cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 622: Increased Mitochondrial Oxidative Stress and Activated AMP- Kinase In the Brain Dorsal Medulla of Hypertensive (mRen2)27 Transgenic Rats

The deleterious actions of angiotensin (Ang) II are generally thought to be mediated by NADPH oxidase (NOX)-derived reactive oxygen species (ROS) which may stimulate mitochondrial oxidant release leading to impaired energy metabolism. Hypertensive transgenic (mRen2)27 rats (mRen2) exhibit high NOX activity in brain dorsal medullary tissue compared to normotensive Hannover Sprague-Dawley (SD) control rats; however, the extent of mitochondrial involvement is unknown. Therefore, the present study evaluated mitochondrial ROS levels, ATP and mitochondrial content in the brain dorsal medulla of age-matched mRen2 and SD rats. Additional studies assessed AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) activation since altered mitochondrial oxidant and/or energy levels are associated with a stimulated AMPK pathway that is known to be activated in response to depleted cellular energy levels. Freshly isolated mitochondria from the dorsal medulla of 20 week old male heterozygous mRen2 [systolic blood pressure (SBP): 211 ± 4 mmHg] and SD [SBP: 120 ± 3 mmHg] rats were loaded with the sensitive ROS indicator dihydroethidium (HEt). Basal HEt fluorescence intensity was ∼16% higher in mRen2 as compared to SD rats suggesting higher ROS levels in mitochondria of the hypertensive strain [mRen2: 83 ± 4 vs. SD: 70 ± 4 mean fluorescence intensity; p=0.02, n=3]. Although ATP levels and mitochondrial content were similar between strains, AMPK was significantly activated (phosphorylated AMPK-α and β 1 subunits) in the mRen2 compared to normotensive SD rats [AMPKα- mRen2: 3.5 ± 0.4 arbitary units vs. SD: 1.0 ± 0.2; p = 0.001, n = 5; and AMPKβ 1 - mRen2: 1.6 ± 0.04 arbitary units vs. SD: 1.0 ± 0.2; p = 0.05, n = 3]. The activation of AMPK may contribute to enhanced mitochondrial biogenesis since ATP and mitochondrial content were unchanged, thus representing a compensatory response to increased energy requirements in the hypertensive strain. We conclude that targeting of mitochondrial oxidants and increased AMPK activation may serve as a potential therapy to improve mitochondrial energy metabolism in hypertension.
Anti-liberalism Pushes Back

Europe is besieged from within and without by anti-liberal threats. The rise within Europe of populist-nationalist parties and renewed jihadist attacks interact with pressure from Putin's Russia, Erdogan's Turkey, and actual and aspiring despotisms in Muslim-majority countries. To varying degrees these threats are reactions to the effects of 21st-century liberalism on societies. Liberalism always has been chiefly concerned to safeguard individual autonomy or self-legislation, but the content of autonomy has shifted over two centuries. First-stage liberalism saw the chief threat to autonomy as the state; second-stage, as capital; the third-stage version now ascendant sees traditional norms and institutions as the main menace. Third-stage liberalism in Europe (and elsewhere) distributes power towards ‘symbolic analysts’ and away from those adept at services or manual labour. Thus the anti-liberal backlash: within Europe large numbers of people find themselves less autonomous, in the older senses of the word, and ambivalent about the newer notion of autonomy; while on Europe's periphery many find certain features of liberal societies unappealing and threatening. Defending liberalism will require not only devoting more resources to national security and mitigating the disruptions of economic openness, but revisiting what individual autonomy ought to mean in the 21st-century world.
Recreational bicycling as a “gateway” to utility bicycling: The case of Charlotte, NC

Riding a bicycle for utility purposes in US cities is rare, especially in historically automobile-dominated cities. Using data from a transportation survey administered to 406 residents of Charlott...
Bypass versus endovascular intervention for healing ischemic foot wounds secondary to tibial arterial disease.

Abstract Objective Pedal (inframalleolar) bypass is a long-standing therapy for tibial arterial disease in patients with ischemic tissue loss. Endovascular tibial intervention is an appealing alternative with lower risks of perioperative mortality or complications. Our objective was to compare the effectiveness of these two treatment modalities with respect to patency and limb-related clinical outcomes. Methods We performed a retrospective chart review of patients presenting between 2006 and 2013 with ischemic foot wounds and infrapopliteal arterial disease who underwent a revascularization procedure (either open surgical bypass to an inframalleolar target or endovascular tibial intervention). Data were collected on baseline demographics and comorbidities, procedural details, and postprocedure outcomes. The primary outcome was successful healing of the index wound, with mortality, major amputation, and patency assessed as secondary outcomes. Results We identified 417 patients who met our eligibility criteria; 105 underwent surgical bypass and 312 underwent endovascular intervention, with mean follow-up of 25.0 and 20.2 months, respectively ( P = .08). The endovascular patients were older at baseline ( P = .009), with higher rates of hyperlipidemia ( P = .02), prior cerebrovascular accidents ( P = .04), and smoking history ( P = .04). Within 30 days postoperatively, there was no difference in mortality ( P = .31), but bypass patients had longer hospital length of stay ( P P P = .03) and wound complications ( P P = .02). At 1 year, survival was higher after bypass (86.2% vs 70.4%; P P = .42). Primary patency (53.1% vs 38.2%; P = .002) and primary assisted patency (76.6% vs 51.7%; P P = .13). Conclusions Endovascular tibial intervention is associated with poorer primary patency but similar secondary patency and wound healing rates compared with the "gold standard" of surgical bypass to a pedal target. In patients with tibial arterial disease, endovascular intervention should be considered a lower risk alternative to pedal bypass that provides similar clinical outcomes.
A Policy Analysis of Legally Required Supervision of Nurse Practitioners and Other Health Professionals.

