cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sex-dependent changes in pituitary 5alpha-dihydrotestosterone and 3alpha-androstanediol formation during postnatal development and puberty in the rat.

The in vitro conversion of testosterone-l,2-H3 to 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and 3α-androstanediol (DIOL) was studied in pituitary and brain during development in normal male and female rats, and after gonadectomy and hormone replacement at different ages. At birth, pituitary DHT and DIOL formation was equal in both sexes, but significant sex-specific changes occurred during development. In females the formation of both metabolites rose dramatically with age to reach a peak value between 10 and 15 days; the latter values exceeded that obtained in adult prostate. Subsequently there was a steep fall to about 10 times lower levels at 40 days. In male rats, pituitary DHT formation increased only slightly up to 10 days of life, then decreased until day 25 but showed a significant second rise between 30 and 34 days. At all of these ages, activity was higher than in adult life. Fluctuations as seen in the pituitary were not seen in hypothalamus, midbrain, or cerebral cortex. Gonadectomy at 5, 18, 24, or 29 day...
An analysis of the mechanical parameters used for finite element compression of a high-resolution 3D breast phantom.

Purpose: The authors previously introduced a methodology to generate a realistic three-dimensional (3D), high-resolution, computer-simulated breast phantom based on empirical data. One of the key components of such a phantom is that it provides a means to produce a realistic simulation of clinical breast compression. In the current study, they have evaluated a finite element (FE) model of compression and have demonstrated the effect of a variety of mechanical properties on the model using a dense mesh generated from empirical breast data. While several groups have demonstrated an effective compression simulation with lower density finite element meshes, the presented study offers a mesh density that is able to model the morphology of the inner breast structures more realistically than lower density meshes. This approach may prove beneficial for multimodality breast imaging research, since it provides a high level of anatomical detail throughout the simulation study. Methods: In this paper, the authors describe methods to improve the high-resolution performance of a FE compression model. In order to create the compressible breast phantom, dedicated breast CT data was segmented and a mesh was generated with 4-noded tetrahedral elements. Using an explicit FE solver to simulate breast compression, several properties were analyzed to evaluate their effect on the compression model including: mesh density, element type, density, and stiffness of various tissue types, friction between the skin and the compression plates, and breast density. Following compression, a simulated projection was generated to demonstrate the ability of the compressible breast phantom to produce realistic simulated mammographic images. Results: Small alterations in the properties of the breast model can change the final distribution of the tissue under compression by more than 1 cm; which ultimately results in different representations of the breast model in the simulated images. The model properties that impact displacement the most are mesh density, friction between the skin and the plates, and the relative stiffness of the different tissue types. Conclusions: The authors have developed a 3D, FE breast model that can yield high spatial resolution breast deformations under uniaxial compression for imaging research purposes and demonstrated that small changes in the mechanical properties can affect images generated using the phantom.
Deflating consciousness: A critical review of Fred Dretske's naturalizing the mind

Abstract Fred Dretske asserts that the conscious or phenomenal experiences associated with our perceptual states—e.g. the qualitative or subjective features involved in visual or auditory states—are identical to properties that things have according to our representations of them. This is Dretske's version of the currently popular representational theory of consciousness. After explicating the core of Dretske's representational thesis, I offer two criticisms. I suggest that Dretske's view fails to apply to a broad range of mental phenomena that have rather distinctive subjective or qualitative features. I also suggest that Dretske's view, in identifying conscious experiences with features of our perceptual states, casts its aim too low. It deflates further than it should and, in consequence, fails to capture what are arguably some of the most important phenomena associated with our conscious lives.
Cytology and neuron-glial apposition of migrating cerebellar granule cells in vitro

In developing mammalian brain, many neurons migrate to their final position by moving in direct apposition to radially oriented glial cells. Glial-guided migration can be visualized in microcultures of mouse cerebellar cells by the combined use of cellular antigen markers and high resolution time-lapse video microscopy (Hatten et al., 1984; Edmondson and Hatten, 1987). Such studies have demonstrated the behavior of migrating cells and revealed a motile leading process on the migrating neuron that resembles an axonal growth cone and grows along extended glial fibers. To study the fine structural details of the migrating neuron and its neuron-glial apposition, we identified and monitored neurons in microcultures with video microscopy and examined the cytology and cellular contacts of the same cells with transmission electron microscopy. The cytology of the soma and leading process of migrating cells closely matches that described for granule cells in intact brain (Rakic, 1971). Newly observed structures include the presence of longitudinally oriented microtubules extending from a basal body in the soma into the leading process, and microfilament-rich filopodia arising from the soma and leading process. The most striking feature of actively migrating neurons is a specialized junction between the neuronal cell soma and apposing glial fibers. At this junction, here termed “interstitial density,” the extracellular space is dilated to 20 nm and filamentous material in the intracellular cleft either spans the cleft or runs parallel to the cell membranes. Some interstitial fibrils are contiguous with, or are transmembranous extensions of, submembranous cytoskeletal elements that attach to microtubules. Interstitial junctions were not found between neurons that did not translocate in the observation period before fixation. Instead, stationary cells formed desmosomes (puncta and macula adhaerentia) at appositions with glial processes.
Plakophilin-3 catenin associates with the ETV1/ER81 transcription factor to positively modulate gene activity.

