cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Energy Utilization by the Broiler Chicken as Affected by Various Fats and Fat Levels

Two experiments were designed to investigate the effects of fat supplementation at different levels on energy utilization by the broiler chicken. In one experiment, finisher diets containing 2.5, 5.0, or 10.0% of added corn oil (CO), poultry oil (PO), tallow (T), or a commercial hydrolyzed animal-vegetable fat blend (HB) were fed. In the second experiment, starter diets containing 0, 2.5, or 7.5% added CO, PO or HB were fed. Metabolizable energy (ME) values were not controlled through formulation but were determined experimentally. Energy retention was measured by a slaughter technique, and metabolic energy losses were calculated as the difference between metabolizable energy intake and energy deposition in the carcass. Broilers that were fed PO, T, and HB failed to adjust feed intake to control caloric intake. They ate significantly more ME calories per day when these fat sources were fed, gained more, were fatter, and had a lower feed:gain ratio than broilers fed no added fat or lower levels of fat. Failure to regulate caloric intake when fats are added to diets may be a component of the "extra caloric" effect of fat. Broilers which were fed CO tended to regulate their caloric intake better than those which are fed PO, T, and HB. It was not determined if CO is less palatable than the other fat sources or if the unsaturated fatty acids metabolically regulate appetite. When CO was fed, broilers tended to have lower feed:gain ratios than when the other fats were fed. There was an indication that daily heat production was less when CO was fed, which would suggest a lower heat increment. Fatty acid analysis verified the efficient use of dietary fats for adipose deposition and suggested a disproportionately greater use of the unsaturated fatty acids for carcass lipids.
Phenotypic impacts of PBAN RNA interference in an ant, Solenopsis invicta, and a moth, Helicoverpa zea

Insect neuropeptide hormones represent more than 90% of all insect hormones. The PBAN/pyrokinin family is a major group of insect neuropeptides, and they are expected to be found from all insect groups. These species-specific neuropeptides have been shown to have a variety of functions from embryo to adult. PBAN is well understood in moth species relative to sex pheromone biosynthesis, but other potential functions are yet to be determined. Recently, we focused on defining the PBAN gene and peptides in fire ants in preparation for an investigation of their function(s). RNA interference (RNAi) technology is a convenient tool to investigate unknown physiological functions in insects, and it is now an emerging method for development of novel biologically-based control agents as alternatives to insecticides. This could be a paradigm shift that will avoid many problems associated with conventional chemical insecticides. In this study, we selected the PBAN gene and its neuropeptide products as an RNAi target from two insect groups; a social insect, the fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) and a non-social insect, the corn earworm (Helicoverpa zea). Both insects are economically important pests. We report negative impacts after PBAN dsRNA treatment to suppress PBAN gene transcription during developmental and adult stages of both species, e.g. increased adult and larval mortality, delayed pupal development and decreased sex pheromone production in the moth. This is an important first step in determining the multiple functions of the PBAN gene in these two insects. This work illustrates the variety of phenotypic effects observed after RNAi silencing of the PBAN gene and suggests the possibility of novel biologically-based insect pest control methods.
Therapy with adolescents: Treating the “marginal man”

Following a historical precis of the psychological views of adolescence, descriptions and research on developmental concepts, such as physical development, cognitive development, identity formation, and issues of autonomy, are examined in relation to treating adolescence. Frequently occurring adolescent problems are identified, and treatment research in the areas of smoking prevention, parent-adolescent conflict, and school attendance is highlighted to illustrate the importance of the role of peers, the promotion of independence, and the potency of addressing cognitive and behavioral skills when treating adolescent cases.
Biomechanical Evaluation of Osteoporotic Sheep Long Bones

The objective of this research was to develop a calcium phosphate-based synthetic bone mineral (SBM) that will have a potential for osteoporosis therapy and prevention. The goal of this study was to test the efficacy of SBM in preventing loss of strength in long bones of osteoporotic sheep. The animals were divided into four groups: sham-operated; ovariectomized (OVX); OVX supplemented with SBM without fluoride; OVX supplemented with SBM containing fluoride. The bones were scanned by CT and tested mechanically in 4-point-bending from which the mechanical properties and fracture behavior were evaluated. The load at 1mm deformation for the OVX sheep tibias was significantly lower than the sham operated group and groups with special diets. The sheep given the SBM (+F) showed the highest load carrying capacity. Similarly, the stiffness and energy to fracture of the OVX sheep was also significantly lower than the group given SBM (+F). The ultimate stress and the elastic modulus did not show any statistically significant difference among the four groups. SBM was partially successful at preventing loss of bone strength in osteoporotic sheep.
Calculations of two-fluid magnetohydrodynamic axisymmetric steady-states