Abstract The use of legally required supervision occurs across health professionals who provide similar services. Legally required supervision has the potential to disrupt the production of high-quality, cost-efficient, accessible health services across disciplines. This paper examines the effects of nurse practitioner collaborative practice agreements and similar models of health professional regulation, defined as legally required supervision, on the cost and delivery of health services. A policy analysis examines empirical, policy, and law literature between two health professionals providing a similar service. Analysis includes literature on dental hygienists, dentists, certified registered nurse anesthetists, midwives, nurse practitioners, physicians, and pharmacists. A framework for legally required supervision across health professionals is presented. Antecedents of legally required supervision include occupational licensure, reimbursement policy, and institutional policy. Legally required supervision inhibits provider entry to practice and the production of health services by supervised providers. The cost of care increases under legally required supervision. Costs are measured by wages for providers and the price of services for patients. This paper and proposed framework summarize the antecedents and consequences of legally required supervision. Discipline-specific antecedents and provider characteristics must be considered when calculating the full effect of legally required supervision on the delivery and cost of health services.
Positron Emission Tomography in Well-Differentiated Thyroid Cancer

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a diagnostic technique that has become an important method in oncology. The basis for this test is the injection of a positron-emitting radionuclide that localizes in cancers and allows imaging. A positron is a positive electron, and when emitted, travels a few millimeters before contacting an electron, which has a negative charge. These particles of equal mass and opposite charges annihilate one another. The mass of the two electrons produces two photons each with an energy of 511 keV. This is derived from the equation, e = mc2. The photons travel in opposing directions at an angle of 180°. A positron camera usually consists of a ring of detectors that are designed to identify photons interacting at precisely the same time on opposite positions on the ring (180°).
The Archaeology of Presidio San Sabá: A Preliminary Report

Archaeological excavations at the 18th-century Spanish colonial site of Presidio San Saba (41MN1) were conducted during the 2000 and 2001 Texas Tech Archaeological Field Schools under the supervision of Grant Hall and the author. Presidio San Saba represents one of the most important Spanish frontier outposts in Texas. Written records concerning the presidio consist primarily of military correspondence and supply records with little or no attention paid to the families of soldiers stationed at the fort or their daily lives. Excavations have concentrated on recovering information from the plaza area, the rooms alongside the interior walls of the presidio, and the 1937 reconstructed portions of the fort. Preliminary analyses of the cultural materials recovered from these excavations are providing a glimpse into the everyday lives of those who resided there as well as a better understanding of the architecture and layout of the fort.
Examining the Impact of Using the SIMPL Application on Feedback in Surgical Education

Objective The System for Improving and Measuring Procedural Learning (SIMPL) smartphone application allows physicians to provide dictated feedback to surgical residents. The impact of this novel feedback medium on the quality of feedback is unknown. Our objective was to compare the delivery and quality of best-case operative performance feedback given via SIMPL to feedback given in-person. Design We collected operative performance feedback given both in-person and via SIMPL from surgeons to residents over 6 weeks. Feedback transcripts were coded using Verbal Response Modes speech acts taxonomy to compare the delivery of feedback. We evaluated quality of feedback using a validated resident survey and third-party assessment form. Setting University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, a large academic medical institution. Participants Four surgical attendings and 9 general surgery residents. Results Nineteen SIMPL and 18 in-person feedback encounters were evaluated. Feedback via SIMPL was more directive (containing thoughts, perceptions, evaluations of resident behavior, or advice) and contained more presumptuous utterances (in which the physician reflected on and assessed resident performance or offered suggestions for improvement) than in-person feedback (p = 0.01). The resident survey showed no significant difference between the quality of feedback given via SIMPL and in-person (p = 0.07). The mean score was 47.74 (SD = 3.00) for SIMPL feedback and 45.33 (SD = 4.77) for in-person feedback, with a total possible score of 50. Third-party assessment showed no significant difference between the quality of feedback given via SIMPL and in-person (p = 0.486). The mean score was 23.40 (SD = 3.75) for SIMPL feedback and 22.25 (SD = 5.94) for in-person feedback, with a total possible score of 30. Conclusions Although feedback given via SIMPL was more direct and based on the attendings’ perspectives, the quality of the feedback did not differ significantly. Use of the dictation feature of SIMPL to deliver resident operative performance feedback is a reasonable alternative to in-person feedback.
Identification of damping and stiffness parameters of cervical and lumbar spines of supine humans under vertical whole-body vibration:

