cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bioinformatics and functional genomics: challenges and opportunities

A review with 11 refs. offers a perspective on the challenges posed by bioinformatics and functional genomics. Bioinformatics here is defined as the development and implementation of computational tools and frameworks for the management, anal. and interpretation of biol. information, and functional genomicsis defined as the integration of anal. technologies and bioinformatics for the elucidation of the function of cellular components. Capabilities and limitations of some of the current technologies used in studying cellular function are discussed, as well as qual. similarities between problems in chem. engineering and bioinformatics. [on SciFinder (R)]
Intracellular Dynamics of Synucleins: "Here, There and Everywhere"

Synucleins are small, soluble proteins expressed primarily in neural tissue and in certain tumors. The synuclein family consists of three members: α-, β-, and γ-synucleins present only in vertebrates. Members of the synuclein family have high sequence identity, especially in the N-terminal regions. The synuclein gene family came into the spotlight, when one of its members, α-synuclein, was found to be associated with Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders, whereas γ-synuclein was linked to several forms of cancer. There are a lot of controversy and exciting debates concerning members of the synuclein family, including their normal functions, toxicity, role in pathology, transmission between cells and intracellular localization. Important findings which remain undisputable for many years are synuclein localization in synapses and their role in the regulation of synaptic vesicle trafficking, whereas their presence and function in mitochondria and nucleus is a debated topic. In this review, we present the data on the localization of synucleins in two intracellular organelles: the nucleus and mitochondria.
Long-time simulation of calcium induced calcium release in a heart cell using the finite element method on a hybrid CPU/GPU node

A mathematical model of Calcium Induced Calcium Release in a heart cell has been developed that consists of three coupled non-linear advection-diffusion-reaction equations. A program in C with MPI based on matrix-free Newton-Krylov method gives very good scalability, but still requires large run times for fine meshes. A programming model with CUDA and MPI that utilizes GPUs on a hybrid node can significantly reduce the wall clock time. This paper reports initial results that demonstrate speedup using a hybrid node with two GPUs over the best results on a CPU node.
Focusing Events in Disasters and Development

This chapter considers how disasters serve as an important element of the agenda setting process in developing countries. These “focusing events” highlight policy failure, and provide opportunities for change and policy learning. However, underlying the definition of focusing events relies upon an assumption of democratic institutions, such as the role of interest groups, the ability to criticize government officials, and the free and open pluralistic debate that can occur following a disaster. Therefore, this chapter studies the role of disasters in developing nondemocratic countries to see if the principles of focusing events apply to policy change and resilience the way they do in developed democratic countries. We rely on case studies of earthquakes in Nicaragua, China, and Haiti.
TrkB agonist, 7,8-dihydroxyflavone, reduces the clinical and pathological severity of a murine model of multiple sclerosis

7,8-Dihydroxyflavone (DHF), is a recently described TrkB agonist that readily crosses the blood brain barrier. We treated C57Bl/6 mice with MOG--induced EAE daily with DHF starting on the day of disease induction. Clinical severity of impairment was reduced throughout the course of disease. Pathological examination of brains and spinal cords on day 28 showed that DHF treatment increased the phosphorylation of TrkB and activated downstream signaling pathways including AKT and STAT3 and reduced inflammation, demyelination and axonal loss compared to EAE controls. DHF treatment duplicated the central nervous system effects of brain derived neurotrophic factor in the EAE.
The Cultural Topography of a ‘Bantu Borderland’: Busoga, 1500–1850

The terrain of Busoga and adjacent areas of eastern Uganda constituted a portion of the boundary of the broad Bantu speech community of southern, central, west-central and eastern Africa. By examining closely the settings and circumstances of contact between Bantu and non-Bantu in this portion of the ‘Bantu line’ between approximately 1500 and 1850, it is possible to see the complexity of the ‘face of contact’ between speech communities in eastern Uganda. The study reviews several different efforts to comprehend and represent the evolving contacts between Bantu-speakers in the Busoga area and, in particular, Luo-speaking immigrants. Over the long run, many groups associated with Luo immigration took over Bantu speech while gaining dominant statuses and positions within the largely Bantu-speaking communities in the area. The study distinguishes five distinctive and non-homologous zones within this narrow stretch of the Bantu borderland, emphasizing through comparative analysis the very local, immediate, and contextual character of contacts across speech boundaries. It brings forward the economic and political significance of the circumstances of contact, and locates patterns of resistance, flux, and reflux within the era following the linguistic incorporation of the ‘stranger’ Luo within Bantu speech communities. Indeed, some of the important population flows in Busoga appear to have developed out of reactions to elaborated forms of domination building over a number of years, rather than as instant expressions of boundary and cultural formation by the participants in the experience.
Collimator optimization and collimator-detector response compensation in myocardial perfusion SPECT using the ideal observer with and without model mismatch and an anthropomorphic model observer

