cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Slit rheometer studies of wheat flour dough

Rheological properties of bread dough having different levels of added gluten (0, 2.5, 5.0 and 7.5%) were measured. The dough was forced through a slit die attached to a cylindrical container. The material functions of interest included steady shear viscosity, first normal stress coefficient in steady shear flow derived from hole pressure measurements and planar extensional viscosity as estimated from entrance pressure drop measurements. These rheological properties were correlated to the loaf volume of the baked bread. Results indicate that the first normal stress coefficient and planar extensional viscosity were affected by the gluten content of the dough and correlated well with the loaf volume. The entrance pressure drop increased with increasing apparent shear rate but entrance correction was found to decrease with apparent shear rate. Water had a greater effect on the rheological properties than gluten content. The Trouton ratio was rather large and ranged between 850 to 2000 at a strain rate of 1s-1 and decreased with increasing extension rate for most cases.
Production of monosex male black crappie, Pomoxis nigromaculatus, populations by multiple androgen immersion

Abstract Monosex populations can solve the problem of stunted black crappie populations in small impoundments and can increase the potential of black crappie as an aquaculture species. In this study, we investigated the effective mode and duration of exogenous androgen administration to produce monosex male black crappie populations. We conducted two experiments using the synthetic androgens, 17α-methyltestosterone (MT) and trenbolone acetate (TBA). In the first experiment, the same age (45 days old), two different size fry with mean total lengths (±S.D., N=50) of 20.1±1.4 and 26.1±2.0 mm were either fed 60 mg MT/kg diet for 45 days or immersed in a 1 mg MT/l solution on 10 occasions for 5 h/day every 3–5 days between 45 and 86 days post-hatch (dph). In the second experiment, a different cohort of fry was immersed in a 1 mg TBA/l solution for 5 h/day every 3–5 days either on seven occasions between 40 and 66 dph or on 10 occasions between 45 and 86 dph. Mean total lengths (±S.D., N=50) of fry at 40 and 45 dph were 20.3±0.9 and 21.6±1.2 mm, respectively. Both modes of MT administration were ineffective for altering sex ratios in larger black crappie fry. Oral administration of MT to smaller fry resulted in 23% intersex fish. MT administration via short periodic baths of smaller fry produced 96% male populations. TBA was as potent as MT to induce masculinization in black crappie: both immersion treatments produced all male populations. Results of the present study indicated that initial size of fry as well as initial age should be considered when selecting appropriate size black crappie fry for hormone treatments. Monosex male populations in black crappie can effectively be produced through a series of (seven or less) short (5 h) immersions of young fry (40−45 days old and 20−21 mm) in a 1 mg/l aqueous solution of MT or TBA. Besides high effectiveness, immersion method will be the preferred mode of androgen administration to black crappie because it reduces variation in hormone uptake associated with the oral administration of steroids and provides more flexibility in feeding during the period of gonadal differentiation.
Defining the Epigenetic Mechanism of Asymmetric Cell Division of Schizosaccharomyces japonicus Yeast

A key question in developmental biology addresses the mechanism of asymmetric cell division. Asymmetry is crucial for generating cellular diversity required for development in multicellular organisms. As one of the potential mechanisms, chromosomally borne epigenetic difference between sister cells that changes mating/cell type has been demonstrated only in the Schizosaccharomyces pombe fission yeast. For technical reasons, it is nearly impossible to determine the existence of such a mechanism operating during embryonic development of multicellular organisms. Our work addresses whether such an epigenetic mechanism causes asymmetric cell division in the recently sequenced fission yeast, S. japonicus (with 36% GC content), which is highly diverged from the well-studied S. pombe species (with 44% GC content). We find that the genomic location and DNA sequences of the mating-type loci of S. japonicus differ vastly from those of the S. pombe species. Remarkably however, similar to S. pombe, the S. japonicus cells switch cell/mating type after undergoing two consecutive cycles of asymmetric cell divisions: only one among four “granddaughter” cells switches. The DNA-strand–specific epigenetic imprint at the mating-type locus1 initiates the recombination event, which is required for cellular differentiation. Therefore the S. pombe and S. japonicus mating systems provide the first two examples in which the intrinsic chirality of double helical structure of DNA forms the primary determinant of asymmetric cell division. Our results show that this unique strand-specific imprinting/segregation epigenetic mechanism for asymmetric cell division is evolutionary conserved. Motivated by these findings, we speculate that DNA-strand–specific epigenetic mechanisms might have evolved to dictate asymmetric cell division in diploid, higher eukaryotes as well.
Invariant expressions for elastic radiation from a fault with prescribed slip