Members of the plakophilin-catenin sub-family (Pkp-1, -2, and -3) facilitate the linkage of desmosome junctional components to each other (e.g. desmosomal cadherins to desmoplakin) and the intermediate-filament cytoskeleton. Pkps also contribute to desmosomal stabilization and the trafficking of its components. The functions of Pkps outside of the desmosome are less well studied, despite evidence suggesting their roles in mRNA regulation, small-GTPase modulation (e.g. mid-body scission) during cell division, and cell survival following DNA damage. Pkp-catenins are further believed to have roles in the nucleus given their nuclear localization in some contexts and the known nuclear roles of structurally related catenins, such as beta-catenin and p120-catenin. Further, Pkp-catenin activities in the nuclear compartment have become of increased interest with the identification of interactions between Pkp2-catenin and RNA Pol III and Pkp1 with single-stranded DNA. Consistent with earlier reports suggesting possible nuclear roles in development, we previously demonstrated prominent nuclear localization of Pkp3 in Xenopus naive ectoderm (“animal cap”) cells and recently resolved a similar localization in mouse embryonic stem cells. Here, we report the association and positive functional interaction of Pkp3 with a transcription factor, Ets variant gene 1 (ETV1), which has critical roles in neural development and prominent roles in human genetic disease. Our results are the first to report the interaction of a sequence-specific transcription factor with any Pkp. Using Xenopus laevis embryos and mammalian cells, we provide evidence for the Pkp3:ETV1 complex on both biochemical and functional levels.
A Compositional Trace-Based Semantics for Probabilistic Automata

We extend the trace semantics for labeled transition systems to a randomized model of concurrent computation. The main objective is to obtain a compositional semantics. The role of a trace in the randomized model is played by a probability distribution over traces, called a trace distribution. We show that the preorder based on trace distribution inclusion is not a precongruence, and we build an elementary context, called the principal context, that is sufficiently powerful to characterize the coarsest precongruence that is contained in the trace distribution preorder. Finally, we introduce a notion of a probabilistic forward simulation and we prove that it is sound for the trace distribution precongruence. An important characteristic of probabilistic forward simulations is that they relate states to probability distributions over states.
Chemical surface treatments of natural rubber and EPDM thermoplastic elastomers: effects on friction and adhesion

Abstract Natural rubber thermoplastic elastomers (NRTPEs) made by dynamic vulcanization of natural rubber during its mixing with polypropylene were subjected to various halogenation surface treatments. Marked reduction in the coefficient of friction is possible depending on the chemical treatment employed, TPE composition and the presence of a lubricant. As a result of halogenation there is an increase in the microroughness and hardness of the NRTPE surface. These effects in part explain the large decrease in the friction coefficients since the contact area is decreased. Thus NRTPE can be employed in applications requiring low friction, such as certain types of seals. Another consequence of halogenation of NRTPE is the increase in its surface energy which in turn promotes adhesion to various polar substrates. Indeed it was determined that halogenation of NETPE is an effective way of priming the surface of these materials for adhesion to acrylic and other substrates. Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer rubber...
Remedies in Tort Cases: Narrated Multi-Media Electronic Lessons

This is part of a series of about 35 narrated, media rich electronic lessons, lessons contained in self-executing “Flash” (swf/exe) files. Each of the lessons is 20-25 minutes in duration. A copy of this electronic lesson can be found online.
Validity of two–hour rat test for human pregnancy

Summary The two-hour rat test was not found to be specific for diagnosis of pregnancy. The two-hour rat test gave positive color reactions in nonpregnancy conditions as follows: a. In women undergoing menopausal changes. b. In normal women for three successive days during midinterval of cycle, with range from the twelfth through the eighteenth day. c. In normal women on single days, usually during menstruation and again late in cycle. d. In men and women after coitus. e. In men anticipating coitus. f. In one woman with hydatidiform mole. g. In one woman with clinical diagnosis of insanity.
Does the NCAA Exploit College Athletes?1

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is under increasing attack for its rules governing the recruitment and retention of athletes. Few inside or outside colleges and universities seem to be satisfied with the NCAA’s rules, criticizing the NCAA for being both too strict and too lenient in the rules it makes and enforces. And cheating on NCAA rules appears to be widespread, if not rampant, as evidenced by the number and prestige of colleges and universities that have been penalized for rule infractions in recent years. Most recently, in mid-2011, an athletic supporter of the University of Miami revealed that he had provided substantial aid and gifts to as many as 72 former University of Miami football players, causing the launch of an NCAA investigation of wronging on the campus that if the revelations of cheating are supported could result in the “death penalty” for the university, which means that the school has to abandon football for some yet-to-be-determined years.2 The University of Southern California was hit in 2010 with multiple penalties (including the loss of bowl game opportunities for 2010 and 2011 and the loss of thirty scholarships) for, among other violations of NCAA rules, making payments of cash and a car to its star running back Reggie Bush (who ultimately won the Heisman Trophy) and for providing his parents with a house.3
Marketing Horizons—What is before us Marketwise:

