cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Brain shift, level of consciousness, and restoration of consciousness in patients with acute intracranial hematoma

Recently, Ropper reported that horizontal brain shift caused by acute unilateral mass lesions correlated closely with consciousness, and suggested that recovery of consciousness was unlikely to occur after surgical evacuation if the shift was insufficient to explain the observed diminution of consciousness. The authors have sought to confirm the correlation of pineal shift with level of consciousness and to assess the prognostic value of brain shift measurements in a prospective study. Forty-six patients (19 with subdural hematoma, 14 with intracerebral hematoma, and 13 with epidural hematoma) were accrued to the study group consecutively. A correlation was found between a decrease in the level of consciousness and a significant increase in the mean lateral brain displacement at the pineal gland (from 3.8 to 7.0 mm) and septum (5.4 to 12.2 mm). When outcome was examined in patients who were stuporous or comatose on admission, a significant increase in septal shift was found among patients with a poor outcome, but there was no significant relationship between outcome and degree of pineal or aqueductal shift. A poor outcome was more likely with effacement of both perimesencephalic cisterns or the ipsilateral cistern, but not the contralateral cistern, although this difference did not reach statistical significance. These results do not substantiate the value of brain shift as an independent prognostic factor after evacuation of an acute unilateral mass lesion. The decision to operate and the determination of prognosis should be based rather on established criteria such as the clinical examination, age of the patient, and the mechanism of injury.
Nuclear ITS region of the alga Heterosigma akashiwo (Chromophyta: Raphidophyceae) is identical in isolates from Atlantic and Pacific basins

The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region from 19 isolates of the algal genus Heterosigma (Chromophyta: Raphidophyceae) was amplified by polymerase chain-reaction (PCR) and sequenced. Isolates were obtained from both the Atlantic and Pacific basins, including Europe, eastern North America, western North America, Japan and New Zealand. This study presents evidence that all Heterosigma isolates in this study are representatives of one species (H. akashiwo). All 19 isolates, except one (LB 2005) had identical ITS sequence (98.31% similar by pairwise comparison); Isolate LB 2005 may represent a separate subspecies. Such high degree of ITS sequence identity implies that the organism has spread between oceanic regions in geologically recent times, possibly by human means. In addition to those from Heterosigma spp., the ITS regions from other marine Raphidophyceae (Chattonella antiqua, C. marina, C. subsalsa, Fibrocapsa japonica, and Olisthodiscus luteus) were amplified and sequenced using PCR. Total ITS lengths differed among the Raphidophyceae (C. antiqua, 577 base pairs (bp); C. marina, 577 bp;. C. subsalsa, 579 bp; F. japonica, 830 bp; H. akashiwo, 561 and 563 bp; O. luteus, 829 bp), but 5.8S rDNA sequences were similar in size (13 to 142 bp). The high ITS sequence identity between C. antiqua and C. marina (>99.9% by pairwise comparison) suggests the need for a taxonomic review of these species encompassing all morphological, genetic, physiological and biochemical information. Additionally, a number of cultures of Raphidophyceae were positively identified. In general, ITS comparisons among the Raphidophyceae may be most useful at the level of species determination rather than at the population level.
Fresh Osteochondral Allografts for Posttraumatic Knee Defects: Long-term Followup

Fresh osteochondral allograft transplantation has been an effective treatment option with promising long-term clinical outcomes for focal posttraumatic defects in the knee for young, active individuals. We examined histologic features of 35 fresh osteochondral allograft specimens retrieved at the time of subsequent graft revision, osteotomy, or TKA. Graft survival time ranged from 1 to 25 years based on their time to reoperation. Histologic features of early graft failures were lack of chondrocyte viability and loss of matrix cationic staining. Histologic features of late graft failures were fracture through the graft, active and incomplete remodeling of the graft bone by the host bone, and resorption of the graft tissue by synovial inflammatory activity at graft edges. Histologic features associated with long-term allograft survival included viable chondrocytes, functional preservation of matrix, and complete replacement of the graft bone with the host bone. Given chondrocyte viability, long-term allograft survival depends on graft stability by rigid fixation of host bone to graft bone. With the stable osseous graft base, the hyaline cartilage portion of the allograft can survive and function for 25 years or more.
Representativeness of Land Cover Composition along Routes of the North American Breeding Bird Survey

ABSTRACT. The North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) is an annual transect point-count survey of >500 species and >3,500 survey routes (transects). Observers drive and record birds seen and heard within a radius of 400 m of 50 survey points (“stops”) evenly spaced along a 39.4-km survey route. Thus, the land area along both sides of a route composes a linear or curvilinear landscape. Although BBS data have been used in many studies and conservation plans, there have been few attempts to determine how well the landscapes along BBS routes represent landscapes at larger spatial extents, particularly with regard to land-cover composition. Using data from the 2001 National Land Cover Database, we conducted a study of representativeness of 3,230 routes by comparing the differences in percent cover of 15 land-cover types in BBS landscapes (buffer width of 0.4 km surrounding a route) to larger local landscapes (10 km buffer width) and regions. At the local level, BBS landscapes were representative for most of ...
Properties of epoxy resins cured with ring-alkylated m-phenylene diamine blends

Diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A was cured, individually, with diaminoisopropyl benzene (DAIPB), diaminoethyl benzene (DAEB), blends of DAIPB/DAEB (up to 40 wt % DAEB), and DAIPB modified with up to 5 wt % amine-terminated poly(butadiene-co-acrylonitrile) liquid rubber (ATBN). For each diamine system glass transition temperature (differential scanning calorimetry) and room temperature tensile properties (Instron) were determined. Blends of DAIPB/DAEB produced cured resins displaying greatly increased tensile strength (up to 50% higher) and slightly lower glass transition temperature compared with resins cured with either diamine alone. DAIPB modified with ATBN yielded moderately improved tensile properties over DAIPB alone. Blends of DAIPB/DAEB (from 10 to 40 wt % DAEB) were observed to be eutectic liquids at room temperature.
Production and Sales Planning with Limited Shared Tooling at the Key Operation

The focus of this paper is multiperiod production and sales planning when there is a single dominant production operation for which tooling dies, molds, etc. can be shared among parts and is limited in availability. Our interest in such problems grew out of management issues confronting an injection molding manufacturer of plastic pipes and fittings for the building and chemical industries, but similar problems abound in the manufacture of many other cast, extruded, molded, pressed, or stamped products. We describe the development and successful application of a planning model and an associated computational approach for this class of problems. The problem is modeled as a mixed integer linear program. Lagrangean relaxation is applied so as to exploit the availability of highly efficient techniques for minimum cost network flow problems and for single-item dynamic lot-sizing type problems. For the practical application at hand, provably good solutions are routinely being obtained in modest computing time to problems far beyond the capabilities of available mathematical programming systems.
The prolyl hydroxylase oxygen-sensing pathway is cytoprotective and allows maintenance of mitochondrial membrane potential during metabolic inhibition.

The cellular oxygen sensor is a family of oxygen-dependent proline hydroxylase domain (PHD)-containing enzymes, whose reduction of activity initiate a hypoxic signal cascade. In these studies, prol...
Extraction of shoe-print patterns from impression evidence using Conditional Random Fields

Impression evidence in the form of shoe-prints are commonly found in crime scenes. A critical step in automatic shoe-print identification is extraction of the shoe-print pattern. It involves isolating the shoe-print foreground (impressions made by the shoe) from the remaining elements (background and noise). The problem is formulated as one of labeling the regions of a shoeprint image as foreground/background. It is formulated as a machine learning task which is approached using a probabilistic model, i.e., conditional random fields (CRFs). Since the model exploits the inherent long range dependencies that exist in the shoe-print it is more robust than other approaches, e.g., neural networks and adaptive thresholding of grey-scale images into binary. This was demonstrated using a data set of 45 shoeprint image pairs representing latent and known shoe-print images.
Linguistic Bases of Social Perception

Target persons were videotaped while engaged in an interview. A text analysis program was used to ascertain the frequency with which they employed negative emotion words, positive emotion words, words reflecting cognitive operations, self-referents, presenttense verbs, negations, and unique words in their verbalizations. Judges viewed the videotapes and evaluated the target persons on a number of social perception dimensions. The language dimensions accounted for significant and substantial proportions of the variance in impressions of the target persons beyond that explained by traditionally studied person perception variables such as physical attractiveness, nonverbal expressiveness, and facial maturity. The results indicate the critical role that language plays in social perception and interaction.
Morphometric changes of the human midbrain with normal aging: MR and stereologic findings.

PURPOSE To determine the effects of age on estimated midbrain volume. PATIENTS AND METHODS T2-weighted MR imaging and an unbiased stereologic method were used in 75 volunteers; the subjects ranged in age from 21 to 82 years and were without any significant neurologic or psychiatric disorders. RESULTS Age was negatively correlated with estimated midbrain volume (R = -.39, P less than .0005), with the anteroposterior diameter through the substantia nigra (R = -.33, P less than .004) and with the interpeduncular distance (R = -.24, P less than .04). The linear measurements for the right and left side were almost identical. These findings are consistent with prior reports of nigrostriatal degeneration with increasing age. Furthermore, they suggest a close symmetry of age-related changes between the right and left side in normal subjects. CONCLUSIONS Volumetric and linear measurements of midbrain morphology with MR may prove useful in the investigation of neurologic disorders such as Parkinson disease.
An intelligently controlled RF power amplifier with a reconfigurable MEMS-varactor tuner

This paper presents an intelligently controlled RF power amplifier with a reconfigurable output tuner using microelectromechanical system (MEMS) switches and a varactor. By switching on/off the MEMS switches and varying the bias voltage of the varactor, the performance of the amplifier is optimized for input signals with known or unknown frequencies in a range of 8-12 GHz. Fabrication-related unit-to-unit variations of the amplifier are overcome by the reconfigurable tuner. Directed algorithms based on a characterization table and on black-box genetic algorithms are developed for optimization and search.
Polarization study of the 3-nucleon \vec d + p system