This work presents a methodology to estimate the unknown damping and stiffness parameters of supine humans at the cervical and lumbar regions while reducing errors presented in the data. Modal para...
Atomic layer deposition of vanadium oxide to reduce parasitic absorption and improve stability in n–i–p perovskite solar cells for tandems

Two critical issues associated with semi-transparent, n–i–p perovskite solar cells for 2-terminal tandem devices are parasitic absorption and long-term instability associated with the widely used spiro-OMeTAD and MoOx hole transport and buffer layers, respectively. In this work, we present an alternative hole contact bilayer that consists of a 30 nm undoped layer of spiro-TTB in conjunction with 9 nm of air-stable vanadium oxide (VOx) deposited via atomic layer deposition. The low absorption of UV and visible light in this bilayer results in the fabrication of a semi-transparent perovskite cell with 18.9 mA cm−2 of photocurrent, a 14% increase compared to the 16.6 mA cm−2 generated in a control device with 150 nm of doped spiro-OMeTAD. The ALD VOx buffer layer shows promise as a stable alternative to MoOx; an unencapsulated Cs0.17FA0.83Pb(Br0.17I0.83)3 device with ALD VOx and ITO as the top contact maintains its efficiency following 1000 hours at 85 °C in a N2 environment. Lastly, we use transfer matrix modeling of the optimized perovskite stack to predict its optical performance in a monolithic tandem cell with heterojunction silicon.
Opposing transcriptional and post-transcriptional roles for Scalloped in binary Hippo-dependent neural fate decisions

The Hippo tumor suppressor pathway plays many fundamental cell biological roles during animal development. Two central players in controlling Hippo-dependent gene expression are the TEAD transcription factor Scalloped (Sd) and its transcriptional co-activator Yorkie (Yki). Hippo signaling phosphorylates Yki, thereby blocking Yki-dependent transcriptional control. In post-mitotic Drosophila photoreceptors, a bistable negative feedback loop forms between the Hippo-dependent kinase Warts/Lats and Yki to lock in green vs blue-sensitive neuronal subtype choices, respectively. Previous experiments indicate that sd and yki mutants phenocopy each other's functions, both being required for promoting the expression of the blue photoreceptor fate determinant melted (melt) and the blue-sensitive opsin Rh5. Here, we demonstrate that Sd ensures the robustness of this neuronal fate decision via multiple antagonistic gene regulatory roles. In Hippo-positive (green) photoreceptors, Sd directly represses both melt and Rh5 gene expression through defined TEAD binding sites, a mechanism that is antagonized by Yki in Hippo-negative (blue) cells. Additionally, in blue photoreceptors, Sd is required to promote the translation of the Rh5 protein through a 3'UTR-dependent and microRNA-mediated process. Together, these studies reveal that Sd can drive context-dependent cell fate decisions through opposing transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms.
Gender Minority Mental Health in the U.S.: Results of a National Survey on College Campuses.

Introduction The purpose of this study was to examine mental health status by gender identity among undergraduate and graduate students. Methods Data came from the 2015–2017 Healthy Minds Study, a mobile survey of randomly selected students (N=65,213 at 71 U.S. campuses, including 1,237 gender minority [GM] students); data were analyzed in 2018. Outcomes were symptoms of depression, anxiety, eating disorders, self-injury, and suicidality based on widely used, clinically validated screening instruments. Bivariable and multivariable analyses explored differences between GM and cisgender (non-GM) students as well as by assigned sex at birth. Results Across mental health measures, a significantly higher prevalence of symptoms was observed in GM students than cisgender students. Compared with 45% of cisgender students, 78% of GM students met the criteria for 1 or more of the aforementioned mental health outcomes. GM status was associated with 4.3 times higher odds of having at least 1 mental health problem (95% CI=3.61, 5.12). Conclusions Findings from this largest campus-based study of its kind using representative data with both gender identity and mental health measures underscore the importance of recognizing and addressing GM mental health burdens, such as by screening for mental health and providing gender-affirming services. There is broad urgency to identify protective factors and reduce mental health inequities for this vulnerable population.
Swimming locomotion of Soft Robotic Snakes.

