cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Monkey Prefrontal Neurons Reflect Logical Operations for Cognitive Control in a Variant of the AX Continuous Performance Task (AX-CPT).

Cognitive control is the ability to modify the behavioral response to a stimulus based on internal representations of goals or rules. We sought to characterize neural mechanisms in prefrontal cortex associated with cognitive control in a context that would maximize the potential for future translational relevance to human neuropsychiatric disease. To that end, we trained monkeys to perform a dot-pattern variant of the AX continuous performance task that is used to measure cognitive control impairment in patients with schizophrenia (MacDonald, 2008; Jones et al., 2010). Here we describe how information processing for cognitive control in this task is related to neural activity patterns in prefrontal cortex of monkeys, to advance our understanding of how behavioral flexibility is implemented by prefrontal neurons in general, and to model neural signals in the healthy brain that may be disrupted to produce cognitive control deficits in schizophrenia. We found that the neural representation of stimuli in prefrontal cortex is strongly biased toward stimuli that inhibit prepotent or automatic responses. We also found that population signals encoding different stimuli were modulated to overlap in time specifically in the case that information from multiple stimuli had to be integrated to select a conditional response. Finally, population signals relating to the motor response were biased toward less frequent and therefore less automatic actions. These data relate neuronal activity patterns in prefrontal cortex to logical information processing operations required for cognitive control, and they characterize neural events that may be disrupted in schizophrenia. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Functional imaging studies have demonstrated that cognitive control deficits in schizophrenia are associated with reduced activation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (MacDonald et al., 2005). However, these data do not reveal how the disease has disrupted the function of prefrontal neurons to produce the observed deficits in cognitive control. Relating cognitive control to neurophysiological signals at a cellular level in prefrontal cortex is a necessary first step toward understanding how disruption of these signals could lead to cognitive control failure in neuropsychiatric disease. To that end, we translated a task that measures cognitive control deficits in patients with schizophrenia to monkeys and describe here how neural signals in prefrontal cortex relate to performance.
Experimental Air-Borne Influenza Infection. I. Influence of Humidity on Survival of Virus in Air.∗:

The ease with which infections with influenza A virus can be produced in susceptible animals by allowing them to breathe virus-containing air suggests that this may be an important mode of dissemination of the disease in man.123 Its importance would depend on whether the virus survived in the air sufficiently long for an infective level to be built up. Previous studies have shown that the air in small chambers into which virus had been sprayed was infective for mice up to one hour.3 Further studies have been made concerning the physical factors which influence the survival of virus in larger spaces simulating room environments. The data reported here include the effect of relative humidity on the persistence of virus in the air.The experiments were performed in a room of 800 cubic feet capacity (10 × 10 × 8 feet). The air of the room was gently and continuously agitated by means of a centrally placed, slowly rotating vertical fan. The temperature varied from 27 to 29°C. The low humidity experiments were c...
GM-CSF enhances lung growth and causes alveolar type II epithelial cell hyperplasia in transgenic mice

The human surfactant protein (SP)-C gene promoter was used to direct expression of mouse granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF; SP-C-GM mice) in lung epithelial cells in GM-CSF-r...
Investigation on the Requirements and Compliance of WoLong District AIDS for TCM

Objective:To learn about the status on requirements and compliance of TCM in WoLong district AIDS patients.Methods:200 AIDS patients with Chinese medicine needs and compliance in Wolong area were surveyed,and examination results were analyzed.Results:Some patients believed that Chinese medicine could treat AIDS who are willing to take Chinese medicine accounted for 98.5% of patients.But others believed that Chinese medicine could not treat AIDS who did not want to take Chinese medicine accounted for 1.5%.Among the medication,continuous medication patients accounted for 99%,poor compliance patients accounted for 1%.Conclusion:Chinese medicine holds a high status in the hearts of AIDS patients,which is a simple,convenient,effective,inexpensive treatment.
Analysis on the monitoring results of human brucellosis in Zibo City from 2011 To 2012

Objective To discuss the epidemic tendency of brucellosis in Zibo, and to understand the infectious situation in the population, and to accurately know the epidemic dynamics and provide basis for prevention and control. Methods Diseases surveillance data and active monitoring data from national information system were statistically analyzed. The serological and epidemiological methods were applied to investigate the high-risk groups of brucellosis. Incidence rate, cause, prevention and control measures were analyzed. Results 127 brucellosis cases were reported from 2011 to 2012 in Zibo city. The cases were distributed in 8 counties other than Gaoxin. The infection of farmers was the most, and the age group above 40 years old accounted for 80.72% of the total patients. Spring was the epidemic peak. Related information of 2 public health emergencies of Brucellosis were reported, and both were familial aggregation. In the recent years, the infectious mode was diverse, and the positive rate of suspicious patients managed by active monitoring showed an upward trend year by year. Conclusion The incident areas of brucellosis in Zibo expand gradually, and the epidemic situation is still much serious. Comprehensive prevention and control measures should be further carried out, with the epidemic monitoring, management and control of infectious sources. Health propaganda and behavior intervention for the key population should be developed to control the epidemic of brucellosis.
The molecular basis of inhibition and toxicity of modified cytosine analogues targetting HIV-1 reverse transcriptase.

