cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mica disc supports for particulate specimens for scanning electron microscopy

SUMMARY Readily prepared mica discs have been found useful as supports for particulate specimens for the scanning electron microscope. The principal advantage is that they can be observed in the light microscope prior to further preparation for the scanning electron microscope.
Trust overlay networks for global reputation aggregation in P2P grid computing

This paper presents a new approach to trusted grid computing in a peer-to-peer (P2P) setting. Trust and security are essential to establish lasting working relationships among the peers. A P2P reputation system collects peer trust scores and aggregates them to yield a global reputation. We use a new trust overlay network (TON) to model the trust relationships among the peers. After analyzing the eBay transaction trace data, we discover a power-law distribution in user feedbacks. We develop a new reputation system, PowerTrust, to leverage power-law feedback characteristics. The PowerTrust system is built with locality-preserving hash functions and a lookahead random walk strategy. Dynamic system reconfiguration is enabled by the use of power nodes with well-established reputations. Through P2P simulation experiments on distributed file sharing and grid parameter-sweeping applications (PSA), we demonstrate the PowerTrust advantages in fast reputation convergence and accurate ranking of peer reputations. We report performance results with enhanced P2P query success rate, shortened job makespan, and increased job success rate in scalable P2P grid applications.
THE NOVEL LADDER SUPERCONDUCTORS : A BRIEF REVIEW

The present status of the study of "ladder" materials is briefly reviewed. One of these materials becomes superconducting upon hole doping and at high pressure. It contains copper-oxide ladders as the dominant component in its structure, with a weak frustrating interladder coupling. Several experimental features of the ladder compounds are in excellent agreement with theoretical calculations. In addition, these intrinsically interesting and challenging systems provide us with useful information for the analysis of the physics of the high-Tc cuprates.
Ethnoprimatology and the Anthropology of the Human-Primate Interface ∗

Humans are literal and figurative kin to other primates, with whom many of us coexist in diverse social, ecological, symbolic, conflictual, and even hopeful contexts. Anthropogenic action is changing global and local ecologies as fast as, or faster than, we can study them. Ethnoprimatology, the combining of primatological and anthropological practice and the viewing of humans and other primates as living in integrated and shared ecological and social spaces, is becoming an increasingly popular approach to primate studies in the twenty-first century. This approach plays a core linking role between anthropology and primate studies and may enable us to more effectively assess, and better understand, the complex ecologies and potential for sustainability in human–other primate communities. Here I review the basic theoretical underpinnings, historical contexts, and a selection of current research outcomes for the ethnoprimatological endeavor and indicate what this approach can tell us about human–other primate...
gMLC: a multi-label feature selection framework for graph classification

Graph classification has been showing critical importance in a wide variety of applications, e.g. drug activity predictions and toxicology analysis. Current research on graph classification focuses on single-label settings. However, in many applications, each graph data can be assigned with a set of multiple labels simultaneously. Extracting good features using multiple labels of the graphs becomes an important step before graph classification. In this paper, we study the problem of multi-label feature selection for graph classification and propose a novel solution, called gMLC, to efficiently search for optimal subgraph features for graph objects with multiple labels. Different from existing feature selection methods in vector spaces that assume the feature set is given, we perform multi-label feature selection for graph data in a progressive way together with the subgraph feature mining process. We derive an evaluation criterion to estimate the dependence between subgraph features and multiple labels of graphs. Then, a branch-and-bound algorithm is proposed to efficiently search for optimal subgraph features by judiciously pruning the subgraph search space using multiple labels. Empirical studies demonstrate that our feature selection approach can effectively boost multi-label graph classification performances and is more efficient by pruning the subgraph search space using multiple labels.
Time-space backoff for fair node throughput in wireless networks using power control

Spatial backoff has recently been applied for contention resolution in wireless networks as an alternative to algorithms that backoff in time, such as the binary exponential backoff algorithm used in IEEE 802.11. Despite its success in saving energy and increasing spatial reuse, the use of transmission power control in spatial backoff has negative consequences to node throughput fairness. In this paper we study a variant of the hidden terminal problem that arises from link asymmetries, and its impact on the expected node throughput. We give an analytical model that relates throughput to the transmission power level and backoff window size. Using the model we propose a time-space (TS) backoff algorithm with the objective of fair node throughput and incorporate it into a carrier sense multiple access (CSMA) protocol as CSMA/TS. Through simulation we show that CSMA/TS achieves a high fairness index value while attaining good total throughput in most scenarios.
Diminished responsiveness of senescent normal human fibroblasts to TNF-dependent proliferation and interleukin production is not due to its effect on the receptors or on the activation of a nuclear factor NF-kappa B.

