we face, including cancer treatment and address health disparities in health disparity populations. However, little is known about health disparities populations9 knowledge level of precision medicine. A pilot study was conducted to investigate whether self-identified Blacks/African-Americans could define the following terms in their own words: precision medicine, personalized medicine, and pharmacogenomics. Self-administered surveys were handed out at health fairs, barbershops, salons, and churches throughout the state of Florida and 132 (n=132) individuals responded. Participants were asked to provide demographic data, note whether or not they have heard a particular PMI concept, define the concept in their own word (if familiar with the term), and whether or not precision medicine can improve cancer care and treatment. Sixty-two percent of individuals had a college degree and 71% of respondents were employed. 81% of individuals (n=107) have never heard of pharmacogenomics, 55% (n=73) have never heard of personalized medicine, and 77% (n=102) have never heard of precision medicine. 9% (n=12) believe that precision medicine will improve cancer care and treatment, but n=72 marked “I don9t know.” Critical to PMI is the enrollment of citizens into the research cohort. Increasing the diversity of the national research cohort is imperative as there are high levels of health disparities and unnecessary medical spending in our health care setting. Yet, if individuals are not aware of precision medicine and corresponding precision medicine concepts, they are unlikely to volunteer and participate in the PMI. The lack of diversity within clinical trials has caused issues and concerns within the medical community. By ensuring that the PMI cohort is inclusive, diverse, and representative of the American population, its ability to address health disparities will be more effective, efficient, and ethical. Citation Format: Jennifer Nguyen, Christina Redwine, Lauren Gilbert, Folakemi Odedina. Knowledge of precision medicine among African-Americans: A pilot study. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Ninth AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved; 2016 Sep 25-28; Fort Lauderdale, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2017;26(2 Suppl):Abstract nr A73.
Barriers to Hepatitis C Screening in a Minority Population: A Comparison of Hepatitis C and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Screening Rates at a Community STD Clinic in Miami, Florida

357 patients at a free STD clinic in Miami, FL were screened for HCV. Surveys were administered assessing risk factors for infectious disease transmission, and HCV and HIV screening history. 15.1% of participants had been screened for HCV before whereas 83.8% had been screened for HIV (n = 356). Of the patients previously screened for HCV (n = 54), 98.2% of these patients had previously been screened for HIV as well. This data shows the low prevalence of prior HCV screenings in a high-risk population in Miami, FL. Participants who had previously received an HIV screening test were more likely to report receiving a prior HCV screening. Despite the high prevalence of HCV, most HCV infections are undiagnosed. Mortality from HIV has been declining in the United States while mortality from HCV is increasing. To decrease HCV related mortality, we recommend offering HCV screening in conjunction with HIV screening.
Speech Processing for Robust Speaker Recognition: Analysis and Advancements for Whispered Speech

In the field of voice forensics, the ability to perform effective speaker recognition from input audio streams is an important task. However, in many situations, individuals may prefer to lower their risk of being heard in public settings via whisper mode during communications. It is in precisely these conditions that speaker recognition should remain effective. Limited formal research has been performed in this domain to date. Whisper is an alternative speech production mode used by subjects in public conversation to protect content privacy or identity. Due to the profound differences between whisper and neutral speech in terms of spectral structure, the performance of speaker identification systems trained with neutral speech degrade significantly. In this chapter, studies that address acoustic analysis of whisper will be reviewed. Next, an effective data collection procedure for both spontaneous and read whisper speech will be introduced. An algorithm for whisper speech detection, which is a crucial front-end for whisper speech processing algorithms, will be presented. Finally, a seamless neutral/whisper mismatched closed-set speaker recognition system will be introduced. In the evaluation, a traditional MFCC-GMM system is employed as the baseline speaker ID system. An analysis of both speaker and phoneme variability in speaker ID performance using neutral trained GMMs is provided, which forms the basis for a final combined whisper based speaker ID system is presented. Experimental results are also provided followed by directions for future work.
Orographic Precipitation Response to Microphysical Parameter Perturbations for Idealized Moist Nearly Neutral Flow

AbstractThis study explores the sensitivity of clouds and precipitation to microphysical parameter perturbations using idealized simulations of moist, nearly neutral flow over a bell-shaped mountain. Numerous parameters are perturbed within the Morrison microphysics scheme. The parameters that most affect cloud and precipitation characteristics are the snow fall speed coefficient As, snow particle density ρs, rain accretion (WRA), and ice–cloud water collection efficiency (ECI). Surface precipitation rates are affected by As and ρs through changes to the precipitation efficiency caused by direct and indirect impacts on snow fall speed, respectively. WRA and ECI both affect the amount of cloud water removed, but the precipitation sensitivity differs. Large WRA results in increased precipitation efficiency and cloud water removal below the freezing level, indirectly decreasing cloud condensation rates; the net result is little precipitation sensitivity. Large ECI removes cloud water above the freezing level...
Contrasting linguistic ecologies: Indigenous and colonially mediated language contact in northwest Amazonia

Abstract This paper investigates the dynamics of multilingualism and the linguistic outcomes of contact involving indigenous languages in the northwest Amazonian Vaupes region. Despite points of continuity, a significant contrast exists between the processes and products of multilingual interaction among indigenous groups and that involving colonial entities. While indigenous interactions have tended to involve language maintenance, grammatical diffusion, and limited lexical borrowing, contact between indigenous and European languages has tended toward more code-switching, lexical borrowing, and large-scale language shift. These findings illustrate that attention to differing linguistic ecologies, with their associated social and cultural dynamics, is crucial to understanding the mechanisms and outcomes of language contact, and that we must be cautious in projecting the patterns of one context upon another.
Performance optimization of rotation-tolerant Viola–Jones-based blackbird detection

The research described in this paper investigates the rotational robustness of the Viola–Jones algorithm (VJA) object detection method when used for red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) detection. VJA has been successfully used for face detection, but can be adapted to detect a variety of objects. This work uses the histogram of oriented gradients (HOG) descriptor to train the blackbird classifier. Since VJA object detection is inherently not invariant to in-plane object rotation, additional effort is required during training and detection. The proposed method extends the object detection framework developed by Viola and Jones to efficiently handle rotated blackbirds and provide a balance between detection accuracy and computation cost.
Adult mouse sensory neurons on microelectrode arrays exhibit increased spontaneous and stimulus-evoked activity in the presence of interleukin-6.

This work describes methodologies for culturing spontaneously active adult mouse dorsal root ganglia (DRG) sensory neurons on microelectrode arrays. We characterize spontaneous and stimulus-evoked ...
An Action in Superspace for SO(N)-Supergravity

We review the formulation of supergravity as the geometry of a bundle of frames with structure group SL(2, C)⊗SO(N) and base supermanifold ℳ with 4 even and 4N odd dimensions. The action principle is discussed and a construction is given of a superspace action ℐ that becomes stationary when the constraints and equations of motion of conventional SO(N)-models are imposed. One attractive feature of this action is that it contains Einstein’s action plus other terms which depend on the torsion and the Yang-Mills curvature.
Variability of Expressivity of α-Fucosidase Deficiency

Following its discovery by Durand, et al., (1966), fucosidosis has been defined as a grave disease of infancy and early childhood with premature death. This concept had to be modified when Patel, et al., (1972) observed hitherto unknown aspects of this enzyme defect, namely the occurrence of angiokeratoma corporis diffusum and extension of the lifespan into adulthood. Nevertheless, their patient also had severe mental retardation, was dwarfed, and exhibited gargoylian features.