Among the AIDS drugs approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for clinical use, two are modified cytosine analogues, zalcitabine (ddC) and lamivudine [(-)3TC]. (-)3TC is the only analogue containing an unnatural L(-)nucleoside configuration. Similar to other dideoxynucleosides, these analogues are metabolically activated to the triphosphate that is incorporated into DNA by HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT), resulting in DNA chain termination and ultimately cessation of viral replication. The natural d(+)3TC isomer also acts in a similar manner to inhibit HIV-1 RT. In cell culture (-)3TC is less toxic than its d(+)isomer (+)3TC, containing the natural nucleoside configuration, and both are considerably less toxic than ddC. The mechanistic basis for the stereochemical selectivity and differential toxicity of the isomeric 3TC and ddC compounds is not completely understood, although a number of factors may clearly come into play. We have previously investigated the mechanistic basis for the differential stereoselective inhibition and toxicity of these three cytosine analogues by comparing the effects of ddCTP (+)3TC-TP and (-)3TC-TP on the HIV-1 RT, as well as a recombinant form of the human mitochondrial DNA polymerase (Poly), the holoenzyme polymerase responsible for mitochondrial DNA replication. In this paper, we discuss the molecular mechanism for the stereochemical selectivity and differential toxicity.
Use of Comprehensive Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography with Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometric Detection and Random Forest Pattern Recognition Techniques for Classifying Chemical Threat Agents and Detecting Chemical Attribution Signatures.

In this proof of concept study, chemical threat agent (CTA) samples were classified to their sources with accuracies of 87–100% by applying a random forest statistical pattern recognition technique to analytical data acquired by comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography with time-of-flight mass spectrometric detection (GC × GC-TOFMS). Three organophosphate pesticides, chlorpyrifos, dichlorvos, and dicrotophos, were used as the model CTAs, with data collected for 4–6 sources per CTA and 7–10 replicate analyses per source. The analytical data were also evaluated to determine tentatively identified chemical attribution signatures for the CTAs by comparing samples from different sources according to either the presence/absence of peaks or the relative responses of peaks. These results demonstrate that GC × GC-TOFMS analysis in combination with a random forest technique can be useful in sample classification and signature identification for pesticides. Furthermore, the results suggest that this combinat...
Angiographic Embolization Of Renal Stab Wounds

AbstractNonoperative management of renal stab wounds following complete radiographic assessment has become an accepted if not preferred therapeutic option. Selected injuries, however, including renal artery branch injuries, often require surgical intervention and result in partial or total nephrectomy. We report our experience with 16 renal branch arterial injuries secondary to street stabbing during the last 10 years that were managed with angiography and embolization techniques. Angiography with embolization was the initial treatment in 11 patients, while 5 had undergone emergency surgical intervention initially because of hemodynamic instability. Subsequently, gross hematuria recurred in the latter 5 patients and they were managed angiographically.Overall, 14 of 16 patients had prompt hemostasis documented either on the post-embolization angiogram or by clinical assessment. In 2 patients bleeding was increased but partial nephrectomy ultimately was required. Complications included nontarget embolizatio...
The Zen Path

Discussion of Zen and ethics benefits from an answer to the preliminary question, ‘What is Zen?’ With a focus on elements generally common to the particular forms of the tradition,1 this chapter outlines four overlapping areas of the Zen path: practice, Awakening, wisdom and compassion.
PID-5 trait mediation of childhood maltreatment effects

A national sample (N = 526) of respondents completed the Personality Inventory for the DSM-5 (PID-5) along with measures of childhood maltreatment (sexual abuse, physical abuse, and exposure to intimate partner violence) and indices of internalized (anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, & self-esteem) and externalized (anger, hostility, verbal aggression, physical aggression, conduct disturbance, attentional difficulties) adult maladjustment. The five trait domains of the PID-5 were examined in a path analysis as potential mediators of child maltreatment effects. The maltreatment and trait indicators in this study were all predictive (p < .001) of adult symptomatology. Internalized symptoms were best predicted by traits of Negative Affectivity and Detachment. Externalized symptoms were more closely associated with traits of Disinhibition and Antagonism. These four PID-5 trait domains strongly mediated the effects of sexual abuse and parental hostility. Interpretive caution is warranted by the retrospective and cross-sectional design used to generate these results. Trait development was assumed to have occurred concomitant with childhood maltreatment prior to age 16. While the temporal sequencing of childhood abuse and trait development is inherently complex, these relationships continue to warrant systematic analysis.
A characterization of cardinalsκ such that 2λ = 2κ wheneverκ ≦λ < 2κ