Many models and parameterlzatlons of the fundamental nucleon-nucleon (N-N) interactions have been developed which predict Well both the N-N observables as well as d+p elastic scattering through a Fadeev calculation. These interactions offer similar On-shell (asymptotic) features but differ In their off-shell (interior) behavior. To investigate the interior region, one may examine d+p breakup under kinematic condltlons that require a large mOmentum change for each nucleon. Since all three nucleons Participate In the reaction process, individual nucleon-nucleon Interactlons may have substanclal off-shell contributions. The requirement that the two protons interact at short range places them In an Spp 0 state. One geometry which yields this Is the Symmetrlc Constant Relative Energy (SCRE) geometry, where the three nucleons emerge with equal center-of-mass energies. Fadeev calculations show measureable discrepancies between different N-N interactions of the tensor analyzing powers Axx and Ayy in this geometry for the reaction iH(d,pp)n near E d = 80 MeV. A few values of these tensor analyzing powers have been measured by Schwandt Iet al. at E d = 79 MeV. Flgure I shows the data obtained for the tensor analyzing powers Axx and Ayy along with calculations employing the Fadeev equations with various N-N potentials. The analyzing powers are plotted with respect to the variable u, which is COmplement of the angle which the outgolng neutron makes to the beam direction in the c.m. frame. The solid llne refers to a recent Separable potential employed by Doleschall 2. The long-dashed llne is a calculation made for E d = 94 HeY by Stolk and Tjon 3 which uses an Older potential, treating the S-wave exactly and adding higher order Waves perturbatlvely. Finally, the short-dashed llne Is a separable Version of the Paris potential ~. Note that the three calculations differ substantially in the region u ~ 120°-160 ° • The data shown In Fig. 1 was obtained using discrete detector Pairs with small angular acceptances in an out-of-plane geometry Consistent with the chosen values of u. The experiment was attempted USing both solid (CH2) and gaseous targets wlth limited success. The carbon in the solid target yielded a large flux of breakup particles Which, due to the possibility of radlatlon damage in the detectors, llmlted the beam current. The gas target provided an insufficient target thickness. This, combined wlth the small solid angle required for a reasonable resolution in u, resulted in low efficiency which led to the poor statistics shown in Flg. I. We are therefore Planning a renewed effort to acquire more precise and extensive data, especially in the region where the calculations disagree. The new experimental apparatus will accept the entire SCRE region at once and will employ sclntlllatlon detectors which are not Sensltlve to radiation damage. The incoming deuteron energy will be 95 HeV and both outgoing protons will be detected in coincidence
On planning immobilizing fixtures for three-dimensional polyhedral parts

We propose a simple three-dimensional modular fixturing device and present an algorithm for enumerating all of the immobilizing fixtures of a polyhedral object that can be achieved with this device and four frictionless contacts. Our approach is based on the second-order mobility theory of Rimon and Burdick (1993, 1994).
Interaction among sediment anaerobiosis, nitrogen uptake and photosynthesis of Spartina alterniflora

Spartina alterniflora Lois. plants were grown under controlled sediment-pH-redox conditions. Uptake of added 15NH4-nitrogen and subsequent photosynthetic activity under different redox conditions in the plant root rhizosphere were measured. Data for total plant nitrogen and 15N concentration indicated that nitrogen allocation was not altered by anaerobic conditions of the sediment. However, average net photosynthesis was reduced by up to 35% for plants under anaerobiosis. The results indicate that anaerobiosis in the root rhizosphere, rather than limiting nitrogen uptake, influences photosynthesis and growth of S. alterniflora under anaerobic conditions.
Metal‐Ceramic Interactions: I, Factors Affecting Fabrication and Properties of Cermet Bodies

The fundamentals of cermet fabrication and properties of cermet bodies are considered. These include metal-ceramic reactions, surface and interfacial energies, constituent properties, and the effect of the dispersed state on the properties. These factors affect metal-ceramic bonding, body composition, and phase distribution, which are important in fabrication and to properties. Strength, oxidation resistance, thermal conductivity, and thermal-shock resistance also are considered.
Optimal Placement of a Moving Sensor Network for Track Coverage

The problem of optimizing the configuration of a moving sensor network deployed to detect moving targets is formulated using optimal control theory. A cost function of the Lagrange type is obtained through a computational geometry approach to measure the space of line transversals for k of the n sensors by formulating an integral function of the sensors locations, where k is the number of required detections. Then, the cost function is optimized subject to the sensors dynamics expressed by a state-space model. The method is demonstrated for a surveillance application that involves sonobuoys deployed on the ocean's surface to detect underwater targets within a specified region of interest and over a desired period of time. It is shown that a state-space model of the sonobuoy dynamics can be obtained from the steady-state solution of Stokes's problem and a current vector field obtained from oceanographic models or CODAR measurements. In this paper, a solution is presented for the case of non-maneuverable sensors that can be placed anywhere within the region of interest and move subject to the ocean's current. The methodology can also be extended to maneuverable sensors with on-board control capabilities, such as, thrusters, or to acoustic sensors installed on underwater vehicles. The numerical simulations show that by taking into account the drift dynamics the cumulative coverage over a period of seven days can be increased by up to 85%.
ANCA-associated vasculitis in scleroderma: a case series of fourteen patients