Bioinspired snake robotics has been a highly active area of research over the years and resulted in many prototypes. Much of these prototypes takes the form of serially jointed-rigid bodies. The emergence of soft robotics contributed to a new type of snake robots made from compliant and structurally deformable modules. Leveraging the controllable large bending, these robots can naturally generate various snake locomotion gaits. Here, we investigate the swimming locomotion of soft robotic snakes. A numerically efficient dynamic model of the robot is first derived. Then, a distributed contact modal is augmented to incorporate hydrodynamic forces. The model is then numerically tested to identify the optimal bending propagation for efficient swimming. Results show that the soft robotic snakes have high potential to be used in marine applications.
Gertrude von Petzold (1876-1952): Quaker and First Woman Minister

Gertrude von Petzold was a pioneer in many ways: in England she was the first woman who got a post as a church minister, in Germany she was the first woman who qualified for a professorship in Germanics at Kiel University. At times when woman were not even allowed to vote, von Petzold pursued her academic career eagerly. Her ecumenical attitude resulted in membership within the Lutheran Church, the Unitarians and finally the Quakers.
Adaptive signal decomposition and dispersion removal based on the matching pursuit algorithm using dispersion-based dictionary for enhancing damage imaging

Abstract This paper aims to develop a method for high-resolution damage imaging for a sparsely distributed sensor network on a plate-like structure. Techniques for dispersion removal and signal decomposition are indispensable to accurate damage localization. By combining the dispersion-removed wave packets with the damage-imaging algorithm, a point-like damage can be precisely localized. In this article, a matching pursuit algorithm was utilized to decompose overlapping wave packets and then recompress the dispersion. The matching pursuit dictionary was constructed based on an asymptotic solution of the dispersion relation for Lamb waves in toneburst wave packets. The dispersion-based Hanning-window dictionary provided the parametric information for the extracted wave packets, such as propagation time-delay, dispersion extent, and phase. The parameters were leveraged for the dispersion-removal algorithm. Results of the simulation indicate that the proposed algorithm is capable of recompressing multiple dispersive wave packets with the different modes. Finally, the proposed approach was validated by the results of the experiment using a sparse array of piezoelectric wafers on an aluminum plate. Extracting the parameters of individual wave packets and removing the dispersion through matching pursuit, the algorithm for minimum-variance imaging produced a high-quality image with a fine spatial resolution. The image artifacts were significantly suppressed, and the accuracy was improved by 62.1% compared to conventional minimum-variance imaging.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute cardiovascular clinical trial perspective

Abstract The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) has played an important role in funding the clinical science that supports many contemporary cardiology practice guidelines and in shaping the conduct of cardiovascular clinical trials. This Perspective outlines contemporary funding options as well as select important NHLBI policies, philosophy, and priorities.
Business Strategies and Risk Factors

The offshore pipeline construction service industry has seen varying degrees of consolidation and integration over the years. The demand for pipeline construction fluctuates from year to year and by geographic region. During periods of sustained low oil prices demand for services are reduced, causing contractors to resize operations to maintain a competitive position, to form alliances and partnerships in search of opportunities, and to stack and dismantle less competitive vessels to reduce cost. The purpose of this chapter is to describe the business models and strategies employed by offshore construction companies and their impact on operations. Operational and financial risk factors are highlighted, and the chapter concludes with company portraits.
Effect of elasticity on phase separation in heterogeneous systems

Abstract Physical systems consisting of an elastic matrix permeated by fluid mixture are ubiquitous, with examples ranging from morphogenesis of a single biological cell to the migration of greenhouse gases in sediments. Recent experimental studies show that the presence of the elastic networks in these systems significantly alters their phase-separation response by imposing an energetic cost to the growth of droplets. However, a quantitative understanding of the role played by elasticity is lacking. Our paper bridges this gap by building a comprehensive theoretical framework to analyze the effect of elasticity on the phase separation of a binary mixture in soft, nonlinear solids. We employ an energy-based approach that captures both the short-time quasi-equilibrium and the long-time evolution of the phase separation, in elastically homogeneous as well as heterogeneous materials, to determine the constitutive sensitivities. Our theory predicts a droplet dissolution front in heterogeneous materials. Crucially, we also find a nonlinear effect of elasticity on the dynamics, which challenges the current understanding in the literature. We quantify the thermodynamic driving forces to identify diffusion-limited and dissolution-limited regimes of front propagation. Our findings are applicable to a variety of material systems including food, metals, and aquatic sediments, and further substantiate the hypothesis that biological systems exploit such mechanisms to regulate their function.
Impact of Alkali Metal Cations and Iron Impurities on the Evolution of Hydrogen on Cu Electrodes in Alkaline Electrolytes