We characterize cardinalsκ such that 2λ = 2κ wheneverκ ≦λ < 2κ using ideals in small algebras of sets satisfying certain completeness and saturation conditions.
Advocacy Groups and the Discourse of Teacher Policy Reform: An Analysis of Policy Narratives

In recent years, several states have engaged in significant action surrounding a key policy area—teacher policy reform. In Florida, for example, the passage of Senate Bill (SB) 736, the Student Suc...
A tribo-dynamic contact fatigue model for spur gear pairs

Abstract This study proposes a contact fatigue model for spur gears operating under the high speed condition where the dynamic behavior is evident. Realizing the tight relationship between the gear dynamics and the gear tribology, a six degree-of-freedom discrete dynamics model and a mixed elastohydrodynamic lubrication model for spur gears are bridged through an iterative numerical scheme to determine the surface normal pressure and tangential shear under the tribo-dynamic condition, where the gear dynamics and the gear tribology interact. The resultant multi-axial stress fields (from these surface tractions) on and below the surface are then used to assess the fatigue damage. A comparison between the tribo-dynamic and quasi-static life predictions is performed to demonstrate the important role of the gear tribo-dynamics in the fatigue damage. The impacts of the input torque, surface roughness and lubricant temperature on the gear contact fatigue under the tribo-dynamic condition are also investigated.
Tudor Consorts: The Politics of Matchmaking, 1483–1543

When early modern kings wed, because their choices had national and international implications, their subjects expected them to make decisions based on appropriate dynastic, political, and hierarchical criteria. This essay examines the process by which Henry VII and Henry VIII chose and wed their seven different consorts. It highlights how special circumstances, the Wars of the Roses, the death of Henry VII’s heir Arthur, Prince of Wales, and the Reformation led them to adopt strategies that deviated from the usual patterns of royal matchmaking, both in terms of their choices and in the use of religious and royal ritual.
RESISTANCE TO ALTERNARIA BROWN SPOT OF NEW CITRUS HYBRIDS

ABSTRACT Alternaria brown spot (ABS) disease is caused by the fungus of Alternaria alternata f. sp. citri, which causes injury in leaves, branches and fruits of citrus. The action of the pathogen is directly related to the presence of toxin receptors in susceptible genotypes. The objective of this study was to characterize a population of citrus hybrids obtained from controlled crosses between Pera de Abril sweet orange and the hybrid of Murcott tangor x Pera sweet orange (TM x LP 163) for response to ABS through the in vitro inoculation of fungal spores in young detached leaves. The fungus was isolated from the lesions of Murcott tangor fruits that exhibited ABS symptoms. Two hundred thirty-five hybrids were evaluated, and 70 (30%) showed different levels of disease symptoms on detached leaves after 72 hours of inoculation with the fungus, and 165 (70%) were asymptomatic. The frequency of segregation observed (165R:70S) and high level of heritability (h2g = 0.91) suggest that few genes may be involved in controlling the inheritance of ABS resistance in citrus.
Youth Gun Violence Prevention in a Digital Age

Gakirah Barnes, a 17-year old who publicly claimed affiliation with a well-known Chicago gang, was killed just 3 blocks from her home in 2014. She had revealed her address in real time on social media, which directed the perpetrators to her exact location. Her Twitter account revealed a road map of clues about the trauma she endured and her own engagement in violence. Her online history included direct and indirect threats toward known rival gangs, boastful discussions of the perpetration of past violence, images and videos of her with semiautomatic handguns, and countless expressions of loss and grief. Although it is evident that Gakirah’s Twitter posts played a role in her killing, could the same social media information have been used to prevent her death? Firearm violence is a serious public health problem in the United States, where the firearm death rate is 10 times higher than other high-income, industrialized nations. Firearm violence is particularly acute in large cities, where violence tends to cluster in marginalized communities of color. In a report from the University of Chicago Crime Laboratory,1 researchers stated that Chicago experienced a 58% increase in homicides in 2016; 80% of those homicide victims were African American, and within that group, most were males between the ages of 15 and 34 with at least 1 previous arrest. In addition, for the first 6 months of 2017, Chicago logged 327 homicides, which puts it on pace to … Address correspondence to Desmond Upton Patton, PhD, MSW, Columbia University School of Social Work, 1255 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10027. E-mail: dp2787{at}columbia.edu
Escherichia coli cultures maintain stable subpopulation structure during long-term evolution