I am afraid that business is missing by a wide mark when it is trying to explain Roosevelt's election on a basis of personal magnetism. I believe business would come nearer the mark if it accepted the theory that the new political set up is but the expression of our social economic structure. Four years of a New Deal Administration has been endorsed by all classes of the population except business. Our present administration rests upon a philosophy of government that our individualistic Capitalist form of economy needs correction through regulation and taxation. It believes that our social structure is threatened if we do not provide a base for more Social Security. This administration has awakened a social consciousness that has had a tremendous effect upon our workers and farmers in all sections of the country. Business too, needs to develop that social conscience so as not to be out of tune with its workers and farmers throughout the country. If business had that social consciousness it would never have committed that great blunder of accepting those payroll envelopes from the Republican National Committee, bearing a message with an implication that the workers are carrying the full burden of the Social Security Act. Can you blame the workers now if in the next Congress they start a fight to shift that burden back to business? Business could do
On the Classification of Neotropical Megachile (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae)

After completing the publication of the Revision of Nearctic Megachile in 1937, it was intended to continue the taxonomic investigation of this group of bees with a similar study of the Neotropical species. Although a considerable amount of material has been accumulated and some progress made in the study of the characters of the Neotropical species, a number of factors have made it seem inadvisable until now to publish any of the results.
CEREBELLAR MODEL CONTROL OF AN INDUSTRIAL ROBOT MANIPULATOR

In this paper,a general learning algorithm for dynamic control of robot manipulator is proposed.In this al-gorithm,information learned previously can be applied to new control objectives as long as similar regions ofthe system state space are involved.The control scheme requires no prior knowledge of the robot dynamics sothat it is easy to be used to solve a particular control problem or to be modified to accommodate changes inthe physical system.The control scheme is computationally efficient and well suited to fixed-point implemen-tation.The effectiveness of the learning algorithm is verified by the computer simulation experiment of repet-itive movements of two fore arms of 4 DOFs direct drive robot manipulator.
Coherent operation of AlGaAs laser arrays with high Strehl ratio using coupled microcavities and binary optical elements

Coherent beam addition of 2-D laser diode arrays can produce extremely bright sources. One promising technique is to employ an external cavity consisting of an array of binary optic micro-lenses and an output mirror. By correct spacing of the mirror, the feedback light distribution produces a self-image at the lenslet array, insuring efficient coupling of the feedback light into the laser waveguides.1 We have measured the thresholds of the in phase and out-of-phase lateral modes. of the external cavity as a function of mirror spacing. These results indicate that the out-of-phase mode is more stable. We have designed a miniature external cavity to lase in the out-of-phase mode and applied it to a 1-D laser array. The mode is converted into a single far field lobe by a binary phase correcting grating.
George Harrison and the Influence of American Popular Song

George Harrison often recalled that he grew up listening to music by the great songwriters of Tin Pan Alley (ca. 1880–1953), prizing their longevity and sustained quality. Though all four Beatles identified with music from this era and two even recorded tributes to it, little has been written about Harrison’s covers of four American popular song classics: Cole Porter’s “True Love” (1976), Hoagy Carmichael’s “Baltimore Oriole” and “Hong Kong Blues” (1981), and Harold Arlen’s “Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea” (2002). This chapter argues that some of Harrison’s own songwriting predilections may be traced in part to influences from American popular song. Specifically, his penchant for using diminished chords, metrical shifts, lyrical irony, and complex harmonic progressions in his own songs can be also found to varying degrees in the four covers. After analyzing the form, lyrics, and musical structure in the four songs in their original incarnations, this chapter examines how Harrison alters or interprets them in his covers, often with drastically different musical results. The chapter concludes with an analysis of “Tears Of The World,” an original Harrison song from the late 1970s that displays salient harmonic and lyrical influences from the aforementioned composers.
Moral character: Part II