Abstract The limited life span in culture of normal human diploid fibroblasts (HDF) has provided a model of cellular senescence. The short-term growth of these cells in culture is regulated by a number of different cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor (TNF), interleukin-1 (IL-1), and fibroblast growth factor (FGF). However, the effect of senescence on the responsiveness of HDF to these cytokines is not known. In the present report, we examined the effects of TNF on foreskin-derived HDF at different passage levels. We compared the response of HDF cells at population doubling (PD) 23 (young) with that of cells at PD 70 (senescent). Young cells proliferated in response to TNF in a dose-dependent manner. Under these conditions TNF had no effect on senescent HDF. The decrease in TNF responsiveness was found to be dependent on PD. The lack of response of senescent HDF was not unique to TNF, since FGF and IL-1 were also ineffective. In contrast to senescent HDF, TNF-dependent proliferation of young HDF could be further potentiated by IL-1 and FGF, suggesting an independent signaling mechanism. On exposure to TNF, senescent HDF produced IL-6 and IL-8, but to a much lower degree than that produced by young HDF. The diminished responsiveness of senescent HDF to TNF does not appear to be due to the difference in either receptor number or affinity, since senescent cells had two-to threefold higher number of TNF receptors than young HDF but the same affinity. TNF induced the activation of a nuclear transcriptional factor, NF- k B, equally in both young and senescent cells, which indicates the lack of a defect in the early events of TNF signal transduction in senescent fibroblasts. Overall, our results indicate that there is an age-dependent decline in TNF-induced proliferation and in the production of interleukins by fibroblasts; this unresponsiveness appears not to be due to TNF receptors or NF- K B activation. These results may have importance in understanding the diminished immune response, inflammation, and wound healing associated with aging.
Evaluating auditory graphs with blind students in a classroom

Graphs are an important part of mathematics education. 30 years of auditory graphs research has led to a better understanding of their potential. However, questions remain about the effectiveness of auditory graphs in a classroom setting. I will be defining success criteria for a system based on graphing problems from an introductory high school math class. These criteria will shape the development and evaluation of an auditory graphs system.
The Effects of Nitrogen and Forage Source on Feed Efficiency and Structural Growth of Prepubertal Holstein Heifers

Eighty Holstein heifers averaging 189.6 ± 6.8 kg of BW were used to evaluate the effects of forage level and rumen degradable nitrogen source on feed efficiency and structural growth. A randomized complete block design was used with heifers blocked according to BW (≤136.0 kg and >136.0 kg) and assigned to 1 of 4 treatment diets in a 2 × 2 factorial design. Treatments were constructed with 2 levels of forage (65 or 75%) and 2 nitrogen sources. Forage sources were a mixture of corn silage and chopped timothy hay. Nitrogen sources were either soybean meal (SBM) or a slow-release, polymer-coated urea product (Optigen 1200, CPG Nutrients, Syracuse, NY), which was fed at 1.8% of diet DM on low-forage diets and at 1.3% of diet DM on high-forage diets. Average daily gain and feed efficiency did not differ between rations of different forage level or nitrogen source, averaging 0.87 ± 0.05 kg and 7.4 ± 0.5, respectively, across treatments.
CT14QED parton distribution functions from isolated photon production in deep inelastic scattering

We describe the implementation of quantum electrodynamic (QED) evolution at leading order (LO) along with quantum chromodynamic (QCD) evolution at next-to-leading order (NLO) in the CTEQ-TEA global analysis package. The inelastic contribution to the photon parton distribution function (PDF) is described by a two-parameter ansatz, coming from radiation off the valence quarks, and based on the CT14 NLO PDFs. Setting the two parameters to be equal allows us to completely specify the inelastic photon PDF in terms of the inelastic momentum fraction carried by the photon, ${p}_{0}^{\ensuremath{\gamma}}$, at the initial scale ${Q}_{0}=1.295\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{GeV}$. We obtain constraints on the photon PDF by comparing with ZEUS data [S. Chekanov et al. (ZEUS Collaboration), Phys. Lett. B 687, 16 (2010)] on the production of isolated photons in deep inelastic scattering, $ep\ensuremath{\rightarrow}e\ensuremath{\gamma}+X$. For this comparison we present a new perturbative calculation of the process that consistently combines the photon-initiated contribution with the quark-initiated contribution. Comparison with the data allows us to put a constraint at the 90% confidence level of ${p}_{0}^{\ensuremath{\gamma}}\ensuremath{\lesssim}0.14%$ for the inelastic photon PDF at the initial scale of ${Q}_{0}=1.295\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{GeV}$ in the one-parameter radiative ansatz. The resulting inelastic CT14QED PDFs will be made available to the public. In addition, we also provide CT14QEDinc PDFs, in which the inclusive photon PDF at the scale ${Q}_{0}$ is defined by the sum of the inelastic photon PDF and the elastic photon distribution obtained from the equivalent photon approximation.
Adaptive waveform design for radar target classification

