cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The International Genetics Symposia in Japan

search, and the efficient arrangements made by the AIBS, 50 Americans were given travel grants to attend. All told, 65 attended from the United States. Four persons were present from the Soviet Union. Two symposia were held concurrently. One of these, on Physical and Chemical Approaches to Problems in Chromosomes, was sponsored by the International Union of Biological Sciences. The other, on Applied Genetics, was sponsored by the organizing group, the Science Council of Japan. On four half-days, participants in both symposia met in joint session to hear papers of general interest. On three halfdays sectional meetings were held, a total of 10 sections running concurrently. Two half-days were devoted to exhibits and three half-days to travel, including visits to the Kihara Institute of Biological Research at Yokohama, the Hiratsuka Branch of the National Institute of Agricultural Sciences and the National Institute of Genetics at Misima.
Evaluation of predator-prey relationships using an enzyme immunoassay

Feasibility of revealing predator-prey relationships between aquatic insects and mosquito larvae using an enzyme immunoassay (EIA) was evaluated in this study. Predators were fed either Culex tarsalis Coquillett or Anopheles freeborni Aitken larvae. Control predators were starved for 24 h. These reference samples were evaluated in a blind test with the EIA. Comparison of amount of classification agreement (fed Culex or not fed Culex ) between the reference and the EIA revealed a positive association. Observed incidence of disagreement in classification (false positives or false negatives) was low.
Coupling of terahertz radiation with whispering-gallery-mode microdisk lasers

High-speed modulation of semiconductor lasers is a critical issue in photonics. The unique properties of the semiconductor whispering-gallery-mode microdisk laser offer a novel opportunity for coupling the electron/hole plasma response and laser cavity modes at terahertz frequencies. Here, we explore this coupling by driving the collective electron mode of a whispering-gallery-mode microdisk laser with terahertz radiation while we observe the laser emission.
Optical and Electrical Properties of Amorphous Semiconductor Doping Superlattices

Doping modulated amorphous semiconductors have been made by silane plasma deposition in a two-chamber transfer system. The properties of a multilayer sample consisting of many 275 A thick n- and p- type layers will be discussed. The photoconductivity is characterized by a normal short recombination process and one with a lifetime of days. The latter yields at 300°K a long-lived persistent excess conductivity (PPC) that anneals away near 450°K. The PPC might be due to the internal fields that separate electron-hole pairs and hinders recombination.
The Polemics of Exile in Jeremiah 26–45: The Polemics of Exile

at every turn, the supplement addresses the judean community in Babylon arising from the various deportations to that city. Jeremiah himself becomes a character in the narratives within the Supplement, manipulated by the author as a symbol of the deportees' own experience. He shares in the prohibition from living in his ancestral homeland (Jer 37:11–14), he is imprisoned and given rations like Jehoiachin (Jer 37:15; cf. 2 Kgs 25:27, 30; Jer 38:32–34), and he is cast into a pit (רוב), only to sink into the mud in a miserable sort of nether existence (Jer 38:6), paralleling the questions of the afterlife that would have accompanied the exile to Babylon. Indeed, his experience in the pit is reflected in a dirge to Zedekiah by the women of the royal circles who are brought to Babylon, though this dirge is couched in liturgical terminology (Jer 38:22). Finally, Jeremiah is forcibly taken captive to a foreign land (Jer 43:6–7), to live among a people who are not part of the covenantal community. In every one of these instances, the perpetrators are the post–597 BCE Judeans of Jerusalem or those who settled in Egypt, who have become foreigners. It is for this reason that the judgment pronounced upon them in Jeremiah 44, though exilic, does not include captivity among the list of punishment yhwh will inflict on them (in v. 13); the Judeans of Egypt are themselves the captors who have taken Jeremiah and Baruch against their will.
Universal School Readiness Screening at Kindergarten Entry.

Researchers examined the concurrent and predictive validity of a brief (12-item) teacher-rated school readiness screener, the Kindergarten Student Entrance Profile (KSEP), using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis to examine associations between (N = 78) children’s social-emotional (SE) and cognitive (COG) readiness with measures of behavioral/emotional risk and early literacy skills throughout kindergarten. Results indicated statistically significant associations between both subscales of the KSEP (SE and COG) with all outcome variables. Findings provide validity evidence in support of the KSEP as an initial gate in the universal screening process to inform educators on the readiness of incoming kindergarteners.
Wind Shear Effects on Water Accumulation and Rain Duration in Hawaiian Warm Clouds

Analyse des observations aeriennes de la pluie chaude en Hawai, en vue d'elucider l'effet du cisaillement de vent sur la croissance des gouttes au sein de differents types de nuages. La formation du crachin (200 μm-800 μm) est ralentie au sommet du nuage lorsque un intense cisaillement se presente dans un Cu isole ou dans des nuages en bande; la formation est acceleree en presence d'un fort cisaillement dans un amas de nuages. Une ascension moderee est necessaire a la croissance des gouttes au voisinage du sommet. A mesure que les gouttes tombent a travers un nuage, l'eau s'accumule le mieux au sein d'un amas et le moins bien au sein d'un Cu isole. La duree de precipitation est raccourcie en presence d'un fort cisaillement dans un Cu isole, mais elle est accrue dans les nuages en bande ou le vent est parabolique
Somatic Gene Therapy into Hematopoietic Cells: Current Status and Future Implications