Electrocatalytic Cu is key to the development of processes that can convert CO and CO2 to hydrocarbons, and nitrate to ammonia. The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) often competes with these processes. Few studies studied this reaction on Cu under alkaline conditions. Herein, we examined the HER on Cu electrodes under alkaline conditions in Na+- and Cs+-containing electrolytes. We found that in 0.1 M solutions of NaOH and CsOH of the highest commercially available purity grades, trace impurities of iron deposit on the Cu electrode during electrolysis. As a result, the rate of the HER is enhanced by up to a factor of ≈5 over the course of eleven cyclic voltammograms (CV) from 0.15 to -0.65 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode. After removal of the iron impurities, the CVs are stable as a function of cycle number. Comparison of the CVs in pre-electrolyzed 0.1 M NaOH and CsOH reveals that changing the cation from Na+ to Cs+ has no measurable effect on the HER. With density functional theory (DFT), we further rationalized our experimental findings. We discuss the implications of our results for electrocatalytic processes on Cu electrodes.
Spray solution pH and soybean injury as influenced by synthetic auxin formulation and spray additives

Use of synthetic auxin herbicides has increased across the midwestern United States after adoption of synthetic auxin-resistant soybean traits, in addition to extensive use of these herbicides in corn. Off-target movement of synthetic auxin herbicides such as dicamba can lead to severe injury to sensitive plants nearby. Previous research has documented effects of glyphosate on spray-solution pH and volatility of several dicamba formulations, but our understanding of the relationships between glyphosate and dicamba formulations commonly used in corn and for 2,4-D remains limited. The objectives of this research were to (1) investigate the roles of synthetic auxin herbicide formulation, glyphosate, and spray additives on spray solution pH; (2) assess the impact of synthetic auxin herbicide rate on solution pH; and (3) assess the influence of glyphosate and application time of year on dicamba and 2,4-D volatility using soybean as bioindicators in low-tunnel field volatility experiments. Addition of glyphosate to a synthetic auxin herbicide decreased solution pH below 5.0 for four of the seven herbicides tested (range of initial pH of water source, 7.45–7.70). Solution pH of most treatments was lower at a higher application rate (4× the labeled POST rate) than the 1× rate. Among all treatment factors, inclusion of glyphosate was the most important affecting spray solution pH; however, the addition of glyphosate did not influence area under the injury over distance stairs (P = 0.366) in low-tunnel field volatility experiments. Greater soybean injury in field experiments was associated with high air temperatures (maximum, >29 C) and low wind speeds (mean, 0.3–1.5 m s–1) during the 48 h after treatment application. The two dicamba formulations (diglycolamine with VaporGrip® and sodium salts) resulted in similar levels of soybean injury for applications that occurred later in the growing season. Greater soybean injury was observed after dicamba than after 2,4-D treatments.Nomenclature: 2,4-D; dicamba; glyphosate; corn; Zea mays L.; soybean; Glycine max L. Merr.
Study on Different Modes of Reactive Power Compensation and Reactive Power Coordinated Control for Wind Farm

According to the grid codes, on wind farm for reactive power compensation and voltage stability requirements, this paper analyzes the extent of a static synchronous compensator (STATCOM) to voltage stability of doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) wind farm, compared to a static VAR compensator (SVC), and proposes a new scheme for coordinated control of reactive power between DFIG and STATCOM, to do this, DFIG stator, grid-side converter (GSC) and STATCOM supply reactive power to the grid coordinately, where the advantages and disadvantages of rotor-side converter (RSC) and GSC are taken into more consideration, and the reactive power control ability of DFIG is fully utilized. Based on test system, research results show that, STATCOM can provide more reactive power than SVC for voltage stability under the same capacity, especially during the serious voltage sag; The coordinated control scheme can not only improve the transient voltage stability, but also help reducing the capacity of STATCOM so that save the cost of investments in wind farms.
Toward a more inclusive paradigm: thrombectomy for stroke patients with pre-existing disabilities

Background Persons with pre-existing disabilities represent over one-third of acute stroke presentations, but account for a far smaller proportion of those receiving endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) and thrombolysis. This is despite existing ethical, economic, legal, and social directives to maximize equity for this vulnerable population. We sought to determine associations between baseline modified Rankin Scale (mRS) and outcomes after EVT. Methods Individuals who underwent EVT were identified from a prospectively maintained database. Demographics, medical history, presentations, treatments, and outcomes were recorded. Baseline disability was defined as baseline mRS≥2. Accumulated disability was defined as the delta between baseline mRS and absolute 90-day mRS. Results Of 381 individuals, 49 had baseline disability (five with mRS=4, 23 mRS=3, 21 mRS=2). Those with baseline disability were older (81 vs 68 years, P Conclusions While baseline mRS was associated with absolute 90-day disability, there was no association with accumulated disability or other outcomes. Patients with baseline disability should not be routinely excluded from EVT based on baseline mRS alone.
Reduced-Form Versus Structural Models of Water Demand Under Nonlinear Prices