We often explain our actions by saying something like, “I wanted to,” or “It made her happy and that made me feel good,” or “I enjoyed doing it,” or “It helped me get what I wanted.” Acting on technical imperatives or counsels of prudence can always be explained by citing the desires and inclinations on which we have acted. However, Kant holds that moral motivation is correctly represented only by saying, “I did it because it was my duty.” When contrasted with prudential motivation, there seems to be something lacking in the motive of dutifulness. Moral interest Some contemporary philosophers have argued that it does not make sense to ask, Why should a person do his or her duty? They maintain that the answer is already given in the question: A person should do his or her duty because it is his or her duty. But within the framework of Kant's moral theory, even when we know what our duty is and that it is our duty, we can still reasonably ask, But why should anyone care about doing his or her duty? Since dutifulness may require us to set aside considerations of our own happiness and welfare, it does seem to make sense to ask what can possibly interest us in acting dutifully. Put in terms of Kant's analysis of moral reasoning, what can bridge the distance between the cognitive and the conative functions of pure practical reason?
Inactivation of Francisella tularensis Schu S4 in a Biological Safety Cabinet Using Hydrogen Peroxide Fumigation

This study evaluated the inactivation of Francisella tularensis Schu S4 on various materials (acrylic, glass, polyamide, polyethylene, polypropylene, silicone rubber, and stainless steel) using hyd...
Utah's voluntary contributions act: defunding the UEA

This article seeks to understand Utahâ€™s current legal and political battle with its public employee unions. First, the article introduces the current situation and then provides the historical context of unions, which culminates in attempts in the recent years to apply Beck rights as well as to defund the unionsâ€™ political war chests. The article then presents in detail Utahâ€™s efforts to enact paycheck protection legislation, the political situation surrounding those attempts, and the court battles that followed. Victor Brudneyâ€™s article in the William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal on volitional advocacy and association is then summarized and applied to Utahâ€™s Voluntary Contributions Act and its Amendments. This article concludes that Utahâ€™s paycheck protection legislation is consistent with the national movement to defund unions who tend to oppose conservative ideas, but has valid measures that would constitute sound policy if enacted in conjunction with commensurate measures for all associations.
Cross-sectional quantitative RT-PCR study of feline coronavirus viremia and replication in peripheral blood of healthy shelter cats in Southern California:

Objectives The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of feline coronavirus (FCoV) viremia, and its replication in peripheral blood using quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR) methodology in a population of 205 healthy shelter cats in Southern California, as well as to assess any possible connection to longitudinal development of feline infectious peritonitis (FIP). Methods The study was performed on buffy-coat samples from EDTA-anticoagulated whole blood samples of 205 healthy shelter cats. From 50 of these cats, fecal samples were also examined. FCoV genomic and subgenomic RNA in the buffy coats was amplified by a total FCoV RNA qRT-PCR. Evidence for FCoV replication in peripheral blood and feces was obtained by M gene mRNA qRT-PCR. Results Nine of 205 cats (4.4%) were viremic by the total FCoV RNA qRT-PCR, and one of these cats had evidence of peripheral FCoV blood replication by an FCoV mRNA qRT-PCR. The single cat with peripheral blood replication had a unique partial M gene sequence distinct from positive controls and previously published FCoV sequences. Neither seven of the nine viremic cats with follow-up nor the single cat with replicating FCoV with positive qRT-PCR results developed signs compatible with FIP within 6 months of sample collection. Conclusions and relevance FCoV viremia and peripheral blood replication in healthy shelter cats have a low prevalence and do not correlate with later development of FIP in this study population, but larger case-control studies evaluating the prognostic accuracy of the qRT-PCR assays are needed.
Agmatine affects glomerular filtration via a nitric oxide synthase-dependent mechanism

Arginine decarboxylase is present in the kidney and metabolizes the amino acid, arginine, to agmatine. Agmatine increases filtration rate in single nephrons (J. J. Lortie, W. F. Novotny, O. W. Peterson, V. Vallon, K. Malvey, M. Mendonca, J. Satriano, P. Insel, S. C. Thomson, and R. C. Blantz. J. Clin. Invest. 97:413-420, 1996). Experiments were conducted to determine whether exogenously administered agmatine exerts these effects via interaction with nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and whether this interaction depends upon alpha 2-adrenergic receptors. Agmatine microperfused (1 microM) into the urinary space of surface glomeruli of the rat increased nephron filtration rate from 33 +/- 4 to 40 +/- 5 nl/min with complete recovery within 10 min. When NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA), a nonselective NOS inhibitor, was systemically infused, agmatine no longer increased single-nephron glomerular filtration rate (SNGFR). BHT-933, an alpha 2-adrenergic agonist, did not increase SNGFR and was unaffected by concurrent L-NMMA. In vitro incubation of freshly harvested glomeruli with agmatine resulted in significant increases in the generation of cGMP, effects similar to carbachol, and blocked by nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) but not yohimbine, an alpha 2-adrenergic antagonist. Agmatine exerts effects on glomerular ultrafiltration via a constitutive NOS-dependent mechanism, and this does not require the participation of alpha 2-adrenoreceptors.
Sirt1 modulates AID expression, class switch DNA recombination and somatic hypermutation by repressing NF-kB activity