How genetic variation is generated and maintained remains a central question in evolutionary biology. When presented with a complex environment, microbes can take advantage of genetic variation to exploit new niches. Here we present a massively parallel experiment where WT and repair-deficient (∆mutL) Escherichia coli populations have evolved over 3 y in a spatially heterogeneous and nutritionally complex environment. Metagenomic sequencing revealed that these initially isogenic populations evolved and maintained stable subpopulation structure in just 10 mL of medium for up to 10,000 generations, consisting of up to five major haplotypes with many minor haplotypes. We characterized the genomic, transcriptomic, exometabolomic, and phenotypic differences between clonal isolates, revealing subpopulation structure driven primarily by spatial segregation followed by differential utilization of nutrients. In addition to genes regulating the import and catabolism of nutrients, major polymorphisms of note included insertion elements transposing into fimE (regulator of the type I fimbriae) and upstream of hns (global regulator of environmental-change and stress-response genes), both known to regulate biofilm formation. Interestingly, these genes have also been identified as critical to colonization in uropathogenic E. coli infections. Our findings illustrate the complexity that can arise and persist even in small cultures, raising the possibility that infections may often be promoted by an evolving and complex pathogen population.
A novel method for demonstrating cold agglutinin disease: a case report

Cold agglutinin disease is a rare disorder characterized by an autoimmune hemolytic anemia occurring at low temperatures. Physical examination findings, often limited to acrocyanosis, are combined with a thermal amplitude test to help establish the diagnosis. Thermal amplitude testing determines the highest temperature at which the cold agglutination will occur and is an important parameter in diagnosing cold agglutinin disease. Here we describe a 57-year-old white man of German and Nicaraguan descent with known chronic cold agglutinin disease who presented to our ophthalmology clinic for evaluation of a cataract. During routine cataract surgery, the lowered temperature of the conjunctiva from intermittent flow of balanced salt solution at room temperature induced a cold agglutination reaction in conjunctival vessels easily visible under a surgical microscope. To the best of our knowledge, this method of demonstrating cold agglutinin disease has not been described in the literature and could easily be performed utilizing an ordinary slit lamp. This method could be used as an alternative and rapid screening method for cold agglutinin disease.
Towards quantifying psychiatric diagnosis using machine learning algorithms and big fMRI data

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common brain disorders among children and is very difficult to diagnose using current methods. Similarly other mental disorders are subject to the same systematic errors with sufficient evidence of diagnostic errors as well as over-prescribing of drugs due to misdiagnosis. For most mental health disorders there is no quantitative method that will inform the presence or absence of a given mental disorder. We argue that definitive and quantitative diagnostic tests are necessary for ADHD and other mental disorders. To this end, big data Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) and machine learning algorithms can be instrumental in changing the way psychiatric disorders are diagnosed and treated. We briefly discuss our recent research efforts and future directions for a quantitative gold standard tests for psychiatric diagnosis.
Type I Chiari Malformation Presenting in an Adult.

Type I Chiari malformations (CMs) is an acquired or congenital disorder characterised by the presence of the cerebellar tonsils at 5 mm or below of the spinal canal, which can result in abnormal cerebrospinal fluid flow and produce headaches, syrinx or hydrocephalus. CMs are still considered an uncommon disease with a prevalence in the USA of less than 1%.1 2 We present a 44-year-old man with no medical history who presented to the emergency department complaining of nausea, vomiting, vertigo and a 2-day history of headaches exacerbated with Valsalva manoeuvres. He was initially admitted with a working diagnosis of ischaemic stroke and underwent a CT scan of the brain, which was unremarkable. Further work-up with brain MRI disclosed incidental cerebellar herniation 6.5 mm below the foramen magnum (figure 1) and no abnormalities in spinal canal MRIs. The patient was treated symptomatically with oral acetaminophen 500 mg three times …
ACE inhibitor angioedema: a very late presentation

The patient, a hypertensive man, 77 years of age, presented at a local rural hospital after noticing increasing swelling of his tongue, leading to difficulty talking and then difficulty breathing. These symptoms developed over about 2 hours and he had not noted any rash. He had been on enalapril 10–20 mg for 23 years. He had also been on hydrochlorothiazide and atorvastatin for some years. He had not taken any non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) before the swelling developed.
Endoscopy by nonphysicians.

In 1945, Henry J Kaiser organized a group of physicians to provide health care for shipyard workers and their families. His foundation, Kaiser Permanente (USA), has developed into a prepaid health plan facility serving 8.4 million members in nine states and in Washington, DC, within the United States. It aspires to provide high quality, affordable, integrated health care within an organized, efficient system. A focus on preventive care in a cost-effective manner is a high priority. The Kaiser Permanente northwest region (covering northwest Oregon and southwest Washington) serves nearly one-half of a million members. Our region has utilized nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) (allied health care providers) in a variety of capacities for many years. The present paper reviews the background and current status of their role in endoscopy.
Genotype-environment interactions in peas.