M3D-C^1 is an implicit, high-order finite element code for the solution of the time-dependent nonlinear two-fluid magnetohydrodynamic equations [S.C. Jardin, J. Breslau, N. Ferraro, A high-order implicit finite element method for integrating the two-fluid magnetohydrodynamic equations in two dimensions, J. Comp. Phys. 226 (2) (2007) 2146-2174]. This code has now been extended to allow computations in toroidal geometry. Improvements to the spatial integration and time-stepping algorithms are discussed. Steady-states of a resistive two-fluid model, self-consistently including flows, anisotropic viscosity (including gyroviscosity) and heat flux, are calculated for diverted plasmas in geometries typical of the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) [M. Ono et al., Exploration of spherical torus physics in the NSTX device, Nucl. Fusion 40 (3Y) (2000) 557-561]. These states are found by time-integrating the dynamical equations until the steady-state is reached, and are therefore stationary or statistically steady on both magnetohydrodynamic and transport time-scales. Resistively driven cross-surface flows are found to be in close agreement with Pfirsch-Schluter theory. Poloidally varying toroidal flows are in agreement with comparable calculations [A.Y. Aydemir, Shear flows at the tokamak edge and their interaction with edge-localized modes, Phys. Plasmas 14]. New effects on core toroidal rotation due to gyroviscosity and a local particle source are observed.
JH III production, titers and degradation in relation to reproduction in male and female Anthonomus grandis

Juvenile hormone (JH) is necessary for the production of vitellogenin (Vg) in the boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis. Occurrence of Vg in this species is typically restricted to reproductively competent females, and is not detected in untreated males. However, the JH analog, methoprene stimulates Vg production in intact males and in the isolated abdomens of both male and female boll weevils (where in each case no Vg is detected without treatment), suggesting that males are competent to produce Vg but are normally not stimulated to do so. Preliminary work indicating that male boll weevil corpora allata (CA) produced little or no JH in vitro suggested that failure of males to produce Vg might be due to very low JH levels compared to females. This study re-examines the question of JH in male boll weevils by determining in vitro production of JH III by male CA during the first 10 days after adult emergence, determining hemolymph JH esterase activity during this same time period and hemolymph JH III titers in adults of both sexes. We also re-examine the ability of isolated male abdomens to produce Vg in response to hormonal stimulation, analyzing the effect of a wide range of methoprene and JH III dosages. Results indicate that male A. grandis have circulating JH titers and JH production similar to females. JH esterase activity is slightly but significantly higher in males than females. Vg production by isolated abdomens of both sexes after stimulation with methoprene or JH III was confirmed. Dose response studies indicated that high levels of methoprene were less effective than intermediate doses in stimulating Vg synthesis in both sexes. We conclude that the sexually dimorphic effect of JH on Vg synthesis is not due to differences in JH production or differences in JH titer between the sexes.
'Pseudospongioplasty' in the repair of a urethral diverticulum.

OBJECTIVES To describe a technique for repairing urethral diverticula which includes neourethral reconstruction and increasing the mechanical support of the neourethra. PATIENTS AND METHODS Between February 1995 and May 2000, 267 patients with proximal hypospadias underwent a one-stage penile skin longitudinal flap urethroplasty. The overall postoperative complication rate was 20%; a diverticulum formed in 24 patients (9%) and in all it was repaired. Diverticulectomy was carried out by de-epithelialization of excess diverticular skin, so that two subcutaneous vascularized tissue wings could be created. After re-establishing distal urethral patency and neourethral closure, the de-epithelialized diverticular wings were folded and overlapped to form a mechanical support for the neourethral ventral wall; this procedure was termed ‘pseudospongioplasty’. RESULTS There were no recurrences of diverticulum or any fistula formation. The only complication was urethral stenosis in two cases, which was successfully resolved by internal urethrotomy. CONCLUSION Re-establishing patency and providing mechanical support are essential when repairing a urethral diverticulum. Our technique with pseudospongiosal tissue reconstruction during the repair represents a good alternative or addition to other techniques.
Relaxation of a strained elastic film on a viscous layer

Experiments were conducted with SiGe film islands on a layer of borophosphorosilicate glass (BPSG). Initially the SiGe is under compression. Upon annealing, the glass flows and the SiGe islands relax by both inplane expansion and wrinkling. This paper provides a two-dimensional (2D) model for inplane expansion. The results from the model are compared with the experiments with small SiGe islands. The effect of winkling, which is ignored in the present model, is discussed qualitatively.
Axisymmetric and bifurcation creep buckling of externally pressurised spherical shells