As we have suggested, epigenetic factors, such as histone deacetylases (HDACs), play critical roles in modulating the maturation of the antibody response. This entails class switch DNA recombination (CSR) and somatic hypermutation (SHM). CSR and SHM require AID and diversify the specificity and effector functions of antibodies. By showing that HDAC inhibitors (HDIs) that selectively block Classes I/II HDACs (the “classical” Zn-dependent HDACs together with Class IV HDAC), impaired AID and Blimp1 expression, CSR, SHM and plasma cell differentiation, we have previously outlined an important role of these Zn-dependent HADCs in the modulation of antibody response. We found that Sirt1, one of the NAD + -dependent Class III HDACs or sirtuins (Sirts), played an important role in the regulation of CSR and SHM. Sirt1 deacetylated p65, an element of the canonical NF-kB pathway, which mediates AID induction, thereby repressing NF-kB activity. Sirt1 deficiency in B cells led to NF-kB hyperacetylation and activation, which resulted in enhanced AID expression and increased CSR to IgG, IgA and IgE. Conversely, Sirt1 deletion in AID expressing B cells of Aicda cre Sirt1 fl/fl mice, whose B cells contain the normal complement of Aicda genes together with a Cre gene under control of an extra Aicda promoter, resulted in upregulated AID expression, increased CSR and SHM, and enhanced T-dependent and T-independent antibody response. These findings outline an important B cell-intrinsic role of Sirt1 in the modulation of the antibody response. Such a role is independent from and may be in addition to the histone deacetylation activity of this Class III HDAC. Supported by the NIH grants AI 105813, AI 079705 and ALR TIL grant ALR 295955.
Effects of Knee Position on the Reliability and Production of Maximal and Rapid Strength Characteristics During an Isometric Squat Test.

This study aimed to examine the effects of knee position on the reliability and production of peak force (PF) and rate of force development (RFD) characteristics during an isometric squat. Fourteen resistance-trained females performed isometric squats at 90, 120, and 150° knee angles (corresponding to parallel, half, and quarter squat positions, respectively) on 2 different occasions, from which PF, peak RFD, and early (RFD30, RFD50, RFD100) and late (RFD200) phase RFD variables were extracted. PF and RFD200 were highly consistent across trials for all 3 squat positions, with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) ranging between 0.812–0.904 and coefficients of variation (CVs) between 6.6–19.4%. For peak and early RFD characteristics, higher ICCs and lower CV values were observed for the quarter squat (ICCs = 0.818–0.852, CVs = 17.3–19.4%) compared to the parallel (ICCs = 0.591–0.649, CVs = 30.1–55.9%) and half squats (ICCs = 0.547–0.598,CVs = 31.1–34.2%). In addition, isometric PF and RFD200 increase...
High-energy-density hybrid sol–gel dielectric film capacitors with a polymeric charge blocking layer

We report dielectric and energy storage characteristics of a bilayer structure based on a hybrid dielectric sol–gel film with a polymeric charge blocking layer. Poly(p-phenylene oxide) (PPO) serves as an interfacial charge blocking layer that suppresses charge injection from a metal electrode into the sol–gel dielectric film based on 2-cyanoethyltrimethoxysilane (CNETMS). The charge blocking layer reduces leakage current in the PPO–CNETMS bilayer film capacitor by more than one order of magnitude, and consequently leads to a maximum discharged energy density of 31 J cm−3 at 670 V μm−1, determined by a charge–discharge measurement. Analysis of the field-dependent polarization reveals that the PPO–CNETMS bilayer films exhibit significantly reduced polarization hysteresis upon charge/discharge cycles, so that the energy extraction efficiency remains higher than that of a neat CNETMS sol–gel film throughout the entire electric field range. We attribute this enhancement to the heightened and widened potential energy barrier at the metal–dielectric interface by the low-loss PPO interlayer. Detailed investigation on the height and width of a potential energy barrier at the metal–dielectric interface, by varying the work function of an electrode (potential energy barrier at zero bias) and the thickness of the PPO layer, indicates the critical role of interface energetics in the energy storage performance of dielectric film capacitors for pulsed power applications.
A Priority Analysis of the Problems of Small Business Managers

Much has been written about problems of operating a small business. However, most of this work has been qualitative, and there has been little empirical analysis of assertions and conclusions prese...
Opposing Kinesin and Myosin-I Motors Drive Membrane Deformation and Tubulation along Engineered Cytoskeletal Networks