The collimator is the primary factor that determines the spatial resolution and noise tradeoff in myocardial perfusion SPECT images. In this paper, the goal was to find the collimator that optimizes the image quality in terms of a perfusion defect detection task. Since the optimal collimator could depend on the level of approximation of the collimator-detector response (CDR) compensation modeled in reconstruction, we performed this optimization for the cases of modeling the full CDR (including geometric, septal penetration and septal scatter responses), the geometric CDR, or no model of the CDR. We evaluated the performance on the detection task using three model observers. Two observers operated on data in the projection domain: the Ideal Observer (IO) and IO with Model-Mismatch (IO-MM). The third observer was an anthropomorphic Channelized Hotelling Observer (CHO), which operated on reconstructed images. The projection-domain observers have the advantage that they are computationally less intensive. The IO has perfect knowledge of the image formation process, i.e. it has a perfect model of the CDR. The IO-MM takes into account the mismatch between the true (complete and accurate) model and an approximate model, e.g. one that might be used in reconstruction. We evaluated the utility of these projection domain observers in optimizing instrumentation parameters. We investigated a family of 8 parallel-hole collimators, spanning a wide range of resolution and sensitivity tradeoffs, using a population of simulated projection (for the IO and IO-MM) and reconstructed (for the CHO) images that included background variability. We simulated anterolateral and inferior perfusion defects with variable extents and severities. The area under the ROC curve was estimated from the IO, IO-MM, and CHO test statistics and served as the figure-of-merit. The optimal collimator for the IO had a resolution of 9-11 mm FWHM at 10 cm, which is poorer resolution than typical collimators used for MPS. When the IO-MM and CHO used a geometric or no model of the CDR, the optimal collimator shifted toward higher resolution than that obtained using the IO and the CHO with full CDR modeling. With the optimal collimator, the IO-MM and CHO using geometric modeling gave similar performance to full CDR modeling. Collimators with poorer resolution were optimal when CDR modeling was used. The agreement of rankings between the IO-MM and CHO confirmed that the IO-MM is useful for optimization tasks when model mismatch is present due to its substantially reduced computational burden compared to the CHO.
II. The Gentry of Kent in 1640

Students of history are liable to assume that the entity ‘England’ has existed at all points in her past in roughly the same way as she exists in their present–not the same England of course, but the same sort of phenomenon, corresponding to a strictly similar social and political reality, apprehended in the same sort of way by contemporaries. When they read statements about any period, they tend to feel confident that the word ‘England’ is one that can be taken for granted, as representing something self-evident or something which can easily be explained in terms of geography and political history.
"Life Ain't Easy for a President Named Barack": Party, Ideology, and Tea Party Freshman Support for the Nation's First Black President

In the heated rhetoric of the 2010 elections, there were some accusations that the Tea Party movement was racist, and charges of Tea Party racism persisted through 2011 as President Obama attempted to deal with an intransigent Republi- can majority. This paper seeks to refute the charge of Tea Party racism. In particu- lar, I treat the charge of racism as a research hypothesis (H R ): If racial animosity is a systematic motivation, then Republican freshmen elected to the House in 2010 with Tea Party endorsements should be significantly less supportive of the nation's first Black president than are other conservative Republicans. The null hypothesis (H 0 ) is of course that Tea Party freshmen support for Obama is not different from that of other conservative Republicans. Controlling for the most obvious compet- ing hypotheses (party, ideology, district partisanship) while comparing the results to analogous control groups, the analysis is able to reject the null hypothesis: ceteris paribus, Tea Party freshman support is significantly lower than should be expected, and this behavior is different from that of control groups. Although these results fail to provide evidence to refute charges of racism, it does not prove that President Obama's race is the cause of lower Tea Party support. In the end, it suggests that more research is needed to look for causes other than race to explain Tea Party behavior.
Wireless Communications under Broadband Reactive Jamming Attacks

A reactive jammer jams wireless channels only when target devices are transmitting; Compared to constant jamming, reactive jamming is harder to track and compensate against [2] , [38] . Frequency hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) and direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) have been widely used as countermeasures against jamming attacks. However, both will fail if the jammer jams all frequency channels or has high transmit power. In this paper, we propose an anti-jamming communication system that allows communication in the presence of a broadband and high power reactive jammer. The proposed system transmits messages by harnessing the reaction time of a reactive jammer. It does not assume a reactive jammer with limited spectrum coverage and transmit power, and thus can be used in scenarios where traditional approaches fail. We develop a prototype of the proposed system using GNURadio. Our experimental evaluation shows that when a powerful reactive jammer is present, the prototype still keeps communication, whereas other schemes such as 802.11 DSSS fail completely.
Investigation of cement-sand-based piezoelectric composites

A novel cement–sand-based piezoelectric smart composite was developed for conducting structural health monitoring for civil structures. To overcome the incompatibility between piezoelectric materia...
A comparison of methods for demonstrating antibodies to the virus of infectious bovine rhinotracheitis/infectious pustular vulvovaginitis.