Retroviral-mediated gene transfer is a powerful tool for introducing and expressing single genes into hematopoietic cells. There has clearly been a tremendous amount of progress in the development of retroviral gene transfer technology over the past 7 years. This is evidenced by improvements in transduction efficiency and expression in animals and its selected use currently in human trials. Critical experiments that must yet be performed relate to the in vitro identification, transduction, and expansion of pluripotent hematopoietic stem cells in vitro as well as the development of retroviral vectors that maximize in vivo expression in the desired target cells.
Modeling the early evolution of Vesta

The early evolution of the asteroid Vesta has been extensively studied because of the availability of relevant data, especially important new studies of HED meteorites which originated from Vesta and the Dawn mission to Vesta in 2011–2012. These studies have concluded that an early melting episode led to the differentiation of Vesta into crust, mantle, and core. This melting episode is attributed to the decay of 26Al, which has a half-life of 7.17 × 105 yr. This heating produced a global magma ocean. Surface cooling of this magma ocean will produce a solid crust. In this paper, we propose a convective heat-transfer mechanism that effectively cools the asteroid when the degree of melting reaches about 50%. We propose that a cool solid surface crust, which is gravitationally unstable, will founder into the solid–liquid mix beneath and will very effectively transfer heat that prevents further melting of the interior. In this paper, we quantify this process. If Vesta had a very early formation, melting would commence at an age of about 1,30,000 yr, and solidification would occur at an age of about 10 Myr. If Vesta formed with a time delay greater than about 2 Myr, no melting would have occurred. An important result of our model is that the early melting episode is restricted to the first 10 Myr. This result is in good agreement with the radiometric ages of the HED meteorites.
Physiologic Basis of EEG and Epilepsy

The cerebral cortex is organized into six horizontal layers. Extensive horizontal cortico-cortical connections make up the vast majority of the cortical synapses. Cell membranes of neurons have ion channels that permit the passage of ions depending on their electrochemical gradients. The equilibrium potential is the membrane potential at which there is no net flow of an ion across the cell membrane which is calculated by Nernst equation. Equilibrium potentials of multiple ions determine the resting membrane potential (where there is no net flow of ions across the cell membrane) which can be calculated by Goldman–Hodgkin–Katz equation. The major contributor of resting membrane potential (typically −70 mV for neurons) is the potassium leak channels. Neurotransmitter released from the presynaptic terminals causes local changes to the postsynaptic terminal generating excitatory or inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs or IPSPs). Such PSPs generate an extracellular field potential which is volume-conducted to the scalp and is the basis of potentials recorded on EEG. The potential recorded at the electrode is proportional to the solid angle subtended by the dipole layer generating the potential. Superficial EPSPs and deep IPSPs show the same polarity (negative) on a surface recording electrode and vice versa. The cerebral cortex, thalamus, and several modulatory systems in the brain stem are responsible for the generation, synchronization, and desynchronization of brain rhythms recorded on EEG.
13C/31P MRS Metabolic Biomarkers of Disease Progression and Response to AAV Delivery of hGAA in a Mouse Model of Pompe Disease.

The development of therapeutic clinical trials for glycogen storage disorders, including Pompe disease, has called for non-invasive and objective biomarkers. Glycogen accumulation can be measured in vivo with 13 C MRS. However, clinical implementation remains challenging due to low signal-to-noise. On the other hand, the buildup of glycolytic intermediates may be detected with 31 P MRS. We sought to identify new biomarkers of disease progression in muscle using 13 C/ 31 P MRS and 1 H HR-MAS in a mouse model of Pompe disease ( Gaa −/− ). We evaluated the sensitivity of these MR biomarkers in vivo after treatment using an adeno-associated virus vector 2/9 encoding hGAA driven by the desmin promotor. 31 P MRS showed significantly elevated phosphomonoesters (PMEs) in Gaa −/− compared to control at 2 (0.06 ± 0.02 versus 0.03 ± 0.01; p = 0.003), 6, 12, and 18 months of age. Correlative 1 H HR-MAS measures in intact gastrocnemius muscles revealed high glucose-6-phosphate (G-6-P). After intramuscular AAV injections, glycogen, PME, and G-6-P were decreased within normal range. The changes in PME levels likely partly resulted from changes in G-6-P, one of the overlapping phosphomonoesters in the 31 P MR spectra in vivo. Because 31 P MRS is inherently more sensitive than 13 C MRS, PME levels have greater potential as a clinical biomarker and should be considered as a complementary approach for future studies in Pompe patients.
Multimodal analysis of vocal collaborative search: a public corpus and results