Summary Microtubule and actin filament molecular motors such as kinesin-1 and myosin-Ic (Myo1c) transport and remodel membrane-bound vesicles; however, it is unclear how they coordinate to accomplish these tasks. We introduced kinesin-1- and Myo1c-bound giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) into a micropatterned in vitro cytoskeletal matrix modeled after the subcellular architecture where vesicular sorting and membrane remodeling are observed. This array was composed of sparse microtubules intersecting regions dense with actin filaments, and revealed that Myo1c-dependent tethering of GUVs enabled kinesin-1-driven membrane deformation and tubulation. Membrane remodeling at actin/microtubule intersections was modulated by lipid composition and the addition of the Bin-Amphiphysin-Rvs-domain (BAR-domain) proteins endophilin or FCH-domain-only (FCHo). Myo1c not only tethered microtubule-transported cargo, but also transported, deformed, and tubulated GUVs along actin filaments in a lipid-composition- and BAR-protein-responsive manner. These results suggest a mechanism for actin-based involvement in vesicular transport and remodeling of intracellular membranes, and implicate lipid composition as a key factor in determining whether vesicles will undergo transport, deformation, or tubulation driven by opposing actin and microtubule motors and BAR-domain proteins.
Exploring the limits of case-to-capsule ratio, pulse length, and picket energy for symmetric hohlraum drive on the National Ignition Facility Laser

We present a data-based model for low mode asymmetry in low gas-fill hohlraum experiments on the National Ignition Facility {NIF [Moses et al., Fusion Sci. Technol. 69, 1 (2016)]} laser. This model is based on the hypothesis that the asymmetry in these low fill hohlraums is dominated by the hydrodynamics of the expanding, low density, high-Z (gold or uranium) “bubble,” which occurs where the intense outer cone laser beams hit the high-Z hohlraum wall. We developed a simple model which states that the implosion symmetry becomes more oblate as the high-Z bubble size becomes large compared to the hohlraum radius or the capsule size becomes large compared to the hohlraum radius. This simple model captures the trends that we see in data that span much of the parameter space of interest for NIF ignition experiments. We are now using this model as a constraint on new designs for experiments on the NIF.
Memory Politics: Growth Coalitions, Urban Pasts, and the Creation of “Historic” Philadelphia:

Facing economic changes and disinvestment, powerful actors in post–World War II American cities attempted to define the city as a space of public culture to confront demographic shifts, suburban gr...
Possession and Medicine in South Central India

Possession is a powerful and surprisingly prevalent belief system in many parts of the developing world. In India it is common for many reasons—isolation, illiteracy, polyglotism, lack of an adequate medical infrastructure, a need for hope. Possession, and the practice of exorcism, is more than just an explanatory system based on superstition and folk lore. It is also an important social structure and force that allows the integration of the sick into the community of the well, and facilitates a first albeit tentative step from the local community to the medical community. In many parts of India, health care delivery as well as social organization is through the practice of possession. Thus, the role and power of possession needs to be appreciated if one seeks to affect health care delivery in India, and further possession should be appreciated if one seeks to better understand how some of its forces might in fact be curative.
Comparison Of Ecn And Eis Measurement For Corrosion Monitoring Under Multiphase Flow Conditions

Electrochemical Noise (ECN) and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscope (EIS) measurements were made simultaneously in a 75 mm I.D., 10 m long acrylic pipeline using salt-water/carbon dioxide mixtures. Full pipe flow was studied for liquid velocities of 0.5, 0.75, 1.1, 1.5 m/s and slug flow for Froude numbers 4, 6 and 9. Experiments were carried out at a constant pressure of 136 kPa and temperature of 40 C. ECN data were measured with a fast auto zero resistance ammeter. The ECN technique is able to detect changes in flow regime, showing distinct differences between full pipe flow and slug flow. The choice of sampling rate when using ECN is very important. For slug flows, sampling rates as high as 100 Hz are necessary to include most of the transients in the flow. Distinct differences can be seen in the Fast Fourier Transforms where dominant frequencies exist which correspond to possible bubble action in the slug body. EIS can be used to measure corrosion rate in multiphase flows. It does show an increase in the corrosion rate with liquid flow rates for full pipe flow and Froude numbers for stationary slug flow. A simple statistical analysis of ECN response gives a correlation withmore » corrosion rate. These show ECN could be a very powerful tool for determining corrosion rate and corrosion mechanism in multiphase flow.« less
Inpatient Treatment and Relapse Prevention

Forty years ago there was only one drug addiction treatment center in the United States. By the late 1980s, there were approximately 9000 treatment programs serving nearly 600,000 addicts at any given time.1 The recent decrease in overall drug use, coupled with our recent economic troubles, has significantly slowed the growth of treatment programs—nevertheless, specialized inpatient or outpatient treatment programs are still widely available.
Electromagnetic thermal stimulation of shale reservoirs for petroleum production

Abstract Light hydrocarbons produced from unconventional tight shale reservoirs with matrix permeability in nano-Darcy range accounts for more than half of the petroleum production in the United States in the past several years. This has been enabled mainly by the drilling of long horizontal wells coupled with extensive hydraulic fracturing. A typical fracturing job for a horizontal well requires two to five million gallons of water which imposes significant challenges in many areas of the world that lack water resources. In addition, treatment and disposal of produced fracturing fluids can be expensive and may negatively impact the environment. Here we show a ‘water-free’ stimulation method to produce light hydrocarbons from the extremely tight reservoirs using electromagnetic (EM) waves to heat the formation and elevate pore-water pressure. We demonstrated in the laboratory that microwave heating pulverized shales and other tight rocks without confinement and generated extensive fractures within shales with 15 MPa isotropic confinement pressures. Our calculation indicates that for typical shale reservoirs pore-water pressure can increase to 90 MPa or higher that is sufficient to stimulate the formation for production with a less than 100 °C temperature increase of the reservoir. Using a simplified coupled model of EM heating and thermal diffusion, we estimated that with practically reasonable amount of power input the EM heating can stimulate a sufficiently large volume of tight reservoirs to produce light hydrocarbons.
Pedagogy, Course Descriptions, and Fish: An Analysis of Professional Writing Course Descriptions