SUMMARY Eleven cattle were infected with the virus of infectious bovine rhinotracheitis/infectious pustular vulvovaginitis by genital or respiratory route. Antibody responses were monitored for up to six months by complement-fixation, virus neutralization and indirect-haemagglutination methods. Complement-fixation demonstrated lower and more fluctuating levels of antibody than did virus neutralization. The indirect-haemagglutination test demonstrated higher titres than did the neutralization test but fluctuations in antibody levels were proportional to those seen with the neutralization test. Complement-fixation antigen stored at − 20°C was found to be stabilized by the addition of 10% dimethyl sulfoxide. The optimal titre at which indirect- haemagglutination antigen could be used for sensitizing formalized sheep erythrocytes was increased four to eight-fold by formalizing the cells in hypertonic saline.
Quantification of neutrophil migration following myocardial ischemia and reperfusion in cats and dogs.

Endothelial cell dysfunction and cardiac myocyte injury resulting from ischemia and reperfusion have been associated with accumulation of neutrophils in the myocardium. To determine whether the accumulation is related primarily to intravascular sequestration or extravascular infiltration of neutrophils during the early period of reperfusion, we morphometrically quantified the tissue distribution of neutrophils in cats and dogs. At the end of the reperfusion period, the base of the heart was cross-clamped to preserve neutrophil location at the moment of death. Point-counting methods were used to determine the distribution of neutrophils inside and outside coronary arterioles and venules (< or = 100 microns in diameter) as well as coronary capillaries 5-10 microns in diameter in 0.5-microns-thick, plastic-embedded sections. Ischemia-reperfusion resulted in a threefold increase in neutrophil number in the lumen of arterioles and venules at 60 min of reperfusion and up to a sevenfold increase at 270 min of reperfusion (P < .05) compared to time-matched control nonischemic hearts. The ratio of intravascular neutrophils in venules to arterioles was 2:1. Intracapillary neutrophils increased, but not significantly, at 60 min of reperfusion. At 270 min of reperfusion, intracapillary neutrophils increased 11-fold (P < .05). The percentage of total neutrophils that accumulated outside arterioles and venules in cat hearts was 8% at 60 min of reperfusion (not significant, NS) and 28% at 270 min of reperfusion (P < .05). In dog hearts, the percentages were 26% (NS) and 44% (P < .05), respectively. The percentage of total neutrophils that accumulated outside capillaries was < 6% in both cat and dog hearts (NS). The combination of rapid intravascular sequestration, delayed extravascular infiltration, and low incidence of neutrophil-cardiac myocyte contact in situ in these two species suggests that neutrophil-mediated cardiac myocyte injury during early reperfusion may initially depend on diffusion of inflammatory mediators and subsequently require direct contact between neutrophils and cardiac myocytes.
Chemically Etched Silicon Nanowires as Anodes for Lithium-Ion Batteries

This study focused on silicon as a high capacity replacement anode for Lithium-ion batteries. The challenge of silicon is that it expands ~270% upon lithium insertion which causes particles of silicon to fracture, causing the capacity to fade rapidly. To account for this expansion chemically etched silicon nanowires from the University of Maine were studied as anodes. They were built into electrochemical half-cells and cycled continuously to measure the capacity and capacity fade.
SU-F-J-68: Deformable Dose Accumulation for Voxel-Based Dose Tracking of PTV Cold Spots for Adaptive Radiotherapy of the Head and Neck

Purpose: To utilize deformable dose accumulation (DDA) to determine how cold spots within the PTV change over the course of fractionated head and neck (H&N) radiotherapy. Methods: Voxel-based dose was tracked using a DDA platform. The DDA process consisted of B-spline-based deformable image registration (DIR) and dose accumulation between planning CT's and daily cone-beam CT's for 10 H&N cancer patients. Cold spots within the PTV (regions receiving less than the prescription, 70 Gy) were contoured on the cumulative dose distribution. These cold spots were mapped to each fraction, starting from the first fraction to determine how they changed. Spatial correlation between cold spot regions over each fraction, relative to the last fraction, was computed using the Jaccard index Jk (Mk,N), where N is the cold spot within the PTV at the end of the treatment, and Mk the same region for fraction k. Results: Figure 1 shows good spatial correlation between cold spots, and highlights expansion of the cold spot region over the course of treatment, as a result of setup uncertainties, and anatomical changes. Figure 2 shows a plot of Jk versus fraction number k averaged over 10 patients. This confirms the good spatial correlation between cold spots over the course of treatment. On average, Jk reaches ∼90% at fraction 22, suggesting that possible intervention (e.g. reoptimization) may mitigate the cold spot region. The cold spot, D99, averaged over 10 patients corresponded to a dose of ∼65 Gy, relative to the prescription dose of 70 Gy. Conclusion: DDA-based tracking provides spatial dose information, which can be used to monitor dose in different regions of the treatment plan, thereby enabling appropriate mid-treatment interventions. This work is supported in part by Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA.
Perpetuating Biometrics for Authentication