Abstract The creep buckling behavior of a geometrically imperfect complete spherical shell subjected to a uniform external pressure is examined using Sanders' equilibrium and kinematic equations appropriately modified to include the influence of initial stress-free imperfections in the radius. The Norton-Bailey constitutive equations are used to describe the secondary creep behavior and elastic effects are retained. The initial imperfections have the same shape as the classical axisymmetric elastic buckling mode and the initial elastic response is obtained analytically for external pressures smaller than the corresponding static collapse pressure. Numerical finite-difference procedures are used to obtain the axisymmetrical creep buckling behavior and to determine when a bifurcation or loss of uniqueness into a non-axisymmetric deformation state occurs. The numerical results for the creep buckling behavior of complete spherical shells are similar for hydrostatic and deadweight-type external pressures, at least for the particular parameters examined herein, and demonstrate that initial imperfections exercise an important influence on the critical times. It turns out from a practical viewpoint that axisymmetric creep buckling governs the behavior of the spherical shells examined in this article. It was observed from the present results that the creep buckling times of externally pressurised complete spherical shells are longer than those for “equivalent” axially loaded cylindrical shells.
Growth and grazing of microzooplankton in response to the harmful alga Heterosigma akashiwo in prey mixtures

Microzooplankton grazers may play a role in regulating blooms of the ichthyotoxic alga Heterosigma akashiwo. This study tested the effects of H. akashiwo, when part of a mixed-prey assemblage, on the growth and feeding of microzooplankton. Laboratory cultures of 3 ciliates, Favella sp., Metacylis sp., and Strombidinopsis acuminatum, were exposed to reciprocal concentra- tions of H. akashiwo and a non-toxic prey, at saturating prey concentrations. Heterosigma akashiwo was toxic to Favella sp. and Metacylis sp. when H. akashiwo was the sole prey species; however, this toxicity was eliminated in the mixed-prey treatments, likely because of avoidance of H. akashiwo and selective feeding on non-toxic prey. In contrast, the growth rate of S. acuminatum was unaffected by H. akashiwo. Both Favella sp. and S. acuminatum ingested H. akashiwo but selected against the alga when other prey was available. In addition, natural planktonic communities, collected from East Sound, Orcas Island, northern Puget Sound, in September and October 2007, were exposed to bloom- level concentrations of H. akashiwo. Abundances of the major microzooplankton types, primarily cil- iates and Gyrodinium/Gymnodinium dinoflagellates, were unaffected by H. akashiwo, although slight changes in grazer size structure did occur. Heterosigma akashiwo was harmful to the smallest grazers, mainly aloricate ciliates and small Gyrodinium/Gymnodinium dinoflagellates, and beneficial to larger Gyrodinium/Gymnodinium dinoflagellates that were able to ingest and grow on the alga. The alga was not consumed by the majority of grazers. Preferential feeding on alternate prey reduces toxic effects of H. akashiwo on microzooplankton. Avoidance of H. akashiwo by a major group of grazers would promote bloom formation by reducing H. akashiwo mortality and focusing community grazing pressure on potential competitor species.
The neutral-to-earth voltage (NEV) test case and distribution system analysis

Modeling NEV issues requires the most detailed circuit models for distribution system analysis except for, perhaps, lightning surge protection analysis. A proposed line model benchmark is solved and results reported. Modeling NEV will become an increasingly important problem. Based on the proliferation of harmonic producing loads in residential environments, the amount of triplen harmonics will tend to increase, with an accompanying increase in neutral-earth voltages.
Application of time-lapse ERT imaging to watershed characterization

Time-lapse electrical resistivity tomography ERT has many practical applications to the study of subsurface properties and processes. When inverting time-lapse ERT data, it is useful to proceed beyond straightforward inversion of data differences andtakeadvantageofthetime-lapsenatureofthedata.Weassess various approaches for inverting and interpreting time-lapse ERTdataanddeterminethattwoapproachesworkwell.Thefirst approachismodelsubtractionafterseparateinversionofthedata from two time periods, and the second approach is to use the inverted model from a base data set as the reference model or prior information for subsequent time periods. We prefer this second approach. Data inversion methodology should be considered when designing data acquisition; i.e., to utilize the second approach, it is important to collect one or more data sets for which the bulk of the subsurface is in a background or relatively unperturbed state.Athird and commonly used approach to time-lapse inversion,invertingthedifferencebetweentwodatasets,localizes the regions of the model in which change has occurred; however, varying noise levels between the two data sets can be problematic. To further assess the various time-lapse inversion approaches,weacquiredfielddatafromacatchmentwithintheDry Creek Experimental Watershed near Boise, Idaho, U.S.A. We combined the complimentary information from individual static ERTinversions,time-lapseERTimages,andavailablehydrologicdatainarobustinterpretationschemetoaidinquantifyingseasonalvariationsinsubsurfacemoisturecontent.
Word Alignment via Submodular Maximization over Matroids

We cast the word alignment problem as maximizing a submodular function under matroid constraints. Our framework is able to express complex interactions between alignment components while remaining computationally efficient, thanks to the power and generality of submodular functions. We show that submodularity naturally arises when modeling word fertility. Experiments on the English-French Hansards alignment task show that our approach achieves lower alignment error rates compared to conventional matching based approaches.
Functional characterization of hybrid receptors composed of a truncated insulin receptor and wild type insulin-like growth factor 1 or insulin receptors