Summary. New formulae are obtained for the displacement potentials and displacements due to a point source with moment tensor, and for a fault with prescribed slip. These formulae, unlike previous formulae, are invariant, i.e. they are valid in any coordinate system, not just Cartesian coordinates or orthogonal curvilinear coordinates. Apart from their invariance, these formulae have other advantages: they are exceedingly simple; the expressions for P-motion are nearly the same as those for S-motion; and the separation of far field motion from final static displacement is automatic.
Preliminary Verification and Validation of WEC-Sim, an Open-Source Wave Energy Converter Design Tool

To promote and support the wave energy industry, a wave energy converter (WEC) design tool, WEC-Sim, is being developed by Sandia National Laboratories and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. In this paper, the WEC-Sim code is used to model a point absorber WEC designed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s reference model project. Preliminary verification was performed by comparing results of the WEC-Sim simulation through a code-to-code comparison, utilizing the commercial codes ANSYS-AQWA, WaveDyn, and OrcaFlex. A preliminary validation of the code was also performed by comparing WEC-Sim simulation results to experimental wave tank tests.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Safety and efficiency conflicts in hydraulic architecture: scaling from tissues to trees

Tree hydraulic architecture exhibits patterns that propagate from tissue to tree scales. A challenge is to make sense of these patterns in terms of trade-offs and adaptations. The universal trend for conduits per area to decrease with increasing conduit diameter below the theoretical packing limit may reflect the compromise between maximizing the area for conduction versus mechanical support and storage. Variation in conduit diameter may have two complementary influences: one being compromises between efficiency and safety and the other being that conduit tapering within a tree maximizes conductance per growth investment. Area-preserving branching may be a mechanical constraint, preventing otherwise more efficient top-heavy trees. In combination, these trends beget another: trees have more, narrower conduits moving from trunks to terminal branches. This pattern: (1) increases the efficiency of tree water conduction; (2) minimizes (but does not eliminate) any hydraulic limitation on the productivity or tissue growth with tree height; and (3) is consistent with the scaling of tree conductance and sap flow with size. We find no hydraulic reason why tree height should scale with a basal diameter to the two-thirds power as recently claimed; it is probably another mechanical constraint as originally proposed. The buffering effect of capacitance on the magnitude of transpiration-induced xylem tension appears to be coupled to cavitation resistance, possibly alleviating safety versus efficiency trade-offs.
Pavement Damage Due to Conventional and New Generation of Wide‐Base Super Single Tires

Abstract The objective of this study was to quantify pavement damage due to a conventional (385/65R22.5) and a new generation of wide‐base (445/50R22.5) tires using three‐dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) analysis. The investigated new generation of wide‐base tires has wider treads and greater load‐carrying capacity than the conventional wide‐base tire. In addition, the contact patch is less sensitive to loading and is especially designed to operate at 690kPa inflation pressure at 121km/hr speed for full load of 151kN tandem axle. The developed FE models simulated the tread sizes and applicable contact pressure for each tread and utilized laboratory‐measured pavement material properties. In addition, the models were calibrated and properly validated using field‐measured stresses and strains. Comparison was established between the two wide‐base tire types and the dual‐tire assembly. Results indicated that the 445/50R22.5 wide‐base tire would cause more fatigue damage, approximately the same rutting dama...
Regulation of TCR δ and α repertoires by local and long-distance control of variable gene segment chromatin structure

Murine Tcrd and Tcra gene segments reside in a single genetic locus and undergo recombination in CD4 − CD8 − (double negative [DN]) and CD4 + CD8 + (double positive [DP]) thymocytes, respectively. TcraTcrd locus variable gene segments are subject to complex regulation. Only a small subset of ∼100 variable gene segments contributes substantially to the adult TCR δ repertoire. Moreover, although most contribute to the TCR α repertoire, variable gene segments that are J α proximal are preferentially used during primary Tcra recombination. We investigate the role of local chromatin accessibility in determining the developmental pattern of TcraTcrd locus variable gene segment recombination. We find variable gene segments to be heterogeneous with respect to acetylation of histones H3 and H4. Those that dominate the adult TCR δ repertoire are hyperacetylated in DN thymocytes, independent of their position in the locus. Moreover, proximal variable gene segments show dramatic increases in histone acetylation and germline transcription in DP thymocytes, a result of super long-distance regulation by the Tcra enhancer. Our results imply that differences in chromatin accessibility contribute to biases in TcraTcrd locus variable gene segment recombination in DN and DP thymocytes and extend the distance over which the Tcra enhancer can regulate chromatin structure to a remarkable 525 kb.
Simulation of SEU transients in CMOS ICs

An efficient computer simulation algorithm set, SITA, predicts the vulnerability of data stored in and processed by complex combinational logic circuits to SEU. SITA is described in detail to allow researchers to incorporate it into their error analysis packages. Required simulation algorithms are based on approximate closed-form equations modeling individual device behavior in CMOS logic units. Device-level simulation is used to estimate the probability that ion-device interactions produce erroneous signals capable of propagating to a latch (or an output node), and logic-level simulation to predict the spread of such erroneous, latched information through the IC. Simulation results are compared to those from SPICE for several circuit and logic configurations. SITA results are comparable to this established circuit-level code, and SITA can analyze circuits with state-of-the-art device densities (which SPICE cannot). At all IC complexity levels, SITA offers several factors of 10 savings in simulation time over SPICE. >
Electromagnetic binding with increasingly large energy gaps between successively higher bound states