The number of biometrically-enhanced authentication applications has outstripped our limited number of biometric features and controversy surrounds the actual availability of biometric information, fueling skepticism regarding their effective use for authentication. These concerns emphasize the imperative of addressing the singular nature of biometrics, motivating the need for durable biometric credentials that allow perpetual use of biometric information for authentication, even in the face of compromise. Toward this end, this paper introduces the Durable True-Neighbor Template (DTNT), a novel enhancement of our existing True-Neighbor Template (TNT) approach to fingerprint-based authentication that overcomes the singular nature of fingerprint biometrics through diversification using standard encryption. The results of a standard benchmark experiment, conducted using the FVC protocol with the FVC2006 and FVC2002 databases, are used to evaluate the effectiveness of DTNT for authentication. DTNT shows respectable authentication performance compared with TNT with a generally-negligible loss in fingerprint distinguishability.
Taxonomic evolution in North American Neogene horses (subfamily Equinae); the rise and fall of an adaptive radiation

The 18 m.y. history of the subfamily Equinae (exclusive of Archaeohippus and “ Parahippus ”) in North America consisted of a 3-m.y. radiation phase, a 9-m.y. steady-state diversity phase, and a 6-m.y. reduction phase. During the steady-state phase, species richness varied between 14 and 20, with two maxima at about 13.5 and 6.5 Ma. Species richness of the tribes Hipparionini and Equini was about equal through the middle Miocene, but hipparionines consistently had more species in the late Miocene and early Pliocene. Overall mean species duration was 3.2 m.y. ( n = 50), or an average extinction rate of 0.31 m.y. -1 During the radiation phase, speciation rates were very high (0.5 to 1.4 m.y. -1 ), while extinction rates were low ( -1 ). Speciation and extinction rates both averaged about 0.15 m.y. -1 during the steady-state phase, with extinction rates having more variation. Extinction rates increased fourfold during the reduction phase, while speciation rates declined slightly. Late Hemphillian extinctions affected both tribes severely, not just the three-toed hipparionines, and were correlated with global climatic change.
Simulation-Based Evaluation of Adaptive Automation Revoking Strategies on Cognitive Workload and Situation Awareness

Adaptive systems have used a variety of approaches to return the task responsibility back to the user, including restoration of performance or physiological thresholds, leveling of task loads, and user-initiated deactivation. Little attention has been paid to evaluating the relative effectiveness of these various hand-off mechanisms, or the impact that these mechanisms may have on operator workload and situation awareness (SA). This study uses an Improved Performance Research Integration Tool simulation, based upon a human-in-the-loop study, to examine two different revoking strategies (minimum duration and workload threshold) across numerous levels in order to identify impacts on operator workload and SA. This study finds that operator workload and SA are affected by the type of revoking strategy as well as the particular level used for that strategy. For the scenario examined, automation revoking that relied upon a minimum duration of at least 5 s was found to be more effective in reducing workload and increasing SA than using a revoking strategy based upon workload thresholds.
Case Scenario for Fluid Therapy in Septic Shock

Septic shock represents a profound systemic inflammatory derangement with components of functional hypovolemia, altered oxygen delivery, myocardial dysfunction, peripheral vasoplegia, and diffuse capillary leak. In this case scenario, the patient exhibited all of the aforementioned findings with lactic acidosis, elevated troponin, persistent hypotension despite vasopressor use, acute kidney injury, and pneumonitis presumably from his sepsis. Concurrent with source control and early antibiotic administration, early and aggressive fluid therapy, maintenance of tissue perfusion, and judicious application of inotropic support remain a cornerstone of septic shock therapy. Early goal-directed therapy (EGDT) has been widely adopted as a protocolized methodology to ensure early and aggressive fluid resuscitation (in addition to vasopressors, steroids, and timed antibiotic administration). It has been postulated that bundle implementation may improve survival. Perioperative goal-directed fluid management may also affect outcome.
MANUFACTURING MILK QUALITY: A RE-EVALUATION

The bacteriological quality of manufacturing-grade milk is very similar to that marketed a decade earlier when bulk tanks first came into general use. Milk grading programs usually relied on reduction tests. These tests indicated that most milk supplies were good quality. Based on the Standard Plate Count, data is presented that show approximately one-third of the samples tested, in 1969–70 and in 1957–59, exhibit counts <200,000/ml. Considerable quantities of milk, received at processing plants have plate counts exceeding 1,000,000/ml. Dairy farmers learned they could substitute cooling for cleaning because psychrotrophic bacteria predominated the microflora of most high count bulk milk. These bacteria do not readily reduce resazurin and methylene blue. Psychrotrophs also tend to grow in clumps preventing an accurate evaluation of milk quality using the Direct Microscopic Count (DMC). USDA uses the DMC to test check manufacturing plant's milk supplies. Laboratories are recognizing the value of plating pr...
Pediatric Temporal Bone Fractures