To assess the characteristics of hybrid receptors composed of one kinase-inactive alpha beta-insulin half-receptor and one endogenous alpha beta-insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) or insulin half-receptor, a cell line expressing an insulin receptor truncated by 365 amino acids (HIR delta 978) was studied, which lacks most of the cytoplasmic beta-subunit. Analysis by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under nonreducing conditions revealed four distinct receptor species: endogenous receptors, the more rapidly migrating HIR delta 978 homodimer, and two intermediate species representing HIR delta 978/IGF-1 hybrid receptors and HIR delta 978/IR hybrid receptors. In vivo ligand-binding affinity of the hybrid receptors was studied by receptor-ligand cross-linking, and the delta 978/IGF-1R hybrid receptor was found to have a high affinity for IGF-1, whereas its affinity for insulin was low. Autophosphorylation studies of lectin-purified receptors revealed that neither the HIR delta 978 holoreceptor nor the hybrid receptors underwent autophosphorylation in response to either ligand, despite the presence of intact IGF-1 or insulin half-receptors in the hybrids. Neither hybrid receptor underwent ligand-induced endocytosis, as assessed with the bioactive photoaffinity probes B2(2-nitro-4-azidophenylacetyl)-des-PheB1-insulin and N-epsilon B28-monoazidobenzoyl-IGF-1. In conclusion, the HIR delta 978/IGF-1R hybrid receptor has a high in vivo affinity for IGF-1 but not for insulin. Neither the delta 978/IGF-1R nor the delta 978/IR hybrids undergo autophosphorylation or ligand-induced endocytosis in response to either ligand, indicating that intramolecular trans-, rather than cis-, signal transduction is important in mediating autophosphorylation and endocytosis.
Negative factor from SIV binds to the catalytic subunit of the V-ATPase to internalize CD4 and to increase viral infectivity.

The accessory protein negative factor (Nef) from human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) is required for optimal viral infectivity and the progression to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Nef interacts with the endocytic machinery, resulting in the down-regulation of cluster of differentiation antigen 4 (CD4) and major histocompatibility complex class I (MHCI) molecules on the surface of infected cells. Mutations in the C-terminal flexible loop of Nef result in a lower rate of internalization by this viral protein. However, no loop-dependent binding of Nef to adaptor protein-2 (AP-2), which is the adaptor protein complex that is required for the internalization of proteins from the plasma membrane, could be demonstrated. In this study we investigated the relevance of different motifs in Nef from SIVmac239 for its internalization, CD4 down-regulation, binding to components of the trafficking machinery, and viral infectivity. Our data suggest that the binding of Nef to the catalytic subunit H of the vacuolar membrane ATPase (V-ATPase) facilitates its internalization. This binding depends on the integrity of the whole flexible loop. Subsequent studies on Nef mutant viruses revealed that the flexible loop is essential for optimal viral infectivity. Therefore, our data demonstrate how Nef contacts the endocytic machinery in the absence of its direct binding to AP-2 and suggest an important role for subunit H of the V-ATPase in viral infectivity.
A production rule system for message summarization

In summarizing a message, it is necessary to access knowledge about linguistic relations, subject matter knowledge about the domain of discourse, and knowledge about the user's goals for the summary. This paper investigates the feasibility of integrating these knowledge sources by using computational linguistic and expert system techniques to generate one-line summaries from the narrative content of a class of Navy messages. For deriving a knowledge representation of the narrative content, we have adapted an approach developed by Sager et al. at New York University. This approach, called information formatting, uses an explicit grammar of English and a classification of the semantic relationships within the domain to derive a tabular representation of the information in a message narrative. A production system, written in OPS5, then interprets the information in the table and automatically generates a summary line. The use of a production rule system provides insight into the mechanisms of summarization. A comparison of computer-generated summaries with those obtained manually showed good agreement, indicating that it is possible to automatically process message narrative and generate appropriate, and ultimately useful, summaries.
Estimation of Mean Potency and Content Uniformity of Tablets: A New Approach

Current official procedures for the estimation of mean drug level and of content uniformity in individual tablets do not efficiently utilize all information available to the analyst, nor can confidence statements be made concerning the reported results. The authors present here a plan for combining readily available weight data with that from assays to generate distributions of potency per tablet. Tolerance limits on these distributions reflect not only the proportion of tablets bracketed, but also the degree of confidence to be placed in the finding. Reference is made to Monte Carlo studies on theoretical distributions as well as to examples from production lots of certain tablet items. The efficient utilization of this combined information leads to an improved method for estimating mean potency and content uniformity.
Harmonization of work on prices among national accounting, CPI and ICP