Using the Klein-Gordon equation, we investigate bound states for a composite system consisting of a charged particle orbiting a charged, stationary magnetic dipole. When the Coulomb force is generated by like-sign charges, we find rapidly increasing energy gaps between successively higher bound states, thus qualitatively reproducing a feature of the lepton mass spectrum. Just as we found in a nonrelativistic analysis of a similar model, all of the lower-lying states have zero orbital angular momentum, while all other states have orbital angular momentum of at least eleven. If this feature were present in a realistic composite model of leptons, it would explain why the electron, muon anf τ all have spin 1/2. A mechanism we earlier suggested appears applicable to this model. This mechanism associates lepton number with the radial quantum numbern and may explain the absence or suppression of the decay of a muon into an electron and a photon. Our calculation is performed in two space dimensions.
Assessing the quality of SeaWinds rain measurements

While SeaWinds was designed to measure ocean winds, it can also measure rain over the ocean. SeaWinds on QuikSCAT active measurements of integrated columnar rain rate obtained via simultaneous wind/rain retrieval are evaluated via Monte Carlo simulation and the Crame/spl acute/r-Rao lower bound on estimate accuracy. Although sufficiently accurate in many conditions, the simultaneous wind/rain retrieval method used with SeaWinds on QuikSCAT data is ill-conditioned for certain wind directions and measurement geometries, sometimes yielding spurious rain rates in zero-rain conditions. To assess the validity of SeaWinds-derived rain rates, a simple empirically based rain thresholding scheme is presented, derived from simulated data. Thresholded QuikSCAT rain rates are compared to Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission Microwave Imager monthly-averaged data, demonstrating good correlation for monthly-averaged data.
Evaluation of Bogus Vortex Techniques with Four-Dimensional Variational Data Assimilation

The effectiveness of techniques for creating "bogus" vortices in numerical simulations of hurricanes is examined by using the Penn State/NCAR nonhydrostatic mesoscale model (MM5) and its adjoint system. A series of four-dimensional variational data assimilation (4-D VAR) experiments is conducted to generate an initial vortex for Hurricane Georges (1998) in the Atlantic Ocean by assimilating bogus sea-level pressure and surface wind information into the mesoscale numerical model. Several different strategies are tested for improving the vortex representation. The initial vortices produced by the 4-D VAR technique are able to reproduce many of the structural features of mature hurricanes. The vortices also result in significant improvements to the hurricane forecasts in terms of both intensity and track. In particular, with assimilation of only bogus sea-level pressure information, the response in the wind field is contained largely within the divergent component, with strong convergence leading to strong upward motion near the center. Although the intensity of the initial vortex seems to be well represented, a dramatic spin down of the storm occurs within the first 6 h of the forecast. With assimilation of bogus surface wind data only, an expected dominance of the rotational component of the wind field is generated, but the minimum pressure is adjusted inadequately compared to the actual hurricane minimum pressure. Only when both the bogus surface pressure and wind information are assimilated together does the model produce a vortex that represents the actual intensity of the hurricane and results in significant improvements to forecasts of both hurricane intensity and track.
Applications for VLSI photonics

Summary form only given. This paper will focus on a review of recent developments in optical interconnect technology being sponsored by DARPA and identify the radically new capability it can achieve in future signal and image processors. Future DARPA thrusts in this area will be described.
Idealized Problems of Plasma Dynamics Relating to Geomagnetic Storms

The main features and solutions to two problems of plasma dynamics which bear on the first phase of geomagnetic storms, which were solved by "particle" methods, are described. The changes in the solution, if consideration is given for some neglected factors, are discussed, particularly as regards the oblique impact of some of the particles on the magnetic field. Further idealized problems are formulated which are probably soluble by similar methods and which may increase the understanding of plasma dynamics and of geomagnetic storms. (B.O.G.)
The medium facilitates the messages: Electronic discourse and literature class dynamics

Abstract This article suggests that out-of-class asynchronous computer conferencing can provide both teacher and students within literature classes with student responses to course material, transforming courses concerned with developing critical and analytical thinking by heightening student interaction. By outlining the basic methods for establishing such on asynchronous conference in her literature course, the author illustrates the benefits and difficulties that result from one such arrangement. The major shifts in class dynamics affect the teacher's and students' conceptions of how varying opinions may be articulated both during the conference and within classroom discussions. Additionally, enhanced student-teacher interaction via personal e-mail broadens the network of open communication. Weaving electronic conferencing into the fabric of the course allows students to take a more active role in their education.
Aged-Rodent Models of Long-Term Growth Hormone Therapy: Lack of Deleterious Effect on Longevity