Objective: To examine the etiology, presentation, and management of temporal bone fractures in children. Study Design: Case control. Method: Retrospective review of a level I pediatric trauma center from July 1, 1990 to November 1, 1996 identified 680 patients. Inclusion criteria of age less than 14 years and only blunt temporal bone trauma identified 122 patients, with 97 charts available for review. The criteria for temporal bone fracture consisted of both clinical and radiologic information. Only patients with temporal bone fractures confirmed by computed tomography, a complete otolaryngology examination, and audiometric evaluations were included in the study. The data were analyzed with the Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance (ANOVA) for examining the three separate age groups of fractures. Chi-squared analysis was used to compare these data with previously published adult and pediatric temporal bone fracture series and to examine the three separate age groups of fractures. Results: The review identified 72 children with 79 temporal bone fractures: 47 boys and 25 girls. The patients ranged from 6 months to 14 years of age, with a bimodal distribution of patients with peaks at 3 years and 12 years of age. The most common causes of fractures were motor vehicle accidents (47%), falls (40%), biking accidents (8%), and blows to the head (7%). Common presenting signs and symptoms included hearing loss (82%), hemotympanum (81%), loss of consciousness (63%), intracranial injuries (58%), bloody otorrhea (58%), extremity fractures (8%), and facial nerve weakness (3%). The most common causes of temporal bone fractures were falls and motor vehicle accidents. Forty-two patients were noted to have bloody otorrhea and possible cerebrospinal fluid leak. Twenty-four received intravenous antibiotics. No patient developed prolonged otorrhea or meningitis during hospitalization and the follow-up period. The classification of fracture patterns was longitudinal, 54%; transverse, 6%; oblique, 10%; squamous, 27%; and other, 3%. Hearing loss was found in 59 patients, with conductive hearing loss being the most common finding in 56% of the patients, followed by sensorineural hearing loss in 17% and mixed hearing loss in 10%. Conclusions: Pediatric temporal bone fractures are associated with falls and motor vehicle accidents. There is a high incidence of associated intracranial injuries and hearing loss, but facial nerve injuries are uncommon. Timely management minimizes complications.
Mixture optimization for mixed gas Joule-Thomson cycle

An appropriate gas mixture can provide lower temperatures and higher cooling power when used in a Joule-Thomson (JT) cycle than is possible with a pure fluid. However, selecting gas mixtures to meet specific cooling loads and cycle parameters is a challenging design problem. This study focuses on the development of a computational tool to optimize gas mixture compositions for specific operating parameters. This study expands on prior research by exploring higher heat rejection temperatures and lower pressure ratios. A mixture optimization model has been developed which determines an optimal three-component mixture based on the analysis of the maximum value of the minimum value of isothermal enthalpy change, ΔhT , that occurs over the temperature range. This allows optimal mixture compositions to be determined for a mixed gas JT system with load temperatures down to 110 K and supply temperatures above room temperature for pressure ratios as small as 3:1. The mixture optimization model has been paired with a separate evaluation of the percent of the heat exchanger that exists in a two-phase range in order to begin the process of selecting a mixture for experimental investigation.
Addressing Passivation in Lithium–Sulfur Battery Under Lean Electrolyte Condition

Reducing the electrolyte amount is critical for the high specific energy of lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries in practice. The reduced electrolyte condition (a so-called “lean electrolyte”) raises a complex situation for sulfur redox reactions since the reactions rely on the electrolyte mediation. The insulating nature of discharge product Li2S and its uncontrollable accumulation (passivation) at the cathode interface is one of the major challenges for stable cycling of a Li–S battery under lean electrolyte condition. In this study, it is presented that the NH4TFSI additive in electrolyte solution greatly alleviates the passivation issue in Li–S batteries under lean electrolyte conditions. The ammonium additive enhances the dissociation of Li2S and largely reduces the insoluble and large Li2S particles in the sulfur cathodes, which facilitate the reversible and sustainable redox reactions of sulfur. Therefore, the cycle life of Li–S batteries under lean electrolyte conditions is significantly improved. In addition, it is found that the morphology of Li anodes is dependent on the cathode structures. An ammonium additive enables homogeneous surface of cathode and Li anode and extended cycle life.
Deformations of Galois Representations Associated to the Cusp Form