The experiments described in this paper were designed to measure some of the genotype-environment interactions in peas and the emphasis has been upon the characters which are of importance in relation to the time of maturity, uniformity of maturity and to yield.
ASketch: a sketching framework for Alloy

Alloy is a declarative modeling language that supports first-order logic with transitive closure. Alloy has been used in a variety of domains to model software systems and find design deficiencies. However, it is often challenging to make an Alloy model correct or to debug a faulty Alloy model. ASketch is a sketching/synthesis technique that can help users write correct Alloy models. ASketch allows users to provide a partial Alloy model with holes, a generator that specifies candidate fragments to be considered for each hole, and a set of tests that capture the desired model properties. Then, the tool completes the holes such that all tests for the completed model pass. ASketch uses tests written for the recently introduced AUnit framework, which provides a foundation of testing (unit tests, test execution, and model coverage) for Alloy models in the spirit of traditional unit testing. This paper describes our Java implementation of ASketch, which is a command-line tool, released as an open-source project on GitHub. Our experimental results show that ASketch can handle partial Alloy models with multiple holes and a large search space. The demo video for ASketch can be found at https://youtu.be/T5NIVsV329E.
Early Masseter to Facial Nerve Transfer May Improve Smile Excursion in Facial Paralysis.

Background Masseter-to-facial nerve transfer has been shown to be an effective and safe treatment option in patients with acute and subacute facial palsy. The present article aims to characterize whether there is a benefit in early nerve transfers while minimizing other confounding variables; we present a study that consist of only patients with complete facial nerve paralysis resulting from intratemporal facial nerve resections. Methods Between 2012 and 2016, 7 masseter-to-facial nerve transfers were performed for complete facial nerve palsy after intratemporal proximal nerve resections. Pre- and postoperative photographic and video evaluations were performed using both the Sunnybrook facial grading scale and the MEEI FACE-gram software for more objective metric measurements. Statistical analysis was performed to determine which patient and surgical variables had significant effects on outcome. Results Mean 14-month follow-up revealed that patients who underwent nerve transfer prior to 6 months' denervation achieved postoperative oral commissural excursion of 11.1 mm versus 6.5 mm in patients who underwent nerve transfer after 6 months (P = 0.003). Performing masseter-to-facial nerve transfer to the main facial nerve trunk resulted in a significantly higher improvement in the modiolus-philtral ratio (31.6% versus 6.1%) than selective transfer in patients (P = 0.01) at the latest follow-up. Conclusions Early masseter-to-facial nerve transfers, before 6 months of palsy duration, can potentially improve smile excursion and symmetry of open mouth smile. Additionally, truncal coaptations may provide improved tone over coapting to selective facial nerve branches. These findings necessitate larger studies regarding the importance of denervation time with fifth-to-seventh nerve transfers.
Reforming Restrictive Housing: The 2018 ASCA-Liman Nationwide Survey of Time-in-Cell

Reforming Restrictive Housing: The 2018 ASCA-Liman Nationwide Survey of Time-in-Cell is the fourth in a series of research projects co-authored by the Association of State Correctional Administrators (ASCA) and the Arthur Liman Center at Yale Law School. These monographs provide a unique, longitudinal, nationwide database. The topic is “restrictive housing,” often termed “solitary confinement,” and defined as separating prisoners from the general population and holding them in cells for an average of 22 hours or more per day for 15 continuous days or more. The 2018 monograph is based on survey responses from 43 prison systems that held 80.6% of the U.S. prison population. They reported that 49,197 individuals—4.5% of the people in their custody—were in restrictive housing. Extrapolating, we estimate that some 61,000 individuals were in isolation in U.S. prisons. This number does not include people in most jails or juvenile, military, or immigration facilities. Two areas of special concern are the impact of mental illness and the length of time individuals spend in restrictive housing. Correctional systems use a variety of definitions for serious mental illness. Using their own descriptions, jurisdictions counted more than 4,000 prisoners identified as seriously mentally ill and in restrictive housing. Within the 36 jurisdictions that reported on the length of time people had been in segregation, most people were held for a year or less. Twenty-five jurisdictions counted more than 3,500 individuals held more than three years. Reforming Restrictive Housing details policy changes tracking the impact of the 2016 American Correctional Association’s (ACA) Restrictive Housing Performance Based Standards. The ACA Standards call for limiting the use of isolation for pregnant women, juveniles, and seriously mentally ill individuals. This monograph also compares the responses of the 40 prison systems that answered the ASCA-Liman surveys in both 2015 and 2017. See ASCA-Liman, Aiming to Reduce Time-in-Cell (Nov. 2016), SSRN No. 2874492. The number in restrictive housing was reported to have decreased from 56,000 in 2015 to 47,000 in 2017. Looking at specific states, in more than two dozen systems, the numbers in segregation decreased. In 11 systems, the numbers went up. A related monograph, Working to Limit Restrictive Housing: Efforts in Four Jurisdictions to Make Changes, details the work of four correctional administrations to limit—and in one state abolish—holding people in cells 22 hours a day for 15 days or more.
Radionuclide‐Activated Nanomaterials and Their Biomedical Applications