Antimyeloperoxidase (MPO), perinuclear antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (pANCA), and/or clinically evident vasculitis in patients with scleroderma have been reported only rarely. The clinical significance and prognosis of ANCA-associated vasculitis in systemic sclerosis is uncertain. To report a case and identify the clinical characteristics of scleroderma patients with ANCA-associated vasculitis. Patients with both vasculitis and scleroderma occurring between 1976 to 2006 were identified using an electronic diagnostic index. These diagnoses were confirmed by retrospective review of complete medical records. Clinical features and outcomes recorded included age at vasculitis diagnosis, connective tissue disease (CTD) features, type of scleroderma (limited or diffuse); ANCA serology, vasculitic organ system manifestations; and death. Fourteen cases of scleroderma patients with ANCA-associated and/or small vessel vasculitis were identified. The majority (71%) were female, with mean age at vasculitis diagnosis 53 years. Seven patients (50%) had overlap CTD features, and the majority (79%) had limited variant of scleroderma. All of the 10 patients tested were MPO and pANCA positive. Seven patients (50%) had glomerulonephritis, 11 (79%) pulmonary involvement including 3 with pulmonary-renal syndrome, 6 skin purpura, and 5 mononeuritis multiplex and/or peripheral neuropathy. Six patients (43%) died during followup to 2008. The presence of pANCA-associated small vessel vasculitis is a rarely reported complication of scleroderma. It occurs most commonly in women with limited scleroderma and most commonly includes pulmonary and/or renal involvement, including severe organ-threatening manifestations and death. Further studies are needed to clarify the role and clinical impact of ANCA in scleroderma patients with and without vasculitis.
Limits of quality factor in bulk-mode micromechanical resonators

In this paper we present the dominant energy loss mechanisms and quality factor (Q) limits in bulk mode micromechanical resonators. We demonstrate that in resonators with an appropriately designed stem connection to anchor the maximum achievable Q limit is set by either Thermoelastic dissipation (TED) or the Akhieser effect (AKE). Furthermore, we suggest a choice of materials for achieving maximum Q's in micromechanical resonators. It is established here that silicon resonators can theoretically achieve higher Q's than quartz and we predict that by using alternative materials, such as silicon carbide, it is possible to surpass the Q of quartz by more than an order of magnitude.
Ultrasonography by emergency physicians in patients with suspected ureteral colic

We performed a prospective study of patients with suspected ureteral colic to evaluate the test characteristics of bedside renal ultrasonography (US) performed by emergency physicians (EPs) for detecting hydronephrosis, and to evaluate how US can be used to predict the likelihood of nephrolithiasis. Thirteen EPs performed US, recorded the presence of hydronephrosis, and made an assessment of the likelihood of nephrolithiasis. All patients underwent i.v. pyelography (IVP) or unenhanced helical computed tomography (CT). There were 126 patients in the study: 84 underwent IVP; 42 underwent helical CT. Test characteristics of bedside US for detecting hydronephrosis were: sensitivity 72%, specificity 73%, positive predictive value (PPV) 85%, negative predictive value (NPV) 54%, accuracy 72%. The PPV and NPV for the ability of the EP to predict nephrolithiasis after performing US were 86% and 75%, respectively. We conclude that bedside US performed by EPs may be used to detect hydronephrosis and help predict the presence of nephrolithiasis.
Error exponents for watermarking game with squared-error constraints

In this paper, we consider an error-exponent game for the following two popular systems: spread-spectrum (SS) watermarking with nearest-neighbor decoding, and quantization-index-modulation (QIM) watermarking with lattice decoding.
The Polarity Factor in the Kindling of Electric Impulse Sparkover Based Upon Lichtenberg Figures

The paper presents the results of a photographic study of successive steps in the kindling process of impulse sparkover in unsymmetrical dielectric fields. The photographs confirm the theory, established by the bending of the electric figure streamers when formed under stress of the magnetic field, that electrons primarily are the active elements in the kindling mechanism. The figures also indicate that in a field of ionizing potential gradient the bridging of the spark-gap (10.5 cm) is due largely to extension of the streamers or channels from the positive electrode; and that space charges affect the impulse-sparkover process.
Growth of Gan on Porous Sic Substrates by Plasma-Assisted Molecular Beam Epitaxy

We have explored the growth of GaN on porous SiC substrates by plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. The porous 4H- and 6H-SiC(0001) substrates used in this study contain 10 to 100-nm sized pores and a thin skin layer at the surface. This skin layer was partially removed prior to the growth by H-etching. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations indicate that the epitaxial GaN growth initiates from the surface areas between pores, and the exposed surface pores tend to extend into GaN as open tubes and trap Ga droplets. Plan-view TEM observations indicate that the GaN layers grown on porous substrates contain fewer dislocations than layers grown on non-porous substrates by roughly a factor of two. The GaN layers grown on a porous SiC substrate were also found to be mechanically more relaxed than those grown on non-porous substrates; electron diffraction patterns indicate that the former are free of misfit strain or are even in tension after cooling to room temperature.
The reaction of SRL 202 glass in J-13 and DIW