In [6] Mazur showed how there is a “versal deformation” parametrising the collection of p-adic representations of a profinite group G lifting a given representation \(\bar p\,:\,G\, \to \,G{L_2}\,\left( {{\mathbb{F}_p}} \right).\) Of particular interest are the \(\bar p\,\) associated to modular forms and elliptic curves in which G is the Galois group of a maximal algebraic extension of Q unramified outside a finite set S of rational primes containing p.
Multifocal ERG in retinal detachment surgery

PURPOSE The main purpose of this study is to evaluate the visual function of eyes operated on for rhegmatogenous retinal detachment. METHODS Fifteen patients were studied suffering from peripheral retinal detachment treated with the Lincoff-Custodis method. Visual field was tested with the Humphrey Field Analyzer and the analyzer program 30-2, which scanned a 0-30 degrees field. The multifocal ERG was recorded with the VERIS III (Visual Evoked Imaging System, Tomey, Nagoya, Japan). RESULTS There was great loss of retinal response densities in the area of retinal detachment (1.3 +/- 0.7 nV/deg2). However, a decrease in retinal response densities was also recorded in the reattached retina (6.90 +/- 0.7 nV/deg2). CONCLUSIONS MFERG is an objective tool for monitoring the functional abnormalities affecting the vision of eyes operated for retinal detachment.
Structure and Magnetic Properties of a Medium-Entropy Fe 46 Co 34 Ni 20 Alloy Powder

The nanocrystalline/nanoscale ternary FeCoNi alloys are known to have an excellent combination of soft-magnetic properties and thermal stability and they find applications in various miniaturized devices, e.g. sensors and actuators. A medium-entropy nanocrystalline Fe46Co34Ni20 alloy was synthesized by mechanical alloying. The x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy were adopted for their structural characterization at ambient temperature. The alloy powder was comprised of two phases: an f.c.c. phase (γ) and a b.c.c. phase (α-Fe). The powder particles were irregularly shaped and, the mean and D90 of the powder particles was ~5 μm and ~10 μm, respectively. The grain size was less than ~10 nm. The intrinsic coercivity and saturation magnetization of the alloy powder was ~3 kA/m and ~164 Am2/kg, respectively. The nanocrystalline alloy powder exhibited superior soft-magnetic properties—magnetization increased by ~24% and the coercivity decreased by ~16 times—as compared to the nanoparticles of a similar composition, synthesized by chemical methods. Thermal treatment at 840 K resulted in an improvement in the soft-magnetic properties of the mechanically alloyed powder—saturation magnetization increased by ~13% and intrinsic coercivity decreased by ~33%.
Tracking Events in Twitter by Combining an LDA-Based Approach and a Density–Contour Clustering Approach

Nowadays, Twitter has become one of the fastest-growing microblogging services; consequently, analyzing this rich and continuously user-generated content can reveal unprecedentedly valuable knowled...
First Record of A Species of Mermithidae Braun, 1883 Infecting a Decapod, Palaemon paludosus (Palaemonidae)

The hemocoel of 26 of 30 (86%) eastern grass shrimps, Palaemon paludosus (Gibbes, 1850) (Decapoda: Palaemonidae), captured during June 2017 from several freshwater lakes near Leesburg and Lake Kissimmee, Florida, was infected by juveniles of a nematode species (Mermithidae sp.). Some infected eastern grass shrimps were preserved whole for histopathology, whereas others were dissected to excise parasitic juvenile nematodes, and still others were kept alive in glass aquaria such that post-parasitic (emerged) juvenile nematodes could be opportunistically observed alive and ultimately preserved. Parasitic and post-parasitic juvenile nematodes had cuticle cross-fibers, cephalic papillae, cup-shaped amphids, a horn-shaped vagina, a trophosome, and a caudal appendage, which collectively diagnosed them as Mermithidae sp. They differed from those of nematomorphs (Nematomorpha) by lacking 4 giant cells anteriorly, tegumental bristles, scale or plate-like areoles, a bifurcate or trifurcate posterior end, and an anus. A phylogenetic analysis of the small subunit rDNA (18S) that included all of the available mermithid sequences corresponding to morphologically diagnosed specimens recovered Mermithidae sp. within the clade of mermithids and sister to Ovomermis sinensis Chen, Jian, and Ren, 1991 . This is the first record of a mermithid infection in a decapod and first report of a mermithid infection in an aquatic crustacean from North America (another mermithid infects a terrestrial isopod there). The high prevalence of infection and the multiple geographic localities harboring infected eastern grass shrimps indicated that these infections were not spurious. Because no other decapod is confirmed as a mermithid host, we suspect that these specimens likely represent a new species with a life cycle worth studying, since none for a mermithid involving a decapod nor a crustacean has been elucidated to date. We also provide a table of all mermithid and nematomorph infections in crustaceans.
Recognizing “reciprocal relations” to restore community access to land and water