Analysts and policy makers have recognized the International Comparison Programme (ICP) as a rich source of detailed price and expenditure data which permit analysis of price and real GDP structures on an internationally comparable basis. To make it easier for developing countries to par­ ticipate in ICP and make the data more policy relevant, ICP needs to be harmonized with regular data work in national accounting and Consumer Price Index (CPI). To accomplish this, several steps should be taken: ICP specifications should be built up from CPI items to reduce collection cost and increase representativeness; a sampling frame should be used to make the average truly representative of all locations and market types; price samples should be consistent with those of national accounts so as to keep the underlying quantities comparable; and a system of quality correction should be in­ troduced to improve comparability of prices across countries with different levels of development and market conditions. The World Bank is working with UNST AT and various regional coordinators to implement these steps.
Weapon of the Strong? Participatory Inequality and the Internet

What is the impact of the possibility of political participation on the Internet on long-standing patterns of participatory inequality in American politics? An August 2008 representative survey of Americans conducted by the Pew Internet and American Life Project provides little evidence that there has been any change in the extent to which political participation is stratified by socio-economic status, but it suggests that the web has ameliorated the well-known participatory deficit among those who have just joined the electorate. Even when only that subset of the population with Internet access is considered, participatory acts such as contributing to candidates, contacting officials, signing a political petition, or communicating with political groups are as stratified socio-economically when done on the web as when done offline. The story is different for stratification by age where historically younger people have been less engaged than older people in most forms of political participation. Young adults are much more likely than their elders to be comfortable with electronic technologies and to use the Internet, but among Internet users, the young are not especially politically active. How these trends play out in the future depends on what happens to the current Web-savvy younger generation and the cohorts that follow and on the rapidly developing political capacities of the Web. Stay logged on …
From jammer to gambler: Modeling and detection of jamming attacks against time-critical traffic

Time-critical wireless applications in emerging network systems, such as e-healthcare and smart grids, have been drawing increasing attention in both industry and academia. The broadcast nature of wireless channels unavoidably exposes such applications to jamming attacks. However, existing methods to characterize and detect jamming attacks cannot be applied directly to time-critical networks, whose communication traffic model differs from conventional models. In this paper, we aim at modeling and detecting jamming attacks against time-critical traffic. We introduce a new metric, message invalidation ratio, to quantify the performance of time-critical applications. A key insight that leads to our modeling is that the behavior of a jammer who attempts to disrupt the delivery of a time-critical message can be exactly mapped to the behavior of a gambler who tends to win a gambling game. We show via the gambling-based modeling and real-time experiments that there in general exists a phase transition phenomenon for a time-critical application under jamming attacks: as the probability that a packet is jammed increases from 0 to 1, the message invalidation ratio first increases slightly (even negligibly), then increases dramatically to 1. Based on analytical and experimental results, we further design and implement the JADE (Jamming Attack Detection based on Estimation) system to achieve efficient and robust jamming detection for time-critical wireless networks.
Proliferation of Erythroid Colonies in Semi‐Solid Agar

Summary. Growth of human erythroid cells in soft-agar culture with no added erythropoietin was demonstrated. This growth was particularly marked in patients with diseases such as myelofibrosis (MF) in which patients had a previous history of polycythaemia vera (PV) characterized by excessive red cell production. A rapid assessment of the proportion of erythroid colonies was obtained by directly staining the culture with benzidine. Fixed and stained preparations of these agar-grown cells revealed elements in all stages of erythroid maturation. The morphology of these erythroid colonies was characteristic of ‘erythroblastic islands’ containing central, iron-containing macrophages, surrounded by erythrocytic precursors, with the more mature erythrocytes found at the periphery of the colony. These observations document that erythropoiesis may be maintained in agar cultures, and suggest that this technique may be of diagnostic value in disease states characterized by abnormalities of red cell production.
Dorsalis pedis arterial pulse: palpation using a bony landmark.

Introduction: The unreliability of the pulse examination of the foot has primarily been due to variability of technique between examiners. Whereas the groove between the medial malleolus and the Achilles tendon more readily defines the location of the posterior tibial pulse, the location of the dorsalis pedis pulse remains vague. In this paper a novel method of locating the dorsalis pedis pulse by physical examination is described. Methods: Forty one consecutive patients admitted to a general surgery service of a tertiary medical centre within a two month period were examined. Using the dorsal most prominence of the navicular bone as a landmark, the distance to the dorsalis pedis pulse in bilateral lower extremities was measured by palpation and compared to Doppler ultrasound. Measurements were confirmed by two separate examiners blinded to each others’ results. Results: The dorsalis pedis artery was palpable in 78% of extremities and present by Doppler ultrasound in 95%. The location of the left dorsalis pedis artery was a mean (SD) 9.8 (1.4) mm by palpation and 11.1 (2.1) mm by Doppler ultrasound from the dorsal most prominence of the navicular bone. The right dorsalis pedis artery was 10.4 (3.4) mm by palpation and 11.5 (0.7) mm from the dorsal most prominence of the navicular bone. No significant differences in location of the dorsalis pedis artery were observed bilaterally between Doppler ultrasound and palpation; No significant differences were observed comparing contralateral dorsalis pedis arteries nor any differences between the examiners’ results. Conclusion: The dorsal most prominence of the navicular bone provides a bony landmark to readily locate the dorsalis pedis artery. Reliability of the examination may be increased as to the patency of the dorsalis pedis artery by using this dependable anatomic landmark.
Influence of composition on some physical properties of the narrow band material CeSn3