The typical approach to radar target classification is to image the target with waveforms that provide high resolution and low sidelobes, and then to compare the target images to a template library. In this chapter, we reconsider whether imaging-based metrics for waveform design are best for target classification, and develop alternative design strategies that result in waveforms with improved classification ability, but not necessarily a good ambiguity function by traditional notions. After presenting waveform design strategies based on optimizing signal-to-noise ratio or mutual information from a wide-sense stationary (WSS) ensemble of target impulse responses, we apply the design methods to the problem of radar target classification through a two-step process. The first step is to modify the design methodology that was based on WSS targets to account for the finite duration of practical target responses. The second step is to use the target class probabilities and impulse response library to calculate a weighted power spectral variance over target classes, which is then substituted into the design equations. The use of target class probabilities enables the waveform to be adapted in response to previous transmissions. Waveform behaviour and performance are studied over several different clutter and noise scenarios. The target impulse response library for these studies is based on finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulation of a publically available CAD model of an F-16 aircraft.
Resilience: Hard-Won Wisdom for Living a Better Life

Resilience: Hard-Won Wisdom for Living a Better Life by Eric Greitens provides an account for all of us on how to live a more flourishing life. Greitens, a former Rhodes Scholar and Navy SEAL, has ...
Relative Efficiencies of Certain Spray Nozzles for Cotton Insect Control

Two conventional cone-type spray nozzles were compared with three kinds of wide swath, jet-type nozzles for effectiveness in controlling the boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis Boh., and the boll worm, Heliothis zea (Boddie). The wide swath nozzles were capable of spraying 6 to 12 rows per nozzle. Tests were arranged in randomized replicated small plots and were conducted under irrigated and dry-land conditions. Three rates of application per acre were used. Results indicated that the conventional cone-type nozzles produced significantly better control of the boll weevil than the wide swath nozzles. They also were slightly more effective for controlling the boll worm. All treated plots produced significantly higher yields than the untreated check. However, the highest yields were harvested from the plots sprayed with the conventional cone type nozzles. Card data collected for droplet size indicated that the wide swath nozzles produced larger droplets and decreased plant coverage with an increase in distance from the nozzle. Weevil mortality records and yield data indicated that this larger droplet size was mainly responsible for the inferior performance of the wide swath nozzles when compared with the cone nozzles.
Evaluation of a COTS Autopilot and Avionics System for UAVs

This paper summarizes an investigation report of a UAV flight incident operation due to communication issues. A commercial off-the-shelf autopilot system was tested on a RC airplane in support of an ongoing UAV development program. During final approach of a flight test, the communication link dropped and the pilot lost control of the aircraft causing it to impact the runway. An extensive investigation was conducted and all available flight test data were examined. An unexpected and frequent data drop out was observed in each flight data, droving the team to conduct twenty-one laboratory tests to investigate the cause of the data drop. The final results show that the autopilot system has an inherent and inevitable communication drop out problem which behaves unpredictably. The communication drops exist on both uplink and downlink which in turn cause the pilot handling qualities to suffer significantly due to the random, temporary loss of control. It is concluded that the autopilot system cannot meet the safety requirements to operate the UAV and therefore is no longer considered for the UAV development program.
Differential effects of metabotropic glutamate receptor antagonists on bursting activity in the amygdala.

Differential effects of metabotropic glutamate receptor antagonists on bursting activity in the amygdala. Metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) are implicated in both the activation and inhibit...
Memory, Learning, Self-Knowledge

Earl Hunt asks of himself the question ‘What kind of computer is Man?’ and offers a conjectural description (and a word of advice) as an answer: Man is describable as a dual processor, dual memory system with extensive input-output buffering within each system. The input-output system appears to have substantial peripheral computing power itself. But man is not modeled by a dual processor computer. The two processors of the brain are asymmetric. The semantic memory processor is a serial processor with a list structure memory. The image memory processor may very well be a sophisticated analog processor attached to an associative memory. When we propose models of cognition it would perhaps be advisable if we specified the relation of the model to this system architecture and its associated addressing system and data structure.1
Severe Mitral Annular Calcification: Multimodality Imaging for Therapeutic Strategies and Interventions

Mitral annular calcification (MAC) is a chronic degenerative process associated with advanced age and conditions predisposing to left ventricular hypertrophy. Assessment of mitral valve disease in patients with severe MAC can be a challenge. When severe MAC results in mitral stenosis or regurgitation, multimodality imaging with 2-dimensional, 3-dimensional, and Doppler echocardiography and cardiac computed tomography angiography can delineate the severity and pathoanatomic features to help guide therapeutic strategies. New approaches using computer-assisted simulation of transcatheter valves and novel percutaneous and surgical techniques are being used to devise effective alternative strategies to conventional mitral valve replacement in this high-risk group of patients.
Written cohesion in children with and without language learning disabilities.