Radio-nanomedicine, or the use of radiolabeled nanoparticles in nuclear medicine, has attracted much attention in the last few decades. Since the discovery of Cerenkov radiation and its employment in Cerenkov luminescence imaging, the combination of nanomaterials and Cerenkov radiation emitters has been revolutionizing the way nanomaterials are perceived in the field: from simple inert carriers of radioactivity to activatable nanomaterials for both diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Herein, we provide a comprehensive review on the types of nanomaterials that have been used to interact with Cerenkov radiation and the gamma and beta scintillation of radionuclides, as well as on their biological applications.
Top-Down MXene Synthesis (Selective Etching)

Two-dimensional (2D) transition metal carbides, nitrides, and carbonitrides, commonly known as MXenes, have continually gained interest since the discovery of the first MXene in 2011, due to their tunable structures, wide variety of properties, and performance in an extensive set of applications. However, the resulting structures, properties, and performances have been directly related to how the material is synthesized or processed. This chapter serves as an introduction to the current top-down chemical etching methods used to synthesize MXenes, such as fluoride-containing aqueous etchant solutions, molten-salt etching procedures, and alkaline or hydrothermal treatments. Emphasis is given to selective etching from aluminum-containing layered precursors; however, insight into selective etching of other A elements (gallium, silicon, etc.) is discussed. The latter half of the chapter is devoted to reviewing large-scale production and processing methods, general processing and properties which should be expected after each synthesis or deposition route, an overview of current challenges, and a perspective for the future of 2D MXenes.
Distinct Catalytic Behaviors between Two 1,4-Dioxane-Degrading Monooxygenases: Kinetics, Inhibition, and Substrate Range

Monitored natural attenuation (MNA) and engineered bioremediation have been recognized as effective and cost-efficient in situ treatments to mitigate 1,4-dioxane (dioxane) contamination. Dioxane metabolism can be initiated by two catabolic enzymes, propane monooxygenase (PRM) and tetrahydrofuran monooxygenase (THM), belonging to the group-6 and 5 of soluble di-iron monooxygenase family, respectively. In this study, we comprehensively compared catalytic behaviors of PRM and THM when individually expressed in the heterologous host, Mycobacterium smegmatis mc2-155. Kinetic results revealed a half-saturation coefficient (Km) of 53.0 ± 13.1 mg/L for PRM, nearly 4 times lower than that of THM (235.8 ± 61.6 mg/L), suggesting that PRM has a higher affinity to dioxane. Exposure with three common co-contaminants (1,1-dichloroethene, trichloroethene, and 1,1,1-trichloroethane) demonstrated that PRM was also more resistant to their inhibition than THM. Thus, dioxane degraders expressing PRM may be more physiologically and ecologically advantageous than those with THM at impacted sites, where dioxane concentration is relatively low (e.g., 250 to 1000 μg/L) with co-occurrence of chlorinated solvents (e.g., 0.5 to 8 mg/L), underscoring the need of surveying both PRM and THM-encoding genes for MNA potential assessment. PRM is also highly versatile, which breaks down cyclic molecules (dioxane, tetrahydrofuran, and cyclohexane), as well as chlorinated and aromatic pollutants, including vinyl chloride, 1,2-dichloroethane, benzene, and toluene. This is the first report regarding the ability of PRM to degrade a variety of short-chain alkanes and ethene in addition to dioxane, unraveling its pivotal role in aerobic biostimulation that utilizes propane, isobutane, or other gaseous alkanes/alkenes (e.g., ethane, butane, and ethene) to select and fuel indigenous microorganisms to tackle the commingled contamination of dioxane and chlorinated compounds.
Three-dimensional modeling of performance degradation of planar SOFC with phosphine exposure

Abstract A three-dimensional computational model is developed to predict the performance degradation of planar SOFC anodes exposed to fuel contaminants commonly present in coal syngas. The model parameters are calibrated using data from button cell experiments. The calibrated model is then used to perform simulations to predict performance degradation of planar cells due to phosphine contamination. The results from degradation simulations show that the contaminant coverage alters the current and temperature distributions significantly. The electrochemical characteristics of the degraded cell are analyzed by performing impedance and polarization simulations. The impedance analysis is applied to the cell in three regions along the fuel flow direction to elucidate location specific degradation phenomena. The results show that the degradation rates and the impedance behavior of planar cells are very different and more complicated than those observed in button cells. In such cases, localized impedance analysis may be necessary to elucidate various degradation mechanisms.
Superpower interrupted: The Chinese history of the world, Michael Schuman: New York: PublicAffairs, 2020, 384 pp., $30.00.