Studies were carried out to examine the effects of long-term recombinant human growth hormone (GH) therapy on longevity in rodents. In the first study, 150 18-month-old female F344 rats were divided into three groups of 50 rats per group: Group 1, solvent vehicle; Group 2, 10 microg GH/kg body weight three times per week; Group 3, 50 microg GH/kg body weight three times per week. GH and solvent vehicle therapies were started at 18 months of age and continued until all the animals died spontaneously. Serum insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I was measured at 18 and 29 months of age and on 3-month-old rats. Serum IGF-I level decreased between 3 and 29 months of age. GH therapy reversed the decrease in a dose-dependent manner, with the 50 microg GH dose returning the serum IGF-I level to that of 3-month-old animals. However, statistical analysis revealed no significant effect of GH therapy on median life span, 10th percentile life span, or maximum life span. Similar observations on longevity were made on aged F344 male rats and on aged Balb/c mice, even when the dose of GH was increased to 1.0 mg/kg body weight two times per week. The main pathologic lesions in control animals were nephropathy, cardiomyopathy, leukemia, and testicular interstitial cell tumor; the prevalence of these lesions was not significantly altered by GH therapy. We conclude that long-term low-dose GH therapy that includes doses in the range that is given to humans in clinical trials in GH deficiency and to revert age-related physiologic declines has no overt deleterious effects on longevity and pathology in aged rodents.
Motivations and Goals of Soviet Deportations in the Western Borderlands

Abstract After the Soviet Union expanded westwards in 1939–40, its government began weeding out real or imagined opposition in its new lands (these areas are termed ‘the western borderlands’, and the regions within pre-1939 frontiers ‘the old territories’). Deportation was a major tool in the Soviet counterinsurgency kit. This paper analyses the motivations behind each type of deportation, as well as the effectiveness of this and other similar measures in attaining their desired ends. Unlike the indiscriminate and illogical ethnic cleansing in the old territories, deportations in the western borderlands remained selective; most were arguably a rational means for enforcing planned policies, and the ethnic criterion played no role in targeting members of non-diaspora nationalities. However, ideological dogma caused communists to downplay nationalism and inflate class affiliation as factors of anti-Soviet opposition. The inaccurate concept of the enemy and sweeping deportations of prosperous peasants prolong...
The SRI BioFrustration Corpus: Audio, Video, and Physiological Signals for Continuous User Modeling

We describe the SRI BioFrustration Corpus, an inprogress corpus of time-aligned audio, video, and autonomic nervous system signals recorded while users interact with a dialog system to make returns of faulty consumer items. The corpus offers two important advantages for the study of turn-taking under emotion. First, it contains state-of-the-art ECG, skin conductance, blood pressure, and respiration signals, along with multiple audio channels and video channels. Second, the collection paradigm is carefully controlled. Though the users believe they are interacting with an empathetic system, in reality the system afflicts each subject with an identical history of “frustration inducers.” This approach enables detailed within- and across-speaker comparisons of the effect of physiological state on user behavior. Continuous signal recording enables studying the effect of frustration inducers with respect to speech-based system-directed turns, interturn regions, and system text-to-speech responses.
Chemists and Carcinogens — Exogenous and Endogenous

Reports from several countries indicate that chemists have an increased risk of developing neoplasms of the pancreas or lymphatic system. Laboratory chemists are usually exposed to small amounts of numerous substances, a condition which obscures pinpointing the compounds responsible. However, epidemiologic studies on production workers in chemical, mining, and allied industries have indicated that approximately 30 compounds or processes are carcinogenic in humans. The great majority of these 30 compounds are metabolized in the body by enzymes of the P-450 system to activated electrophilic forms which in turn react with cellular nucleophiles such as proteins, DNA, RNA, lipids, or other constituents. During the process of carcinogenesis, there may be substantial changes in P-450 levels, as well as in components of the P-450 system such as phospholipids.
The inhibition of E. coli adenyl cyclase by ara ATP.

Abstract Adenyl cyclase, partially purified from E. coli K12, is inhibited competitively by ara ATP. The Ki for ara ATP was calculated to be 0.3 mM. ara ATP can also serve as substrate for the enzyme, but is only about 10% as effective as ATP. Ara A inhibited the induced synthesis of β-galactosidase to a significant extent in E. coli B96 under conditions in which protein synthesis was essentially unaffected. This result is possibly mediated through the action of ara ATP on adenyl cyclase.
Transcriptome Analysis of Escherichia coli during dGTP Starvation