Static leach tests were performed in both 304L stainless steel and Teflon vessels using a synthetic high-level waste glass with either deionized water (DIW) or a tuff groundwater solution as the leachant to assess the effects of the vessel and the initial leachant composition on the extent and nature of the glass reaction. The tests were performed using monolith samples at 340 m{sup {minus}1} and crushed samplesat 2000 m{sup {minus}1} for times up to 1 year. The results show less silicon is released from the glass into the groundwater solution than into DIW at both high and low glass surface area/leachant volume ratios (SAN), but the alkali metal and boron releases are not affected by the leachant used. Tests performed in a stainless steel vessel resulted in slightly lower leachate pH values, but similar reaction rates to those performed in a Teflon vessel, as measured by the boron release. Blank tests with DIW or EJ-13 in the vessels showed the Teflon vessels to release small amounts of fluoride (1 to 2 ppm) and to acidify the DIW slightly (4.0 < pH < 5.6). The pH values of blank tests with EJ- 1 3 increased from 8.2 to about 8.6 in steel and to about 9.2 in Teflon vessels. The slightly higher pH values attained in Teflon vessels are attributed to outgassing of CO{sub 2} during the test.
A Report Card on Latina/o Leadership in California's Public Universities: A Trend Analysis of Faculty, Students, and Executives in the CSU and UC Systems

The article examines the status of leadership in two California public higher education systems: California State University (CSU) and the University of California (UC) from 2001 to 2009. Findings ...
Nucleic acid reactivity: challenges for next-generation semiempirical quantum models.

Semiempirical quantum models are routinely used to study mechanisms of RNA catalysis and phosphoryl transfer reactions using combined quantum mechanical (QM)/molecular mechanical methods. Herein, we provide a broad assessment of the performance of existing semiempirical quantum models to describe nucleic acid structure and reactivity to quantify their limitations and guide the development of next-generation quantum models with improved accuracy. Neglect of diatomic differential overlap and self-consistent density-functional tight-binding semiempirical models are evaluated against high-level QM benchmark calculations for seven biologically important datasets. The datasets include: proton affinities, polarizabilities, nucleobase dimer interactions, dimethyl phosphate anion, nucleoside sugar and glycosidic torsion conformations, and RNA phosphoryl transfer model reactions. As an additional baseline, comparisons are made with several commonly used density-functional models, including M062X and B3LYP (in some cases with dispersion corrections). The results show that, among the semiempirical models examined, the AM1/d-PhoT model is the most robust at predicting proton affinities. AM1/d-PhoT and DFTB3-3ob/OPhyd reproduce the MP2 potential energy surfaces of 6 associative RNA phosphoryl transfer model reactions reasonably well. Further, a recently developed linear-scaling “modified divide-and-conquer” model exhibits the most accurate results for binding energies of both hydrogen bonded and stacked nucleobase dimers. The semiempirical models considered here are shown to underestimate the isotropic polarizabilities of neutral molecules by approximately 30%. The semiempirical models also fail to adequately describe torsion profiles for the dimethyl phosphate anion, the nucleoside sugar ring puckers, and the rotations about the nucleoside glycosidic bond. The modeling of pentavalent phosphorus, particularly with thio substitutions often used experimentally as mechanistic probes, was problematic for all of the models considered. Analysis of the strengths and weakness of the models suggests that the creation of robust nextgeneration models should emphasize the improvement of relative conformational energies and barriers, and nonbonded interactions. V C 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
VCOOPT: a tool for VCO phase noise optimization

We have implemented an optimization technique for the automated design of RF LC CMOS voltage controlled oscillators (VCO) with low phase noise given a set of specifications. The electromagnetic solver ASITIC combined with the circuit simulator SpectreRF allows optimization of the VCO circuit parameters and inductor layout. Our approach gives a phase noise improvement of up to 20 dBc/Hz in the flicker noise region and up to 5 dBc/Hz in the thermal noise region. An optimization program for the computer-aided design of on-chip spiral inductors has also been developed. This program allows the designer to obtain the layout of a required inductance value with a maximal quality factor.
Imagination and the puzzles of iteration

infinite regress it engenders: if A causing B (call it C) has a cause, D, then E, the causing of C by D, is itself an event, and has a cause, F, and so on ad infinitum. But it isn't the infinity of the chain that engenders misgivings; not every infinite regress is vicious. Rather, we cannot even countenance the first element. The question 'What caused the causing of B by A?' is nonsensical. Does A cause the causing in addition to causing B? Or, to be more precise, does A cause B via the causing? Of course, the question 'What caused A?' ('Why did Jones pull the trigger?') is quite straightforward, but the reading we are now considering concerns the causing as distinct from the cause (and the effect). And this reading doesn't engender a coherent question.
Paternal Investment in the Seed Beetle Callosobruchus maculatus (Coleoptera: Bruchidae): Variation Among Populations