China and the United States appear to be inching ever-closer to a Second Cold War. If these two countries indeed are settling into an indeterminate, but presumably multi-decade, period of deep mutu...
DEVELOPMENT OF A COUPLED SUBPLANE CAPABILITY IN MPACT

Recent efforts in the development of the deterministic transport code MPACT have been devoted to preparing the 2D/1D subplane method to be a production-level capability, as well as leveraging a multilevel coarse mesh finite difference (CMFD) approach to substantially reduce the runtime of target problems. For example, as compared to the previous default 2D/1D solver in MPACT on a standard quarter core model, the new solver reduces in core-hour requirements by ~5–6×.Previous work focused solely on cases without multiphysics feedback, which is obviously important for analyzing the more realistic problems of operating reactors. The work presented in this article focuses on efforts to incorporate thermal hydraulics (TH) coupling through CTF by leveraging what are termed as subgrid solvers , which effectively treat material heterogeneities within subplane regions. Previous efforts have targeted using subgrid solvers for control rods and spacer grids; in this work, they are applied to account for the material property heterogeneities with regards to temperature/density distributions. This will allow the fidelity of coupling to be maintained while still reaping the performance benefits.These new developments are demonstrated on two problems: (1) a single assembly case with feedback, known as Progression Problem 6a , and (2) a 3×3 cluster of assemblies with feedback based on Progression Problem 4a . The results demonstrate notable performance improvement potential for cases with TH feedback, but this approach is more dependent on the iteration process.
A review of the thermal performance of vapor chambers and heat sinks: Critical heat flux, thermal resistances, and surface temperatures

Abstract Critical heat flux (CHF), heat transfer surface temperature, and thermal resistance are arguably the three most important design and performance parameters for any two-phase cooling system. The present study focuses on a review of published articles on the thermal performance enhancements of a vapor chamber, which is one of the most-studied two-phase liquid-vapor-based cooling system for high heat-flux-dissipating systems in the last few decades. Included are both experimental and numerical findings of different geometrical and thermophysical parameters that govern and control different heat transfer phenomena in vapor chambers. Like other two-phase cooling systems, a typical vapor chamber consists of an evaporator, a condenser, a wicking structure, and an adiabatic casing. However, the overall thermal performance of a vapor chamber is mainly dependent on the heat transfer and/or capillary characteristics of the wicking structure, i.e., the evaporation and liquid supply wicks, thus, vapor chambers in this study have been classified based on the type of wick. They include sintered metal powder, axial grooves or channels, and screen/wire mesh-type evaporation wicks. Other less popular evaporation wick designs are also discussed. Moreover, some researchers have carried out comparative studies between vapor chambers of different evaporation wick, and this study has highlighted their respective pros and cons. It is important to mention that this review paper is not designed as an exhaustive study of vapor chambers but to serve as an update on the existing progress on the heat transfer performance enhancement of the technology. Finally, recommendations are provided for future research direction in terms of manufacturing and characterizing vapor chambers for concentrated heat flux dissipation applications.
Dynamic color flow: a motion-adaptive color model for object segmentation in video

Accurately modeling object colors, and features in general, plays a critical role in video segmentation and analysis. Commonly used color models, such as global Gaussian mixtures, localized Gaussian mixtures, and pixel-wise adaptive ones, often fail to accurately represent the object appearance in complicated scenes, thereby leading to segmentation errors. We introduce a new color model, Dynamic Color Flow, which unlike previous approaches, incorporates motion estimation into color modeling in a probabilistic framework, and adaptively changes model parameters to match the local properties of the motion. The proposed model accurately and reliably describes changes in the scene's appearance caused by motion across frames. We show how to apply this color model to both foreground and background layers in a balanced way for efficient object segmentation in video. Experimental results show that when compared with previous approaches, our model provides more accurate foreground and background estimations, leading to more efficient video object cutout systems.
Data Mining: Algorithms and Problems

Data mining, or knowledge discovery in databases (KDD), is an interdisciplinary field that integrates techniques from several research areas including machine learning, statistics, database systems, and pattern recognition, for the analysis of large volumes of possibly complex, highly-distributed and poorly-organized data. The prosperity of the data mining field may attribute to two essential reasons. Firstly, a huge amount of data is collected and stored everyday. On the one hand, along with the continuing development of advanced technologies in many domains, data is generated at enormous speeds. For examples, purchases data at department/grocery stores, bank/credit card transaction data, e-commerce data, Internet traffic data that describes the browsing history of Web users, remote sensor data from agricultural satellites, and gene expression data from microarray technology. On the other hand, the progress made in hardware technology allows today's computer systems to store very large amounts of data. Secondly, with these large volumes of data at hand, the data owners have an imminent intent to turn them into useful knowledge. From a commercial viewpoint, the ultimate goal of the data owners is to gain more and pay less for their business activities. Under the competition pressure, they want to enhance their services, develop cost-effective strategies, and target the right group of potential customers. From a scientific viewpoint, when traditional techniques are infeasible in dealing with the raw data, data mining may help scientists in many ways, such as classifying and segmenting data. By applying the knowledge extracted from data mining, the business analyst may rate customers by their propensity to respond to an offer, the doctor may estimate the probability of an illness re-occurrence, the website publisher may display customized Web pages to individual Web users according to their browsing habit, and the geneticist may discover novel gene-gene interaction patterns. In this talk, we aim to provide a general picture for important data mining steps, topics, algorithms and challenges.
Power absorption by surface films on microwave windows