ABSTRACT Our laboratory recently discovered that Escherichia coli cells starved for the DNA precursor dGTP are killed efficiently (dGTP starvation) in a manner similar to that described for thymineless death (TLD). Conditions for specific dGTP starvation can be achieved by depriving an E. colioptA1 gpt strain of the purine nucleotide precursor hypoxanthine (Hx). To gain insight into the mechanisms underlying dGTP starvation, we conducted genome-wide gene expression analyses of actively growing optA1 gpt cells subjected to hypoxanthine deprivation for increasing periods. The data show that upon Hx withdrawal, the optA1 gpt strain displays a diminished ability to derepress the de novo purine biosynthesis genes, likely due to internal guanine accumulation. The impairment in fully inducing the purR regulon may be a contributing factor to the lethality of dGTP starvation. At later time points, and coinciding with cell lethality, strong induction of the SOS response was observed, supporting the concept of replication stress as a final cause of death. No evidence was observed in the starved cells for the participation of other stress responses, including the rpoS-mediated global stress response, reinforcing the lack of feedback of replication stress to the global metabolism of the cell. The genome-wide expression data also provide direct evidence for increased genome complexity during dGTP starvation, as a markedly increased gradient was observed for expression of genes located near the replication origin relative to those located toward the replication terminus. IMPORTANCE Control of the supply of the building blocks (deoxynucleoside triphosphates [dNTPs]) for DNA replication is important for ensuring genome integrity and cell viability. When cells are starved specifically for one of the four dNTPs, dGTP, the process of DNA replication is disturbed in a manner that can lead to eventual death. In the present study, we investigated the transcriptional changes in the bacterium E. coli during dGTP starvation. The results show increasing DNA replication stress with an increased time of starvation, as evidenced by induction of the bacterial SOS system, as well as a notable lack of induction of other stress responses that could have saved the cells from cell death by slowing down cell growth.
Exercise Training Improves Fat Distribution Patterns in 60-to 70-year-old Men and Women

Changes in body composition and fat distribution in response to endurance exercise training were compared in 47 men and 46 women, aged 60 to 70 yr. Body composition was assessed by hydrodensitometry and fat distribution was evaluated with skinfold thickness and circumference measures. The 9- to 12-mo exercise program consisted primarily of walking and/or jogging for 46 +/- 5 min.d-1, 4.0 +/- 0.6 d.wk-1, at 80 +/- 5% of maximal heart rate. Although men lost more weight during the exercise program than women (men, -3.4 +/- 4.4 kg; women, -1.6 +/- 3.8 kg), relative changes were not significantly different, averaging -3.7 +/- 4.1% and -2.7 +/- 2.9% of body weight in men and women, respectively. The changes in body weight reflected fat loss, as fat-free mass did not change. The reductions in skinfold thickness and circumferences were similar in men and women, and in both groups the largest absolute and relative changes occurred in the truncal area, indicating a preferential loss of fat from the central regions of the body. The results of this study indicate that endurance exercise training can favorably modify the abdominal fat distribution profile that is typical of older men and women in the United States and thus, perhaps, reduce the risk of the diseases associated with abdominal obesity.
Volumetric interferometry for absolute coordinate measurements

A fiber point-diffraction interferometer is under development as a volumetric interferometer to measure x, y and z coordinates simultaneously in free space with the goal to calibrate Coordinate Measuring Machines.
A Muscular Etiology for Medial Implant Malposition Following Subpectoral Augmentation

Background Implant malposition is becoming an increasingly recognized complication following subpectoral breast augmentation. Although several causes of medial malposition have been previously demonstrated, medial implant malposition secondary to unintended pectoralis muscle slips has not been previously described. Objective The goal of this study is to describe a form of medial implant malposition caused by pectoralis major and minor musculature vectors on the implant. Methods The primary investigator performed a retrospective review of all patients who underwent revisional breast surgery for the diagnosis of symmastia or medial implant malposition following subpectoral augmentation. Those patients with muscular-type etiology for medial implant malposition were identified. Results Five patients with pectoralis muscle slips causing medial implant malposition were identified. The pectoralis muscle slips were successfully diagnosed on preoperative exam and corrected with specific surgical procedures aimed at balancing surrounding forces and thus correcting malposition. Conclusions Pectoralis muscle slips contributing to medial malposition can be found in some patients after subpectoral breast augmentation. The etiology of this deformity is unknown, but theorized to be caused by anatomic predisposition, with slips inadvertently formed during subpectoral pocket formation arising from the pectoralis minor and/or incompletely released or accessory pectoralis major muscles. Level of Evidence 4![Graphic][1] Therapeutic [1]: /embed/inline-graphic-1.gif
Laparoscopic ileocolic resection with intracorporeal anastomosis for fistulizing Crohn's disease using a reduced port technique - a video vignette.