Intelligent agents have the potential to help with many tasks. Information seeking and voice-enabled search assistants are becoming very common. However, there remain questions as to the extent by which these agents should sense and respond to emotional signals. We designed a set of information seeking tasks and recruited participants to complete them using a human intermediary. In total we collected data from 22 pairs of individuals, each completing five search tasks. The participants could communicate only using voice, over a VoIP service. Using automated methods we extracted facial action, voice prosody and linguistic features from the audio-visual recordings. We analyzed the characteristics of these interactions that correlated with successful communication and understanding between the pairs. We found that those who were expressive in channels that were missing from the communication channel (e.g., facial actions and gaze) were rated as communicating poorly, being less helpful and understanding. Having a way of reinstating nonverbal cues into these interactions would improve the experience, even when the tasks are purely information seeking exercises. The dataset used for this analysis contains over 15 hours of video, audio and transcripts and reported ratings. It is publicly available for researchers at: http://aka.ms/MISCv1.
Carbon Dioxide and Nitrogen Infused Compressed Air Foam for Depopulation of Caged Laying Hens

Depopulation of infected poultry flocks is a key strategy to control and contain reportable diseases. Water-based foam, carbon dioxide inhalation, and ventilation shutdown are depopulation methods available to the poultry industry. Unfortunately, these methods have limited usage in caged layer hen operations. Personnel safety and welfare of birds are equally important factors to consider during emergency depopulation procedures. We have previously reported that compressed air foam (CAF) is an alternative method for depopulation of caged layer hens. We hypothesized that infusion of gases, such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen (N2), into the CAF would reduce physiological stress and shorten time to cessation of movement. The study had six treatments, namely a negative control, CO2 inhalation, N2 inhalation, CAF with air (CAF Air), CAF with 50% CO2 (CAF CO2), and CAF with 100% N2 (CAF N2). Four spent hens were randomly assigned to one of these treatments on each of the eight replication days. A total of 192 spent hens were used in this study. Serum corticosterone and serotonin levels were measured and compared between treatments. Time to cessation of movement of spent hens was determined using accelerometers. The addition of CO2 in CAF significantly reduced the foam quality while the addition of N2 did not. The corticosterone and serotonin levels of spent hens subjected to foam (CAF, CAF CO2, CAF N2) and gas inhalation (CO2, N2) treatments did not differ significantly. The time to cessation of movement of spent hens in the CAF N2 treatment was significantly shorter than CAF and CAF CO2 treatments but longer than the gas inhalation treatments. These data suggest that the addition of N2 is advantageous in terms of shortening time to death and improved foam quality as compared to the CAF CO2 treatment.
Recommending Sustainable Design Practices by Characterizing Activities And Mindsets

How do designers, engineers, and managers choose the best sustainable design method for their work? How can different design practices combine to complement each other? This study makes recommendations by deconstructing 14 design methods, guides, certifications, and other practices into their constituent activities and mindsets, then characterising those activities and mindsets. For example, some of the seven activity categories are analysis, ideation, and goal-setting; some of the eight mindset categories are priorities, abstract versus concrete goals, and environmental versus social goals. Recommendations are given for matching sustainable design practices to different usage contexts by their constituent activities and mindsets. It also recommends combining design practices by showing which methods/guides/certifications contain complementary activities or mindsets vs. redundant ones. This work should enable designers and engineers to practice more effective and creative sustainable design.
Greater sage-grouse Centrocercus urophasianus nesting success and habitat use in northeastern California

From mid-March through mid-August 1998–2000, we studied greater sage-grouse Centrocercus urophasianus nesting habitat in northeastern California, USA. We located nest sites of 45 radio-marked hens, which had an average nest success of 40.2%. The radio-marked grouse used low sagebrush Artemisia arbuscula cover type less than expected; big sagebrush A. tridentata wyomingensis and mixed shrub cover types were used in proportion to their availability. Grouse used sites with habitat characteristics similar to random sites for nesting. However, successful nests differed from unsuccessful nests in several respects. Mean distance between nest and lek was greater for successful nests ( = 3,588 m, SE = 811 m, N = 20) than for unsuccessful nests ( = 1,964 m, SE = 386 m, N = 20). Rock cover was greater at successful nests ( = 27.7%, SE = 4.6%) than at unsuccessful nests ( = 14.49%, SE = 3.04%). Total shrub height was greater at successful nests ( = 65.5 cm, SE = 4.7) than at unsuccessful nests ( = 49.2 cm, SE = 1.7). The height of visual obstruction was greater at successful nests ( = 40.2 cm, SE = 2.6) than at unsuccessful nests ( = 32.5 cm, SE = 2.0). Our results suggest that sage-grouse use more diverse vegetation than previously reported, and we conclude that either this represents a natural behaviour for sage-grouse in this area, or we observed a selection response to a landscape altered by human activity.
Improving appropriate use of DVT prophylaxis in spontaneous ICH patients (P1.257)