Background Cohesion refers to the linguistic elements of discourse that contribute to its continuity and is an important element to consider as part of written language intervention, especially in children with language learning disabilities (LLD). There is substantial evidence that children with LLD perform more poorly than typically developing (TD) peers on measures of cohesion in spoken language and on written transcription measures; however, there is far less research comparing groups on cohesion as a measure of written language across genres. Aims The current study addresses this gap through the following two aims. First, to describe and compare cohesion in narrative and expository writing samples of children with and without language learning disabilities. Second, to relate measures of cohesion to written transcription and translation measures, oral language, and writing quality. Methods & Procedures Fifty intermediate-grade children produced one narrative and one expository writing sample from which measures of written cohesion were obtained. These included the frequency, adequacy and complexity of referential and conjunctive ties. Outcomes & Results Expository samples resulted in more complex cohesive ties and children with TD used more complex ties than peers with LLD. Different relationships among cohesion measures and writing were observed for narrative verse expository samples. Conclusions & Implications Findings from this study demonstrate cohesion as a discourse-level measure of written transcription and how the use of cohesion can vary by genre and group (LLD, TD). Clinical implications for assessment, intervention, and future research are provided.
STASIS AND SLUMS: THE CHANGING TEMPORAL, SPATIAL, AND GENDERED MEANING OF ‘HOME’ IN NORTHEASTERN KENYA*

The conflict referred to variously as the ‘Shifta War’ or ‘gaf Daba’ took place in northeastern Kenya from 1963–8. In the hopes of containing the ‘shifta’, or guerillas, fighting against it, the Kenyan state implemented a policy of forced settlement or ‘manyattazation’. This article explores the temporal, spatial, and gendered implications of ‘manyattazation’ and its antecedents. It indicates that changes in spatial organization transformed the economic and cultural realms of northeastern Kenyans in ways that resonate into the present. Government ‘manyattas’ began primarily as trading centers, became virtual prisons during the war, and continue to be sites of conflict over the meaning of home. This article posits a local history of altered migration in which state progress is paradoxically linked to poverty and stasis, through temporal discourse.
Addressing Problems Encountered in Case-Based Teaching.

TURF 436 (Case Studies in Turfgrass Management) is the capstone course for turfgrass science majors at the Pennsylvania State University. Students are introduced to problems and complex problematic situations encountered in the management of golf and sports turf and in professional lawn-care operations. Following completion of the orientation case in which students work individually, all other cases are done as team projects, with four- or five-member teams preparing for the discussions of three cases each. Problems encountered in teaching this course included: less-than-full participation by all team members in preparing their respective presentations, poor attendance at class meetings when other teams were presenting, students unprepared to participate in discussions of the cases following their presentation, and consistent grading of team reports. Solutions found to be effective in addressing these problems are provided.
Characterization of spinal cord diffusion tensor imaging metrics in clinically asymptomatic pediatric subjects with incidental congenital lesions.

Retrospective study. To perform quantitative DTI measurements of the entire cervical and thoracic spinal cord (SC) in typically developing (TD) pediatric subjects with incidental findings of syringomyelia or hydromyelia on conventional MRI and in a TD population without any abnormalities. USA. 26 TD recruited as part of large SC DTI study, four of these had incidental findings. Axial DTI images were acquired on 3T MR scanner to cover the cervical and thoracic SC. We performed group analysis of DTI values in the cord above and below the MR-defined lesion. For single-subject analysis, the cord above and below the lesion was compared to average values of TD population. A standard least squares regression model was used to compare DTI parameters fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AD), and radial diffusivity (RD) between TD population and subjects with hydromyelia and syringomyelia. A p value of 0.05 was used for statistical significance. In group analysis, MD and AD were significantly different in cord above the lesion in subjects with hydromyelia and syringomyelia (n = 4) compared to TD population (n = 22). For single-subject analysis, DTI parameters were significantly different in cord above the syringomyelia and below the syringomyelia; MD, AD, and RD were significantly different. A subject with hydromyelia showed significant difference in FA below the lesion. This study demonstrates that DTI has the potential to be used as an imaging biomarker to evaluate SC above and below the congenital lesion in syringohydromyelia subjects.
On the Economics of Scientific-Technical Co-operation

From its inception, one of the principal purposes of fostering closer interstate economic interaction in Eastern Europe1 has been the promotion of the exchange of scientific-technological information. The joint development of such innovation through basic research and laboratory testing, even as a policy precept, materialized only much later.2 How such exchange or development of basic knowledge should be organized, the proper ways in which the true costs of such types of co-operation would be borne, and what would be the most desirable ways of capitalizing on and distributing the benefits of scientific-technical co-operation (STC) are basic questions that should figure very prominently on the agenda of decision makers. They have at times been at the core of policy discussions and acrimonious exchanges. Inability to resolve these matters satisfactorily have also constituted fundamental obstacles to promulgating and maintaining a steady course toward the effective realization of STC and using it as a springboard for advancing regional integration within the context of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance3 (CMEA4).
A Direct Measurement of the IGM Opacity to HI Ionizing Photons