Initially laparoscopic surgery for Crohn's disease was not attempted especially in cases with extensive inflammation, thickened mesentery and adhesions. With the benefit of laparoscopy and greater surgical experience, the laparoscopic approach has been increasingly used for fistulising Crohn's disease. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Energy-aware test-suite minimization for Android apps

The rising popularity of mobile apps deployed on battery-constrained devices has motivated the need for effective energy-aware testing techniques. Energy testing is generally more labor intensive and expensive than functional testing, as tests need to be executed in the deployment environment and specialized equipment needs to be used to collect energy measurements. Currently, there is a dearth of automatic mobile testing techniques that consider energy as a program property of interest. This paper presents an energy-aware test-suite minimization approach to significantly reduce the number of tests needed to effectively test the energy properties of an Android app. It relies on an energy-aware coverage criterion that indicates the degree to which energy-greedy segments of a program are tested. We describe and evaluate two complementary algorithms for test-suite minimization. Experiments over test suites provided for real-world apps have corroborated our ability to reduce the test suite size by 84% on average, while maintaining the effectiveness of test suite in revealing the great majority of energy bugs.
Optimal management of patients with asymptomatic carotid stenosis.

Prior trials have shown that carotid endarterectomy (CEA) is superior to nonoperative management of asymptomatic carotid stenosis.1,2 More recent trials have shown surprisingly better outcomes for stroke patients managed with maximal medical therapy.3,4 As such, a number of experts have called for revisiting clinical trials of both CEA and carotid stenting for patients with symptomatic and asymptomatic carotid stenosis using modern medical therapy. Given the current substantial equipoise within the field, modern studies seem reasonable. A number of ongoing trials aim to address current areas of equipoise, but enrollment in these studies has been slow.
Microarrays: An Introduction and Guide to Their Use

Over the past few decades, the study of genome-wide variations, particularly gene expression patterns and mutations, has offered important insights into the genetic mechanisms underlying normal and pathologic conditions. Microarrays have played a central role in these advancements by providing a rapid means of performing thousands of genetic analyses in parallel. Here we will look at how microarrays function, how a microarray experiment is performed, and the different uses for microarrays. Within and in addition to these topics, we will consider the strengths and weaknesses of microarrays as compared to newer competing approaches based on next-generation sequencing, such as RNA-Seq.
A New Strategic Approach to Technology Transfer

The principal goal of federal research and development (R&D) is to solve problems for public benefit. Technology transfer (TT) within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has always been a core part of its mission, but has usually been addressed after a research project is completed. As a result, TT may either not reach desired impact, or arrive at the scene when the technology is commercially non-viable or scientifically obsolete. In order to better help USDA scientists, we have adopted a new paradigm. In this new paradigm, TT is not an afterthought, but an essential and integrated part of the research process beginning when the research objectives are first conceived. By aligning TT with research objectives, the impact of research outcomes will be strengthened.
Cooperative Accounts: Avoiding Conflict and Repairing Social Relations

The analytical concept of accounts has long presented sociologists with an excellent tool for the study of talk. Nonetheless, studies of accounts often neglect the fact that cooperation is common when an account for untoward behavior is constructed. Many studies tend to flatten the process of how accounts are created by routinely describing them as being “offered” by offenders and then “evaluated” by reproachers. We assume that accounts are often negotiated between parties as a means of avoiding conflict and preserving a relationship. As such, this paper develops the concept of cooperative accounts that are offered to (or projected upon) offenders as a means of explaining their untoward behavior. While also examining hostile accounts, this paper concentrates on developing the cooperative account in order to investigate more fully Scott and Lyman's (1968) argument that accounts are crucial for managing conflict and maintaining social order. Because offering cooperative accounts to others is a routine social interaction their examination provides an opportunity to reanchor the study of accounts back into the symbolic interactionist tradition.
The Play of Logics

The selective attitude expressed by analytic formal logic, which disregards much of the content of what we say to concentrate on what it calls the form of discourse (and is nothing other than a portion of the content), can be, and has been, generalized to an attitude according to which what has logical, conceptual dignity does not belong to the ordinary, spatiotemporal world but subsists in its own transcendent dimension, and ordinary objects and experiences only provide inessential, imperfect examples of logical structures. For dialectical logic, on the other hand, the concept inhabits the spatiotemporal world, that world is the concept incarnate, and every minute detail of the world illuminates the concept’s logical vicissitudes. For oceanic logic, the world is an unresponsive, mute mass that is closed to any attempt at deciphering its code; it is what Wittgenstein called the mystical.
Nickel-catalyzed enantioselective allylic alkylation of lactones and lactams with unactivated allylic alcohols

The first nickel-catalyzed enantioselective allylic alkylation of lactone and lactam substrates to deliver products bearing an all-carbon quaternary stereocenter is reported. The reaction, which utilizes a commercially available chiral bisphosphine ligand, proceeds in good yield with a high level of enantioselectivity (up to 90% ee) on a range of unactivated allylic alcohols for both lactone and lactam nucleophiles. The utility of this method is further highlighted via a number of synthetically useful product transformations.
The Rational Care of Burns