Objective: We did a quality improvement project to study the appropriate use of pharmacological prophylaxis to prevent deep venous thrombosis(DVT) in patients with spontaneous intra cranial hemorrhage (sICH). Background: Because of immobility, patients with sICH have an increased risk of thromboembolic diseases. Studies show risk is greater with African American patients and women. AHA/ASA recommends to start DVT prophylaxis between 1–4 days if hematoma remained stable. Design/Methods: Charts of 49 consecutive patients with sICH were reviewed retrospectively between August 2015 to June 2016. Data was collected on whether the patient was started on DVT prophylaxis, date when it was started, what drug was started and reason for the delay. After analysis of results, we embedded a new power plan for DVT therapy on all the admission orders. Data for 50 consecutive patients with sICH was acquired from October 2016 to July 2017. Results: In the pre-power plan period, only 19 patients (38.77%) were started on DVT prophylaxis. 30 patients did not receive pharmacological prophylaxis. Among the patients who did not receive DVT prophylaxis, no reasons were documented in 17 patients and one among them developed pulmonary embolism during hospital stay. Withdrawal of care, early, hematoma expansion, elevated INR, planned surgery were the reasons documented for not starting prophylaxis. One patient died within 24 hours. After the power plan was introduced, 35(70%) patients were started on DVT prophylaxis, among which 30 patients were started within 4 days. Only 5 patients had no reason documented for not starting the therapy. The reasons for not initiation were worsening hematoma/ICH, worsening coagulopathy, early discharge and hospice care. Conclusions: DVT prophylaxis should be started appropriately to prevent the morbidity and mortality associated with thromboembolic diseases. This simple study shows that with incorporation of a separate power plan, patients receive DVT prophylaxis without unnecessary delays. Disclosure: Dr. Prabhu has nothing to disclose. Dr. Yaddanapudi has nothing to disclose. Dr. Edara has nothing to disclose. Dr. Joe has nothing to disclose. Dr. Jayaraman has nothing to disclose. Dr. Yang has nothing to disclose.
Manufacturing Knowledge Representation Using an Object Oriented Data Model

A common data base plays a key role in the development of a Computer Integrated Manufacturing System (CIMS) and a Manufacturing Data Base (MDB) is one of the necessary components of an integrated data base. A MDB needs to have information on part geometry features, operation processes, operating parameters, machine tools, cutting tools, jigs and fixtures. A MDB should also provide capabilities to model, store and manipulate manufacturing data in a manner suitable to the users. The commercial Data Base Management Systems (DBMS) are not widely used in manufacturing application primarily because the conceptual and internal modeling tools that they provide do not meet the requirements of a manufacturing user. This paper describes an object-oriented data model suitable for the manufacturing domain. In the object-oriented data model, it is easy to describe and maintain a manufacturing objects, such as parts, machine tools, cutting tools, fixtures, etc.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1

Human immunodeficiency virus types 1 and 2 (HIV-1 and HIV-2), the causative agents of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), are RNA viruses belonging to the genus Lentivirus of the family Retroviridae. Like all retroviruses, replication involves reverse transcription of the RNA genome into a double-stranded DNA molecule, with subsequent integration into the host genome. This integrated retroviral DNA is referred to as the provirus. Due to this complex replicative cycle, molecular assays used in the diagnosis and management of HIV-1 infection may target either HIV-1 RNA or proviral DNA.
MICROBIOLOGICAL CYCLING OF OIL IN ESTUARINE MARSHLANDS

ABSTRACT Indigenous microflora of sediments of Spartina marshes of the Louisiana coast include a high percentage of cellulolytic bacteria and ascosporogenous yeasts (Pichia and Kluyveromyces). At sites either accidentally or experimentally inundated with crude oil, the proportion of hydrocarbon-utilizing bacteria and yeasts increased. The marsh sediments contained low populations of hydrocarbonoclastic fungi with few strains showing significant oil-emulsifying properties. In culture, representative microorganisms readily utilized alkanes from C12 to C18. Oil utilization by a representative bacterium increased significantly as incubation temperatures were raised from 10 to 30 C, whereas yeasts showed peak activity at 20 C. Oil utilization by test microorganisms was negligible at 5 C. Seeding of experimentally oiled marsh plots with a mixed culture of Candida maltosa and C. lipolytica demonstrated that these species survived in the oiled area without spreading to adjacent sites. In culture these strains gave significant emulsification of crude oil and utilized up to 90% of selected hydrocarbons.
Altered functional connectivity between sub-regions in the thalamus and cortex in schizophrenia patients measured by resting state BOLD fMRI at 7T.

Abstract The thalamus is a small brain structure that relays neuronal signals between subcortical and cortical regions. Abnormal thalamocortical connectivity in schizophrenia has been reported in previous studies using blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) functional MRI (fMRI) performed at 3T. However, anatomically the thalamus is not a single entity, but is subdivided into multiple distinct nuclei with different connections to various cortical regions. We sought to determine the potential benefit of using the enhanced sensitivity of BOLD fMRI at ultra-high magnetic field (7T) in exploring thalamo-cortical connectivity in schizophrenia based on subregions in the thalamus. Seeds placed in thalamic subregions of 14 patients and 14 matched controls were used to calculate whole-brain functional connectivity. Our results demonstrate impaired thalamic connectivity to the prefrontal cortex and the cerebellum, but enhanced thalamic connectivity to the motor/sensory cortex in schizophrenia. This altered functional connectivity significantly correlated with disease duration in the patients. Remarkably, comparable effect sizes observed in previous 3T studies were detected in the current 7T study with a heterogeneous and much smaller cohort, providing evidence that ultra-high field fMRI may be a powerful tool for measuring functional connectivity abnormalities in schizophrenia. Further investigation with a larger cohort is merited to validate the current findings.
Chai Jing: The Power of Vulnerability