We present a new method to directly measure the opacity from HI Lyman limit (LL) absorption k_LL along quasar sightlines by the intergalactic medium (IGM). The approach analyzes the average (``stacked'') spectrum of an ensemble of quasars at a common redshift to infer the mean free path (MFP) to ionizing radiation. We apply this technique to 1800 quasars at z=3.50-4.34 drawn from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), giving the most precise measurements on k_LL at any redshift. From z=3.6 to 4.3, the opacity increases steadily as expected and is well parameterized by MFP = (48.4 +/- 2.1) - (38.0 +/- 5.3)*(z-3.6) h^-1 Mpc (proper distance). The relatively high MFP values indicate that the incidence of systems which dominate k_LL evolves less strongly at z>3 than that of the Lya forest. We infer a mean free path three times higher than some previous estimates, a result which has important implications for the photo-ionization rate derived from the emissivity of star forming galaxies and quasars. Finally, our analysis reveals a previously unreported, systematic bias in the SDSS quasar sample related to the survey's color targeting criteria. This bias potentially affects all z~3 IGM studies using the SDSS database.
Low-Rank and Sparse Dictionary Learning

Learning an informative dictionary is a critical challenge in sparse representation and low-rank modeling. The quality of dictionary usually affects the performance of learning models significantly. In this chapter, we propose a novel low-rank dictionary learning method, which learns a discriminative dictionary with low-rank constraints. We learn a sub-dictionary for each class separately, and the overall representation ability of the dictionary is also considered. In particular, the Fisher criterion is incorporated in our model to improve the discriminability of dictionary, which maximizes the ratio of the between-class scatter to within-class scatter. In practice, training samples may contain noisy information, which would undermine the quality of the dictionary. Inspired by the recent advances in low-rank matrix recovery, we enforce a low-rank constraint on the sub-dictionary for each class to tackle this problem. Our model is formulated as an \(l_1\) regularized rank-minimization problem, which can be solved by the iterative projection method (IPM) and inexact augmented Lagrange multiplier (ALM) algorithms. The proposed discriminative dictionary learning with low-rank regularization (\(D^2L^2R^2\)) method is evaluated on four public face and digit image datasets, in comparison with existing representative dictionary learning and image classification methods. The experimental results demonstrate that our method outperforms related methods in various settings.
F2D users manual: A two-dimensional compressible gas flow code

The F2D computer code is a general purpose, two-dimensional, fully compressible thermal-fluids code that models most of the phenomena found in situations of coupled fluid flow and heat transfer. The code solves momentum, continuity, gas-energy, and structure-energy equations using a predictor-corrector solution algorithm. The corrector step includes a Poisson pressure equation. The finite difference form of the equation is presented along with a description of input and output. Several example problems are included that demonstrate the applicability of the code in problems ranging from free fluid flow, shock tubes and flow in heated porous media.
Scanning Probe Microscopy in Materials Science

The advent of scanning probe microscopy () revolutionized surface science in the 1980s and facilitated the nanotechnology revolution in the ensuing decades. First scanning tunneling microscopy, then atomic force microscopy () and near-field optical methods, were developed and employed for fundamental and applied research in many disciplines including physics, biology, chemistry, and a wide range of engineering fields. But SPM, especially AFM, has in particular contributed to materials science due to the fact that atomic to nanoscale resolution of materials properties can be achieved. Routine and specialized SPM approaches now provide measurements and maps not just of the topography, but also of local mechanical, electronic, magnetic, optical, thermal, chemical, and coupled properties. Important recent developments include increases in imaging speed, in situ and in operando studies, advanced probes, and even tomographic AFM. This chapter describes the concepts and implementation of these various SPM methods focused on new discoveries in materials science.
Disparate effects of antibiotics on hypertension

Gut microbiota are associated with a variety of complex polygenic diseases. The usage of broad-spectrum antibiotics by patients affected by such diseases is an important environmental factor to con...
The Data Book: Collection and Management of Research Data

The Data Book: Collection and Management of Research Data is the first practical book written for researchers and research team members covering how to collect and manage data for research. The book covers basic types of data and fundamentals of how data grow, move and change over time. Focusing on pre-publication data collection and handling, the text illustrates use of these key concepts to match data collection and management methods to a particular study, in essence, making good decisions about data. The first section of the book defines data, introduces fundamental types of data that bear on methodology to collect and manage them, and covers data management planning and research reproducibility. The second section covers basic principles of and options for data collection and processing emphasizing error resistance and traceability. The third section focuses on managing the data collection and processing stages of research such that quality is consistent and ultimately capable of supporting conclusions drawn from data. The final section of the book covers principles of data security, sharing, and archival. This book will help graduate students and researchers systematically identify and implement appropriate data collection and handling methods.
Technical Considerations for Lung Transplantation in Kartagener's Syndrome