Abstract The results of low temperature (1.5 to 20 K) high magnetic field (0 to 10 T) heat capacity, magnetic susceptibility (1.5 to 300 K), electrical resistivity ratio and optical metallographic analysis of a series of alloys near the CeSn3.00 composition are reported here. We have found that CeSn3±y exists over a solid solution region from CeSn2.99 to CeSn3.05. The electronic specific heat constant, the resistance ratio, the magnetic susceptibility at T = 0 K, and the quenching of spin fluctuations vary from large values for the Ce-rich alloys to small values for Sn-rich alloys.
Social Engineering in Context: Some Observations on Turner

The concept of “social engineering” has more negative baggage than Jonathan Turner supposes. It assumes an ability to control events that is normally lacking and which cannot be attained by following “rules of thumb.” A paradigm that better links theory with practice is preferable.
A general method for molecular modeling of nucleation from the melt

Crystallization is one of the fundamental phase transition processes, and it is also important practically, for example, in the chemical, food, and pharmaceutical industries. Despite its importance, however, our basic understanding of crystallization, and especially crystal nucleation, at the molecular level is still incomplete. In this work, we present a general molecular simulation approach that can be used to investigate the nucleation of crystals from a subcooled liquid. Our method combines a previously proposed general method to construct structure-based order parameters [E. E. Santiso and B. L. Trout, J. Chem. Phys. 134, 064109 (2011)] with the string method in collective variables [L. Maragliano et al., J. Chem. Phys. 125, 024106 (2006)] to obtain a minimum free energy path connecting the liquid and solid basins. We then use Markovian milestoning with Voronoi tessellations [E. Vanden-Eijnden and M. Venturoli, J. Chem. Phys. 130, 194101 (2009); L. Maragliano et al., J. Chem. Theory Comput. 5, 2589–2594 (2009)] to obtain the free energy profile along the path and the nucleation kinetics. We illustrate the application of this method to the nucleation of Benzene-I crystals from the melt, and compare the results to those previously found using transition path sampling [M. Shah et al., J. Phys. Chem. B 115, 10400–10412 (2011)].
A Multipurpose, High-Throughput Single-Nucleotide Polymorphism Chip for the Dengue and Yellow Fever Mosquito, Aedes aegypti

The dengue and yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, contributes significantly to global disease burden. Genetic study of Aedes aegypti is essential to understanding its evolutionary history, competence as a disease vector, and the effects and efficacy of vector control methods. The prevalence of repeats and transposable elements in the Aedes aegypti genome complicates marker development and makes genome-wide genetic study challenging. To overcome these challenges, we developed a high-throughput genotyping chip, Axiom_aegypti1. This chip screens for 50,000 single-nucleotide polymorphisms present in Aedes aegypti populations from around the world. The array currently used genotypes 96 samples simultaneously. To ensure that these markers satisfy assumptions commonly made in many genetic analyses, we tested for Mendelian inheritance and linkage disequilibrium in laboratory crosses and a wild population, respectively. We have validated more than 25,000 of these markers to date, and expect this number to increase with more sampling. We also present evidence of the chip’s efficacy in distinguishing populations throughout the world. The markers on this chip are ideal for applications ranging from population genetics to genome-wide association studies. This tool makes rapid, cost-effective, and comparable genotype data attainable to diverse sets of Aedes aegypti researchers, from those interested in potential range shifts due to climate change to those characterizing the genetic underpinnings of its competence to transmit disease.
Double layer effects in electrocatalysis: The oxygen reduction reaction and ethanol oxidation reaction on Au(1 1 1), Pt(1 1 1) and Ir(1 1 1) in alkaline media containing Na and Li cations