Place-based communities are struggling to maintain their connections to land and water, including the social and cultural practices that are rooted in a particular landscape. In this paper, we consider possibilities for recentering environmental governance around reciprocal relations, or the mutual caretaking between people and place. We draw from existing scholarship on relational values and human-nature relations, which emphasize the intrinsic value and agency of non-human beings and the landscape itself. By linking key concepts in the literature to our four case studies, we develop a framework of reciprocal relations as a foundation for local practices and governance policies that facilitate increased community access to land and resources. Our cases investigate the practice of reciprocal relations across different community contexts in Hawaiʻi, British Columbia (Canada), the Appalachian Mountain Region (U.S.), and Madagascar. Through our analysis, we examine a diverse range of community approaches to reciprocal relations, and demonstrate how practicing reciprocal relations can have material effects on community well-being and environmental sustainability. This finding builds on the theory of access (Ribot and Peluso 2003), by suggesting that practicing reciprocal relations can provide a powerful mechanism for shifting community access to resources. In the reciprocal relations context, however, the flow of benefits is not uni-directional. Expanding on existing access concepts, we show how the ability of a place-based community to benefit from resources is contingent upon its ability to maintain multi-directional and mutually beneficial relations with the natural environment—in part through fulfilling caretaking responsibilities for land and water.
Connecting Faculty Candidates with the Library: Lessons Learned from the Literature and the Field

ABSTRACTThis paper illustrates how liaison librarians can pursue influential relationships with faculty candidates in their liaison departments during the interview process. Although these interactions tend to be meet and greets, the impression that they leave may assist a potentially new faculty member when evaluating the campus environment and climate. This essay explores the relationship that academic librarians can develop during the hiring process for faculty candidates in their liaison departments, and the continued collaboration post-hire for the successful candidate. Literature for librarian outreach has been synthesized to present suggestions for strategies to engage with faculty candidates during the interview process and to further develop these relationships post-hire.
Validation of water-borne cortisol and corticosterone in tadpoles: Recovery rate from an acute stressor, repeatability, and evaluating rearing methods.

Abstract Amphibian populations are declining globally, so understanding how individuals respond to anthropogenic and environmental stressors may aid conservation efforts. Using a non-invasive water-borne hormone assay, we measured the release rates of two glucocorticoid hormones, corticosterone and cortisol, in Rio Grande Leopard frog, Rana berlandieri , tadpoles. We validated this method pharmacologically and biologically using an adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) challenge, exposure to exogenous corticosterone, and an agitation test. We calculated the repeatability of hormone release rates, the recovery time from an acute stressor, and explored rearing methods for tadpoles. Tadpole corticosterone release rates increased following an ACTH challenge, exposure to exogenous corticosterone, and agitation, validating the use of water-borne hormone methods in this species. After exposure to an acute stressor via agitation, corticosterone release rates began to decline after 2 h and were lowest after 6 h, suggesting a relatively rapid recovery from an acute stressor. Tadpoles reared in groups had higher corticosterone release rates than tadpoles reared individually, and lost mass by Day 7, while tadpoles reared individually did not show a stress response, therefore either rearing method is viable, but have differing physiological costs for tadpoles. Repeatability of corticosterone release rates was moderate to high in R. berlandieri tadpoles, indicating that this species can show a response to selection and potentially respond to rapid environmental change. Our results show that the water-borne hormone assay is a viable way to measure glucocorticoids in this species and is useful in the field of conservation physiology for rare and endangered species.
Gravitationally Lensed muJy Radio Sources towards Galaxy Clusters

Galaxy clusters are expected to gravitationally lens background radio sources. However, due to the smaller surface density of radio sources, when compared to optical galaxies, such lensed events are rare. For an example, it is expected that there is no lensed radio source due to foreground galaxy clusters in the 1.4 GHz VLA FIRST survey. However, at the $\mu$Jy level, the surface density of radio sources increases. Using the radio properties of the Hubble Deep Field (HDF) galaxies, we calculate the expected number of gravitationally lensed $\mu$Jy rad io sources on the sky due to foreground galaxy clusters for different cosmological models. For a flat cosmology with $\Omega_m=0.3$ and $\Omega_\Lambda =0.7$, we predict $\sim$ 1500 lensed radio sources with flux densities $\sim$ 10 to 1000 muJy at 1.4 GHz. We discuss the possibility of detecting lensed muJy radio sources towards clusters with deep radio surveys. Given the recent detection of a sub-mm selected lensed muJy radio source towards A370, it is suggested that deep radio observations of clusters should already contain such lensed sources. Aided by amplification due to gravitational lensing, the search for lensed \muJy radio sources towards clusters are likely to recover star-forming galaxies at redshifts of 1 to 3.
Feature Voting and the Success of Crowdfunded Projects

Crowdfunding is an increasingly prominent phenomenon in today’s world. One of the selling points of crowdfunding is the ability of funders to give project input, often in the form of voting on features for a project they support. Whether or not this type of feature voting significantly affects the success of projects is an open question. This study examines that question using a large sample of projects from the prominent crowdfunding site Kickstarter. The results suggest that, although common, project feature voting does not significantly predict crowdfunded projects’ success.
Auditory Brainstem Implantation: Candidacy Evaluation, Operative Technique, and Outcomes.