Analyzing course descriptions offers an alternate window into looking at the purpose and goals of professional writing courses across the country. Through the analysis of actions outlined in the course description, professor pedagogy, and nomenclature, it becomes clear that there isn't a consistent goal for Professional Writing Courses, and that most remain focused on teaching "Basic Literacy," as they did in the early days of technical writing.
The effects of dynamic compressive loading on human mesenchymal stem cell osteogenesis in the stiff layer of a bilayer hydrogel.

Bilayer hydrogels with a soft cartilage-like layer and a stiff bone-like layer embedded with human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) are promising for osteochondral tissue engineering. The goals of this work were to evaluate the effects of dynamic compressive loading (2.5% applied strain, 1 Hz) on osteogenesis in the stiff layer and spatially map local mechanical responses (strain, stress, hydrostatic pressure, and fluid velocity). A bilayer hydrogel was fabricated from soft (24 kPa) and stiff (124 kPa) poly (ethylene glycol) hydrogels. With hMSCs embedded in the stiff layer, osteogenesis was delayed under loading evident by lower OSX and OPN expressions, alkaline phosphatase activity, and collagen content. At Day 28, mineral deposits were present throughout the stiff layer without loading but localized centrally and near the interface under loading. Local strains mapped by particle tracking showed substantial equivalent strain (~1.5%) transferring to the stiff layer. When hMSCs were cultured in stiff single-layer hydrogels subjected to similar strains, mineralization was inhibited. Finite element analysis revealed that hydrostatic pressures ≥~600 Pa correlated to regions lacking mineralization in both hydrogels. Fluid velocities were low (~1-10 nm/s) in the hydrogels with no apparent correlation to mineralization. Mineralization was recovered by inhibiting ERK1/2, indicating cell-mediated inhibition. These findings suggest that high strains (~1.5%) combined with higher hydrostatic pressures negatively impact osteogenesis, but in a manner that depends on the magnitude of each mechanical response. This work highlights the importance of local mechanical responses in mediating osteogenesis of hMSCs in bilayer hydrogels being studied for osteochondral tissue engineering.
The evolving landscape for alloy design

The discovery, design, and development of new alloys have long been critical elements of advanced engineering systems. Challenged by their chemical and structural complexity, this design process is, however, often too slow. This article highlights progress in theory, computation, data, and advanced experimental techniques that are advancing our capabilities for rapid discovery and design of new multicomponent alloys. Applied across the length scales, these new capabilities support exploration across broad composition spaces; examples of new materials and associated advances in the understanding of underlying thermochemical and thermomechanical phenomena are presented. We highlight current challenges, gaps, and specific areas that, if further developed, could have future high payoff.
Mental health of children held at a United States immigration detention center.

Abstract Rationale; Children held in immigration detention may be at risk for mental health disorders due to the impacts of pre-migration factors, including exposure to violence, their displacement from their home countries, their journey between countries, and the conditions of their detention. Limited research has demonstrated high rates of clinical depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and anxiety disorders among detained immigrant children. Objective; In this cross-sectional study, we assessed the mental health of children held at a US immigration detention center over two months in mid-2018. Method; We interviewed 425 mothers about their eldest child age 4–17 using the Parent-Report Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). A subset of 150 children age ≥9 completed the UCLA Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Reaction Index (PTSD-RI). Results; Among the 425 children studied, many demonstrated elevated scores for emotional problems (32%), peer problems (14%) and total difficulties (10%) on the SDQ. Younger children (age 4–8 years) demonstrated more difficulties associated with conduct, hyperactivity, and total difficulties (all p Conclusions; These data demonstrate that children being held in immigration detention experience high levels of mental health distress. Results suggest they would benefit from more comprehensive mental health screening and release into the community, as well as culturally-responsive and trauma-informed mental health care.
From DNA Sequencing to Clinical Trials: Finding New Targeted Drugs for Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous disease characterized by clonal expansion of myeloid progenitor cells, resulting in disturbed hematopoiesis and bone marrow failure. For decades, AML therapy was relatively straightforward: clinicians assessed whether the patient was fit or unfit for standard chemotherapy and selected the treatment from among limited choices. With the advent of high-throughput sequencing technologies, significant progress has been made in unraveling the AML genome and understanding leukemogenesis driven by recurrent mutations in signaling and kinase pathways, DNA methylation, and spliceosome complex genes. We are now poised to see our research-based advances translate clinically into the treatment of patients with AML. As recently as within the last 2 years, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved eight novel therapies for patients with AML. In this review, we discuss recently approved agents targeting fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3), isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH), B-cell lymphoma-2 (BCL-2), and other promising novel AML agents that are in late stages of clinical development.
Systems Modeling Language viewpoint utilization to facilitate shared mental models among system stakeholders