In the past seventeen years Chai Jing has risen from China’s official media to become a recognized investigative journalist, public intellectual, author, and more recently, an independent filmmaker and environmental activist. Her experience and work reflect how China’s news apparatus has reformed to adapt to the drastic societal changes with emotion being used to open up new ways of news communication. Her documentary Under the Dome further shows how the internet has transformed the ecology of media and provided innovative platforms for social engagement. Chai’s embracing her own feelings of vulnerability, which dominated the beginning of her career, and using it to channel public feelings and drive news reporting has made her a distinctively controversial media personality. Her leaving the CCTV can be viewed as a self-marginalization that helps her sustain that vulnerability, through which she gains resilience and critical power. The use of maternal voice in Under the Dome exemplifies her use of the power of vulnerability in its most mature form. The controversiality about that voice signals that post-socialist China remains a space where environmental and gender discourses are contested and negotiated.
Burkitt’s Lymphoma

In this review of Burkitt’s lymphoma, we discuss recent clinical and pathological advances in the understanding of this unique malignancy. Burkitt’s lymphoma (BL) has been the subject of intense investigation ever since Burkitt’s classic description in 1958 (18). The lively interest in this lymphoma stems from cliraatological and geographical distribution which had suggested a mosquito-vectored virus as the etiologic agent (20,21,49). The subsequent discovery of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) in cultured BL cells gave credence to this view (38). Virologists continue to study this herpesvirus as a model for viral-induced oncogenesis (23,39,66,145). Second, the exquisite sensitivity of this tumor to chemotherapy suggested a potential for cure. This plus the pioneering work regarding chemotherapy of acute lymphocytic leukemias by the prominent pathologist, Sidney Farber, has provided impetus for modern chemotherapy programs. Finally, BL is unique in its histopathologic, immunologic, and cytogenetic attributes. The surface markers studies of BL have demonstrated arrested lymphocyte differentiation. Other cancers are viewed also in the context of blocked autogeny.
Paths of Processing Strategy Transfers in Learning Japanese and English as Foreign Languages: A Competition Model Approach.

This paper reports on a competition model experiment designed to investigate the sentence-processing strategies of English-speaking learners of Japanese (JFL learners) and Japanese-speaking learners of English. The participants were required to identify the sentence subject of a series of English and Japanese word strings, each consisting of one verb and two nouns, in which noun-animacy, word-order, and case-marking cues either competed or were consistent with each other. The results indicated a correlation between learners' proficiency in Japanese and case-marker dependency in Japanese strings. JFL learners primarily resorted to animacy cues to interpret Japanese strings, suggesting a prepotent role for lexical semantics. There was little evidence of transfer of surface word order, although some JFL learners resorted to the Japanese canonical SOV order to a greater extent than the native Japanese.
Structural Differences in Meibum From Donors After Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantations.

PURPOSE Meibum is considered to be a key component of tears that serve to protect the eye, and conformational changes in meibum have not been studied extensively within the population of patients who had hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). The aim of this study was to determine possible lipid conformational changes in the meibum of patients who had HSCT. METHODS Participants who had HSCT were randomly sampled for this prospective comparative study. Control participants did not have dry eye or had not undergone allogeneic or autologous stem cell transplantation. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy was used to measure meibum phase transition. RESULTS Meibum was collected from both eyes of 36 donors without dry eye (Mc) and from 22 patients who had undergone HSCT (MHSCT). There were no significant differences between the phase transition parameters based on gender or race. The following were the significant differences (P < 0.0001) between the parameters for Mc compared with MHSCT : lipid order (% trans) at 33.4°C increased from 40 (1) to 54 (2), cooperativity decreased from 7.9 (0.4) to 5.4 (0.3), the phase transition temperature (C) increased from 30.3 (0.4) to 34.2 (0.9), and the magnitude of the phase transition (cm) increased from 4.0 (0.1) to 4.7 (0.5) (standard error of the mean). CONCLUSIONS Conformational and thermodynamic differences were observed between Mc and MHSCT. The changes observed in the lipid conformation of meibum from patients receiving HSCTs suggest that meibum composition changes after stem cell transplantation, and clinicians should consider treating the meibomian glands to improve the ocular surface.
Anionic gels as vehicles for electrically-modulated drug delivery. I. Solvent and drug transport phenomena.

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the in vitro behavior of anionic gels as formulation matrices for electrically-modulated drug delivery. Agarose and combinations of agarose with other anionic polymers (carbomer 934P; xanthan gum) were selected and tested to evaluate their potential for drug delivery. Methods. Electrical current was applied by an automatic crossover power supply to minimize the current fluctuation. Hydrocortisone was selected as the model drug in order to minimize electrostatic interference with drug transport. Syneresis and drug migration were evaluated as a function of current application time and the intensity of electrical current. Results. The data show that electrical current strength and gellant content can affect both the syneresis and drug migration. A linear correlation was found between hydrocortisone loss and mass loss via the exudate. Moreover, in agarose-carbomer 934P gel systems, cumulative gel mass loss is a linear function of time at low intensities of electrical current (e.g., 0.5 mA and 1 mA). However, hydrocortisone distribution, after electrical application, is relatively asymmetric in those agarose-carbomer 934P gels (and in agarose-xanthan gum gels) in contrast to gel matrices containing only agarose. Conclusions. In this study, the use of carbomer 934P in conjunction with agarose enables the formulator to achieve zero-order release with electrical application. Increased anisotropicity of a gel system due to the application of electrical current could alter the effectiveness of a drug delivery system.
Anastomotic complications after esophagectomy: Influence of omentoplasty in propensity-weighted cohorts