Abstract Oxygen reduction and ethanol oxidation reactions were studied on Au(1 1 1), Pt(1 1 1) and Ir(1 1 1) in alkaline solutions containing sodium and/or lithium cations. By keeping the same (1 1 1) surface orientation and exploring oxophilicity trends and non-covalent interactions between OHad and alkali metal cations (AMCn+), we were able to gain deep insights into the multiple roles that OHad plays in these important electrocatalytic reactions. Cyclic voltammetry experiments revealed that OHad formation initiates at distinct electrode potentials, governed by the oxophilicity of the specific metal surface, with further OHad adlayer stabilization by non-covalent alkali-cation interactions and affecting the formation of a “true oxide” layer at higher electrode potentials. Although OHad is a simple spectator for the ORR, it promotes the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR) at lower potentials and act as spectator at high OHad coverages. By changing the alkali metal cation at the interface (Li+) on more oxophilic surfaces, it was possible to promote the EOR even more, relative to Na+, without changing the product distribution for the reaction. This cation effect suggests that OHad–Li+(H2O)x clusters can stabilize the ethoxide adlayer, thus improving the EOR activity. Our results indicate the importance of the entire electrochemical interface in determining the electrocatalytic activity during reaction.
A novel paradigm for auditory discrimination training with social reinforcement in songbirds

Zebra finches are a highly social, gregarious, species and eagerly engage in vocal communication. We have developed a training apparatus that allows training zebra finches to discriminate socially reinforced and aversive vocal stimuli. In our experiments, juvenile male zebra finches were trained to discriminate a song that was followed by a brief air puff (aversive) and a song that allowed them to stay in visual contact with another bird, 'audience' (social song). During training, the birds learned quickly to avoid air puffs by escaping the aversive song within 2 sec. They escaped significantly more aversive songs than socially reinforced ones, and this effect grew stronger with the number of training sessions. Therefore, we propose this training procedure as an effective method to teach zebra finches to discriminate between different auditory stimuli, which may also be used as a broader paradigm for addressing social reinforcement learning. The apparatus can be built from commercially available parts, and we are sharing the software on our website.
High-Quality III-V Nitrides Grown by Metalorganic Chemical Vapor Deposition

We report the growth of high-quality III-V nitride heteroepitaxial films on (0001) sapphire substrates by low-pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). These films have exhibited narrow X-ray diffraction rocking curves with full-width-at-half-maximum values as low as ΔΘ∼37 arc sec. Photoluminescence and transmission electron microscopy analysis further indicate the samples to be of high quality.
Putting Raters in Context: A Multilevel Analysis of Supervisory Performance Ratings

Research on sources of variance in job performance ratings has indicated significant portions of variability associated with rater effects. However, despite theory and empirical evidence that rating contexts are also likely to be influential, research to date has yet to partition variance due to context in supervisory ratings of performance. Using field performance rating data from a large law- enforcement organization, we use a multilevel modeling approach to partition the variance in ratings due to ratees, raters, as well as rating contexts. Our results suggest that much of what may often be attributed to idiosyncratic rater variance, may actually reflect systematic rating variability across contexts. In order to further examine the factors that account for both rater and contextual rating variability, we also included a diverse set of predictor variables which included both performance-related and non-performance factors. Results suggest that, supervisor rating tendencies as well as contextual rating n...
Service Convergence Model in Next Generation Network

As a result of all services operation and technology evolution, the communication service convergence becomes the industry focus. Service convergence includes two aspects, between fixed and mobile network as well as traditional telecommunication and ip domain, to achieve all of these, the industry must improve the capabilities of terminal equipment, put more effect on network convergence. Furthermore, the conflict between network openness and operational requirements must be resolved. From the carrier's perspective, unified authentication and authorization is the premise of service convergence, combining componentized network with open communication terminal can be a feasible convergence solution.
The Ferrojan Horse Hypothesis: Iron-Virus Interactions in the Ocean

Iron is an essential nutrient and the sub-nanomolar concentrations of iron in open ocean surface waters are often insufficient to support optimal biological activity. More than 99.9% of dissolved iron in these waters is bound to organic ligands, yet determining the identity of these ligands in seawater remains a major challenge. Among the potential dissolved organic ligands in the colloidal fraction captured between a 0.02 µm and a 0.2 µm filter persists an extremely abundant biological candidate: viruses, most of which are phages (viruses that infect bacteria). Recent work in non-marine model systems has revealed the presence of iron ions within the tails of diverse phages infecting Escherichia coli. Based on these findings and the presence of conserved protein motifs in marine phages, here we present several lines of evidence to support the hypothesis that phages are organic iron-binding ligands in the oceans. With average concentrations of 10^7 phages per milliliter surface seawater, we predict that phages could contain up to 0.7 pM iron, a value equivalent to as much as 70% of the colloidal fraction of organically complexed dissolved iron in the surface ocean. Additionally, the production and uptake of siderophores, a strategy that bacteria have developed for assimilating iron, renders cells vulnerable to phage infection due to the dual-function of these cell surface receptors. Iron ions present in phage tails enable phages to exploit their bacterial host’s iron-uptake mechanism via the “Ferrojan Horse Hypothesis” proposed herein, where the apparent gift of iron leads to cell lysis. Finally, if host iron stores are recycled during the assembly of progeny phages, as much as 14% of the cellular iron released into the water column upon lysis would already be incorporated into new phage tails. The potential role of phages as iron-binding ligands has significant implications for both oceanic trace metal biogeochemistry and marine phage-host interactions.
Anti-realism About Science