Kartagener's syndrome is a rare genetic disorder of ciliated epithelial cells associated with recurrent respiratory tract infections, bronchiectasis, and situs inversus. In some patients, the accumulation of airway secretions and recurrent infections lead to end-stage lung disease, for which lung transplantation is the only effective treatment. Anatomical variations, such as dextrocardia and pulmonary situs inversus, make the procedure challenging, yet feasible with certain technical modifications and careful preparation of donor lungs. We report a case of bilateral lung transplantation without the use of cardiopulmonary bypass in a patient with Kartagener's syndrome while describing important technical details of the operation.
Better Being Single? Omics Improves Kidney Organoids.

CONTEXT Human kidney organoids are complex structures resembling nephron arrays, which can be derived in a variety of ways. Whether all of these differentiation protocols produce qualitatively similar organoid cell types is not yet clear. Subject of Review: A comparative analysis of 2 organoid differentiation protocols is recently reported in Cell Stem Cell [Wu et al.: Cell Stem Cell 2018;pii:S1934-5909(18)30491-0], using single cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) as an analytical tool. This demonstrates that the 2 protocols have much in common, and that neither produces kidney cells in a pure or comprehensive manner. Ureteric lineages appear to be absent, and organoids are contaminated with non-kidney cell types, including neurons and muscle cells. Based on the scRNA-seq datasets, a new differentiation protocol is devised to reduce non-kidney cell types, without adversely affecting organoid epithelial cells. Second Opinion: Together with published analyses of a third differentiation protocol, these findings suggest more commonalities than differences between kidney organoid platforms, and identify critical strategies for functional improvement of these cellular structures.
Overcoming legacy processing in photographic collections through collaboration and digital technologies.

In the 1960s, a Louisville photography studio began donating its negatives, prints, and invoices to the University of Louisville Photographic Archives. The Caufield & Shook collection remains a sig...
Oxalate-enhanced solubility of lead (Pb) in the presence of phosphate: pH control on mineral precipitation

Here we study the precipitation of lead (Pb)-phosphate minerals over the pH range of 4.0 to 8.0 with and without oxalate, a ubiquitous and abundant low-molecular-weight organic acid derived from plants and microorganisms in environmental matrices. In the aqueous Pb-phosphate systems, phosphate precipitated Pb efficiently, reducing the dissolved Pb concentration below 1 μM at all the tested pH values, with the minimum solubility of about 0.1 μM measured at the intermediate pH of 6.0. The measured dissolved Pb and free Pb2+ ion activity were not in agreement with predictions from generally-accepted solubility products of the Pb phosphate minerals, particularly hydroxypyromorphite [Pb5(PO4)3OH]. Discrepancies between our measured Pb phosphate solubility products and older reported values are attributed to non-ideal behavior of these minerals (incongruent dissolution) as well as uncertainties in stability constants for soluble Pb-phosphate ion pairs. The presence of equimolar levels of oxalate and phosphate resulted in up to 250-fold increase in Pb solubility at acidic pH and about a 4-fold increase at pH 7.0, due to the strong suppression of Pb phosphate precipitation by oxalate and formation of soluble Pb-oxalate complexes. At pH 4.0 and 5.0, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) identified a Pb-oxalate mineral phase as the only precipitate despite the presence of phosphate; in the absence of oxalate, Pb hydrogen phosphate, PbHPO4, stably formed under these acidic conditions. At pH 6.0 and greater, FTIR and XRD data revealed that Pb-phosphate [Pb3(PO4)2], and hydroxypyromorphite [Pb5(PO4)3OH] to a lesser extent, were the predominant precipitates both in the absence and presence of oxalate. Therefore, oxalate did not strongly interfere with Pb-phosphate mineral formation at aqueous pH greater than 6.0 but oxalate controlled Pb solubility at acidic pH values.
High performance and reliable 1.3 μm InAs quantum dot lasers epitaxially grown on Si

1.3 μm InAs quantum dot lasers on Si show a CW threshold current of 4.8 mA and extrapolated lifetimes of ten million hours at 35°C and ~65,000 hours at 60°C.
Damage Control Ophthalmology: Anesthesia Considerations

Safe and effective anesthetic management of ocular trauma remains an important skillset for the military anesthesiologist. Integral to this is a familiarity with ocular anatomy and physiology, particularly the factors affecting intraocular pressure. While regional and topical anesthesia is useful for minor eye procedures, general endotracheal anesthesia (GETA), particularly in the likely setting of accompanying facial trauma, remains the standard of care for most serious ocular trauma cases. Performing a general anesthetic for eye trauma, especially an open globe, requires a careful balance between creating ideal operating conditions, safeguarding the airway, and preventing the further deterioration of already compromised vision.
A statistics-based performance testing methodology for cloud applications