Ejaculate size in seed beetles (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) is subject to both sexual and fecundity selection. We examined interpopulation variation and inheritance of ejaculate size in the seed beetle Callosobruchus maculatus (F.). There was significant variation among three populations in both body mass and the proportion of a male's body mass that was transferred to females during mating. The seed upon which beetles were raised had a small effect on male body size but not the size of their ejaculates. To investigate the inheritance of ejaculate size, we performed inter- and intrapopulation crosses with two of these populations. The progeny of interpopulation crosses were intermediate between the intrapopulation (parental) crosses, suggesting additive genetic autosomal inheritance. This result differs from an earlier study in which ejaculate size of a different population was maternally inherited. This study demonstrates that there is indeed genetic variation in ejaculate size, but that the loci exhibiting within-population variation may be different than the loci producing among-population variation.
Boundary Ambiguity and Ambivalence in Military Family Reintegration

Although more than 2 million service members have experienced deployment since 2001, predictors of postdeployment family functioning remain unclear. Utilizing the Contextual Model of Family Stress (Boss, 2002), this study examined military-related factors (e.g., rank, component, combat exposure, postdeployment time at home, cumulative length of deployments), boundary ambiguity, and family- and deployment-related ambivalence as predictors of family functioning during reintegration. Service members (N = 228) from multiple branches of the U.S. military participated in a national survey related to family relationships and support programming. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that service members from lower ranks, who were home for longer periods of time, and who endorsed higher degrees of boundary ambiguity and family-related ambivalence reported poorer family functioning. Results emphasize the relevance of boundary ambiguity and family-related ambivalence to the reintegration process and can inform prevention and intervention efforts that promote family well-being in the military population during the critical postdeployment period.
Extending rule-based methods to model molecular geometry

Computational modeling is an important tool for the study of complex biochemical processes associated with cell signaling networks. However, it is challenging to simulate processes that involve hundreds of large molecules due to the high computational cost of such simulations. Rule-based modeling is a computational method that can be used to model these processes with reasonably low computational cost, but traditional rule-based modeling approaches do not include details of molecular geometry. The incorporation of molecular geometry into biochemical models can more accurately capture details of these processes, and may lead to insights into how geometry affects the products that form. Furthermore, geometric rule-based modeling can be used to complement other computational methods that explicitly represent molecular geometry in order to quantify binding site accessibility and steric effects. In this work, we propose a novel implementation of rulebased modeling that encodes details of molecular geometry into the rules and the binding rate constant associated with each rule. We demonstrate how the set of rules is constructed according to the curvature of the molecule. We then perform a study of antigen-antibody aggregation using our proposed method. We first simulate the binding of IgE antibodies bound to cell surface receptors Fc RI to various binding regions of the shrimp allergen Pen a 1 using a previously developed 3D rigid-body Monte Carlo simulation, and we analyze the distribution of the sizes of the aggregates that form during the simulation. Then, using our novel rule-based approach, we optimize a rule-based model according to the geometry of the Pen a 1 molecule and the data from the Monte Carlo simulation. In particular, we use the distances between the binding regions of the Pen a 1 molecule to optimize the rules and associated binding rate constants. We perform this procedure for three molecular conformations of Pen a 1 and analyze the impact of conformation on the aggregate size distribution and the optimal rule-based model. We find that the optimized rule-based models provide information about the average steric hindrance between binding regions and the probability that IgE-Fc RI receptor complexes will bind to these regions. In addition, the optimized rule-based models provide a means of quantifying the variation in aggregate size distribution that results from differences in molecular geometry.
Human Rights and Islamic Law

Human rights and Islam are not incompatible. This chapter looks at the concept of power and its management in society. It examines the distribution and management of power, and the systems to correct the abuse of power in Muslim societies. After an examination of the International Bill of Human Rights, some of the mechanisms for incorporation of Human Rights through the doctrine of maslahah are examined.
"You made me do it": Classification of Blame in Married Couples' Interactions by Fusing Automatically Derived Speech and Language Information

One of the goals of behavioral signal processing is the automatic prediction of relevant high-level human behaviors from complex, realistic interactions. In this work, we analyze dyadic discussions of married couples and try to classify extreme instances (low/high) of blame expressed from one spouse to another. Since blame can be conveyed through various communicative channels (e.g., speech, language, gestures), we compare two different classification methods in this paper. The first classifier is trained with the conventional static acoustic features and models “how” the spouses spoke. The second is a novel automatic speech recognition-derived classifier, which models “what” the spouses said. We get the best classification performance (82% accuracy) by exploiting the complementarity of these acoustic and lexical information sources through scorelevel fusion of the two classification methods. Index Terms: behavioral signal processing (BSP), couple therapy, blame, acoustic features, lexical features, fusion
Total Synthesis of (−)-Virginiamycin M2: Application of Crotylsilanes Accessed by Enantioselective Rh(II) or Cu(I) Promoted Carbenoid Si–H Insertion