Increasing-block prices are common in markets for water, cellular phone service, and retail electricity. This study estimates demand models under block prices and conducts a Monte Carlo experiment to test the small-sample bias of structural and instrumental variables (IV) estimators. We estimate the price and income elasticity of water demand under increasing-block prices using a structural discrete/continuous choice (DCC) model, as well as random effects and IV. Elasticity estimates are sensitive to the modeling framework. The Monte Carlo experiment suggests that IV and DCC models estimate both price and income elasticity with bias, with no clear best choice among estimators.
Evolution of randomized, controlled studies of medical therapy in chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension

Although pulmonary endarterectomy (PEA) is the treatment of choice for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), many patients have inoperable disease, and some have persistent or recu...
More than curriculum: the barriers to developing an anti-racist school culture at a middle school

Based on an ethnographic study at a middle school in a Midwestern city, this article examines the difficulty in creating anti-racist educational spaces, even in schools with a stated desire to do s...
Mobile Manipulator and EOAT for In-Situ Infected Plant Removal

This paper discusses in detail the design of a roguing mechanism as an attachment to an Autonomous Ground Vehicle (AGV) for agricultural purposes. This mechanism is a part of a larger project for detection and removal of potato plants infected by virus Y (PVY). An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), equipped by hyperspectral camera and high precision GPS system, will fly over a potato field to locate a sick plant within a few centimeters and communicate the GPS coordinates to an AGV. This AGV will navigate to the target location and rogue (remove) the infected plant automatically. However, currently there is no roguing mechanism available off the shelf, which can be quickly attached to existing farm equipment to automate the process. Because of significant crop losses every year due to PVY, roguing in a timely manner is extremely important to the farming community. After multiple design iterations and simulations for the end-effector, a novel roguing mechanism was designed. Significant effort was also expended in assuring the designed mechanism can be easily connected to existing farm equipment. A 1/3rd scale prototype model was built for motion analysis. This prototype has been tested in a laboratory setting with promising results. Operational and design details of this mechanism have been successfully tested. The actual, field-size model construction is currently underway.
Communication for Sustainable Social Change and the Pursuit of Zero Hunger: The Food Sovereignty Language Frame

This chapter examines a particular language frame associated with a powerful global food movement—food sovereignty. The goals of this research is to capture and explain the ideological language framing of food sovereignty by high-level grassroots food movement leaders in Ecuador and by key civil society advocates during official deliberative sessions at the 2014 annual meeting of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) at the Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome. In particular, this chapter argues the ideological language frame of ‘food security’ represented officially by the CFS conflicts in significant ways with the language frame of ‘food sovereignty’ as adopted by member states such as Ecuador, Bolivia and Venezuela, and advocated by the Civil Society Mechanism. The methodology for this research was emergent, multi-method, multi-stakeholder, participatory action research. The chapter concludes that (1) access to food in the food security ideological language frame doesn’t equate to local community control and management of the natural resource base; (2) the food security ideological language frame does not equate to addressing the gross inequities between multi-national corporate agribusiness power in the global food system and small-scale family farmers; (3) food security does not integrate agroecology practices or socio-political mandates and therefore does not preserve or protect the environment; (4) access to food through the food security ideological language frame does not translate into the provision of culturally appropriate food for vastly diverse world populations; (5) the food sovereignty language frame is an effective example of the advocacy component of communication for social change; and (6) the food sovereignty language frame challenges and subverts dominant discourse and development paradigms and moves the world towards fuller realization of Communication for Sustainable Social Change.
Reconstructing “Lost” Vessels: A Methodology for Applying Photogrammetric Techniques to Historical Photographs

This article presents a novel methodology for retrieving three-dimensional geometry from structures that exist only within the historical photographic record. Two shipwrecks that were raised in the early twentieth century are examined as case studies for this methodology. This paper explores the complications of using historical photographs in photogrammetric analysis and demonstrates how the shipwreck point clouds were generated using the iWitness program. In addition, it documents how photogrammetric hull data from historical photographs were scale constrained (using surviving artifacts) and used for the first time to create ship lines for academic study. A test was also conducted to demonstrate the potential accuracy of the photogrammetry program and methodology as a whole. Although the present study uses two raised shipwrecks as case studies, this methodology could easily be applied to other structures that have been “lost.”
Reaction mechanism and dynamics for C8-hydroxylation of 9-methylguanine radical cation by water molecules