Auditory brainstem implants (ABIs) stimulate the auditory system at the cochlear nucleus, bypassing the peripheral auditory system including the auditory nerve. They are used in patients who are not cochlear implant candidates. Current criteria for use in the United States are neurofibromatosis type 2 patients 12 years or older undergoing first- or second-side vestibular schwannoma removal. However, there are other nontumor conditions in which patients may benefit from an ABI, such as bilateral cochlear nerve aplasia and severe cochlear malformation not amendable to cochlear implantation. Recent experience with ABI in the pediatric population demonstrates good safety profile and encouraging results.
Visualization of 3D Stress Tensor Fields Using Superquadric Glyphs on Displacement Streamlines

Stress tensor fields play a central role in solid mechanics studies, but their visualization in 3D space remains challenging as the information-dense multi-variate tensor needs to be sampled in 3D space while avoiding clutter. Taking cues from current tensor visualizations, we adapted glyph-based visualization for stress tensors in 3D space. We also developed a testing framework and performed user studies to evaluate the various glyph-based tensor visualizations for objective accuracy measures, and subjective user feedback for each visualization method. To represent the stress tensor, we color encoded the original superquadric glyph, and in the user study, we compared it to superquadric glyphs developed for second-order symmetric tensors. We found that color encoding improved the user accuracy measures, while the users also rated our method the highest. We compared our method of placing stress tensor glyphs on displacement streamlines to the glyph placement on a 3D grid. In the visualization, we modified the glyph to show both the stress tensor and the displacement vector at each sample point. The participants preferred our method of glyph placement on displacement streamlines as it highlighted the underlying continuous structure in the tensor field.
Neurokinin receptors in drug and alcohol addiction

The neurokinins are a class of peptide signaling molecules that mediate a range of central and peripheral functions including pain processing, gastrointestinal function, stress responses, and anxiety. Recent data have linked these neuropeptides with drug-related behaviors. Specifically, substance P (SP) and neurokinin B (NKB), have been shown to influence responses to alcohol, cocaine, and/or opiate drugs. SP and NKB preferentially bind to the neurokinin-1 receptor (NK1R) and neurokinin-3 receptor (NK3R), respectively, but do have some affinity for all classes of neurokinin receptor at high concentrations. NK1R activity has been shown to influence reward and reinforcement for opiate drugs, stimulatory and neurochemical responses to cocaine, and escalated and stress-induced alcohol seeking. In reinstatement models of relapse-like behavior, NK1R antagonism attenuates stress-induced reinstatement for all classes of drugs tested to date. The NK3R also influences alcohol intake and behavioral/neurochemical responses to cocaine, but less research has been performed in regard to this particular receptor in preclinical models of addiction. Clinically, agents targeting these receptors have shown some promise, but have produced mixed results. Here, the preclinical findings for the NK1R and NK3R are reviewed, and discussion is provided to interpret clinical findings. Additionally, important factors to consider in regards to future clinical work are suggested.
Mechanistic Aspects of Simultaneous Extraction of Silver and Gold Nanoparticles across Aqueous-Organic Interfaces by Surface Active Iron Oxide Nanoparticles.

Surface active iron oxide nanoparticles (NPs) were used for the simultaneous extraction of water soluble Ag and Au NPs across the aqueous – organic interface from aqueous bulk. The surface activity...
Ocular Conditions and the Endocannabinoid System

The endocannabinoid system strongly influences a wide variety of physiologic processes within the human body by targeting specific receptors in most organ systems, including the ocular system. Glaucoma is an optic neuropathy that has a wide variety of risk factors but only one controllable factor: intraocular pressure. There is an ongoing scientific effort to investigate if targeting the ocular endocannabinoid system can effectively treat this and other blinding diseases affecting the human eye. Marijuana is a drug with numerous molecular components, some well-characterized and others poorly studied, that has inconsistent effects on intraocular pressure. As things currently stand, there is a lack of scientific evidence that effectively demonstrates marijuana as a useful monotherapy or a superior treatment option to treat glaucoma, as compared to traditional treatment modalities like topical or oral medications, laser, or glaucoma surgery. As legalization of marijuana increases across the United States and other North American countries, it is paramount for all physicians to understand the effects of marijuana and other endocannabinoids on the ocular system, as well as to understand patient perceptions and concerns regarding treatment of eye disease with these substances.
New functionally ultrastructural details of the honey bee stinger tip: serrated edge and pitted surface

Structure and function of the honey bee, Apis mellifera stinger is very well known. Nevertheless, we described two novel ultrastructural details at the end of the stinger using scanning electron mi...