A stereoselective synthesis of the antibiotic (−)-virginiamycin M2 is detailed. A convergent strategy was utilized that proceeded in 10 steps (longest linear sequence) from enantioenriched silane (S)-15. This reagent, which was prepared via a Rh(II)- or Cu(I)-catalyzed carbenoid Si–H insertion, was used to introduce the desired olefin geometry and stereocenters of the C1–C5 propionate subunit. A modified Negishi cross-coupling or an efficient alkoxide-directed titanium-mediated alkyne–alkyne reductive coupling strategy was utilized to assemble the trisubstituted (E,E)-diene. An underutilized late-stage SmI2-mediated macrocyclization was employed to construct the 23-membered macrocycle scaffold of the natural product.
Evaluating the South Memphis Farmers Market as a Strategy to Improve Access to Healthy Foods: Lessons from 2011

Limited access to fruits and vegetables is an issue for many low-income and minority neighborhoods and likely plays an important role in the development of health disparities. Local farmers' markets are a growing response to low-quality food environments, but can improve food security only if they are sustainable over the long term and broadly accessible to residents. The South Memphis Farmers Market emerged as one of the first actions from a participatory neighborhood planning and revitalization effort involving local nonprofits, neighborhood residents, and faculty and students from the University of Memphis in 2010, and maintains a local advisory committee to help tailor operational decisions to the neighborhood context. This paper is based on 2011 data from an ongoing mixed-methods evaluation of the market, designed to assess whether it is meeting the goals outlined in the neighborhood plan in terms of serving as an accessible source of fresh fruits and vegetables, and whether any changes to market policies are necessary to ensure its sustainability. This paper examines ethnographic data collected during participant observation in advisory committee meetings and during market hours, and quantitative data from an end-of-season survey of market shoppers. The analysis suggests that the market is expanding neighborhood access to produce, and that the guidance provided by the advisory committee has been essential to this success. It also highlights possible barriers to access and potential policy interventions to address them.
An indicator cell assay for T-cell tropic, macrophage-tropic, and primary isolates of HIV-1 based on green fluorescent protein

Quantitation of HIV-1 in blood is now widely used by clinicians to manage antiviral therapy. Current methods to detect viral RNA are expensive, have slow turnaround times, and do not directly quantitate infectious particles. Indicator cell assay (ICA) methods for titering HIV-1 rely on the activation of HIV-1 long terminal repeat (LTR)-driven expression of a reporter gene by the viral tat gene product, which is expressed early in the course of infection. The Aequorea victoriana green fluorescent protein (GFP) has proven to be a useful reporter gene for detecting tat-mediated HIV-LTR activation. A general approach to developing a clinically useful ICA required a method of introducing the LTR-GFP expression cassette into various HIV1-infectable cell lines. The LTR-GFP expression cassette was inserted into the LXSN retrovector in a reverse orientation with respect to transcription from the 5' LTR. In cells transduced by the RH5 retrovector, GFP expression was tightly dependent on expression of HIV-1 tat. The PM1 human T-cell line was transduced with RH5 and was further engineered to express the CCR5 HIV-1 CD4 coreceptor constitutively. The resulting cell line, D5-R5, was susceptible to infection by primary HIV-1 strains, macrophage-tropic (M-tropic) and T-cell tropic (T-tropic) laboratory strains, and syncytium-inducing (SI) and and non-SI (NSI) variants. Four days after HIV-1 infection of the indicator cells, GFP expression was detected and quantitated by fluorescence activated cell sorter (FACS), without any false-positive signals. This GFP-based ICA method is of potential use in clinical management of HIV-1, especially in the detection and recovery of drug-resistant virus and the direct determination of antiviral drug sensitivities.
Factors affecting poultry meat colour and consumer preferences - A review

Much of the dark meat from U.S. broilers continues to be exported to other countries because of local consumers’ long-standing and strong preference for white breast meat. In this review we will discuss what causes meat colour differences and how environmental and genetic factors influence the colour of poultry meat. It is well documented that the darker colour of leg/thigh meat is due to the larger amount of myoglobin and haem pigments, as well as a higher pH when compared to breast meat. Slaughtering older birds increases myoglobin content in the meat and selection of breeds for greater breast meat yield may be involved. Using a wheat-based diet tends to lighten the colour of breast meat but has less effect on the thigh meat. Several antimicrobials used in further processing can lead to either bleaching or a reddening of the meat. Changes to colour using chemical or physiological methods are theoretically possible, however may not be great enough to improve consumer acceptability. From a marketing perspective, increased media promotion of dark meat as being equal to white meat in healthiness and superior in flavour may have the greatest effect on increasing sales.
Utilizing Machine Learning Approaches to Understand the Interrelationship of Diet, the Human Gastrointestinal Microbiome, and Health

BackgroundA growing body of literature supports the ability of specific foods and nutrients to impact the gastrointestinal microbiome. However, there is a dearth of knowledge on the interplay of di...
Assisted dying and conflict of interest