Abstract Objective A recent meta-analysis of 3 randomized controlled trials reported reduced incidence and severity of postesophagectomy anastomotic dehiscence with anastomotic omentoplasty. Unfortunately, these trials excluded neoadjuvant patients who received chemoradiation. We aimed to determine whether anastomotic omentoplasty was associated with differential postesophagectomy anastomotic complications after neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. Methods Data for patients who underwent minimally invasive esophagectomy following neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy were abstracted (n = 245; 2001-2016; omentoplasty = 147 [60%]). Propensity for omentoplasty was estimated on 21 pretreatment variables, using augmented inverse probability of treatment weights, and used to determine the adjusted proportion of adverse anastomotic outcomes, major morbidity, and 30-day/in-hospital mortality. Results Overall, anastomotic leak rate was 15%; leak-associated mortality was 13% (n = 5 out of 37). Leak rates (omentoplasty n = 24 [16%] vs no omentoplasty n = 13 [13%]; P = .512) and incidence of any major complications (48% vs 48%; P = .958) were similar. Leaks requiring surgical intervention occurred in 12 patients (5% vs 5%; P = .904). Propensity weighting achieved excellent balance across all 21 pretreatment variables (before weighting, standardized differences ranged from –0.23 to 0.35; postweighting standardized differences ranged from –0.09 to 0.07). In propensity-weighted data, omentoplasty was not associated with differential adjusted risk of anastomotic leak (13.2% vs 14.3%; P = .83), major morbidity (27.9% vs 32.6%; P = .44), or mortality (6.7% vs 4.8%; P = .61). Conclusions Within the limits of our sample size and statistical approach, our study failed to find evidence that anastomotic omentoplasty during esophagectomy after neoadjuvant chemoradiation reduced anastomotic leak rate or need for leak-related reoperation.
GSTP1 polymorphisms sex-specific association with verbal intelligence in survivors of pediatric medulloblastoma tumors.

Glutathione S-transferase (GST) single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been associated with a lower intellectual quotient (IQ) in medulloblastoma survivors. We investigated the association of ...
Development of the Deoxycorticosterone Acetate (DOCA)-salt Hypertensive Rat Model.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nearly 1.13 billion people worldwide have hypertension, a major factor responsible for premature death globally. The inherent multifactorial nature of hypertension makes its study difficult since the chronic rise in blood pressure depends on the intricate connection between dietary, genetic and environmental factors. Therefore, the pathophysi-ology of hypertension is not completely understood. For these reasons, there is an ongoing search for animal models that better mimic changes resulting from this disease. Because of its complexity, the use of animal models aimed at elucidating the pathogenesis of hypertension and to evaluate new therapeutic possibilities is an important tool for understanding this disease since it enables consistent experimental strategies that are impractical in humans. Over time, many animal models have been developed for the study of chronic increases in blood pressure ranging from genetic models that include the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) and genetic manipulations, such as the TGR (mRen2) rat, as well as neurogenic or endocrine models. One of the most commonly used hypertensive rat models today is that of hypertension induced by treatment with deoxycorticosterone acetate associated with high sodium intake, i.e., the DOCA-salt model. This model is known to have a neurogenic component linked to increased sympathetic nervous system activity, and as such the DOCA-salt model promotes cross-talk between endocrine and neural components that lead to increased blood pressure, and may impact the functioning of other organs.
Drag, lift, and torque on a prolate spheroid resting on a smooth surface in a linear shear flow

Abstract Understanding the aerodynamic forces on particles resting on a surface is important for studies of surface contamination, non-contact sampling, and environmental and health assessments. Though the aerodynamic forces acting on a spherical particle are well studied, in many real-world applications, the particles are non-spherical, and there are currently no established relations for forces on non-spherical particles resting on a surface. We developed new relations for the aerodynamic forces on prolate-spheroidal particles attached to a surface in a linear shear flow using direct numerical simulations. The reduced-order model predicts drag, lift, and torque coefficients as a function of the particle aspect ratio, flow incidence angle, and Reynolds number. The predictive model agrees with the direct numerical simulations (DNS) results for the drag and lift coefficients within 0.3% and 3%, respectively.
Ordering Thurston’s geometries by maps of nonzero degree

We obtain an ordering of closed aspherical 4-manifolds that carry a non-hyperbolic Thurston geometry. As application, we derive that the Kodaira dimension of geometric 4-manifolds is monotone with respect to the existence of maps of nonzero degree.
How Race Counts for Latinx Homeownership

In recent decades, the racial wealth gap has widened with extant literature reporting that Black and Latinx families hold fewer assets than white families. One such asset that receives substantial ...
A Die Attach Design for Thermoelectric Generator Packages for Automotive Applications