The low cost of resource ownership and flexibility have led users to increasingly port their applications to the clouds. To fully realize the cost benefits of cloud services, users usually need to reliably know the execution performance of their applications. However, due to the random performance fluctuations experienced by cloud applications, the black box nature of public clouds and the cloud usage costs, testing on clouds to acquire accurate performance results is extremely difficult. In this paper, we present a novel cloud performance testing methodology called PT4Cloud. By employing non-parametric statistical approaches of likelihood theory and the bootstrap method, PT4Cloud provides reliable stop conditions to obtain highly accurate performance distributions with confidence bands. These statistical approaches also allow users to specify intuitive accuracy goals and easily trade between accuracy and testing cost. We evaluated PT4Cloud with 33 benchmark configurations on Amazon Web Service and Chameleon clouds. When compared with performance data obtained from extensive performance tests, PT4Cloud provides testing results with 95.4% accuracy on average while reducing the number of test runs by 62%. We also propose two test execution reduction techniques for PT4Cloud, which can reduce the number of test runs by 90.1% while retaining an average accuracy of 91%. We compared our technique to three other techniques and found that our results are much more accurate.
Educational 360-Degree Videos in Virtual Reality: a Scoping Review of the Emerging Research

360-degree video (or 360° video) is recorded in an omnidirectional form so that viewers can look in any direction while the video plays. Interest in the application of 360° video has been emerging along with the advancement of lower cost technologies and increase in online video content. Little is known about trends in the emerging research for 360° video. A scoping review was conducted through a systematic process to identify trends in peer-reviewed research journal articles. A sample of 12 articles were identified as meeting the research criteria. Findings illuminate the extent and nature of research on educational 360° video along with the benefits and drawbacks for learning. The results show how 360° video was used in nine different content areas to promote immersive learning through virtual reality. Learners indicated enjoyment with the experience of learning with 360° VR video, but the results were mixed regarding the impact on learning.
Technical writing improvements through engineering lab courses

Improving assessment of engineering students’ technical communication skills is a good way to monitor and improve teaching of these skills, and positively impact associated learning. The present st...
Bayesian topology optimization for efficient design of origami folding structures

Bayesian optimization (BO) is a popular method for solving optimization problems involving expensive objective functions. Although BO has been applied across various fields, its use in structural optimization area is in its early stages. Origami folding structures provide a complex design space where the use of an efficient optimizer is critical. In this work for the first time we demonstrate the ability of BO to solve origami-inspired design problems. We use a Gaussian process (GP) as the surrogate model that is trained to mimic the response of the expensive finite element (FE) objective function. The ability of this BO-FE framework to find optimal designs is verified by applying it to well-known origami design problems. We compare the performance of the proposed approach to traditional gradient-based optimization techniques and genetic algorithm methods in terms of ability to discover designs and computational efficiency. BO has many user-defined components/parameters and intuitions for these for structural optimization are currently limited. In this work, we study the role of hyperparameter tuning and the sensitivity of Bayesian optimization to the quality and size of the initial training set. Taking a holistic view of the computational expense, we propose various heuristic approaches to reduce the overall cost of optimization. Our results show that Bayesian optimization is an efficient alternative to traditional methods. It allows for the discovery of optimal designs using fewer finite element solutions, which makes it an attractive choice for the non-convex design space of origami fold mechanics.
Effects of Egocentric Projection and Identification on Narrative Persuasion in Foodborne Illness Messages

This study conceptually and empirically distinguishes two mental processes in narrative processing of food safety health messages—identification with and egocentric projection onto story characters...
Solving a task of coordinated control over a ship automated electric power system under a changing load

This paper reports the synthesis of the main processes for the basic control over a complex technical vessel system. The issue related to the semantics of the description and the method for decomposing management tasks has been proposed to resolve in the context of the synthesis of the program to coordinate control over vessel technical systems and complexes with a sophisticated structure. An example of a five-unit ship’s automated electric power system (SAEPS) for the predefined level of generated power, taking into consideration the efficiency criteria, was used to synthesize the algorithms that execute transitions from one level to another while taking into account the pre-emergency and emergency states of SAEPS. The organization of the sequential process of enabling/disabling generator units (GUs) implies developing a program for managing the coordinator's supervisor as part of a distributed two-level hierarchical structure of SAEPS control when the load changes. The sequence of operations to launch, synchronize, transfer the loading, and stop GU is based on the formation of GU optimal composition, the distribution of loads among GUs running in parallel, and the implementation of the program for optimizing the primary engine of the power plant. The reported principles for constructing GU composition control procedures based on the principle of "rigid and flexible" thresholds have made it possible to build a diagram of adjustment of the time delay in enabling GU dependent on the demanded power. It has been proven that the proposed technique improves the reliability of SAEPS operation as it eliminates possible emergency modes when false control combinations are assigned. Databases on the quantity of GUs, their technical condition, loading, fuel consumption, and environmental parameters have been built. The synthesis of control over a five-unit SAEPS has made it possible to determine the algorithmization procedure based on using an extended data array and simplify the functioning algorithm involved in the operations of choosing the structure for a five-unit SAEPS
Determination of Factors Driving the Genome Editing Field in the CRISPR Era Using Bibliometrics