In contrast to their spontaneous deprotonation in aqueous solution, reactions of guanine and guanosine radical cations with water in the gas phase are exclusively initiated by hydration of the radical cations as reported in recent work (Y. Sun et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2018, 20, 27510). As gas-phase hydration reactions closely mimic the actual scenario for guanine radical cations in double-stranded DNA, exploration of subsequent reactions within their water complexes can provide an insight into the resulting oxidative damage to nucleosides. Herein guided-ion beam mass spectrometry experiment and direct dynamics trajectory simulations were carried out to examine prototype complexes of the 9-methylguanine radical cation with one and two water ligands (i.e., 9MG˙+·(H2O)1–2) in the gas phase, wherein the complexes were activated by collisional activation in the experiment and by thermal excitation at high temperatures in the simulations. Guided by mass spectroscopic measurements, trajectory results and reaction potential energy surface, three reaction pathways were identified. The first two reaction pathways start with H-atom abstraction from water by the O6 and N7 atoms in 9MG˙+ and are referred to as HAO6 and HAN7, respectively. The primary products of HAO6 and HAN7 reactions, including [9MG + HO6]+/[9MG + HN7]+ and ˙OH, react further to either form [8OH-9MG + HO6]˙+ and [8OH-9MG + HN7]˙+via C8-hydroxylation or form radical cations of 6-enol-guanine (6-enol-G˙+) and 7H-guanine (7HG˙+) via SN2-type methanol elimination. The third reaction pathway corresponds to the formation of 8OH-9MG+ by H elimination from the complex, referred to as HE. Among these product channels, [8OH-9MG + HN7]˙+ has the most favorable formation probability, especially in the presence of additional water molecules. This product may serve as a preceding structure to the 8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine lesion in DNA and has implications for health effects of radiation exposure and radiation therapy.
Structure and magnetism of GaMnN nanowires synthesized with nonmagnetic catalyst

Abstract We demonstrate the synthesis of Mn-doped GaN nanowires by the vapor–liquid–solid (VLS) mechanism, wherein Mn-doping was initiated through a nonmagnetic Au catalyst and chemical vapor deposition (CVD). Structural and morphological characterization studies using X-ray diffraction and electron microscopy confirm the doping of Mn in wurzite GaN nanowires with a concentration of 0.2–3%. The magnetic measurements indicate a combination of room temperature ferromagnetism, plus a paramagnetic component due to antiferromagnetic superexchange.
The Invisible Hand: Star Formation Triggered by Runaway Black Holes

The presence of intergalactic star-forming regions within galaxy clusters shows that stars may form well away from a host galaxy. On larger scales, the existence of distorted isolated galaxies hosting star formation, apparently triggered by unseen companions, challenges our understanding of galaxy interactions and evolution. Moreover, most galaxies contain one or more massive central black holes that can be ejected by gravitational-radiation-induced recoil or by gravitational slingshot. In this Letter we examine the effect of a runaway supermassive black hole (RSMBH) passage through the intergalactic medium using the impulse approximation. Even if ejected at high speed, our analytical estimate indicates that SMBHs are able to ignite star formation efficiently in the wake of their trajectories. Cluster-bound RSMBHs may control intergalactic star formation and have substantial influence on the evolution of low-mass galaxies. Star formation induced by RSMBHs or, as we dub it, the invisible-hand mechanism may have had a very relevant role during the quasar epoch when most SMBHs formed.
Action representation for interpreting purpose clauses in natural language instructions

Abstract The problem I am concerned with is understanding complex Natural Language instructions, and in particular, instructions containing Purpose Clauses. In this paper, I describe an action representation formalism that encodes both linguistic and planning knowledge about actions. Such formalism makes use of linguistically motivated primitives, derived from Jackendoff's work on Conceptual Structures [Jackendoff, 1990], and is embedded in the hybrid system CLASSIC [Brachman et al., 1991]. The algorithm that interprets Purpose Clauses crucially exploits CLASSIC'S classification algorithm. The output of my algorithm is in turn used in the Animation from NL project, that has as its goal the automatic creation of animated task simulations.
Pressure dependence of Tc and Hc2 of a dirty two-gap superconductor, carbon-doped MgB2

Abstract We have measured T c and H c 2 ( T ) of carbon-doped MgB2 under hydrostatic pressures up to 15.6 kbar. d T c / d P is determined to be −0.20 K/kbar and H c 2 ( T = 0 ) decreases with pressure at a rate that is consistent with the theoretical value for pure MgB2, d H c 2 / d P = − 0.036 T/kbar . By analyzing our results within the theoretical framework of a dirty two-gap supersonductor, we determine values for the interband coupling and the ratio between the diffusivities associated with the two bands at three different pressures. We also extract the diffusivities and coherence lengths associated with each band. Finally, we estimate the pressure dependence of the charge carrier concentration in the σ band to be d ln n / d P = − 0.013 / kbar .
The Taxation of Out-of-State Tangible Property

THE abandonment by a majority of the Supreme Court, in recent years, of an earlier majority's ill-starred attempt to find in the Fourteenth Amendment a prohibition against multiple state taxation of intangibles evoked law review comment in profusion.1 In declaring that this prohibition, once seen so clearly by Mr. Justice McReynolds,2 was only a mirage,3 the Court did not so much establish a new horizon
Knowledge Transfer through Congenital Learning: Spin-Out Generation, Growth and Survival