Mental models are a vital part of complex engineered system design and operations and contribute to either success or failure in both system development and operations. This paper examines the Systems Modeling Language (SysML) viewpoints and views to determine whether they can illustrate elements of mental models and serve to increase communication and foster a common system understanding between individual stakeholders holding different perspectives. Two models were created in SysML, the first comparing SysML with established conceptual graphs of mental models and the second was the Lynx X‐ray Observatory, a project in concept development at National Aeronautics and Space Administration. This research revealed that shared SysML viewpoints and views can serve as conceptual graphs of shared mental models. It was also found that illustrating Lynx viewpoints and views was a valuable aid in eliciting concerns and desires of stakeholders, leading to a project more in line with desires of the stakeholders.
Strategies for Controlled Delivery of Proctored Online Exams in Anatomical Sciences

The Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy (CBA) hosts the anatomy and histology courses for the medical and dental first year students at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). Over the ...
Photothermal alternative to device fabrication using atomic precision advanced manufacturing techniques

The attachment of dopant precursor molecules to depassivated areas of hydrogen-terminated silicon templated with a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) has been used to create electronic devices with sub-nanometer precision, typically for quantum physics demonstrations, and to dope silicon past the solid-solubility limit, with potential applications in microelectronics and plasmonics. However, this process, which we call atomic precision advanced manufacturing (APAM), currently lacks the throughput required to develop sophisticated applications because there is no proven scalable hydrogen lithography pathway. Here, we demonstrate and characterize an APAM device workflow where STM lithography has been replaced with photolithography. An ultraviolet laser is shown to locally heat silicon controllably above the temperature required for hydrogen depassivation. STM images indicate a narrow range of laser energy density where hydrogen has been depassivated, and the surface remains well-ordered. A model for photothermal heating of silicon predicts a local temperature which is consistent with atomic-scale STM images of the photo-patterned regions. Finally, a simple device made by exposing photo-depassivated silicon to phosphine is found to have a carrier density and mobility similar to that produced by similar devices patterned by STM.
Frequency Response Analysis of Parametric Resonance and Vibrational Stabilization

Periodically time-varying models are found across nature and engineered systems, from fluid dynamics, structures and MEMS devices to quantum mechanics and astrophysics. Such systems are known to exhibit parametric resonance, a kind of instability caused by fluctuating model parameters. Under conditions of instability, they can also be vibrationally stabilized with the right forcing. The question of interest here is variation in behavior within these two stable regimes, and whether certain parameter configurations are preferred from a design perspective. This motivation leads us to consider Mathieu's equation with harmonic forcing as a canonical model. To address these questions, we use a lifting based approach to obtain a representation of the frequency response operator that is amenable to methods from LTI systems. We study the poles of the system as a function of its parameters, and obtain a description of the free response of Mathieu's equation as the product of two simple functions. We also investigate the dependence of the H 2 norm of Mathieu's equation on its parameters. A considerable difference in H 2 norm between the two regimes is found, as well as interesting behavior within each domain.
Trump talk: Rethinking elections, rhetoric, and American foreign policy:

This special issue on elections, rhetoric, and American Foreign policy brings to light how and why ‘talk’ matters particularly in foreign policy. While not all of the articles examine President Tru...
The Impact of Plant-Based Non-Dairy Alternative Milk on the Dairy Industry

Vegetarians have claimed and actively promoted the advantages of plant-based alternative milks as the best option for human nutrition and health, compared to the natural dairy milk. However, numerous scientific evidences and reports have demonstrated that the natural milk possesses more beneficial nutrients and bioactive components than artificially manufactured plant-derived milks. The biochemical and nutritional advantages and functionalities of natural dairy milk cannot be replaced by man-made or crafted plant-based beverage products. On the other hand, the tremendous increase in production and consumption of the plant-based alternative milks in recent years has led a serious business downturn in traditional roles and stability of the dairy industry, especially in the major dairy producing Western countries. Although plant-based milk alternatives may have some benefits on nutrition and health of certain consumers, the plant-derived alternative milks may not overshadow the true values of natural milk. Milk is not a high fat and high cholesterol food as animal meat products. Unlike plant-based alternative milks, natural milk contains many bioactive as well as antiappetizing peptides, which can reduce body weight. It has proven that taking low-fat, cultured and lactase treated milk and dairy products with other diversified nutritionally balanced diets have been shown to be healthier dietary option than plant-based milk/foods alone.