Over the past two decades, the discovery of CRISPR-Cas immune systems and the repurposing of their effector nucleases as biotechnological tools have revolutionized genome editing. The corresponding work has been captured by 90,000 authors representing 7,600 affiliations in 126 countries, who have published more than 19,000 papers spanning medicine, agriculture, and biotechnology. Here, we use tech mining and an integrated bibliometric and networks framework to investigate the CRISPR literature over three time periods. The analysis identified seminal papers, leading authors, influential journals, and rising applications and topics interconnected through collaborative networks. A core set of foundational topics gave rise to diverging avenues of research and applications, reflecting a bona fide disruptive emerging technology. This analysis illustrates how bibliometrics can identify key factors, decipher rising trends, and untangle emerging applications and technologies that dynamically shape a morphing field, and provides insights into the trajectory of genome editing.
PHENIX Measurements of Higher-order Flow Harmonics in Au+Au collisions at Root_s = 200 GeV

Flow coefficients $v_n$ for $n$ = 2, 3, 4, characterizing the anisotropic collective flow in Au+Au collisions at $\sqrt{s_{NN}} = 200$ GeV, are presented. They indicate the expected growth of viscous damping for sound propagation in the quark gluon plasma (QGP) produced in these collisions. Hydrodynamical model comparisons which include the effects of initial state geometry fluctuations, highlight the role of higher harmonics ($v_{n, n>2}$) as a constraint for disentangling the effects of viscosity and initial conditions, and suggest a small specific viscosity for the QGP. This viscosity is compatible with that obtained via a newly proposed technique \cite{Lacey:2011ug} which employs the relative magnitudes of $v_n$ to estimate the viscosity, and the "viscous horizon" or length-scale which characterizes the highest harmonic that survives viscous damping.
Lloyd's Financial Distress and Contagion within the US Property and Liability Insurance Industry

The intra-industry effect of Lloyd's financial distress on publicly traded US insurance companies is examined. Given Lloyd's prominence in the international insurance industry, large losses raised questions about the industry's capacity for certain types of risks and the financial solvency of other insurers. The market value of US property-liability insurers fell significantly at the announcement. This decline is related to the firm's revenues from insurance and reinsurance exposure. Results support contagion between Lloyd's distress and the US insurance industry. The study raises concerns about the potential for a systematic disruption of the supply of reinsurance in the international marketplace.
Universities, Joint Ventures, and Success in the Advanced Technology Program

America's most innovative firms participate in the U.S. Commerce Department's Advanced Technology Program (ATP) those that participated at least once accounted for over 40 percent of U.S. patents to U.S. entities during 1988-1996. Many firms are repeat participants. ATP participation has significant and robust effects on innovation in firms, generally increasing firms' patenting during the time they are receiving ATP support, when compared to patenting by the same firms prior to and after the ATP award. ATP participation increases firms' patenting on average by between 5 and 30 patents per year during the period of ATP participation. This represents a 4 to 25 percent increase in firms' patenting compared to the period before ATP participation. Furthermore, joint-venture (JV) project participation and university participation in a project both appear to have a positive impact on firm patenting. The amount of funding received by the firm is crucial for single participants, with the positive impact concentrated in those firms with large grants. Single participants are more likely than JV members to be small startups for which ATP funding is large relative to the total R&D budget. For JV participants, participation is more important than the level of funding.
Staphylococcal transfer ribonucleic acids. I. Isolation and purification of the isoaccepting glycine transfer ribonucleic acids from Staphylococcus epidermidis Texas 26.

Abstract The isoaccepting species of tRNAGly from Staphylococcus epidermidis Texas 26 have been purified. tRNAGlyi the species which fails to participate in protein synthesis but does function in peptidoglycan synthesis, is actually a mixture of two species, tRNAGlyia and tRNAGlyib. tRNAGlyia, tRNAGlyii, and tRNAGlyiii could be purified to homogeneity, whereas tRNAGlyib was obtained only as a mixture with tRNAGlyia. The purification utilized standard column chromatographic procedures for tRNAiGly and tRNAGlyiii, whereas tRNAGlyii was obtained by means of the Tener procedure. Methods were developed for preparing each isoaccepting species labeled with 32P.