This paper examines the role of knowledge as a driver of an organization's formation, and as a subsequent source of its competitive advantage. We investigate the parent-progeny knowledge transfer relationship, and the impact of this congenital learning on the evolution and performance of a spin-out (an entrepreneurial venture by an ex-employee). Using data from the disk drive industry, we show that incumbent knowledge capabilities, related to technology and market pioneering, predict spin-out formation. Parent's capabilities at the time of spin-out founding positively affect spin-out knowledge capabilities, and result in spin-outs having higher probabilities of survival relative to other entrants.
Purification of glutathione S-transferase fusion proteins from yeast.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the purification of glutathione s-transferase fusion proteins from yeast. The purification of affinity-tagged recombinant proteins from prokaryotic hosts is an efficient method to obtain milligram quantities of protein for binding and activity studies. Yeast provides an opportunity to express large amounts of recombinant protein in a eukaryotic host using microbiological media. However, difficulties with the expression level of recombinant protein, toxicity of the recombinant protein, proteases, and yield from the affinity purification step have prevented researchers from taking advantage of yeast as an expression host. The choice of an appropriate host strain, induction media, and expression plasmid can overcome the expression level and protease problems, and the use of an ion-exchange resin before the affinity purification step increases recombinant protein yield, presumably by removing an inhibitor of binding to the affinity resin. The yield from these preparations is approximately 10 percent of the expressed protein; most of the loss is at the affinity purification step.
Anisotropic Behavior of Single Grain Cu6Sn5 Intermetallic

Intermetallic (IMC) layers (Cu6Sn5 and Cu3Sn) are an essential component of a solder joint for good metallurgical bonding. However, the mechanical and physical properties of IMC layers differ significantly from the solder and substrate, and excessive IMC layers can lower the reliability of solder joints due to their brittle nature. Moreover, continuous miniaturization of packages and joints has increased the volume fraction of IMCs to a point where smaller joints could be completely composed of IMCs. Further miniaturization of joints may result in statistical grain size effects. One of the most common types of IMCs in microelectronic joints is Cu6Sn5, which is formed in a variety of bonding materials with different compositions of Sn, Cu, and Ag. Due to its large percentage of volume in solder joint; to predict the reliability of micro solder joints, it is necessary to characterize single crystal Cu6Sn5 IMC completely. This study reports the information on grain growth orientation and elastic-plastic properties such as young’s modulus, hardness, yield strength and strain hardening exponent of single grain of Cu6Sn5 in Sn-3.5Ag/Cu solder alloy system. IMCs materials were grown using reflow process using an experiment in which the time and temperature of reflow process was varied. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis was conducted after the reflow to measure the grain size and determine the preferred grain orientation. It was found that the growth orientation is in the orientation of the c-axis. Nanoindentation was carried out in 4 individual grains with different crystallographic orientation along normal to the growth axis to determine the elastic properties of Cu6Sn5 single crystal. Plastic properties were predicted using the nanoindentation results and Dao reverse analysis model. The results indicate that the hardness for Cu6Sn5 grains with different orientation along normal to growth axis is statistically indistinguishable. Lower elastic modulus was observed for a grain with [010] direction parallel to the loading direction. Yield strength of a grain with (001) plane parallel to the loading direction was slightly lower than other grain orientations. Overall, the experimental results obtained were found to be within the range shown in the literature.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Motion Tracker: Camera-Based Monitoring of Bodily Movements Using Motion Silhouettes

Researchers in the cognitive and affective sciences investigate how thoughts and feelings are reflected in the bodily response systems including peripheral physiology, facial features, and body movements. One specific question along this line of research is how cognition and affect are manifested in the dynamics of general body movements. Progress in this area can be accelerated by inexpensive, non-intrusive, portable, scalable, and easy to calibrate movement tracking systems. Towards this end, this paper presents and validates Motion Tracker, a simple yet effective software program that uses established computer vision techniques to estimate the amount a person moves from a video of the person engaged in a task (available for download from http://jakory.com/motion-tracker/). The system works with any commercially available camera and with existing videos, thereby affording inexpensive, non-intrusive, and potentially portable and scalable estimation of body movement. Strong between-subject correlations were obtained between Motion Tracker’s estimates of movement and body movements recorded from the seat (r =.720) and back (r = .695 for participants with higher back movement) of a chair affixed with pressure-sensors while completing a 32-minute computerized task (Study 1). Within-subject cross-correlations were also strong for both the seat (r =.606) and back (r = .507). In Study 2, between-subject correlations between Motion Tracker’s movement estimates and movements recorded from an accelerometer worn on the wrist were also strong (rs = .801, .679, and .681) while people performed three brief actions (e.g., waving). Finally, in Study 3 the within-subject cross-correlation was high (r = .855) when Motion Tracker’s estimates were correlated with the movement of a person’s head as tracked with a Kinect while the person was seated at a desk (Study 3). Best-practice recommendations, limitations, and planned extensions of the system are discussed.