This chapter is designed for the surgeon who finds themselves caring for burns in extreme circumstances. Topics discussed include initial diagnosis, early and late resuscitation, the basics of excision and grafting, and common problems faced by surgeons providing care for burn patients with limited resources including materials, space, mandate, and time.
Fish Predation on Juvenile Penaeid Shrimp: Examining Relative Predator Impact and Size-Selective Predation

Predation is likely the primary source of mortality for juvenile penaeid shrimp and, therefore, a key factor driving their population dynamics. We sampled juvenile penaeids and their potential predators in a salt marsh from July to August 2012 to examine the impact of these predators and possible size-selective predation on the shrimp population. We quantified predator impact using the frequency of occurrence (FO) index and a relative predation index (RPI) that accounts for predator abundance and the number of shrimp consumed per individual predator. Size selectivity was assessed by comparing the size distribution of shrimp in the study area to the size distribution of shrimp removed from predator stomachs. Two penaeid species, white shrimp Litopenaeus setiferus and brown shrimp Farfantepenaeus aztecus, were collected, and most (86%) were juvenile white shrimp ≤ 12 mm carapace length. Spotted seatrout Cynoscion nebulosus, which consumed relatively large shrimp, was the most important predator based on the FO index. Bay whiff Citharichthys spilopterus, which ate the smallest shrimp, was the most important predator based on the RPI. The size distribution of shrimp removed from predator stomachs differed from those collected in the study area; the smallest shrimp were disproportionally more abundant in predator stomachs. Using the RPI, we identified some potentially important predators (e.g., bay whiff) that may impact shrimp populations by consuming the smallest shrimp in estuarine nurseries. Our approach could be useful for examining predator impacts on other populations of juvenile penaeids and more generally for any prey consumed by fish predators.
Who wants to be a Founder, and who wants to Join One? The Entrepreneurial Intentions of S&E PhDs

While founders are a cornerstone of entrepreneurial activity, startups also rely critically on “joiners”, individuals drawn toward participating in the entrepreneurial process as employees rather t...
A Reusable 3D Printed Cavity Resonator for Liquid Sample Characterization

Abstract In this paper, additive manufacturing (3D printing) is used to fabricate and demonstrate a reusable microfluidic coupled rectangular cavity resonator for characterizing liquids in small vo...
ACTIVATION OF PARAINFLUENZA VIRUSES THROUGH HOST-DEPENDENT CLEAVAGE OF AN ENVELOPE GLYCOPROTEIN

ABSTRACT. To become infectious and to become active in hemolysis and cell fusion, Sendai virus requires proteolytic activation which involves cleavage by a host protease of a virion glycoprotein precursor, F 0 , to yield the active protein F. The active F protein consists of two peptide chains, F 1 and F 2 , which contain carbohydrate and which are covalently linked by a disulfide bond. A similar subunit structure of the F protein is found in SV5 and NDV. Mutants of Sendai virus have been obtained which differ from the wild type virus in the susceptibility of the F 0 precursor protein to specific proteases. Studies of these viruses support the previous conclusion, based on results with wild type Sendai virus, that a specific host-dependent cleavage of the F 0 protein to F is required for the infectivity and for the cell-fusing and hemolytic activities of parainfluenza viruses. They also indicate that the tissue tropism and host range of the virus is dependent on the presence of a specific activating protease. Other biological implications of the requirement for a specific proteolytic cleavage include the possible role a failure of cleavage may have in persistent non-productive infections and the appearance under natural conditions of mutants capable of infecting a tissue not usually affected by the virus.
Matrix stiffness regulates microvesicle-induced fibroblast activation

Extracellular vesicles released by cancer cells have recently been implicated in the differentiation of stromal cells to their activated, cancer-supporting states. Microvesicles, a subset of extrac...
“The Closer, the Better:” The Role of Telehealth in Increasing Contraceptive Access Among Women in Rural South Carolina

Rural populations face unique health disparities that prevent women from accessing reproductive health care services. Telehealth initiatives offer a health care delivery tool to increase access to contraception. To understand women’s contraceptive needs and perceptions of accessing contraception through telehealth services. Researchers conducted 52 in-depth interviews with women ages 18–44 years living in five rural counties in South Carolina from May to July 2015. Researchers employed constant comparative data analysis using HyperRESEARCH 3.7.2. Most participants identified as Black (62%) or White (28%). Findings suggest successful telehealth interventions should accommodate women’s complex and nuanced community views, including benefits and barriers of telehealth, to improve access to contraceptive methods in rural locations. In addition, telehealth initiatives should frame contraception as contributing to women’s overall health and well-being. Telehealth initiatives may address barriers to contraceptive access in rural locations. Findings from this study offer theoretical and practical opportunities to guide telehealth interventions that support and empower women’s access to contraceptive methods in rural areas.
Laparoscopic-Assisted Polypectomy