The heating of microwave transmission windows places an effective upper limit on the amount of power that may be transmitted through the window. The mechanical stresses in the window due to thermal gradients can cause window failure even if localized failure initiators such as multipactor (which is of concern only for frequencies below 30 GHz), are ignored. In this paper we investigate the effect of thin surface films on power absorption. Unwanted surface films are known to form on diamond gyrotron windows, while thin films of TiN are intentionally deposited on alumina klystron windows to protect against multipactor.
The intelligent microelectronics factory of the future

It is projected that semiconductor device manufacturing near the year 2000 will be carried out on silicon wafers as large as 300 mm in diameter. Minimum geometries will approach 0.18 mu m for the 1024 Mbit DRAM. Chip (device) sizes will be as large as 450 sq. mm. This will require a new manufacturing paradigm. It is projected that the factory of the future will come very close to actual intelligent microelectronic manufacturing. The factory computer will have dynamic planning and scheduling along with process/equipment diagnosis and prognosis. Cost-effective, highly reliable processing equipment will evolve based on a cluster concept. These computer-intensive, intelligent clusters of process equipment will be linked to the factory computer. The computer will download and change recipes for each wafer. Process control technology of the 1990s will used smart sensors in the equipment to drive the process to the target value. Model predictive process control with feedback and feedforward will replace traditional statistical process control. >
The Response of the Acute-Phase Plasma Protein α2-Macroglobulin to Vitamin A Deficiency in the Rat

Alpha2-macroglobulin (alpha2-M) was determined in the sera of vitamin A-deficient and pair-fed control rats. Alpha2-macroglobulin levels were assayed by radial immunodiffusion using a purified standard sample from sera from turpentine-stressed rats. There was no significant increase in the serum level of alpha2-M in vitamin A-deficient rats relative to pair-fed controls, indicating that there was no acute response to the stress of the deficiency. When turpentine was injected to elicit an acute response, the serum level of alpha2-M rose equally (by almost 100-fold) in both deficient and normal rats. It was concluded that the response to vitamin A deficiency of serum glycoprotein synthesis shows some specificity in that the synthesis of alpha2-M in response to stress was not affected by vitamin A, whereas we previously found that levels of alpha1-M, which is very similar to alpha2-M, decline with vitamin A deficiency.
The nuclear-quadrupole-induced dipole moment of HD

Abstract We calculate in a simple MO way the dipole moment induced in HD by the nuclear quadrupole of the deuteron, as a function of the internuclear separation. We find a reversal of the direction of the dipole with increasing internuclear separation, for which we note indirect experimental evidence. As a check on the accuracy of our result we also calculate the electric field gradient induced at the D nucleus by an external electric field, per unit external field, which for exact theory would be exactly the same function. The form of the function so obtained is indeed similar - although not identical - to that for the dipole moment. The dipole moment at the equilibrium internuclear separation is ≈0.075 atomic units per unit quadrupole moment, directed H−→D+. (For the measured quadrupole moment of the deuteron, this is ≈2×10−11 D.) However, we find the induced field gradient at the deuteron for this separation to be 0.094 atomic units per unit external field, in the opposite direction.
Globalization of graphics: delineating a research into using the scalable vector graphics file format to improve the translation of graphics

Globalization of software products is not a trivial pursuit nor is it an inexpensive venture. The sheer number of items in a software product that can be subject to translation is overwhelming. The issue is further compounded as the number of required target languages increases.This situation aptly describes the IBM® technical documentation translation challenge. With each passing year, the number of documentation pages grows. It is safe to assume that the number of graphics used to improve user comprehension also increases proportionately along with the amount of new textual information.A system and process to automate translation is a necessity to curb the escalating cost of providing national language versions of graphics. IBM has such a system and process; however, they have been in place since the years of hardcopy manuals with some minor adjustments added when the World Wide Web tide swept the globe in the 1990s.Many years have passed and the method of producing technical documentation has changed with the introduction of XML and new graphics file formats. The time has come to revisit the current process of creating graphics, inserting them in an XML authoring environment, and then translating the whole package.This paper describes the current globalization of graphics environment and preliminary investigation into using Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) to improve the end-to-end translation process
Material property requirements for analysis and design of UHTC components in hypersonic applications

Analytical modeling of thermal and mechanical response is a fundamental step in the design process for ultra-high-temperature ceramic components, such as nose tips and wing leading edges for hypersonic applications. The purpose of the analyses is to understand the response of test articles to high-enthalpy flows in ground tests and to predict component performance in particular flight environments. Performing these analyses and evaluating the results require comprehensive and accurate physical, thermal, and mechanical properties. In this paper, we explain the nature of the analyses, highlight the essential material properties that are required and why they are important, and describe the impact of property accuracy and uncertainty on the design process.