The requirement to achieve high reliability for the die attach in thermoelectric generator (TEG) package design is key to their viability and safe operation in automotive applications. In this study, the reliability of die attach material Al 718 (88% Al, 12% Si) during high temperature operating conditions is discussed. A novel approach is outlined to determine the damage parameter for accurate reliability predictions using a scalable test vehicle fabrication, testing, and finite element analysis (FEA) simulations. In addition, a new TEG package design is proposed that can withstand extreme environmental conditions and exhibit enhanced mechanical reliability by minimizing the likelihood that sublimation and oxidation of the semiconductor dies occurs. The proposed design of TEGs is analyzed using finite element simulations. Prototype models were fabricated and tested to validate the computational predictions. Continuum damage mechanics was used to predict the fatigue life of TEG packages using computational modeling of cyclic damage evolution. The results demonstrated that the proposed die attach design can be commercially viable for high-temperature TEG applications.
AI in the Law: Towards Assessing Ethical Risks

The exponential growth in data over the past decade has impacted the legal industry; both requiring automated solutions for the cost effective and efficient management of the volume and variety of big (legal) data; and, enabling artificial intelligence techniques based on machine learning for the analysis of that data. While many legal practitioners focus on specific services niches, the impact of AI in the law is much broader than individual niches. While AI systems and concerns for their ethical operation are not new, the scale of impact and adoption of AI systems in legal practice makes consideration of the ethics of these systems timely. While there has been recent progress in development of ethical guidelines for AI systems, much of this is targeted at the developers of these systems in general, or the actions of these AI systems as autonomous entities, rather than in the legal practice context. Much of the ethical guidance - whether for AI systems or legal professional is captured in high level principles within more narrowly defined domains, more specific guidance may be appropriate to identify and assess ethical risks. As adoption and operation of AI software in routine legal practice becomes more commonplace, more detailed guidance on assessing the scope and scale of ethical risks is needed.
ENRICH: Exploiting Image Similarity to Maximize Efficient Machine Learning in Medical Imaging

Abstract Deep learning (DL) has been applied with success in proofs of concept across biomedical imaging, including across modalities and medical specialties 1–17. Labeled data is critical to training and testing DL models, and such models traditionally require large amounts of training data, straining the limited (human) resources available for expert labeling/annotation. It would be ideal to prioritize labeling those images that are most likely to improve model performance and skip images that are redundant. However, straightforward, robust, and quantitative metrics for measuring and eliminating redundancy in datasets have not yet been described. Here, we introduce a new method, ENRICH (Eliminate Needless Redundancy for Imaging Challenges), for assessing image dataset redundancy and test it on a well-benchmarked medical imaging dataset3. First, we compute pairwise similarity metrics for images in a given dataset, resulting in a matrix of pairwise-similarity values. We then rank images based on this matrix and use these rankings to curate the dataset, to minimize dataset redundancy. Using this method, we achieve similar AUC scores in a binary classification task with just a fraction of our original dataset (AUC of 0.99 ± 1.35e-05 on 44 percent of available images vs. AUC of 0.99 ± 9.32e-06 on all available images, p-value 0.0002) and better scores than same-sized training subsets chosen at random. We also demonstrate similar Jaccard sores in a multi-class segmentation task while eliminating redundant images. (average Jaccard index of 0.58 on 80 percent of available images vs 0.60 on all available images). Thus, algorithms that reduce dataset redundancy based on image similarity can significantly reduce the number of training images required, while preserving performance, in medical imaging datasets.
Sleepy Joe? Recalling and Considering Donald Trump’s Strategic Use of Nicknames

From the beginning of his first presidential run in 2015, Donald Trump regularly used nicknames to deride his opponents’ appearances, demeanors, beliefs, or personal histories. Employing such nickn...
Vertical Comitance of Hypertropia in Congenital and Acquired Superior Oblique Palsy.

BACKGROUND Ivanir and Trobe have claimed that hypertropia (HT) that is greater in upgaze than downgaze, or equal to it, is characteristic of decompensated congenital superior oblique (SO) palsy and never present in ischemic, traumatic, or tumorous SO palsy. The reliability of this claim was tested in patients with SO palsy confirmed by MRI demonstration of subnormal ipsilesional SO size. METHODS Quasi-coronal, surface coil MRI was performed in target-controlled central gaze to identify patients with a unilateral reduction in SO cross section indicative of palsy. Nine patients gave an unequivocal history or had markedly increased vertical fusional amplitudes indicative of congenital onset (mean age 38 ± 16 years, SD). Seven patients had unequivocal acquired onset (age 47 ± 14 years and symptom duration 5.4 ± 4.8 years), including 2 with demonstrated trochlear Schwannoma and 5 with onset after severe head trauma. Fifteen patients had gradually progressive onset unequivocally not congenital yet not associated with any identifiable precipitating event (age 52 ± 20 years and symptom duration 13 ± 14 years). RESULTS Maximum SO cross section averaged 8.6 ± 3.9 mm2 in congenital palsy, not significantly different from 11.3 ± 3.5 mm2 in acquired palsy (P = 0.08) either unequivocally or progressively acquired, but significantly less than about 19 mm2 contralesionally in SO palsy (P 0.4). CONCLUSIONS Hypertropia is not characteristically greater in upgaze than downgaze in congenital SO palsy proven by SO atrophy on MRI. In fact, average HT is greater in downgaze than upgaze in both acquired and congenital palsy, sometimes strikingly so in the latter. The finding of HT greater in upgaze than downgaze, or equal to it, does not reliably indicate that SO palsy is congenital, nor does maximum SO cross section.
Arabidopsis Toxicos en Levadura 12 (ATL12): A Gene Involved in Chitin-Induced, Hormone-Related and NADPH Oxidase-Mediated Defense Responses