Adoption of colorectal cancer screening has increased the detection of endoscopically unresectable colon polyps that are subsequently referred for surgical management. Traditionally, the majority of these lesions are removed by segmental colectomy. While surgical resection effectively removes the polyp, there is well-documented associated perioperative and long-term morbidity. As the majority of these lesions are benign, minimally invasive techniques for combined endoscopic and laparoscopic surgery (CELS), including laparoscopic-assisted polypectomy, have been developed to facilitate removal of polyps not amenable to endoscopic resection alone without the need for colectomy.
X-band Conformal Antenna Array For Low Cost CubeSats

This paper presents a design of an X-band conformal slot antenna array for cube satellite systems. The proposed antenna array consists of 1×6 elements, which are center inclined on the surface of a dielectric. A dumbbell-shaped slot is etched from the bottom side of the radiating structure. A Substrate Integrated Waveguide (SIW) feeding structure is utilized to feed the proposed array. The feeding structure is also has a dumbbell-shaped slot on its upper part to couple the energy to the radiating structure. The simulations of the proposed design are done in High Frequency Structure Simulator (HFSS) and it is observed that the proposed antenna array offers a gain of 11.15 dB with a side lobe level (SLL) of −19.62 dB at a center frequency of 10 GHz.
Extra Clocking of LFSR Seeds for Improved Path Delay Fault Coverage

Test data compression is based on storage of compressed tests and use of on-chip decompression logic for test application. Further reductions in the input test data volume are achieved by methods that apply several different tests based on every compressed test. This article makes the new observation that by keeping the same number of compressed tests and applying several different tests based on every compressed test, it is possible to improve the quality of the test set applied to the circuit. This article studies such an approach for path delay faults (PDFs) using a linear-feedback shift register (LFSR) as the decompression logic. Because of the nature of PDFs, targeting an extended subset of PDFs increases the confidence that important PDFs are detected. However, the benefit of detecting additional faults may not justify an increase in the number of stored tests. The approach suggested in this article is used for detecting an extended subset of target PDFs using the same set of LFSR seeds. Extra clocking of the LFSR is used for obtaining scan-in states for several new two-cycle tests based on the same seed. Experimental results for benchmark circuits demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach.
“Empowering” Instead of “Crushing an Idea”: One Student Teacher/Mentor Teacher Pair’s Story of Learning and Growing

This study shares the story of a mentor teacher and student teacher during a yearlong student teaching experience. It looks at how working with an educative mentor (prepared and supported to enact ...
Vascular elastic fiber heterogeneity in health and disease.

Purpose of review Elastin has historically been described as an amorphous protein that functions to provide recoil to tissues that stretch. However, evidence is growing that elastin's role may not be limited to biomechanics. In this minireview, we will summarize current knowledge regarding vascular elastic fibers, focusing on structural differences along the arterial tree and how those differences may influence the behavior of affiliated cells. Recent findings Regional heterogeneity, including differences in elastic lamellar number, density and cell developmental origin, plays an important role in vessel health and function. These differences impact cell-cell communication, proliferation and movement. Perturbations of normal cell-matrix interactions are correlated with human diseases including aneurysm, atherosclerosis and hypertension. Summary Although classically described as a structural protein, recent data suggest that differences in elastin deposition along the arterial tree have important effects on heterotypic cell interactions and human disease.
Chapter 12 – Cognitive Research: Knowledge Representation and Learning

Publisher Summary This chapter provides a brief overview of knowledge representation and reasoning paradigms. Understanding the different representation mechanisms is an important prerequisite to discussing learning algorithms because the algorithm may be inextricably tied to the underlying representation and reasoning mechanism. The chapter presents several approaches to machine learning and their application within a cognitive radio system. It also presents some of the issues and trade-offs related to the implementation aspects of the learning systems. The chapter provides a representative cross section of machine learning with an emphasis on application within the radio communications domain. There is no single approach to knowledge representation and reasoning or learning that will address all aspects of cognitive radio systems. The level of intelligence exhibited by a cognitive radio system will be dynamic and varied, depending on the implementation platform, the computational resources available, and the specific mission of the system. The type of knowledge representation and reasoning system employed as well as the type of knowledge may “prefer” a particular learning method.
Memory and Aging, Neural Basis of

Various brain systems support human learning and memory, and these systems are differentially affected by normal aging, with some preserved and others showing age-related impairment. Few structures in the aging brain lose neurons. However, age-related changes at biochemical and molecular levels affect functional capacity for some types of learning and memory. The variability in memory capacity increases with age. The inclusion of older adults in the early stages of neurodegenerative diseases overestimated functional decline in humans. Even among the healthy aged, some individuals show greater age-related decline, perhaps reflecting individual differences in brain capacity present from early in life.
'Mortgage Lending and Systemic Crises: Defending Macro-Stability'

“Should Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Be Designated as Systemically Important Financial Institutions?” on June 25, 2019 Before the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs U.S. Senate