This chapter discusses one of the major debates in philosophy of science related to scientific knowledge, the debate between realists and anti-realists. Realists maintain that our best-confirmed scientific theories are true (or at least approximately true), but anti-realists think we should only accept that our best-confirmed scientific theories are useful in some sense without committing to their truth, approximate or otherwise. Some of the major arguments on both sides of this debate are evaluated in this chapter, though special attention is paid to the so-called “miracle argument” for scientific realism. Throughout the chapter a realist stance, which allows for genuine scientific knowledge, is defended. Ultimately, the chapter concludes that while anti-realist arguments are important and worth taking seriously, they do not pose an insurmountable threat to a realist conception of science. Such a conception holds that in the case of our best-confirmed theories the truth of those theories best explains their success, which gives us justification for believing that they are true.
What Is the Pathobiology of Inflammation to Cell Death? Apoptosis, Necrosis, Necroptosis, Autophagic Cell Death, Pyroptosis, and NETosis

Cell death and immunity are two evolutionarily-conserved processes that maintain homeostasis under changing conditions in the internal and external environment. Although these processes utilize fundamentally different machinery, cell death and immunity are highly interconnected and share a number of critical modifiers. Inflammation, the body’s important immune response to injuries or infections, is a complex process involving various types of immune cells and signaling molecules. Different types of cell death including apoptosis, necrosis, necroptosis, autophagic cell death, pyroptosis, and NETosis can lead to the development of different immune and inflammatory responses including either immunogenic cell death (ICD) or tolerogenic cell death (TCD). The molecular mechanisms of ICD and TCD are beginning to be elucidated and have critical implications for the treatment of various acute and chronic diseases. In particular, damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), endogenous molecules released during cell death and tissue injury, exhibit cytokine and chemokine activities in the regulation of the balance between ICD and TCD. In this chapter, recent advances in our understanding of the relationship between cell death, inflammation, and DAMPs are reviewed.
Impact of Visual Corticostriatal Loop Disruption on Neural Processing within the Parahippocampal Place Area.

The caudate nucleus is a part of the visual corticostriatal loop (VCSL), receiving input from different visual areas and projecting back to the same cortical areas via globus pallidus, substantia nigra, and thalamus. Despite perceptual and navigation impairments in patients with VCSL disruption due to caudate atrophy (e.g., Huntington9s disease, HD), the relevance of the caudate nucleus and VCSL on cortical visual processing is not fully understood. In a series of fMRI experiments, we found that the caudate showed a stronger functional connection to parahippocampal place area (PPA) compared with adjacent regions (e.g., fusiform face area, FFA) within the temporal visual cortex. Consistent with this functional link, the caudate showed a higher response to scenes compared with faces, similar to the PPA. Testing the impact of VCSL disruption on neural processes within PPA, HD patients showed reduced scene-selective activity within PPA compared with healthy matched controls. In contrast, the level of selective activity in adjacent cortical and subcortical face-selective areas (i.e., FFA and amygdala) remained intact. These results show some of the first evidence for the direct impact and potential clinical significance of VCSL on the generation of “selective” activity within PPA. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Visual perception is often considered the product of a multistage feedforward neural processing between visual cortical areas, ignoring the likely impact of corticosubcortical loops on this process. Here, we provide evidence for the contribution of visual corticostriatal loop and the caudate nucleus on generating selective response within parahippocampal place area (PPA). Our results show that disruption of this loop in Huntington9s disease patients reduces the level of selective activity within PPA, which may lead to related perceptual impairments in these patients.
Mechanisms of Immune Suppression Utilized by Canine Adipose and Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from rodents and humans have been shown to suppress T cells by distinct primary pathways, with nitric oxide (NO)-dependent pathways dominating in rodents and indoleamine 2,3-deoxygenase (IDO)-dependent pathways dominating in humans. However, the immune suppressive pathways utilized by canine MSC have not been thoroughly studied, nor have bone marrow-derived MSC (BM-MSC) and adipose-derived MSC (Ad-MSC) been directly compared for their immune modulatory potency or pathway utilization. Therefore, canine BM-MSC and Ad-MSC were generated in vitro and their potency in suppressing T cell proliferation and cytokine production was compared, and differential gene expression. Mechanisms of T cells suppression were also investigated for both MSC types. We found that BM-MSC and Ad-MSC were roughly equivalent in terms of their ability to suppress T cell activation. However, the two MSC types used both shared and distinct biochemical pathways to suppress T cell activation. Ad-MSC utilized ...