A Swiss physician obtained his elderly patient's house, valued at $2 million, as a gift. The patient retained the right to stay in the house until her death. The physician also knew that she had made him the beneficiary of her estate, valued at + 10 million. She then died of untreated pneumonia while in his care. He had not discussed withholding of antibiotics with her or her family. In countries with advanced life-sustaining technology, 35% of all deaths are thought to occur after withholding of treatment. Physicians and others making such "MDEL" (medical decisions concerning the end of life) have a conflict of interest, if they benefit from their patients' death. These conflicts are unethical. They are dangerous to patients, physicians, the medical profession, and the public. The Netherlands have laws and rules of professional conduct that prohibit MDEL-for-profit, i.e., a mode of assisted dying that benefits caregivers to the detriment of patients and their families.
Techniques Used to Characterize the Binding of Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors to the Cyclooxygenase Active Site

Inhibitors of enzyme-catalyzed reactions are typically characterized by their ability to diminish product formation while altering the Michaelis Menten constants V(max) and K(m). Determination of an apparent inhibitor affinity (K(i)) for the enzyme is also possible using this approach. Unfortunately, analysis of product formation does not easily provide information regarding the kinetics of inhibitor binding and may not be possible depending upon the mechanism of action. Radiolabeling of the inhibitor allows one to do a direct binding assay and thereby more directly determine the kinetics of inhibitor binding. With this in mind, we developed a radioligand-based binding assay for inhibitors of cyclooxygenase.
WE‐G‐BRC‐00: Experiences with TG100 in Clinical Use

Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) originated as an industrial engineering technique used for risk management and safety improvement of complex processes. In the context of radiotherapy, the AAPM Task Group 100 advocates FMEA as the framework of choice for establishing clinical quality management protocols. However, there is concern that widespread adoption of FMEA in radiation oncology will be hampered by the perception that implementation of the tool will have a steep learning curve, be extremely time consuming and labor intensive, and require additional resources. To overcome these preconceptions and facilitate the introduction of the tool into clinical practice, the medical physics community must be educated in the use of this tool and the ease in which it can be implemented. Organizations with experience in FMEA should share their knowledge with others in order to increase the implementation, effectiveness and productivity of the tool. This session will include a brief, general introduction to FMEA followed by a focus on practical aspects of implementing FMEA for specific clinical procedures including HDR brachytherapy, physics plan review and radiosurgery. A description of common equipment and devices used in these procedures and how to characterize new devices for safe use in patient treatments will be presented. This will be followed by a discussion of how to customize FMEA techniques and templates to one’s own clinic. Finally, cases of common failure modes for specific procedures (described previously) will be shown and recommended intervention methodologies and outcomes reviewed. Learning Objectives: 1. Understand the general concept of failure mode and effect analysis 2. Learn how to characterize new equipment for safety 3. Be able to identify potential failure modes for specific procedures and learn mitigation techniques 4. Be able to customize FMEA examples and templates for use in any clinic
Self-forming electrode modification in organic field-effect transistors

We report on self-forming electrode modification by mixing 2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorothiophenol (PFBT) directly into the solution of the organic semiconductor prior to film formation on top of existing metal electrodes. During the formation of the semiconductor layer from the mixed solution, PFBT chemisorbs on the underlying source/drain electrodes and modifies their electronic properties. The modification of evaporated silver, gold, or printed silver electrodes with PFBT is analyzed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The use of this self-forming electrode modification is applied to solution-processed p-channel top-gate 6,13-bis(triisopropylsilylethynyl)pentacene/poly[bis(4-phenyl) (2,4,6-trimethylphenyl) amine] organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) that comprise bare silver or gold source/drain electrodes. The proposed new method simplifies device fabrication while yielding OFETs with a performance level that is comparable to that of reference devices in which the metal electrodes are modified with PFBT prior to the fabrication of the semiconductor layer.
Aqueous Extractive Upgrading of Bio-Oils Created by Tail-Gas Reactive Pyrolysis To Produce Pure Hydrocarbons and Phenols

Tail-gas reactive pyrolysis (TGRP) of biomass produces bio-oil that is lower in oxygen (∼15 wt % total) and significantly more hydrocarbon-rich than traditional bio-oils or even catalytic fast pyrolysis bio-oils. TGRP bio-oils lend themselves toward mild and inexpensive upgrading procedures. We isolated oxygen-free hydrocarbons by extraction of TGRP bio-oil distillates. Extraction proceeded by adding aqueous sodium hydroxide to distillates, resulting in a hydrocarbon layer and a phenolic salts layer. The hydrocarbons consist primarily of mono- and bicyclic aromatics, are essentially free of oxygen (<1.0 wt %), and possess low moisture (<1.0 wt %) and low acidity (TAN < 5.0 mg KOH/g). The phenolic salts can be reacidified to produce phenols with low moisture (∼2.5 wt %) and with narrow product distribution. The aqueous phase byproduct contains organic acids and precipitated sodium chloride. The hydrocarbon layer can be upgraded via mild hydrogenation with a sponge nickel base metal catalyst in water, produ...