Plants, as sessile organisms, have evolved complex systems to respond to changes in environmental conditions. Chitin is a Pathogen-Associated-Molecular Pattern (PAMP) that exists in the fungal cell walls, and can be recognized by plants and induce plant pattern-triggered immunity (PTI). Our previous studies showed that Arabidopsis Toxicos en Levadura 12 (ATL12) is highly induced in response to fungal infection and chitin treatment. We used the model organism Arabidopsis thaliana to characterize ATL12 and explore its role in fungal defense. Histochemical staining showed that pATL12-GUS was continually expressed in roots, leaves, stems, and flowers. Subcellular co-localization of the ATL12-GFP fusion protein with the plasma membrane-mcherry marker showed that ATL12 localizes to the plasma membrane. Mutants of atl12 are more susceptible to Golovinomyces cichoracearum infection, while overexpression of ATL12 increased plant resistance to the fungus. ATL12 is highly induced by chitin after two hours of treatment and ATL12 may act downstream of MAPK cascades. Additionally, 3,3′-diaminobenzidine (DAB) staining indicated that atl12 mutants generate less reactive oxygen species compared to wild-type Col-0 plants and RT-PCR indicated that ATL12-regulated ROS production may be linked to the expression of respiratory burst oxidase homolog protein D/F (AtRBOHD/F). Furthermore, we present evidence that ATL12 expression is upregulated after treatment with both salicylic acid and jasmonic acid. Taken together, these results suggest a role for ATL12 in crosstalk between hormonal, chitin-induced, and NADPH oxidase-mediated defense responses in Arabidopsis.
Co-site interference tests of JTIDS, EPLRS, SINCGARS, and MSE (MSRT)

The authors describe the background for the conduct of and the results of a series of tests conducted at Tobyhanna Army Depot to determine the potential degradation in performance if Joint Tactical Information Distribution System (JTIDS), Enhanced Position Location Reporting System (EPLRS), Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS), and Mobile Subscriber Equipment (MSE) Mobile Subscriber Radio-Telephone Terminals (MSRT) are collocated in or in proximity to a vehicular mounted shelter. As a special request, additional tests were conducted to determine the degradation in performance that would be experienced if two EPLRSs and a SINCGARS were collocated. It is concluded that the antenna configuration presently planned for the Net Control Station for the JTIDS (NCS-J) and the Dedicated JTIDS Relay Unit (DJRU) will not create any cosite interference. The planned collocation of two EPLRS terminals in a vehicle or shelter will reduce the throughput of the terminals by approximately 3%. >
Phase equilibria and X-ray diffraction investigation of the system Cu-Fe-O

An equilibria investigation for the system Cu−Fe−O determined nine regions of stability which were investigated in the oxygen pressure range of 1×10−4 to 5×10−1 atm (P total=1 atm) and at temperatures of 1173° to 1250°K. Oxygen dissociation pressures were determined for three univariant, four bivariant, and two trivariant equilibria. X-ray examination of selected equilibrated samples established conclusively that 1) cuprous ferrite (delafossite) is a stoichiometric compound, 2) cupric ferrite is a solid solution, and 3) solubility of delafossite in cuprous oxide is negligible. A relationship of lattice parameters with compositional variations was determined for the solid solution. Tetragonal-to-cubic spinel crystal transformation of cupric ferrite solid solution occurs with ac/a ratio at or slightly greater than 1.028. A volume discontinuity accompanies the tetragonal-to-cubic spinel transformation, which is a first-order type of thermodynamic transition.
Mesenteric and Renal CT Angiography

Multidetector-row computed tomography (MDCT) is changing the spectrum of vascular imaging as a result of its fast image acquisition speed and spatial resolution. When coupled with high-quality three-dimensional (3-D) image representations, MDCT angiography effectively permits the evaluation of the abdominal visceral vasculature and is preferred to conventional angiography because of its noninvasiveness.
The 3-D Structure of Swirl-Stabilized Flames in a Lean Premixed Multi-Nozzle Can Combustor

Flame structure is an important aspect of the combustion process which must be considered in the design of gas turbine combustors as it can have a significant effect on the combustor’s static stability (blowoff) and dynamic stability (combustion instability). The relationship between flame structure and flame stability has been studied extensively in single-nozzle combustors. However, relatively few studies have been conducted in multi-nozzle combustor configurations typical of actual gas turbine combustion systems. In this paper, a chemiluminescence-based tomographic reconstruction technique is used to obtain three-dimensional images of the flame structure in a laboratory-scale five-nozzle can combustor. The images reveal the complex three-dimensional structure of this multi-nozzle flame, as well as, the effects of interacting swirling flows, flame-flame interactions and flame-wall interactions on flame structure.Copyright © 2015 by ASME